He was only 55 but on Chol Hamoed Succos 1940 the Vishive Rebbe dropped yet another hint that his own days were limited. He informed the talmidim of the acclaimed Vishive yeshivah that they were to learn the tractate Gittin dealing with divorce during the upcoming zeman. Only later did they realize the significance of that directive. There had been other hints as well. When approached by an elderly woman to pray for her ill husband the Rebbe responded “I cannot help myself — how can I help him?” Later it would be discovered that in his 600-page notebook of chiddushei Torah he wrote the date of his final entry differently than he had all the other dates. Instead of simply writing the 28th of Elul 5700 he rearranged the letters to read “sof tash koach — my strength is weakening.” The entry expounded on the pasuk “Yeish derech yashar lifnei ish v’acharisa darchei maves — There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death” (Mishlei 14:12). Three weeks later on Simchas Torah when he picked up the sefer Torah its silver crown crashed to the floor. Five weeks later in Chust Czechoslovakia the tzaddik draped in his tallis delivered a drashah to a packed hall. He talked about his great love for Yidden and how deeply it hurt him to have to give them mussar. His father Rav Yisrael Hager the heiliger Ahavas Yisrael of Vizhnitz never gave speeches he said. Just observing his avodas Hashem inspired others to teshuvah. Who was he to criticize? But Europe was beginning to burn under their feet and it was time to implore G-d for rachamim. He then asked those assembled to repeat his Torah to others in his name as doing so would be an elevation for his own neshamah.