Masa’ei 5771 (?5951?)
Our parshah opens with the telling of our travels and tribulation through the wilderness. It is known that the lives of each of us also go through a series of travels and tribulations paralleling those of our ancestors in the wilderness. Some more obvious than others. Later on in the parshah it is brought what is to be done with a man who kills another. If by accident, then he runs off to the Ir Miklath to escape the avengers. If by intent to murder, then he may not and is to be put to death.
We also know that every parshah hints to what happens that week.
Knowing that something is going to happen is not always insurance against shock. People in close contact with me have been hearing me saying that there is a heavy ‘din’ [judgment] on Am Yisrael, and that heavy hard things are coming. With the tragic horrifying murder of Leiby Kletzky zassa”l in Boro Park we saw a Korban Ssibur [sacrifice for the sins of the public] for our brothers/sisters there. Aside from the horror of the actual event, how many people took more notice than that? In our circle [don’t ask for explanation] we asked amongst ourselves “What next? What is this a part of?”
Then when the Admo’r of Spinka zassa”l passed away this week, the concerns grew larger. We realized that the ‘din’ is as heavy as we read it, if not more so, and that HaShem is taking the clean and pure ones as ‘kaparah’ and we started to worry more. Especially so, since we are now in the three weeks of Bein Hameissarim [3 weeks between 17th of Tamuz and 9th of Av] which is always a time of din.
So you ask if HaShem is taking them as kaparah on the nation, why worry - we go free, no? No it’s not that simple. That is NOT the way of eternal truth. That concept of a person going kaparah for all your sins and you walking away free is PART of the mistake of the xtian cult.
Look back at the laws of the korbanoth of the Mishkan/Beit HaMikdash. The pardon from HaShem was NOT automatic. Slaughtering a calf or goat or bull did NOT automatically clean anyone from sin! First was needed the conscious intent of transmitting the stigma of the sin onto the animal.
Then of great and absolute importance, it required a conscious intent of realization of one's wrongdoing, of true desire of stopping the habit, of regret, of asking HaShem for forgiveness and, if the act caused sorrow or damage to anyone, you had to ask forgiveness of him/her and repair what needed repair. All these are stages of tshuvah. Without tshuvah the sacrifice did NOT help the person one mite! Quite the opposite is true. For by slaughtering the animal without doing tshuvah it was a purposeless killing and an attempt to con HaShem. Woe to one who would do such a foolish move!
The horrifying death of Leiby Kletzky zassa”l and sorrowful passing of the Spinka Rebbe zassa”l only work as kapara if the communities do tshuvah, and if they/we don’t then oy vavoy!
There is a Midrash called “Milkhamot HaMashiah” wherein the end-times evil king who is destined to cause more suffering to Bnei Yisrael than any previous ruler in history is identified. This evil beast is mentioned as “the one whom the Gentiles call the anti-xst.” In Muslim literature he is called Arimahn. In Torah literature he is called Armilus. The identity, origins and role of Armilus have been documented in Torah literature since the days of the 2nd Beit Mikdash.
Saadia Gaon's Tradition of Armilus
Saadia Gaon [born 892; died 942] is the earliest trustworthy authority that speaks of Armilus. He mentions the following as a tradition of the ancients, hence of the eighth century at the latest: If the Jews do not prove themselves worthy of Messianic salvation, God will force them to repentance by terrible persecutions. In consequence of these persecutions, a scion of the tribe of Joseph will arise and wrest Jerusalem from the hands of the Edomites, that is, from the xtians; the Arabic text of Landauer, p. 239, has correctly "Jerusalem," and not "Temple," as in the Hebrew translation, which has it owing to an erroneous interpretation of the Arabic "al bait al muḳaddas." Thereupon the king, Armilus, will conquer and sack the Holy City, kill the inhabitants together with "the man [Messiah] of the tribe of Joseph," and then begin a general campaign against the Jews, forcing them to flee into the desert, where they will suffer untold misery. When they have been purified by sorrow and pain, the Messiah Ben David will appear, wrest Jerusalem from Armilus, slay him, and thereby bring the true salvation.
