5769; The Year of Mashiach?

"Nothing occurs randomly in the world. Nothing happens accidentally. Time and again, the Torah admonishes us not to fall into the trap of “keri”, the belief that that which befalls us is mere happenstance....that things just happen because they happen, and there is no Divine Hand guiding it (Leviticus, 26)" (Rebbetzin Jungreis in her weekly Column). The constant tragedies in our world pleads us to ask "WHY?!"

(Watch Video on Parsha Bereishit:)

This past week's Parsha was Bereishit, the beginning. The Rebbetzin gives further insight: "Hashem created this world in six days. We have a teaching that the duration of each day was one thousand years, and by the year 6000, Moshiach will come – a day that will be kulo Shabbos – all Sabbath. Of course, he can come earlier – even today. As it is written, “Hayom eem b’koloh tishm’u – Today, if we listen to His voice.

"What is salient for us to remember however is that we are presently in the year 5769, which is the erev Shabbos period in our history, and we all know that Shabbos can sometimes come early and sometimes late – but erev Shabbos it is.

"Our sages teach that this period is also referred to as “eekvei d’Moshiach – Footsteps of Messiah, or Chevlei Moshiach – Birth pangs of Messiah”. Now, birth pangs can be very painful. At their onset, contractions come very slowly and irregularly, but as the birth becomes immanent, they speed up and intensify and just as the pain become unbearable, it’s “mazel tov” and the baby is born. Now what, you may ask, are the telling portents of this travail? Once again, we turn to the wisdom of our sags and prophets.

"Chutzpah will abound; the young will rise insolently against their elders; families will become fragmented; children will turn against their parents; there will be no shame or embarrassment, even in face of the most vile, obscene, immoral acts; corruption and dishonesty will abound and there will be no one capable of admonishing the people since immortality will be so prevalent. Natural disasters and catastrophes will multiply – tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and hitherto unknown diseases will spread. The face of the generation will be like that of a dog (the dog runs ahead of its master, but keeps looking back to see if his master is following) – meaning that the people will lack values and principles and keep looking to see whether that which they espouse is politically correct....whether popular opinion endorses it. Overnight cherished icons and hallowed institutions in which people placed their trust will collapse and disintegrate.

"How long will this process continue? Until man concludes, “ein od milvado – there is no One but G-d”. Does all this sound familiar? Do you recognize our generation? Do you see a reflection of our contemporary world? Do you see that which is unfolding before your very eyes? And there is more..... In Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer (an early Midrashic work), it is written that, before the coming of Messiah, we will have to contend with tribulations that will come from Yishmael. This teaching is reaffirmed by Rabbi Chaim Vital, the illustrious disciple of the Arizal, who wrote that, before the final curtain falls on the stage of history, Yishmael will inflict torture on our people in ways the world has never before seen.

"One need not have great powers of discernment to recognize the painful veracity of these predictions. Consider only the suicide bombers, the decapitations, the highjackings, the missiles, the rockets and the constant, senseless, brutal acts of terror. Do you remember the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped in Ramle, tortured to death, his body thrown out of the window, where it was trampled into pulp by the mob that danced on his corps and celebrated the savage killing, waving their bloody hands in triumph.

"We are the generation that has been destined to witness the fulfillment of the prophecy given to Hagar (Genesis 16:11-13). “Behold you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you shall name him Ishmael... and he shall be a wild ass of a man; with his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him and over all his brethren shall he dwell....”

"The long arm of Ishmael’s terror has indeed reached every part of the world. Who in America can forget 9/11? The sheer cruelty of that day is beyond anything that the human mind can comprehend. Does not Ishmael’s hand reach out throughout the entire world as was prophesied thousands of years ago? Does he not have cells all over the world?

"In the Yalkut Shimoni (a Medieval/Midrashic compilation) the events of today are eerily foretold and should give us all pause. It is written that before Messiah comes, the King of Persia will have a weapon that will terrorize the world. Ancient Persia is today’s Iran. Need I say more?The Klausenberger Rebbe, Z’tl, referring to this teaching, said, “Remember these words. They are perhaps not understood now, but in time they will be, and will be a source of strength to our people.”

"Had you heard these prophecies centuries ago, when they were written...never mind...just a few short years ago, you might have laughed and scoffed, but today, the impossible has become our reality. And yet, we are blind. We have eyes that see not, ears that hear not. Alas, we are afflicted by the disease of Egypt (Deuteronomy, 28).Now, what was the disease of Egypt? Stubborn, obdurate hearts. Ancient Egypt was struck by devastating plagues, but even as the mighty Egyptian empire crumbled, even as it was reduced to ashes, Pharaoh remained obstinate. He refused to concede that there is a G-d governing this world.

"The Torah portion that led us into this past Yom Kippur was Parshas Vayelech in which the Torah foretells the terrible suffering that will befall our people, and that we will declare “that this is happening because G-d is not in our midst!” But G-d’s response will be to hide His face (Deut.31).When we say that G-d is not in our midst, we place the onus of responsibility on the Almighty and absolve ourselves from blame. But it is we who are not with G-d. It is we who are guilty! It is we who must search our hearts and come closer to our G-d and embrace His Torah and mitzvos.”

So G-d’s presence remains hidden from us. But that need not be a negative prophecy, for someone who is hiding is not absent. He is here and need only be found. There is a telling story about a Chasidic Rebbe who came upon a little boy standing behind a tree and crying bitterly.

“Why are your crying?” the Rebbe asked.

“I’m hiding,” the boy sobbed, “and no one is looking for me!”

The words of the child were like a sharp knife in the heart of the Rebbe.

“Woe is us,” he said. “G-d is waiting for us to find Him, but we have failed to search for Him! Woe is us.”

So what must we do to ease the birth pangs and insure a smooth birth?

"First and foremost, we must search, find and connect with our Heavenly Father, and thus establish a genuine close relationship with Him. But this cannot be just a theoretical concept. Our sages teach that he who wishes to be spared the travails of the birth pangs of the Messianic period should occupy himself with three endeavors: 1) Torah, 2) Gemilas Chasadim (acts of loving kindness) and 3) be scrupulous regarding Shalosh Seudas the third Sabbath meal. The Hebrew term used for “occupy” is “ya’asok” which literally means “business”. In other words, Torah and acts of kindness must be so much a part of us that they literally become our business. This does not connote sporadic, superficial study, observance and prayer, but rather, a total immersion in Torah and chesed, to the point where it takes over our lives.

"As for the third Sabbath meal, every Shabbos we are commanded to partake of three (seudos) festive meals – Friday night, Shabbos noon, and a third meal in the afternoon. Our sages teach that all three meals are embodied in the last one, for at this point, we are satiated from our two previous meals. Nevertheless, we sit down at our table in honor of Shabbos and our G-d"

The messages are clear and the prophecies are unfolding...let's turn to G-d and declare “ein od milvado – there is no One but G-d!!!" May we all be worthy to see the coming of Mashiach, with peace, this year, 5769, Amen!!!