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Seventeen years ago, Rav Yehoshua Meir Deutsch and five friends decided to undertake the age-old custom of waking up at midnight to recite Tikun Chatzos, followed by an intense learning session until neitz. This group has since expanded into Kollel Chatzos Eretz Yisrael, with more than 100 outstanding avreichim who, with their unique avodas Hashem, provide special protection for all of Am Yisrael.

The kollel members are a mix of all ages and backgrounds — young yungeleit alongside great-grandfathers; chassidim and yeshivahleit, Sephardim and Ashkenazim, engendering a warm feeling of achdus.

Why Chatzos?
Why open a kollel devoted to prayer and Torah study specifically in the middle of the night?
Rosh Kollel Rav Yehoshua Meir Deutsch explains: “Chatzos is a tremendous eis ratzon. The holy Zohar states that whoever wakes up to say Tikun Chatzos at night has nothing to fear during the day. He is accompanied by two angels, one for spiritual protection and the other for physical protection.

“Rebbe Nachman of Breslov advised his chassidim to take upon themselves this age-old avodah, and it has since been rediscovered by many.

“There are so many segulos today, with various auspicious times and places to daven. Yet Hashem has given us the opportunity to draw closer to Him, mitigate evil decrees, and reach elevated spiritual heights every single night!”

This sentiment was echoed by the tzaddik Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender, a Breslover chassid, who almost never missed a night reciting Tikun Chatzos. Seeing people in need of yeshuos, he would say, “Why are you running after all kinds of different segulos? You have chatzos every night!”

“The night hours,” says Rav Deutsch, “from midnight on, are a time of great clarity and serenity. The world comes to a standstill; there are no distractions, resulting in learning that is pure and unblemished.

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Special Individuals
In truth, not everyone is in a position to learn in such a kollel. Waking up each night for an intensive prayer-and- learning seder demands a commitment. It means not only rescheduling your entire life, but also ensuring you’re physically able to keep it up, which necessitates going to bed at a time when most people are busy with family, simchahs, meetings, or other pursuits.

Kollel Chatzos Eretz Yisrael is made up of a select group of individuals who have committed themselves to this challenging schedule, with their family’s enthusiastic consent.

“At first it wasn’t easy,” T. K., the wife of a member of Kollel Chatzos Eretz Yisrael, admits. “But we see such amazing siyata d’Shmaya in every aspect of our lives. Once we had a family simchah, and wanting to make me happy, my husband said he would stay late, but that would mean he’d have to miss Kollel Chatzos that night. I told him, “There’s no way I want to lose this zechus, even for one night.”

The avreichim arrive each weeknight, locally, from Beitar Ilit, or from Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, and Modiin Ilit. Each member of the group is hand-picked, having proved seriousness and consistency, both in the ability to adhere to the schedule as well as overall learning capabilities.

How does it work?
“As soon as they arrive,” Rav Deutsch explains, “the avreichim remove their shoes and sit on the floor, proceeding to say Tikkun Chatzos with an outpouring of emotion, and weeping over the Churban. Once a week, the kollel members are taken to the Kosel and Kever Rochel, where these tefillos are all the more palpable. On Erev Rosh Chodesh, they travel to Meron to the kever of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai. At each holy place, every donor’s name and requests are mentioned slowly and with concentration.

“After Tikkun Chatzos, the beis medrash suddenly pulsates with the vibrant sound of Torah. They learn in chavrusas, chaburos, and individually — Gemara with Rashi and Tosafos, Shulchan Aruch, works of chassidus and sifrei Kabbalah. Many regularly make siyumim on single masechtos and all of Shas. Now for Shovavim, avreichim can receive a special stipend for learning five hours straight with a taanis dibbur throughout.”

The Yissachars and the Zevuluns
Rav Chaim Palagi writes that one who is unable to wake up at midnight to say Tikun Chatzos and learn Torah should strive to support a talmid chacham who is able to do so. Moreover, one who provides this support merits the same protection, brachah, and yeshuah as the learner himself. He has the same power to bring the Geulah for all of Klal Yisrael as well as personal yeshuos — above and beyond the laws of nature.

The most powerful manifestation of this segulah is the Yissachar-Zevulun contract of Kollel Chatzos Eretz Yisrael, which has the approbation of top rabbanim, including Rav Yaakov Meir Shechter and Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein, who wrote up the contract and who himself is an enthusiastic supporter. The donor and learner sign a binding halachic contract, each receiving an equal portion in the learning, while the donor provides monthly support for the learner. The learner endeavors never to miss a night of learning and to daven for the donor and his family.

“Our ‘Zevuluns’ have seen amazing, miraculous yeshuos in all areas — parnassah, health, shidduchim, nachas from children, shalom bayis, and more,” says Rav Deutsch. “And that’s in addition to the knowledge that they’re bringing special protection and blessing for all of Klal Yisrael!”

Rav Deutsch is in personal contact with all donors, and regularly keeps in touch with them. “I’ve received emergency calls for tefillos on behalf of someone who needed a yeshuah for someone seriously ill, lo aleinu. I asked everyone to stop for a moment, and we dedicated the learning and davening to the zechus of that person in need.”

