A Seal Within a Seal • A Prayer from the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland

Tonight is the night of Zot Hanukkah (the final day of Hanukkah); at the time of lighting the Hanukkah candles, all of the House of Israel are sealed for a good life and for peace. Before you is a new prayer written by our teacher, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, for Zot Hanukkah:

THE FIFTH SEAL

Today, at the time of lighting the 8 Hanukkah candles, is the secret of the fifth seal, "a seal within a seal" (chotam betoch chotam), for the cruse of oil was sealed "a seal within a seal" [Tosafot Shabbat 21a]. This is the secret of the fifth seal, for the first seal is on the eve of Rosh Hashanah during Selichos (penitential prayers). The second seal is on Rosh Hashanah on the first night, when the true Tzaddikim are immediately sealed for a good life and peace—they, their wives, their children, and their children's children until the end of all generations. The third seal is made on Yom Kippur during Ne'ilah (the closing prayer), and Zot Hanukkah is the secret of Yom Kippur. And Hoshana Rabbah (the seventh day of Sukkot) is the secret of the fourth seal, when everyone is immediately sealed for a good life and for peace. And the fifth seal is made on the night of Zot Hanukkah at the time when we light the eight candles, and then even the completely wicked who do teshuvah (repentance) are sealed—they, their wives, and their offspring forever. In the merit of "the Intellect hidden from every thought, the broad places of the river, the streams of faith," everyone and all generations are immediately sealed for a good life and for peace, for years of salvation and mercy, revealed miracles and wonders, just like in the time of Matityahu the High Priest and his sons, who were all sealed for a good life and for eternal generations. And the offspring of Matityahu and Yehuda the Maccabee and the other four brothers never went into exile, but rather always merited an abundance of good life and sons and grandsons, great-grandsons and great-great-grandsons until the end of all generations. And they all walk in the way of Hashem, on the path that ascends to Beit-El, and they merit the "Single Eye of Mercy" (Eina Chad deRachamei), as it is written: "For eye to eye they shall see when Hashem returns to Zion," the Eye of Atika (the Ancient One), the Single Eye of Mercy.

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