The eleventh hour is a colloquial expression meaning "a time which is nearly too late". So says Wikipedia.... but there are some other origins of this expression, notably: This expression comes from the Bible. The 11th hour is the last hour before the end of the world.
Interesting...that number Eleven again ....even more so when you listen to Rabbi Winston's shiur about Moshiach and the 10th Hour. (I know a lot of you don't have the time, so I've typed up the relevant bits)
Disclaimer: Any mistakes are mine, not his.
[the following is taken from Rabbi Winston's shiur with a few added clarifications from me in blue]
[the following is taken from Rabbi Winston's shiur with a few added clarifications from me in blue]
5750 was a major turning point in Jewish history, as the Vilna Gaon explains:
Each 1000 years represents one day of Creation. The first thousand years represent Day One of Creation, the second millenium is Day Two.... and so on. Therefore this current millenium represents Day Six, the eve of Shabbat. And we know that Moshiach needs to come before Shabbat, before the end of 6000 years.
History Repeats
Everything that occurred at the time of Creation is going to have a corresponding reality in each millenium....each event will present itself again, in some way, every thousand years. History literally repeats itself - on a different level - during each "day" (a "day" being a thousand years).
Knowing this, we can actually calculate the time Moshiach will arrive, so to speak, even though we are not permitted to calculate the date of His arrival, we can come close. {The Zohar says that as we come closer to the Geulah, even children will know how it will be.}
Moshiach's arrival is about tikkun - rectification. Therefore, Moshiach's arrival will correspond with the ideal time for tikkun as set out at the time of Creation.
The only reason we are all here is to rectify the original sin of Adam HaRishon in the Garden of Eden - the eating of the forbidden fruit. Adam ate from the tree of knowledge at the time of the 10th hour of day six of creation.
The gemara explains that during the 9th hour he was warned, and during the 10th hour (just before Shabbat) he ate the fruit.
The ideal time for tikkun/Moshiach will be in the period in history that corresponds to when he ate the forbidden fruit. 5750 was when the world entered that period of time - the time that corresponds to the 10th hour of the sixth day of creation. (see Rabbi Winston's books at his website for all the details) 5750/1990 was the turning point, and the 10th hour lasts for 83.6 years (from 1990). What happened in 1990: as a starting point, Russia imploded, Jews were allowed to leave: some went to Israel, some to America. Soon after in 1991 we had the Persian Gulf War. 10 years later, Y2K and then 911 when the world really did change for all to see.
The book that can change history
The book that can change history
The one book that tells us what we're supposed to do at the end of history is Kol HaTor (The Voice of the Turtledove) based on the manuscripts of the Vilna Gaon and passed down through his talmidim until today. People don't talk about it, it gets pushed to the side, but that's the book that can change history.
The Zohar tells us that Techias Hamaisim - the revival of the dead - takes place 210-214 years in advance of the year 6000, and the Zohar further says that Techias Hamaisim takes place AFTER the 40 years of the ingathering of the exiles. So according to the Zohar, history has to wrap itself up within 15 years from now. Techias Hamaisim is within 15 years. Hashem is bringing the end very fast.
I'm sure Moshiach ben Yosef has already come and gone, and there's reasons for that opinion - the Gra says that the job of Moshiach ben David is to conquer Yishmael - and this is the age of Yishmael - when Moshiach comes, Yishmael will go down. Before then, there are gevurahs (strict judgments) which have to be rectified (sweetened). For example...last week's murder of the Fogel family in Itamar represented a bucket-load of gevurah.
I'm sure Moshiach ben Yosef has already come and gone, and there's reasons for that opinion - the Gra says that the job of Moshiach ben David is to conquer Yishmael - and this is the age of Yishmael - when Moshiach comes, Yishmael will go down. Before then, there are gevurahs (strict judgments) which have to be rectified (sweetened). For example...last week's murder of the Fogel family in Itamar represented a bucket-load of gevurah.
The Gra says ultimately it depends on what we do. We should be talking about Moshiach, informing people... and reading Kol HaTor.
thanks for the crib notes - I am forever posting your links on my facebook. Let's hope more people will read this sefer.