Rav Deutsch adds that the donors of Kollel Chatzos Eretz Yisrael are also exceptional individuals. “Being part of this holy endeavor makes them aware and sensitive to the greatness of chatzos. Many of our donors also try to rise for Tikun Chatzos whenever they can. The Baal Hasulam, Harav Yehuda Halevi Ashlag, wrote that those who have a strong affinity for chatzos have high neshamos — and I say that applies equally to the Zevuluns as well as the Yissachars.”

Kol HaTorah Kulah
Rav Deutsch relates: “We have several avreichim in Kollel Chatzos who are knowledgeable in all areas of Torah — both nigleh and nistar. One of our donors has a relative, a talmid chacham and a dayan, who was once visiting Eretz Yisrael. He told the relative that he should visit our kollel in Beitar. This relative saw me learning the sefer Otzaros Chaim with one of our extraordinary avreichim, Reb Z. C.

“‘What, you’re learning this sefer? I’ve had questions on Otzaros Chaim for 15 years!’ he exclaimed. ‘I’ve asked many mekubalim but no one knew what to answer.’ Reb Z.C. was able to answer all his questions with clarity and simplicity. ‘These are the kind of avreichim you have in your kollel?’ he asked with amazement. ‘You have gedolei hador!’ he said and went on to sign a Yissachar-Zevulun contract.”

The Power of Chatzos
“Many people have told me that as soon as they take part in a Yissachar-Zevulun partnership, they see a change for the better almost immediately,” says Rav Deutch. “A 40- year-old single woman from Europe made a Yissachar-Zevulun partnership as a zechus to find her bashert. Baruch Hashem, she became engaged a short time afterward, but what’s interesting is that her fiancée was also one of our donors for whom we’d davened for a shidduch! Baruch Hashem, they were recently blessed with a baby girl.

“There was a businessman with a Yissachar-Zevulun contract who was being sued in court for a huge amount of money, and even his own lawyer didn’t give him much of a chance of winning the case. He donated an extra sum for a week and gave a pidyon nefesh for each avreich in the kollel. At the hearing, which took place at the end of that week, the judge miraculously ruled in his favor, clearing him of all charges.”

A Miracle Every Month
Rav Deutsch shares what it’s like to shoulder such a major responsibility. “I don’t have an elaborate fundraising system; I don’t do telemarketing. Every month I feel like it’s a miracle when I can provide the stipends for so many families.

“I was once approached by a young man, a serious oveid Hashem and masmid, but I simply didn’t have the budget for another stipend. He asked permission to come and learn without a stipend, and I thought, these are the kind of avreichim I need in the kollel! In the end, I decided to accept him, and asked him to daven that I find him a sponsor. ‘Rav Deutsch,’ he said, ‘it says in the Zohar that one who rises for chatzos has his blessings and decrees fulfilled. I hereby decree that the Rav find me a partner this very day! Not an hour passed, and a Yid from London called, asking about a Yissachar-Zevulun contract with an avreich who learns Gemara, Rashi, and Tosafos from chatzos until neitz. I told him I had a very special avreich for him. Then I asked him, ‘How did you reach me?’ He said that he was in Yershalayim to meet a very great mekubal, who told him that if he wanted salvation for all his problems, he should sign a Yissachar-Zevulun contract with an avreich who learns Gemara at chatzos.”

The Building and Mikveh Fund
Rav Deutsch dreams big. There’s no other way to explain how the kollel grew in such a short time from a tiny group to an entire community. “Baruch Hashem, the kollel is bursting at the seams, and we really are desperate for a bigger place.”

Rav Deutsch has plans in the pipeline for a magnificent makom Torah that will accommodate many more Torah scholars. The grandiose project includes 300 seats in the beis medrash alone, as well as study rooms, conference rooms, and a state-of- the-art mikveh. In addition, there will be a spacious ezras nashim with shiurim for women several times a week, which one woman has already sponsored.

Donors can gain the eternal zechus of contributing to the construction of this holy building.

To reserve Yissachar-Zevulun partnerships, sponsor a night of Torah v’tefillah by the entire kollel, partner with an avreich for one month or more, donate, send bakashos, sponsor weekly learning or just one night for a special occasion/yeshuah, arrange a private meeting or schedule a shiur, please contact:

Rav Yehoshua Meir Deutsch, Rosh Kollel Chatzos
Israeli telephone: 972-2-5803545
American telephone: 646-403-3750
Whatsapp: 972-52-762-8272
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 972-2-5805123

For details about the kollel, videos, or to make a donation, please look for us online:
www.kollelchatzot.com 

Credit card donations can be made by phone.

Checks can be sent to:
Freedman Family
1540 40th St., Brooklyn
N.Y. 11218

Or to: P.O.B. 30067 Beitar Illit, Israel 90500

Donations by credit card can be done over the phone or through our website. All donations are US tax-deductible.

Donors can make a monthly contribution and the kollel will daven for a request each night, by agreement with the Rosh Kollel.

Credit to Sharon Gelbach of Mishpacha magazine
https://goo.gl/af2btH