“From the Moment I Saw Him, My Soul Became Bound to His Soul” – Rabbi Eliyahu Meirav zt”l on Drawing Close to Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

WITH GREAT SORROW, WE RECEIVED YESTERDAY, WEDNESDAY, 19 MARCHESHVAN 5785, THE BITTER NEWS OF THE PASSING OF THE TZADDIK AND CHASID [https://ravberland.com/the-angels-have-vanquished-the-righteous-ones-rabbi-eliyahu-meirav-ztl/], ONE OF THE GREAT STUDENTS OF MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A, A TEACHER OF TORAH TO THOUSANDS AND MULTITUDES, AND BRINGING MANY BACK IN REPENTANCE – RABBI ELIYAHU MEIRAV ZTVK”L. WE BRING TO YOU THE MOVING STORY OF RABBI ELIYAHU MEIRAV ZT”L, WHO IN HIS BRIEF BUT VERY MEANINGFUL WORDS, RELATES WHAT CAUSED HIM TO DRAW CLOSE TO THE RAV.  WHILE RELATING HIS WORDS, RABBI ELIYAHU MEIRAV DECISIVELY REFUTES ANY ATTEMPT TO SLANDER OR ATTRIBUTE WRONGDOING TO THE TZADDIK. These are his holy words zt”l: So we merited, Baruch Hashem, from the first moment that we merited to see this holy face some forty years ago.  This was in Beit Pomerantz in the Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood downstairs.  They said that some great rabbi was coming.  Then I didn’t know about Chasidut, I didn’t know anything. From the moment that I saw him, from that second, my soul was bound to his soul, and I haven’t left him, nor will I ever leave him. https://vimeo.com/1031766162 I saw that there is a totally different phenomenon here.  There is a completely different type of light that is dressed in a body, and he is simply an awe-inspiring and incomprehensible revelation of Godliness! Like you and me, as Rabbeinu said, “an upright person walking with…,” but this was something else entirely. Then, when looking back at the last forty years, what happened and how it happened, how things unfolded, it is clear to any intelligent person who has a drop of intellect in his head that these accusations – not only did I see with my own eyes that none of it was ever true.  Despite that I did see, Baruch Hashem, very great Tzaddikim, when women would could to them to be blessed, they would place their hands on their heads.  No one was shocked by this – they would place their hands on the [women’s] head coverings and bless them.  This was the custom with the great rabbis of the Sephardim, [while] guarding their eyes and everything, but such was the custom in Morocco and in all places. By the Rav [Berland], we never saw such things.  Now, suddenly all types of stories and talk have begun.  So I say, a wise person will remain silent at such a time.  You cannot strip away such powerful holiness through all types of worthless words that women utter and chatter about. FORTUNATE ARE WE THAT WE ARE HOLDING ONTO FAITH AND NOT MOVING FROM FAITH. I am very happy to see that the greatest rabbis have come out publicly in writing calling to stop these types of disparagements.  We sincerely hope that the matters will be revealed and people will truly see the true holy one, that we should draw close to him, Bezrat Hashem.