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A few years ago, while visiting the States, Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman stopped at the home of Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, where his attention was drawn to a tattered pair of shoes on display. "What are these," he asked?

Rabbi Kotler answered, "As you know, my great grandfather, Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, was Dean of the great Yeshiva in Slutzk. When the war (WWI) threatened, all the students were sent home."

One student upon arriving home was told by his mother: 'I didn't send you all the way to Slutsk just so you should come home!' Not able to afford a train, the young man walked the 400 kilometers back to the yeshiva. When he arrived, my great grandfather Rabbi Meltzer was so impressed with this young man for having walked so far, he kept his shoes as a symbol of self-sacrifice for the study of Torah."

Rabbi Steinman listened, then spoke: "But surely the young man from WWI days is no longer living. Isn't it time to dispose of his shoes?"

"Not living?" said Rabbi Kotler. "He is living! That young man is none other than Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach!"

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We did not just lose our Torah giant. We lost last generation's Torah giant. We lost the generation before that's Torah giant. We lost a time machine whose wisdom experience and love connected us back to the Torah Sages of pre-WWII Europe. WWI he was just beginning. By WWII he was 40 years old! He was already a man who was recognized by all Gedolei Yisrael of the time that he would unquestionably one day be the leader of Israel.

When the Gulf War broke and scud missiles were pointed at Israel, with all the fear of biological warfare, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit"a, was asked what would be? He said everything would be ok. And it was. He took one thing into account when he gave his answer. Rav Shach. With him in our midst, we are protected.

But now our father is gone. The one who protected us, directed us, rebuked us when necessary. Our mother is gone. The one who loved us, nurtured us and inspired us.

The last words of his will were a request. He asked that if there was anything he had done foranybody, maybe that person would learn a Mishna or a little bit of Mussar on his behalf so that he might have a positive judgment in heaven. "And as I am separated from you, with love, Elazar."

Wow. I thought we just spoke about it but it was over two years ago. Actually, in the properties, under the file menu it said "created March 2001" but it was modified August 1999. I guess my kabbalistic works are messing with my computer memory. It follows since I couldn't remember when I wrote it.

Anyways, we know about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Judgments Days 1 & 2.

Thirdly, from KABBALAH (an eye catcher) we learn that Shimini Atseres is a day of judgement. This means that someone who has been trying to do tshuva and the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul till Yom Kippur wasn't enough, they have another 12 days for success till their fate is sealed on Shimini Atseres. As we say thrice daily (weekdays), "Blessed are you Hashem Who desires repentance." What a nice G-d!

The Bas Ayin, a student of the Ba'al Shem Tov, learned from the Arizal about a few poor souls who are like a few unfinished strings yet dangling from the fabric of repentance. They try and fail. Try and fall again. When do these Jews have till? A verse in Isaiah says, U'lechain b'ZOSE yechupar avone Yaakov- Therefore with this will be atoned the iniquities of Yaakov. On the last day of Chanukah we read ZOSE chanukas hamizbe'ach- This is the dedication of the alter. Torah circles refer to the last day of Chanukah, not as day 8 but as Zose Chanukah. The Arizal puts the ZOSE of Isaiah and the ZOSE Chanukah together and says the message is clear. Zose Chanukah is the fourth and final day of judgment.

The Chasima Tova we wished each other prior to Yom Kippur will finally take place for some. So continuing from where we left off, the Bas Ayin writes that this week's parsha carries the clues of this final accounting.

Tamar, not being given Yehudah's third son in levirate marriage, went straight to Yehudah, unbeknownst to him. She dressed as a harlot. When she asked Yehudah for collateral towards payment, she took from him his chosemes- signet ring, p'silim- wrap, and mateh- staff.

The Bas Ayin says the chosemet alludes to the chasima which is forthcoming. The p'silim is the p'silos- wicks of the Chanukah menorah and the mateh is the vessel in which the p'silos are lit. (I imagine this is because before pressed tin menorahs became available for $2 each, one could take a stick of wood, carve out some cups and use it for a menorah.)

