The Global Pidyon

Last week, one of the biggest tzaddik nistarim in Israel was asked what could be done, to get this horrible war to stop.

He said that there was nothing that could be done, because (I’m paraphrasing here) ‘the other side’ had already made sure to tie the hands of the ‘One in a Generation’ who could actually ‘sweeten’ the global harsh decrees that are made against the Jewish people.

These days, that person can’t so much as even mention the word ‘pidyon’, or they will get sent straight back to jail.

And they certainly can’t put out any statements explaining what a ‘global pidyon’ actually is, or how it’s going to help to change the whole, horrible, picture around here, in the Holy Land.

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So, what’s to be done?

While I was pondering all this, I got word that the Rav has been taken ill with pneumonia, and is currently very weak…

This has happened so many times in the past, including even recently.

And the timing is always meaningful, and always coincides with another big ‘uptick’ in the dinim hanging over the Jews…. Which then have a habit of melting away, like they never existed in the first place.

Halavai, this should happen this time around.

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But in the meantime, I started going through OIAG 2, to find some more examples of when the Rav took ill exactly the same time as there were massive ‘wars’, or waves of terrorism, about to erupt involving Eretz Yisrael and the Jewish people.

(There have been literally tens of examples, in recent years.)

And that’s when I tripped across these passages, talking about the ‘98 global pidyon’.

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OIAG 2 was first published back in 2019 – four years ago.

And these statements from the Rav were actually made back in 2015 – eight years ago.

But, they are still so relevant for right now.

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I know all this is a bit cryptic.

All I can say, is that ‘the evils’ planned this whole thing meticulously, to literally take the Rav out of action, outlaw pidyonot, and stick him in prison, the same week ‘Covid’ turned up in Israel….

I.e. – precisely the time when the pidyonot would be most required.

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I am now looking for more of what the Rav said back in 2015 about the ‘98 pidyon’, but what follows all comes from OIAG 2, beginning on page 234, in the chapter called THE THIRD INTIFADA BEGINS.

It starts with when the Rav’s heart literally stopped for many minutes in Holland, and he almost died, God forbid.

It’s truly prophetic – and is describing exactly what we’ve been going through here in Eretz Yisrael, since October 7th, 2023:

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[The excerpt from OIAG 2 starts here]

On the January 7, 2015, less than a week after the Rav was hospitalized and fitted with a pacemaker, Muslim terrorism hit the French capital, Paris, in a dramatic way.

First, armed Muslim gunmen forced their way into the offices of a French satirical periodical called Charlie Hebdo and started firing. They killed 12 people and injured another 11, before being tracked down by French police and killed in a gun battle.

At the same time the Charlie Hebdo massacre was occurring, another armed Muslim terrorist broke into a kosher supermarket called Hypercacher in the Île-de-France region, where five Jews were murdered in cold blood and another 11 were wounded.

The twin terror attacks on the French capital shocked the world, and signaled the beginning of a new, and increasingly violent, chapter in Muslim terrorism.

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A couple of weeks later, on Rosh Chodesh Shvat 5775 (January 21, 2015), the Rav delivered the following rousing call to his followers, and to the nation of Israel:

“Now, we’re in a war. This is a new intifada. In Paris, they murdered five Jews. In Holland, they also tried to kill a couple of Jews. They closed all the schools, and they closed all the offices. The children are scared to go to school now, because of what happened in Toulouse[1]. Am Yisrael, we’re in more danger now than ever before. This is a terrible intifada that is spreading throughout the whole globe, the whole world.”

“Yesterday, they stabbed 12 innocent, sinless Jews on a bus[2], and no one even paid any attention; no one was even shocked by it. No one is talking about this, but we need to publicize this. The whole world is applauding each Jew that is murdered and killed.

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It’s impossible to sweeten the harsh judgments over the people of Israel, except by jumping into the fire [i.e. acting with mesirus Nefesh].

Only if we jump into the fire will we be able to sweeten all the judgments, so that there won’t be any more judgments against Am Yisrael. 

Every man is obligated to guard his eyes! This is true mesirus Nefesh! If people would guard their eyes, it would sweeten all of the harsh decrees.

All the bad decrees are due to a lack of guarding the eyes. Each time an eye is opened [to see forbidden things], a Jew is killed. Each time an eye is opened, a Jew is stabbed.

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If someone would see how many demons and spirits [there are in every square meter of the world], even a little, then immediately his soul would leave him.

Therefore, Hashem gave us the ability not to see. And now is the time when all of the demons and spirits are coming out of the bottle and are bursting forth.

All of the terrorists are demons and spirits. All of Hamas and all of Al–Qaida and all of ISIS, they are demons and spirits.

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[When a person is reciting the Shema,] he needs to have the proper intention, he needs to have proper attention when saying Hashem Aechad [God is one]. AecHaD also stand for: Al-Qaida, Hamas and Da-ash (the Arabic name for ISIS).

