In This I Trust • Zot Chanukah 5785 with the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer

Thousands at the Lighting of the Eighth Candle ○ Yom Kippur Piyutim (liturgical poems) in the Inner Sanctum ○ A Lesson on the Greatness of the Day of Sealing

As every year on Zot Chanukah (the eighth and final day of Chanukah), thousands of Anash (our people) arrived from all over the country for the lighting ceremony of Zot Chanukah by the Rav shlit"a (may he live long and good days). The plaza was filled to capacity, and they merited to witness the lighting by the Rav and the lighting songs with sparks of holy fire. After the lighting, the Rav shlit"a prayed the Maariv (evening) prayer and delivered a shiur (Torah lesson) on the greatness of the day.

As is the custom of Anash, Breslov Chassidim, on 'Zot Chanukah' to sing the melodies of Yom Kippur, so too does the Rav shlit"a custom to sit with his family members on the Day of Sealing (the final day of the judgment period), to gather together for the recitation of the Yom Kippur piyutim (liturgical poems) on the holy night of Zot Chanukah.

And as mentioned, this year too, the extended family members of the Rav shlit"a gathered for the lighting ceremony in his holy residence. About two hours after the conclusion of the Chanukah songs in the inner sanctum, the Rav shlit"a sat down for the Zot Chanukah night seudah (festive meal), and they began reciting the piyutim (liturgical poems) and sections customary to say on the night of Zot Chanukah from the Yom Kippur prayer with spiritual awakening and enthusiasm. For over an hour and a half, they sang the Yom Kippur piyutim according to the Breslov nusach (traditional melody), with the Rav shlit"a occasionally serving as the chazzan (cantor) himself.

As is customary, some of the piyutim are taken from the night of Yom Kippur and some are piyutim taken from the morning of the day. Between the piyutim of the night and the piyutim of the day, one could feel the awe of the Holy Day during the moments of the final chitum (sealing of judgment) in the inner sanctum.

Only close to 11:30 PM, after the time of Chatzos (midnight), the Rav shlit"a concluded the event. During the conclusion, the Rav shlit"a distributed Chanukah gelt (traditional money gifts) to his family members and entered his room to continue his pure study and his regular daily schedule on this holy and sublime day—Zot Chanukah.