Hashem had Tamar conceive from that one liaison with Yehudah and back once home, as her preganancy started to show, it was told to Yehudah Tamar obviously committed adultery and was judged for death. As the fire began to blaze under her she asked that the aforementioned items be taken to Yehudah that he might recognize who the father of her children is. Yehudah recognized the objects, of course. Although with a moments hesitation Tamar would have been dead, along with his embarrassment, Yehudah's greatness of character did not hesitate and he said, "She is right." She was immediately retrieved from the fire.

To who is this signet ring?- L'mi hachosemes = 933 = Shmonas Yimai Chanukah- 8 days of Chanukah.

Judgment on High can come from Heavenly courts, where the attribute of Din- Judgment, itself, sits on the bench, or it come take place where G-d resides as Judge, with his infinite attrinute of Mercy. On this King David wrote, "From before You may my judgment go out, Your eyes behold uprightness." If David merited standing before Hashem, Himself, he knew Hashem's eyes would see the good in all of his actions.

On Rosh Hashanah judgment reigns form the Heavenly courts. On Chanukah we stand before Hashem. Mid Chanukah will cross into the month of Teves. Teves is known for its long cold wintry nights which indicate the attribute of Din has the upper hand. And so Hashem's mercy is awakened as not to let Din have it too much his way. Hashem sits on the bench and on the 8th day of Chanukah He personally judges the downtrodden of Israel who could not live up the the standards of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, or Shmini Atseres.

This kind of judgment is what we were looking for on Rosh Hashanah itself. After each musaf blast of the Shofar we asked Hashem to have mercy on us like children or slaves. If as children, may He have mercy on us like a father on his children. And if as slaves, are eyes beseech Him to accept our plea and pronounce our sentence like light. Which light? The light of Chanukah. What is the light of Chanukah? The Ohr Haganuz- Hidden Light. Light hidden away for Messianic times.

Shabbos Parshas Vayaishev = 2000 = From before You may my judgment go out, Your eyes behold uprightness- Milifanecha mishpati yaitsay aynecha techezenah maisharim.

Already in the times of the Baal Shem Tov, the Rebbe of the Bas Ayin, he felt that the Jews who needed a Chanukah-dika judgment were not individuals in the generation but the entire generation! A generation left to grace the world stage as the rumbling footsteps of the Mashiach proclaim his imminent appearance is a generation of constrained slaves, not devoted children. We need the Zose Chanukah as our Judgment Day. That was in his day. How much more so in ours?

These recent weeks, (or maybe two years ago) we spoke of the Prophet Chavakuk. Of the millions of prophets, his was amongst those recorded because his message was not just for his time but a message for future times.

In Vayairah we learned, in the name of the Arizal, the mystical revelation that Chavakuk was also a spark of the Mashiach. Chavukuk prophesied in the time of the wicked Menasheh lead all Israel away from Torah and mitsvos. Our Rabbis say Chavakuk stood all the yoke of Torah on one principle (Chav. 2:4), "The righteous shall live through his faith." That message is the message for our time.

In a song of praise of the final redemption King David wrote (98:9), "Before Hashem will have arrived to judge the earth, he will judge the earth with righteousness and the peoples with fairness." He also wrote in a song of when the entire world will recognize G-d's sovereignty (96:13), "Before Hashem will have arrived, will have arrived to judge the earth, he will judge the earth with righteousness and the peoples with His faithfulness." The first verse says ki vah- will have arrived, and the second verse repeats it, "ki vah ki vah." Why?

It can be said that the first verse is referring to judgment on Rosh Hashanah. The second verse, that's judgment on Chanukah. We first read its extra emphasis that ki vah ki vah, Hashem will have surely arrived, even during Teves' long wintry nights. And then it ends that He will judge with His faithfulness. Because that is how Chavakuk predicted it in the end of time. "The righteous shall live through his faith." In our time of greatest lowliness, we need to hang on to our mightiest weapon, our faith in Hashem. [He] will have arrived, will have arrived to judge the earth- Ki vah ki vah lishpote ha'arets = 781 = B'shiflainu zachar lanu- In our lowliness He remembers us.