Armilus appears frequently in the later Apocalyptic Midrashim, such as Midrash Va-Yosha, Sefer Zerubbavel, and Nistarot shel R. Shimon b. Yohai. He is also mentioned in the Targum pseudo-Jonathan, Yishayahu. 11:14 and in the Targum Yerushalmi A [Dvarim/Deut. 34:3]. Armilus is first mentioned otherwise in Saadiah Gaon's Emunot ve-De'ot [Ma'amar 8], apparently under the influence of Sefer Zerubbavel. The legend of Armilus thus originated not earlier than the beginning of the gaonic period. Its basis, however, is the Talmudic telling of Mashiahh Ben Joseph, who would be slain at the gates of Yerushalayim in the war between the nations prior to the redemption that would come through Mashiahh Ben David [Suk. 52a]. In Otot ha-Mashi'ah [Midreshei Ge'ullah, p. 320], there is reference to "the Sat’n Armilus whom the Gentiles call Anti-xt" but this is no proof of Xtian influence.
Armilus and his evil deeds are described in detail only in the above-mentioned later Hebrew Midrashim now republished with detailed introduction and valuable notes, by J. Even Shemuel [Kaufmann] in his Midreshei Ge'ullah [1942, 1944]. Armilus is the least of the kings, the son of a bondwoman, and monstrous in appearance [Midreshei Ge'ullah, Sefer Eliyahu, 42; Yemot ha-Mashi'ah, 96–97; Nistarot shel R. Shimon b. Yohai, 4, 195; see also textual variants, 382b, 402]. He is frequently referred to briefly as "the son of a stone." This brief reference is fully explained in a legend: "They tell that in Rome there is a marble statue of a beautiful maiden, fashioned not by human hand but by the Holy One blessed be He, who created it in His might. The wicked of the nations of the world, the sons of Belial, come and warm her and lie with her (*), and He preserves their seed within the stone from which He creates a being and forms it into a child, whereupon she splits asunder and there issues from her the likeness of a man whose name is the Sat’n Armilus, whom the Gentiles call Antixt. He is 12 cubits tall and two cubits broad, there is a span between his eyes which are crooked and red, his hair is golden-colored, the soles of his feet are green, and he has two heads [can be interpreted as what has been called “double-speak” typical of certain politicians]" [Pirkei ha-Mashi'ah, in Midreshei Ge'ullah, p. 320]. Though the physically monstrous depictions can also be parable-type aspects and not actual physical features.
This Armilus will deceive the whole world into believing that he is God and will reign over the entire world. He will come with ten kings and together they will fight over Yerushalayim, and Armilus will slay Mashiahh Ben Yosef, as well as many righteous men with him, and "Israel will mourn for him as one that is in bitterness for his only son" [cf. Zech. 12:19–12]. Armilus will banish Israel "to the wilderness" and it will be a time of unprecedented distress for Israel: there will be increasing famine, and the Gentiles will expel the Jews from their lands, and they will hide in caves and towers. Armilus will conquer not only Yerusahlayim but also Antioch [the capital of Syria, where non-Jewish Xtianity originated—Acts 11:26]. "He will take the stone from which he was born," and make her "the chief of all idolatry." All the Gentiles will bow down to her, burn incense and pour out libations to her, "and whosoever will venture to look upon her will be unable to do so, for no man can look upon her face by reason of her beauty" [Sefer Zerubbavel, in Midreshei Ge'ullah, p. 80ff.]
[*= There is a source that claims that this statue is in the sub-basements of the Vatican and that there is a secret group of “chosen” members of that building's officiators who do exactly that there.]
This creature, Armilus by name—the Gentiles called him Anti-xt, will set himself up as Messiah, even as God Himself, being recognized as such by the sons of Esau, that is, by the xtians. He outwardly agrees to accept as his doctrine the Gospels, which the xtians lay before him.
After an interval of forty-five days, during which the Jews unworthy of the Messianic glory die out [compare the similar statement in reference to the liberation from Egypt], and the remnant have shown their true worth in sore trials and bitter sufferings in the desert, the Angel Michael will blow his trumpet; then the Massiahh ben David and Eliyahu will appear, gather the dispersed of Israel, and proceed to Jerusalem. Armilus, inflamed against the Jews, will march against the Massiahh. But now HaShem HIMSELF will go to war against Armilus and his army and destroy them. The Army of HaShem made of the Angels and the Teli will do the work while humankind has found themselves unable to fight the terrible beast Armilus.
As I have said many times before, the war is not only a physical military campaign. The central fields of battle are spiritual and moral. The influences upon our people in all currents of Jewish society from one end of the spectrum to the other are hot fields of battle.
