On Wednesday night, the 21st of Kislev, Parshat Vayeshev, a lecture was held at the holy residence of our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, for the avreichim of the Kollel in the 'Pardes Katz' neighborhood of Bnei Brak.

The lecture lasted over forty minutes. Here is a summary of the topics mentioned by our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, during the lecture:

1. A difficult verse in Genesis: Rashi on "Adah and Zillah" and Adam's decision to stop having children after Cain killed Abel, until he was comforted by the birth of Seth and his righteous descendants – Methuselah, Enoch, and Noah.

2. The dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel on whether the world should have been created – Gemara Eruvin.

3. The story of the harp in the Holy Temple and the discussion on whether it is permissible to repair a broken string on Shabbat due to "Shvut deShvut" and how it relates to marital harmony.

4. A story of a husband and wife who did not speak for twenty years until her desire was revealed through the placement of food – the entire matter of marital harmony in Gemara Eruvin.

5. The concept of melody: David's harp, eight verses in Psalms, the number of verses in the Torah (5845) compared to various traditions on the unification of verses.

6. The number of letters in the Torah (304,000) and the multiples (final letters) and their relation to the count of "six hundred thousand."

7. The discussion on whether the snake is pure or impure, and what the matter of the mouse gnawing on a garment is compared to the damages of a snake.

8. Each of Bnei Yisrael can conquer ten nations – the power of Judah son of Jacob and the stance of the tribes.

9. Naphtali's leap – the leaping power of the tribe of Naphtali to bring a quorum and perform miracles.

10. The Holy Temple: the real one ascended to the heavens; what was burned was only the stones and the plaster.

11. Jacob bowed seven times before Esau – the seven heads of the snake that Rav Acha bar Yaakov subdued.

12. "Remember me – and mention me": Joseph asks the chief cupbearer to mention him, and therefore receives two additional years.

13. The difficulty of the double verses in the Torah and the teaching that there are verses that are read only once.

14. Signs of the moon, calculations of distances (4000–8000 km) and the reason everyone must desecrate Shabbat to testify for the sanctification of the month.

15. "Crowned in his custom": the Ben Ish Chai – what angered Haman about Mordechai was his thick and coarse sideburns.

16. The story of the salvation of the Jews in Algeria thanks to the verse "When you pass through the waters."

17. "That nation with him": the secret brought by Rashi on the dispute of the brothers and Joseph – the dispute of the angels and the angel Metatron on whether to create the world.

18. Esau planned to kill Isaac and Jacob through his marriage to Mahalath daughter of Ishmael – that Ishmael would kill Isaac, and then he would kill Jacob.

19. The sign of circumcision is not a proof among nations that practice circumcision – only sideburns are a true Jewish sign.

20. The law of the sword: a non-Jew who lent a sword and it was found to be gold – the dispute in Brisk and the Ketzot on whether he must pay as gold or as tin.

21. Esau's fear of Jacob – because Jacob has the power to decide the fate of the entire world and subdue all nations.

22. Parshat Vayigash: "Father or brother" – Joseph asks about the way of lighting Hanukkah candles, whether in alphabetical order (increasing) or like Beit Shammai (decreasing).

23. Rabbi Shimon writes: If Abraham had slaughtered Ishmael in "your only son" – we would not be suffering today from the thousands of troubles of Ishmael.