Chanukah is Chanu Kah. Kah- spelled kaf hey = 25. ChanuKAH correlates to the 25 letters of Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad, a Jew's mantra of faith. Faith itself is from beyond the intellect. The intellect can justify the trust in faith, so it is not a blind faith. But it can also cloud and confound and destroy one's connection to faith. We start our morning prayers with the Pesukai Dezimra- Verses of Song, also translatable as "Verses of Pruning," because they cut away all that which is non-productive and gets in the way and clears the path for the Shema to connect us to our faith.

This Shabbos, which commences all the weeks events, welcomes in the month of Teves and also prefigures the holiday of Chanukah. While we accept upon ourselves the Din filled days of Teves, we are already consoled that the head of Teves, its first day, will fall mid Chanukah. And we know that that which something is at its head, so too will it be all its days. If the first day of Din of Teves is sweetened with the personal, merciful attention of Hashem, than all its day as sweetened as well. Its cold dark nights are warmed and brightened with the Hidden Light of Messianic times.

The month of Teves correlates to the Tribe of Dan. Dan was the last in the procession of Israel. Dan's Jews were at the end of the line of Israel's journey through their desert exile. Just before Yaakov's death he gives his final blessing to the tribes of Israel. To Dan, mid blessing he sighs, "For Your salvation do I long, Hashem." Yaakov foresaw Samson emerging from the tribe of Dan. He saw in him the potential of the Mashiach because in Dan, like in Teves, is a hope of Messianic redemption. But then Hashem showed Yaakov Samson would not succeed. "For Your salvation do I long, Hashem."

Although the Mashiach ben David is from the Tribe of Yehudah, not Dan, a Midrash compares Samson to David. Rashi, regarding Yaakov's blessing of Dan explains, "'Dan will gain justice for his people'- He will avenge he vengeance of his people." That is something the Mashiach ben David will do. "'As one, the Tribes of Israel'- All Israel will be as one with him." Another feat which we will see under the leadership of the Mashiach.

Rav Wolfson gives over in the name of his father-in-law that according to the accounting of Yaakov's passing away on the first day of Sukkos, if we add the 70 days Egypt mourned, before he was brought up to Canaan, and then add the 7 days of mourning in Canaan, as some commentaries say to follow the chronology of the verses, then it turns out that Yaakov was buried on the 2nd of Teves, the 8th day of Chanukah. And on that day, Eisav blocked the procession demanding proof of their right to bury Yaakov in the Cave of the Patriarchs. A small deaf child, from the back of the line, did not know what was going on. Only that some stranger was causing great disrespect of his grandfather. So he came forward, drew his sword and cut off Eisav's head. That young who beheaded the progenitor of Israel's longest exile was Chushim ben Dan! It can be said he portended what Chavakuk would prophesy of future times, "You [Hashem] crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying bare from the foundation to the neck." [Commentaries explain, "You toppled their tall neck-like towers."]

Rav Wolfson, while marveling at his father-in-law's insight, says we do not have to follow the minority and can go with the majority who say the 7 days of mourning came after Yaakov's burial. Because then his burial would had taken place on the first of Chanukah. And as we said, all that will be of something, even to it's last day, it is found in its head. So although the head of Chanukah is the 25th of Kislev, it gives life to the 2nd of Teves and all the Zose Chanukah represents. Better still, Chanukah energizes even the 1st of Teves, the head of the month, and thereby sweetens all its days with the warmth and light of the 8 lights of Chanukah. And all that energy is brought down with the influence of the preceding Shabbos. Shabbos Parshas Vayaishev = 2000 = 8 x Ner - candle, a value of 250.