Thousands of people visited the Kever of Maran Hagon Rav Shach ZATZAL in Bnei Brak – whose Yartzheit is today – 16 Cheshvon. Here are parts of Rav Shach’s Tzava’ah. In the will, Rav Shach conducts a scathing cheshbon hanefesh: “Since no man knows when his final day on earth will transpire,” the tzava’ah begins, “I have decided to make a cheshbon hanefesh-to review my past, and to scrutinize every detail and every one of my deeds that might be interpreted as mitzvos, but are really aveiros. Woe to us from Yom Hadin. Woe to us from the Day of Rebuke. Who will be considered upright before You in the din?”
“I also ask that those students who know that they benefited from me in Torah, yiras Hashem or in middos do a chessed for my neshama and study at least one mishna or one mussar thought a day for my sake. That will be my reward, for I was also moser nefesh for the sake of your success in Torah study. Similarly, if I am able to intercede in Shamayim on your behalf, I will do so, bli neder.”
Rav Shach closes his will, saying, “I pray that I will merit to stand before Hakodosh Boruch Hu after having done teshuva shelaima. I part from you with love.”
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There was a closed meeting between the Gedolei Yisroel, headed by the Gadol HaDor Rav Chaim Oizer Grodzinsky. Shock and confusion permeated the room when all of a sudden the door bursts open. A young man, marches right up to Reb Chaim Oizer, gasping as if for his dear life. He exchanged a few rather intense arguments with Rav Chaim Oizer. The Rabbis got up to stop this apparently brazen young man shouting at Rabbi chaim Oizer, but he motioned to them to leave him alone. When this young man was satisfied with the Rabbi’s answer he marched right out as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever taken place.
When Reb Chaim Oizer saw the hurt and shock written all over their faces, he explained; this young man is such a pure soul immersed in torah to such an extent that it’s his blood life and oxygen and he has absolutely no idea what’s going on around him. When he comes across a difficulty and can’t understand what the gemara is saying he chokes up as if trying to catch his breath. Hence, this young man doesn’t have the slightest idea that there is a meeting taking place now in this room. Nor does he know for that matter, that there was a whole room filled with the most distinguish Rabbis, currently in session. When I finally answered his question to his satisfaction it was as if he caught his breath and he was able to function again.
When the Stoliner Rebbe, who was present at the meeting heard that, he told Reb Chaim Oizer, a Torah scholar that has such a burning desire for dvar Hashem, I want him as Rosh Yeshiva of my yeshiva. Hence the first official position of the Gadol who was later to become the Gadol HaDor Rav Elazar Menachem Shach zt”l, was as Rosh Yeshiva of Karlin Stolin.