This shiur is called the Greatness of Torah Part 1, and was just given in Israel, but he talks about Moshiach from about one hour in, and then talks about the End of Days and the upcoming Israeli elections.
The World’s Most Legitimate State
13 hours ago
17 comments:
Very good, as usual. I read about the 7th and 8th worlds after this world, but the Rabbi even mentions 9 and 1000th. That must be al pi the RaMChaL.
I just don’t buy the chatter about xtians and the end of America. the link between Israel and America has been so long and simultaneous. As America descended, so to Israel. But now, as Trump cleans up the swamp, the mirror cleaning will be in Israel. We are witnessing how Trump is building-up Israel also. We will see some wonderful things in the next 2 years. I believe that 2020 will be a remarkable time.
Its amazing how what Rabbi Kessin speaks about uplifts the Neshoma, at least to me.
Agree Neshama and he said America’s growth is aiding Israel’s growth.
Anonymous - unpublished comment - whoever you may be - I won’t buy into all the fear mongering - that can stay on other blogs.
Today I read that Trump will allow American passports to say "Born In Jerusalem, Israel". Right now it's just "Jerusalem" - to indicate its "unsettled" status. Trump is fearless. Never liked him as a real-estate mogul/celebrity. But as President, he uses his obnoxious traits for the good.
Neshama, I hope you're right about 2020. I'm hoping Trump pulls off both an Electoral College win AND the popular vote win. I hope it's such a decisive landslide that it will close the mouths of those who insist Hillary won 2016 because she got the popular vote (mostly from California).
Oh, who am I kidding. They'll come up with a new "Russia collusion" farce to claim Trump stole the election again.
R' Kessin's shiur is interesting as always. He's so original and entertaining! The only thing I consistently disagree with him about is the Charedim doing army service. I think they absolutely should. They should put on the TZAHAL military uniform and learn Torah as their official service to the country. They should absolutely not separate themselves from the obligations of the country. Even in the Torah, Hashem speaks of military-age men among the Children of Israel. He doesn't make exceptions based on religious observance!
deedee~
Deedee, I agree with you slightly about Haredim in the army. Explanation: in the early days of 1948 plus many, some very religious did join the fighting forces alongside the non religious to defend against the enemies trying to kill the new Israelis, so they did serve when it was vital to physical survival.
But today we have a different Enemy, the Satan, and the only army to fight against is the army of Torah. That is the way HaShem created the world, He created the Satan, a Malach, and the antidote to his maneuvers, is the Torah. We are in a spiritual war now and the act of sitting and learning, with the accompanying cerebral arguing between hevrusos is the battling against, the war against the Satan. That arguing back and forth over the ikkar thoughts of the Sages of the Torah is what constitutes “war”
This is my opinion and belief.
Maybe someone can tell me the Torah source for Rabbi Kessin's statement that before American Jews can move to Israel, Israel will first have to change by:
1) Being safe
2) Enabling all of it's citizens to make a good parnassa
3) Getting more spiritual?
America is no safer than Israel, with the rising gun crimes and violent anti-Semitism, and most American Jews are heavily in debt.
Money woes and security issues, including anti-semitism, are created by H-shem in order to bring us back to Him (aka 'get more spiritual').
So, I'm confused as to why Rabbi Kessin believes that Israel being 100% safe and awash in materialism is going to help Jews become more 'spiritual?' It hasn't worked that way in the US.
Also, shouldn't it be American Jews who need to change, to have more emuna about the security situation, and to be less obsessed with gashmius and money, in order to come to Israel, instead of Israel needing to change to accommodate their lack of emuna and lust for money?
I'd be very grateful for the Torah sources Rabbi Kessin is basing his statements on, to help sort all of this out.
Neshama, the problem is that not putting on a uniform to serve the country causes great resentment and division. It's as though the Haredim are saying - "let those secular Jews put their lives on the line for the country - they're expendable." Also, one of the consequences of not doing mandatory service is that you don't have skin in the game.
For example, in Parshat Teruma, each Israelite was required to contribute exactly the same amount of Shekels for the building of the Mishkan, regardless of their personal financial status. Even the poorest of the nation needed to feel part of the whole.
Torah study is definitely important, which is why I believe the Haredim should do it in uniform as their mandatory 3 year service to the country. The way it stands now, there's a real "us and them" division, and it causes actual hatred among the population. And further, it does the opposite of Kiruv for secular Jews.
deedee ~
Tom, you make good points. Israel being 100% safe and awash in materialism might make living conditions more attractive to American Jews, but they still won't want to move there because many have lost their spiritual connection to the Land. For many Jews, Israel is just another foreign country - and one that they don't like very much because of the successful Palestinian propaganda that paints it as racist and oppressive.
