Lag b'Omer and Moshiach's Rainbow

I walked outside this morning and there was a rainbow. Half an hour later, another rainbow !

Good sign?  Bad sign?  I don't know, but it made me happy.

Lag b'Omer begins tonight [Monday night]

Photo dario.bs

by Rabbi Yossi Marcus 

Why is Lag b’Omer celebrated with bonfires and bows and arrows? 

The bonfires celebrate the immense light that was brought into the world by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai [who passed away on Lag b’Omer], especially on the day of his passing. 

The bow commemorates the fact that during Rabbi Shimon’s lifetime no rainbow was ever seen. [Bereishit Rabbah 35:2] 

Note: This was a good thing because the rainbow appears when the earth deserves punishment. 

The first time a rainbow appeared was after Noah’s flood, when G-d said that He will no longer destroy the world, rather He would send a sign: the rainbow. 

During Rabbi Shimon’s lifetime, the world was filled with merit because of him and therefore never saw a rainbow. [Genesis 9:8-17 and Rashi there] 

There is a Kabbalistic tradition that on Lag b’Omer a rainbow will appear in a different color, which will symbolize the arrival of the Messianic age [Bnei Yissaschar]

Super-Rational

"When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land shall rest a Sabbath to the Lord.

You may sow your field for six years, and for six years you may prune your vineyard, and gather in its produce,

But in the seventh year, the land shall have a complete rest a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field, nor shall you prune your vineyard." [Behar 25: 2-4]

One of the reasons for the Sabbatical year is to allow the land to rest for a year, to enhance its fertility. From this it follows that after six consecutive years of intensive agriculture, the land is at its least fertile point in the seven year cycle. So the Torah's promise that the land "will yield produce [sufficient] for three years" in the naturally infertile sixth year, is totally irrational and requires a person to accept an authority which is higher than his mortal understanding.

The Talmud [Sanhedrin 97a] compares the six agricultural years to the six millenia of this world, and the Sabbatical year to the seventh millennium [when the Redemption will have arrived].

Since the Jewish people suffer from a gradual regression in spiritual stature as the generations pass, a person might ask: "How could the efforts of the spiritually weak and "infertile" sixth millennium bring the true and complete redemption?

The Torah answers: It is the super-rational self-sacrifice and commitment to Judaism of the final generations of exile, that will bring the blessings of the Redemption.

Based on Likutei Sichos vol 27, Lubavitcher Rebbe

“Trump Made A Huge Mistake” Kabbalist: Assassination Was Part Of Messianic Prophecy

H/t Sherry

Rabbi Mendel Kessin on J-TV

Gog & Magog Explained: Why the World Turns Against Israel

Rabbi Tovia Singer and Rabbi Aron Sokol - 15 min video

What is Gog and Magog — and why do the nations rise against Jerusalem? 

In this powerful and eye-opening breakdown, Rabbi Tovia Singer and Rabbi Aron Sokol explore one of the most mysterious and talked-about prophecies in Tanakh. 

From Ezekiel 38–39 to Zechariah, the prophets describe a future where the Jewish people return to Israel… and the entire world reacts. But why? 

This video reveals: 

• What Gog & Magog actually represents 

• Why the nations feel threatened by Israel 

• The deeper meaning behind “the land of Magog” 

• The spiritual battle between trust in power vs trust in Hashem 

• Why Jerusalem becomes the focal point of global conflict 

• What triggers the final redemption 

As the prophets describe, the return of the Jewish people to their land is not just history — it’s part of a larger unfolding story that challenges the beliefs of the world. Are we witnessing the beginning of these events? Or are these just the early stages?

The Reward

Art: Boris Dubrov

''And you shall take for yourselves on the first day, the fruit of the hadar tree...'' [Emor 23:40]

The Vilna Gaon had a great love for the mitzvah of the four species.  Year after year, Vilna's vendors streamed to the Gaon's house with choice etrogim, and he would select the one he thought was the nicest.

One year, a vendor showed the Gaon an exquisite etrog.   The Gaon was very impressed and was willing to pay its full price.

''I do not wish to sell the etrog for money''  responded the vendor.  ''Rather, I desire the reward that you will garner for performing the mitzvah of the four species.''

''I readily agree'' said the Gaon.  ''I will take the etrog, and you will receive my reward.''

All those who visited the Gaon that Sukkot saw him savoring his beautiful etrog to a far greater degree than in previous years.

To calm their curiousity, the Gaon explained: '''Throughout my entire life, I have yearned to fulfill the words of our Sages [Pirkei Avot 1:3] ''Be like servants who serve their master, not for the sake of receiving a reward.''  A person must not serve Hashem simply in order to receive a reward.  This is extremely difficult, however, as we are constantly aware that we will receive a reward each time we perform a mitzvah,  But this year I was given the opportunity to perform a mitzvah with the knowledge that I would not be receiving any reward for doing so!''

''I am so fortunate to have merited such an opportunity.  This is why you find me so overjoyed.''

Source: Rabbi Yisroel Bronstein

Miracles & The Messiah Happening Now

Tamar Yonah sits down with Rabbi Tovia Singer to talk about the Messianic age — and whether we may already be living in it. Are biblical prophecies unfolding right in front of us? Are miracles happening around us without us even noticing?

 

Gog & Magog, Iran, and the Messiah: Prophecy Reveals What’s Coming

Rabbi Isser Weisberg

Who is the Moshiach? (Messiah) When will the Moshiach arrive? -Soon! Says this scholar of the End of Days. Who will win the war with Iran? America or Iran? - BOTH are able to, and it will be decided in Heaven. You'll want to hear this interview and learn what ancient sources say about all of these questions as Tamar Yonah speaks with Rabbi Isser Weisberg on what Prophecy says.

Click here to watch on You Tube

How Our Inner Thoughts Have Power Over Our Destinies

In an address the Lubavitcher Rebbe gave in 1963, he expanded on the philosophical and spiritual dynamic behind the principle  "tracht gut vet zein gut" - “Think good, and it will be good.” 

He began by asking the obvious question: On the basis of what should one believe that in the face of any challenge, “it (the outcome) will be good”? Isn’t it presumptuous to assume that in every given situation we are always deserving of Divine grace, regardless of our state of religious and moral standing? 

And what of the basic Jewish belief that there is a Divine order of reward and punishment that governs our world, making salvation dependent on righteous behavior?

The Rebbe’s answer was: When a Jew decides to place his trust in G‑d, believing that his current crisis will be resolved favorably despite facing a bleak reality that suggests otherwise, he has, in effect, risen above his own nature, which in turn elicits, reciprocally, “measure for measure” the suspension of the Divine order, where only the righteous are deserving of salvation.   In fact, according to Nachmanides [Bechukotai 26:11]: “When the majority of the Jewish people are complete [in their faith in G‑d], their affairs are not run by the natural order…to the extent that there is no need for a physician or to follow the ways of medicine, as it says, ‘I am the L‑rd your healer….’” Obviously, those times of spiritual perfection are all too rare, and under the current circumstances, we are encouraged to follow the natural order of things.

G‑d, the creator of Man, understands how difficult and even “supernatural” it is for a human being to truly believe—to the degree that he or she no longer experiences fear and anxiety—that an unpromising and even seemingly hopeless situation will have a positive outcome. And, thus, as a result and even reward for the extraordinary act of worship of “tracht gut,” G‑d deems the believer, who is otherwise undeserving of a positive outcome, to be deserving in this instance of an extra measure of Divine generosity.

This was extracted from an essay at Chabad, to see the original plus footnotes, click here