A person needs to have the correct intention that Hashem Aechad, God is One. If a person has the intention that God is One, then he will excise all of Al-Qaida, all of Hamas, and all of Da-ash (ISIS), [those] who decapitate others, and kill children and babies.

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“This whole intifada is being encouraged by the nations of the world.

The whole world is egging on this intifada, all of the nations, and all of them are sorry that Hitler (may his name be erased) didn’t finish the job.

Now, they’re relying on the Arabs [to finish the job]… 

All the nations of the world long for Jewish blood… Now, there’s an intifada like there hasn’t been since the beginning of the world. Twelve innocent people got stabbed on a bus, and the [nations of the world] don’t flinch. The world didn’t shake, and the world didn’t even pay it any attention.

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They only pay attention if a shot is fired in Gaza [in self defense], then the whole world is shaken up.

‘They fired a bullet in Gaza!? How could they do such a terrible thing!? Who did this terrible crime?! Judge him in The Hague, judge him in Brussels!’

So, we have arrived at the end of days. This is the prophecy of the end of days. This is why Yaakov was scared to reveal the prophecy of what would happen at the end of days.”

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On Erev Sukkos 5776 (September 27, 2015), the Rav wrote an unusual prayer about the so-called “blood-red moon” that was seen in the skies above Jerusalem on the first night of Sukkos. The Rav wrote: “About this [the blood moon] the Zohar wrote in parsahas Shelach 162 that ‘the moon will turn to blood.’…

Immediately after the blood-red moon appeared, the third intifada began, with the cold-blooded murder of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Henkin on October 1, 2015, who were shot to death by Palestinian terrorists in front of their four children as they were driving in the Shomron hills.

Just a few days later, on October 3, 2015, the holy martyrs Aharon Bennett and Rav Nechemia Lavi were also murdered in cold blood in front of their children, in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem….

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A little before Purim 5755, Rav Berland issued a call for every member of Am Yisrael to contribute a sum of money, however small, toward a communal “pidyon hakollel” that would sweeten the harsh decrees of the so-called Third Intifada that the Rav could see looming on the horizon.

The goal was to raise $600,000 — a dollar for each of the root souls of the nation of Israel — and to sweeten the judgments that way.

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At that time, he sent out a message saying:

“We are in a new intifada, and it’s a terrible intifada that will spread around the globe. It’s impossible to stop it [by natural means].”

Unfortunately, even though the request to participate in the “pidyon hakollel” was repeated many times, with announcements appearing in many of the Breslov yeshivos encouraging people to donate, and many people took the Rav’s plea to heart, most of these people were not wealthy, and barely a sixth of the total required was raised.

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Then the Festival of Sukkos 5776 arrived, and with it came the beginning of the prophesized upswing in Arab violence.

When the shootings, stabbings and other attacks began in earnest in Eretz Yisrael, everyone saw that the prophecy of the Rav had indeed materialized. The Third Intifada, foreseen by the Rav and which he’d hoped to avoid and sweeten, had begun.

At this time, the Rav publicized an important message that whoever would donate 98 shekels a month for a pidyon would be saved, in that merit, along with his whole family, from the terrorist attacks.

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The Rav promised this himself, in the following words where he said:

“As long as the intifada continues, everyone is obligated to give, every Jew in every place of the world. Even non-Jews should give 98 shekels — which is $26, or €25, every month, for as long as this continues.*

In every place in the world there are terror attacks. Whoever wants to be saved from this new intifada that is spreading over the entire globe, needs to give.

Everyone who gives the pidyon will be saved from all attacks, and from all stumbling blocks, and from all types of sin.”

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All of this comes directly from the pages of OIAG2, written 4-5 years ago, describing comments the Rav made eight years ago.

The bit to pay attention to is this:

At this time, the Rav publicized an important message that whoever would donate 98 shekels* a month for a pidyon would be saved, in that merit, along with his whole family, from the terrorist attacks.

The Rav promised this himself, in the following words where he said:

“As long as the intifada continues, everyone is obligated to give, every Jew in every place of the world. Even non-Jews should give 98 shekels — which is $26, or €25, every month, for as long as this continues.

In every place in the world there are terror attacks. Whoever wants to be saved from this new intifada that is spreading over the entire globe, needs to give.

Everyone who gives the pidyon will be saved from all attacks, and from all stumbling blocks, and from all types of sin.”

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*The 98 shekels ($26, €25) was later changed by the Rav, as the killings increased to 98 shekels for those living in Israel, 98 USD for those living in US, and 98 euro for everyone else. And it should be done for each member of the household on a monthly recurring basis.

Ad kan, from OIAG 2, published back in 2019.

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There are no ‘promises’ today, let’s be 100% clear.

