Parshas Pekudei
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
We are living in crazy times. Dangerous times. The world as we know it is in an extremely volatile and unstable state – and with the proliferation of nuclear weapons, that includes all of North America as well. Anything can happen.
It is especially at times like these that a Jew longs for the Messiah and the incredible era of world-wide peace, spirituality, and love that he will usher in.
As Jews, we have to believe that the Messiah can come at any moment – even when we least expect him. As Maimonides writes in his Thirteen Principles of Faith: “I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come”.
So let’s not give up! The Messiah might show up real soon. However, until he gets here, the following two teachings of our Sages might help a little to bolster our faith in the coming of the Messiah sooner than later:
~ The Sages in the Talmud in Sanhedrin 97a taught us: “With regard to the seven-year period, i.e., the Sabbatical (Shemittah) cycle, during which the Messiah, son of David, comes: During the first year .… During the Sabbatical Year, wars will be waged involving the Jewish people. During the year after the conclusion of the Sabbatical Year, the son of David will come. [Ed. note: We are presently in the Sabbatical Year, otherwise known as the Shemittah year, and it will conclude on Rosh Hashanah. -dz]
~ Rabbi Elazar bar Avina said: If you ever see kingdoms engaging in conflict with one another, expect the footsteps of the Messiah to come in its wake” (Bereishis Rabbah, Lech Lecha 42:4).
SHABBOS MORNING MEAL: “Top Fifteen Signs That the Messiah is Coming Soon”
The Talmud in Sotah 49b gives us fifteen signs of what the world will be like immediately prior to the coming of the Messiah. This pre-Messianic period is known as the Ikvesa D'meshicah - the "footsteps of the Messiah" - the time when we believe the Messiah is just around the corner and his footsteps can be heard.
Here is the list of the signs that signal the Messiah's imminent arrival, as quoted in the Talmud:
"When the footsteps of the Messiah can be heard...(1) chutzpah (insolence)
will increase; (2) inflation will soar; (3) the vine will yield its fruit, but wine will be expensive; (4) the dominant power in the world will promote the denial of
G-d; (5) no one will be able to reprove another [for everyone will be guilty of the same transgressions]; (6) the meeting place (of Torah scholars) will be used for immorality; (7) the Galilee will be destroyed, and the Gablan will become desolate; (8) the people who live on the border will go around begging from town to town and will not be pitied; (9) the wisdom of the Torah scholars will rot, and those who fear sin will be despised; (10) the truth will be hidden; (11) young people will shame old men, and old men will stand up before youngsters, a son will degrade his father, and a daughter will rebel against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;(12) a man's enemies will be the members of his household; (13) the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog; (14) a son will not be ashamed before his father; (15) On whom can we rely? On our Father in Heaven."
Now obviously, all these signs are extremely vague and don't seem to make much sense on the surface. But the truth is that each one of these signs masks incredible depth, and has a very important message for all of us. Let me give you one example:
One of the really strange signs mentioned in the above list is that in the time preceding the Messianic Era, "the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog". Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman (a pre-war Torah giant who was murdered by the Nazis at the infamous Ninth Fort in Slobodka, Lithuania in 1941) cites the following explanation in the name of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter:
The "face of the generation" means the heads (i.e. the leaders) of the generation. The behavior of the leaders of the generation will resemble that of dogs. When a dog is walked by its master, it trots ahead and thus appears to be leading. In reality, however, it is the master who chooses the direction in which to go. When the dog comes to a fork in the road, it stops and waits for its master to direct it. In the pre-Messianic era, the leaders will only appear to be leading the nation; in reality they will be following the whims of the masses. Sounds familiar, eh?
[For a full treatment of all fifteen signs, and what they might mean for the times in which we're living, I recommend reading a book written by Rabbi Ezriel Tauber called Days Are Coming, and especially Chapter 3 pages 142-176, in which he elaborates on each of the 15 signs in great detail.]
THE THIRD SHABBOS MEAL: “Technology and the Pre-Messianic Era”
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes in his Handbook of Jewish Thought (Vol. II) about the Pre-Messianic Era in which we are living presently:
“Almost 2000 years ago, the Zohar predicted, "In the 600th year of the 6th millennium, the gates of wisdom on high and the wellsprings of lower wisdom will be opened. This will prepare the world to enter the 7th millennium, just as a person prepares himself toward sunset on Friday for the Sabbath. It is the same here. And the mnemonic for this is (Genesis 7:11), 'In the 600th year… all the foundations of the great deep were split'."
_Here we see a clear prediction that in the Jewish year 5600 (1840 CE), the wellsprings of lower wisdom would be opened and there would be a sudden expansion of secular knowledge. Although the year 1840 did not yield any major scientific breakthrough, the date corresponds with almost uncanny accuracy to the onset of the present scientific revolution. _
The tradition may have even anticipated the tremendous destructive powers of our modern technology. Thus, we are taught that the Messianic Era will begin in a generation with the power to destroy itself (i.e., nuclear weapons).
The rapid changes on both a technological and sociological level will result in great social upheaval. The cataclysmic changes will result in considerable suffering, often referred to as the Chevlei Mashiach or ‘birth pangs’ of the Messiah. If the Messiah comes with miracles, these may be avoided, but the great changes involved in his coming in a natural manner may make these birth pangs inevitable.”
Let us conclude with the words of the greatest Torah scholar of the generation, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a, when he was asked for advice on how we can be saved from all the tremendous upheaval that the world might have to suffer during this period. He quoted the words of the Talmud in Sanhedrin 98b: “‘What should a person do to be saved from Chevlei Mashiach? He should occupy himself with Torah study and Gemillas Chassadim (acts of kindness).”
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