IN THIS I TRUST ā¢ Zos Chanukah 5786 with the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a
Thousands at the Lighting of the Eighth Candle ā Yom Kippur Hymns in the Inner Sanctum ā Distribution of Chanukah Gelt to Family Members
As every year on Zos Chanukah, thousands of our community members from all over the country gathered for the lighting ceremony of Zos Chanukah by our teacher Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. The area was filled to capacity, and they merited to witness the lighting by the rabbi and the Chanukah songs with holy fiery sparks. After the lighting, our teacher the rabbi shlit"a led the Maariv prayer and delivered a lesson on the significance of the day.
As is the custom among Breslov chassidim on 'Zos Chanukah' to sing the tunes of Yom Kippur, so too does our teacher the rabbi shlit"a sit with his family on this sealing day, gathering together to recite the Yom Kippur hymns on the holy night of Zos Chanukah.
And as mentioned, this year as well, the extended family of our teacher the rabbi shlit"a gathered for the lighting ceremony in his holy abode. After about two hours from the conclusion of the Chanukah songs in the inner sanctum, our teacher the rabbi shlit"a sat down for the Zos Chanukah night meal, and they began reciting the hymns and passages traditionally said on the night of Zos Chanukah from the Yom Kippur prayer with awakening and enthusiasm. For over an hour and a half, they sang the Yom Kippur hymns according to the Breslov tradition, with our teacher the rabbi shlit"a occasionally serving as the cantor himself.
As is customary, some of the hymns are taken from the night of Yom Kippur and some are hymns taken from the morning of the day. Between the night hymns and the day hymns, one could feel the awe of the holy day in the moments of sealing in the inner sanctum.
Only close to 11:50 PM, after midnight, did our teacher the rabbi shlit"a conclude the event, during which our teacher the rabbi shlit"a distributed Chanukah gelt to his family members and entered his room to continue his pure study and his regular daily schedule on the holy and exalted day ā Zos Chanukah.