Every day we read about American Jews who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their enemies. Plenty of Jews will defend Ilhan Omar and Rshida Tlaib, for example. They would vote for an anti-semite with a (D) after their name before voting for a President who supports Israel in unprecedented ways.
So, I'm not sure what Rabbi Kessin means, either. Seems to me that a huge percentage of American Jews are lost to the nation (barring Divine intervention that brings them back).
deedee~
Agree somewhat with Tom. Rabbi Kessin (enjoy his videos) is sometimes too lenient in interpreting the situations. It is much more inspiring and easier to listen to his videos than someone like Rabbi Mizrachi who is very good but a little too harsh, but maybe that is what is needed fr kiruv purposes.
To Tom, the State of Israel is the one that needs changing; it has turned away from Torah to the point where its P.M. says that it is a country for all its citizens, which goes against a Torah Commandment and is also going against the Torah by trying to force religious girls to be drafted into the army, etc. We are in the most confusing, chaotic times for the Jewish people. The American and all Jews living in the galut are mostly assimilated, r'l, and the religious are living in a fantasy land thinking that their upscale lives will continue that way. H' has other plans. May this coming year bring us Mpshiach tzdkeinu where every real Jew will be living in E.Y. and the world will know that there is only H'.
Perhaps if more religious Jews would make Aliyah, then this would help the spiritual and economic growth of Israel.
To Tom etc., I've had it with everyone's generalizations. I personally would have been ALOT more spiritual, and would have had a whole different life, if i had had MORE materialism in my life than i've experienced here in my corner of America. I've basically had a life of suppression & oppression as a FFB, and trust me, that's an understatement. The only ones who've ever understood the extent of it have been some mekubalim and chochmat haYad.
At this point i'm just a dried-out shell, filled with severe neuro/venous/everything pain, as well as loss of memory since my youth, like PTS. I'm virtually going on 80 (even if not chronologically). Very-prematurely aged. I used to feel like screaming at the teachers (who would lecture mamarei chazal, assuming, always assuming, it applies to everyone, without bothering to think there can be an exception to the rule in their class). That's one of the reasons i resent a certain huge personage in frum history who gave the green light to Sarah Shenirer to start Bais Yaakov's, which set the precedent for my torture. And torture it was, the likes of which none of you can imagine.
Another thing - it's true that lots of the American frum world is spoiled and that many without money still get cleaning ladies, take taxi's routinely, buy fancy stuff, etc. unlike in the past. But on the other hand, there are many American frum who've moved to Israel who are more spoiled THERE than many frum people are HERE, and that's aside from the many Israeli-born who are more spoiled THERE than Americans are here. So again, i'm weary of the generalizations!
Another thing - while granted, i've seen how the excessively nauseating materialism has crept within the frum world until it's now full-blown, and granted, many fellow frum Americans are likewise horrified & have been for a long time. Yet how do you know it wasn't given a huge boost, or even launched, by agents of the globalists (a.k.a. illuminati)? After all, they take their instructions from the sitra achra. Just read some of Nachman Selzer's novels, to see how they operate. As one example, according to Selzer's fiction, they were responsible for the controversies when archeologists would dig up graves.
M.M.
To the above Anon. @6:30 pm: So sorry about your hardships - may H' bless you with K'tivah v'Chatimah Tovah for the New Year 5780 and the beginning of good things. Everyone is having a hard time in these end of days. Our Sages tell us there isn't a Jewish family who is not suffering in some way, more than ever, at this time of history and because of it, will have a beautiful Olam Habah which is soon to come, the Messianic era, and on to the 7th millenium of pure spiritual bliss for all eternity.
As. far as all the wrong things within the frum world, we Jews must understand that in these days, more than ever, we will see the evilpower of the Erev Rav within our midst. Chazal tell us that the Erev Rav will be our worst enemies and even many rabbis (frum) will be Erev Rav. Everything has been foretold; but the end of the story will be beautiful! In the meantime, think good and it will be good.
We sat down with Rabbi Mendel Kessin in his Jerusalem home to speak about the misrepresentation of Trump’s comments about Jews being disloyal to Israel, Bernie Sanders, orgs like IfNotNow and J Street…as well as the upcoming Israeli election.
http://thenationofisrael.com/on-trumps-dual-loyalty-comments-bernie-sanders-ifnotnow-and-the-israeli-election/
Anonymous, thanks!
Devorah, please convey to R'Kessin that what he just stated about a transition gov't (such as Saar) is a contradiction of R'Schneerson having told a then-young Netanyahu that he would be the one to hand the keys to Moshiach (or something to that effect - i can't recall exactly.
M.M.
M.M. I have no way of contacting Rabbi Kessin, but I believe the best way to get a message to him is to leave a comment at the TorahThinking.com site.
Anyone wishing to contact the rabbi can leave a message in the inbox of his Facebook page: Rabbi Mendel Kessin.
Thanks Rahel
Post a Comment