Now with all that as an introduction let me proceed. This past week I felt the din on our nation becoming heavier and heavier. This I heard also from a colleague. For the past two weeks I’ve been telling myself that I have got to go visit Rabi Baba Elazar while he’s still alive. Then I asked myself “What do you mean still alive? He’s not that old, he’s about my age, maybe even younger”. There had been increasing talk of him being Mashiahh ben Yosef or at least very closely connected. This yom shlishi Baba Sali zessavek”l appeared in a dream to a family member stating that there is a gzar din [a sentence of heavenly judgment] on the family, beware.
From the following day I started getting “bad feelings” that something really hard is about to happen. I was “waiting for the other shoe to drop”.
What I did not know at that time was that a melamed [teacher] in a Talmud Torah [cheider/boys’ elementary school] in the hhareidi city of Elad told his young students “Boys, pray that no one kills Mashiahh Ben Yosef”. An odd statement to plop before little boys.
Last night at about 11pm M I started doing some paperwork for my Yeshiva. Then I felt something “off” and time disappeared. I don’t know where ¾ of an hour disappeared to. At 12:30 with immense effort I managed to continue typing and faxing the letters. The effort required to do my normal night studies, Tikun Hhassoth and bedtime seder Kriyath Shema were like running uphill with full battle gear plus. I felt super exhausted, couldn’t see straight. Plopped into feeling half dead. I dreamt of an announcement of a big mekubal dying and discussing what is done in the Heavenly Court with him. Into the dream appeared also the current president of the USA whom I have said several times that I strongly suspect that he is Armilus, or at least a major agent of that monstrous false messiah king whom many Jews [JINO’s] will foolishly support in his attack on Israel. I knew something was up but what?
This morning while praying shahharit the puzzle came clear.
That very same melamed from Elad had gone to Rabi Elazar’s regular nighttime kabalat kahal [receiving visitors asking for his blessings and guidance]. He entered the Beit Kneset shouting “Pikuahh Nefesh Pikuahh Nefesh!” [S.O.S.]. Everybody stood aside and let him pass them by to get to the door of the Rav’s room. The shamashim [assistants] of the Rav stood aside too and let him in and everyone, including the shamashim [who usually never left him alone] left the room. A minute or so later the man from Elad left the room and drove away in his car. The shamashim entered the room and saw Rebi Elazar zessavek”l had “fainted”. Then they noticed the blood.
One or two of them fainted on the spot. They screamed “bloody murder, the Rabi has been murdered" and several men in the Beit Kneset fainted as well.
Police were notified and closed all exits of Beer-Sheva and caught the murderer near an exit.
Oy yoy, willy wy what a loss!!!! I tell you now loud and clear. Even people close to him, people who turned to him for every question, did not know how big and important he was for Am Yisrael, and if so then for the world at large as well.
I was in shock. Knowing that something heavy was coming helped none. I was in shock and still am. It took me a couple hours to be able to collect my mind to be able to continue praying.
I remember a couple decades ago when Baba Sali zessavek”l and Baba Meir zessavek”l were notified the same type of message regarding Baba Sali himself and that Baba Meir pleaded before the Heavenly Court that they take him instead and so they did. However they still took Baba Sali zessavek”l a year later.
Baba Sali’s holy grandfather Rabi Yaakov zessavek”l Hay’d was also murdered. That was by an Egyptian Arab who stabbed him to death. Rabi David Abuhhassirah zessavek”l Hay’d was murdered by a Moroccan Arab governor who had him shot out of a cannon.
These holy and pure men went as kaparah Korbanoth Ssibur for Am Yisrael. We ALL have to do tshuvah, seriously and fast.
All the more in this one where is a BIG chance that yes there is a connection to the concept of Mashiahh Ben Yosef.
But you ask how can this be - after all he was murdered in Beer Sheva and not at the gates of Yerushalayim? Now hear that our great teacher Hahhakham Rabi Ben Ssion Aba Shaul zessavek”l taught us that any city here which is a town of Torah has the aspect of Yerushalayim. There in Beer Sheva where Rav Elazar’s home and Beit Kneset and Beit Midrash are is a “town of Torah”. Also being as he is buried in Har Hazeitim [Mount of Olives] which is definitely a gate of Yerushalayim. All this fits the picture well enough.
Is there a good possibility that this stage of the Armilus tract is unfolding? Yes. Do we know for sure? Those who say openly and clearly don’t know; those who know won’t say openly and clearly. Not yet anyhow.
Only this we do know - that yes things are moving, moving fast and heavy and the tempo is picking up.
It’s high time for all of us to get our acts together. What this means I’ve been telling you for some months now. More than that I cannot say.