The Rav was sent to prison for two years because the State claimed he was promising stuff he couldn’t deliver.

This whole deal is emunat tzaddikim.

If you don’t have emunat tzaddikim – move on, don’t donate, and don’t participate in trying to get this ‘pidyon kollel’ raised to bring this horrible war to an end here in Israel.

Go find some other solution, some other response, that ticks your box more.

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But in the meantime, let me bring a few more snippets from that same OIAG2 – published four years ago:

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WHY PIDYON NEFESH WORKS TO REMOVE HARSH JUDGMENTS – BOX OUT

The language that Chazal use to describe “money” is damim, which literally means “blood” or “bloods” in Hebrew. When there are harsh decrees hanging over Am Yisrael, they can only be sweetened by immense amounts of mesirus nefesh, or self-sacrifice from the Jewish people, which often entails the spilling of blood.

But there is another way of sweetening the decrees.  

Instead of spilling real blood, God forbid, it’s also possible to fulfill the requirement to “spill blood” by the self-sacrifice required in giving money, or damim.

If you give whatever amount you’re able to give, with mesirus nefesh, then you fulfill the verse that states, “Charity saves from death[3].”

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A pidyon nefesh where each person gives a fixed amount is called pidyon hakollel, or “communal redemption.”

And this sweetens all of the judgments that are currently hanging over the nation of Israel, which means we won’t see any more blood spilled in our country.

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As the toll from the terrible stabbings, murders and other terrorist attacks in Israel continued to mount, shortly before the Fast of Esther 5776 (March 22, 2016), Rav Berland issued a call for at least 10,000 people to come together at Me’aras Hamachpelah in Chevron.

Rav Berland promised that if a minimum of 10,000 participants would go to Chevron on the forthcoming Fast of Esther to pray, the attacks would stop.

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A little over 10,000 people — including some of the nation’s leading Rabbis — heeded the call and went to Chevron for the prayer gathering.

After the crowd had finished reading through the entire book of Tehillim, Rav Berland was contacted to speak to the gathering on a phone that was attached to a number of loudspeakers.

Over 10,000 people heard him say that night: “In the merit of this gathering, the Intifada will stop”.

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Miraculously from that night on, the stabbings and attacks that had been occurring on an almost daily basis beforehand did indeed abruptly stop.

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After the event, Rav Yekusiel Fish commented: “Whoever can’t put two and two together is an idiot.

Specifically, at the same time that we are under constant attack from the Iranian nuclear threat, Rav Berland is being persecuted and is suffering in exile.

Without question, Rav Berland has been fighting the [Iranian’s] spiritual source, as is hinted to in his name “Berland”, which means ‘land of the bear’ in Yiddish. It’s known from the Gemara, (Tractate Yoma 77a) that the spiritual source of the Persian nation is called “Dubiel” the heavenly bear.

There is no question that Rav Berland is fighting them at their source, as well as all the other threats that Am Yisrael is facing. Whoever doesn’t put two and two together….

Here’s a Tzaddik who is halting the tragedies himself, who is stopping a nuclear attack.

He said: “Go and make a prayer gather on the night of the fast of Esther and it will stop the Intifada.” They went and did this, and immediately the Intifada stopped after half a year that not one day passed without killings!”

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Speaking shortly before Pesach 5776, Rav Shalom Arush commented:

“After the last prayer gathering in Chevron on the Fast of Esther, we clearly saw with our own eyes the strength of our teacher, Rav Eliezer Berland, shlita. 

After the prayer gathering that the Rav called for in Chevron, the terrorist attacks halted altogether.

We suffered so much from those terrorist attacks and now we see with our own eyes that it stopped.””

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Rav Berland had requested that another prayer gathering should be organized in Chevron on April 27, 2016, and Rav Arush was encouraging people to attend.

Rav Arush continued:

“Pesach is the time of redemption, and there is no other place that can work salvations like Me’aras Hamachpelah… 

Everyone is obligated to make an effort and to participate. It’s really important. We clearly saw with our own eyes how the last prayer gathering truly worked miracles on behalf of Am Yisrael… We need to [pray to] continue to bring the geulah the sweet way, and that the Rav should return [to Israel].”

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Pray on this, mull this over, above all else, think for yourself, about the clues these passages contain.

About how we can actually start to turn things around spiritually, and protect our soldiers being sent to fight in the Gaza death trap – and ourselves.

BH in the next post, I’ll bring more translated material from a few years ago, explaining why specifically 98.

With Hashem’s help, we can start to turn things around today, too, using the same strategy.

Amen.

TBC

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FOOTNOTES:

[1] On March 19, 2012, four Jews, including a father and his three small children, were shot to death by a gunman at the Otzer HaTorah Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse.

[2] On January 21, 2015, 12 Israelis were stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist on a Tel Aviv commuter bus.

[3] Mishlei 11:4.