ReplyDeleteYes Kol HaTor is the key book. It is as Rav Kook said the Shulchan Aruch of Geulah. Rav Kook based a lot of his Torah on it.
ReplyDeleteExplain about MBY already come and gone. Thanks
ReplyDeleteAccording to Rabbi Winston it's because MBD's job is to conquer Yishmael, and the age of Yishmael is right now... therefore MBY must have already come and gone.
ReplyDeleteSome people say the Lubavitcher Rebbe was MBY. But let's not argue about that topic, I'm just saying.
If the Rebbe was MBY, would he then have to reincarnate as MBD if he was MBY? They are the same person. There is no Tanach source that they are two different people. And if he reincarnated, would he still be MBY and why would he have to die 'again'?
ReplyDeleteI think also that it's long past and that we head right to the latter. But then again, what if let's say it was the Rebbe, or whomever, he died of course, maybe we head right to the Day of haShem?
Why are we getting fantastical, here? Where is there anything in Zechariah 12 that even remotely applies to the Rebbe?
ReplyDeleteZechariah 12
10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto Me because they have thrust him through; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.
11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart: the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart;
14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
Blessings . i once asked R Yitzchak Ginsburgh years ago about the concept of some, of the rebbe being the mosiach. R Ginsburgh then replied, that there are some things that Hashem does via reincarnation or other means which we would not understand. enough that the Rebbe is the Tzaddik of our generation and leave the rest of Hashem. That people discuss it, is their right as long as the majority of the sages of the talmud is followed. He said every generation has a Tzaddik and the rebbe is ours. and every jew has a spark of the mosiach so even you can be called or said to be a probable mosiach. But if the time is not right, he dies and anotehr comes in his place. he said patiently wait for the mosiach, he will come, in the mean time follow the teachings and guidance of the holy sages. so its better to leave arguments aside and accept the holy tzaddik for what he is and what he lived for, to bring all jews together, and that no jew should be left out. that was his love for all jews and for gentiles to return to the 7 laws.
ReplyDelete"very jew has a spark of the mosiach so even you can be called or said to be a probable mosiach"
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Even non-Jews have been called "My annointed" by Hashem as in the case of Cyrus:
Isaiah 45:1
Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and to loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and that the gates may not be shut:
thats amazing about the ELEVENth hour. thank you for writing up this summary of rabbi winston's shiur.
ReplyDeletetalking about 11...
ReplyDeletehttp://ruchoshelmashiach.blogspot.com/2011/04/japan-hit-by-71-quake-on-day-marking.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RuchoShelMashiach+%28rucho+shel+mashiach%29
According to someone I read.... the 11th day of each month this year will see something big happen.....
ReplyDeleteI was watching a video of Rabbi Mizerachi speaking about Purim. At one point he stated the gematria of "Adon" was 65 -- 6+5= 11.
ReplyDelete"The eleventh hour is a colloquial expression meaning "a time which is nearly too late". So says Wikipedia.... but there are some other origins of this expression, notably: This expression comes from the Bible. The 11th hour is the last hour before the end of the world. "
ReplyDelete'Bible' in this case does not mean Torah or Tanach. It means the Christian New Testament. It is a reference to Matthew chapter 20, in a parable told by Jesus.
And if so, it is not a different origin of the expression, but the same origin. From the parable there (about a man who hired laborers, and paid the same dinar to people who worked all day as he paid to people who only worked during the last hour) comes the colloquial meaning.
But this idea of 11th hour is Christian, not Jewish.
All the best,
Josh
Sigh, whatever, we're still at the eleventh hour, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of the definitive claims made above regarding the sefer Kol HaTor, it should be noted that there is a debate of sorts concerning whether or not Kol HaTor is a sefer that can be genuinely attributed to the Vilna Gaon, rather than a forgery--as posited by many.
ReplyDeleteNovember 2014 - plus ca change, plus de la meme chose. We're still here doing the same old things and making the same mistakes.
ReplyDelete