Waiting for Moshiach

Today is 21 Shevat, and in a week or so we will be entering the month of Adar 1.  The year 5784 is a leap year so there are two Adars, as we all know.   

There is a possibility that we will see the Kochav Yaakov on 25 Adar II or perhaps even 25 Adar I - as the prophecy says "the 25th day of the sixth month".  Technically Adar 1 is the sixth month, but we always celebrate the chagim in the second Adar, so if the sixth month is "Adar" then it is more likely to occur in Adar II.

But.... and there is a huge BUT here.... it may not happen that way.  

When the Torah says the "sixth month" it generally refers to Elul.   However, there is a question mark on this, as we really don't know until we get there.

We know that the Jewish year begins on the first of Tishrei—a day we observe as Rosh Hashanah, “the Head of the Year”—and ends twelve (or thirteen) months later, on the 29th of Elul. But if the head of the year is on the first of Tishrei, why does the Torah (in Leviticus 23:24) refer to Tishrei as the seventh month of the year? And why is the month of Nissan, occurring midway through the Tishrei-headed year, designated—in the very first mitzvah commanded to the Jewish people—as “the head of months, the first of the months of your year”? But like a sphere with two poles, the Jewish year has two “heads” or primary points of reference, each of which is equally its beginning. Our annual journey through time is actually two journeys—a Tishrei-to-Elul journey, and a Nissan-to-Adar journey. Every day on the Jewish calendar can be experienced on two different levels, for it simultaneously exists within these two contexts.  [Source - Chabad]

I've been blogging for a long time. I've expected Moshiach to arrive many times during all these years, and have been disappointed but I've always managed to pick myself up and remain hopeful. I'm not worried about my own feelings. I am worried about some of my readers, especially the younger ones.  This blog post is especially for YOU.  

I want to say to you: make sure you keep a part of yourself safe from disappointment.  You need to prepare yourself for the fact that things may not happen in the way we hope.  It is very important that you do this, because if you don't, you may feel as though it's all never going to happen at all and abandon your beliefs.

This is especially the case if you have a physical, financial, mental or emotional issue.  If you are depending on Moshiach to come and save you from any of these things, and then it doesn't happen as you had planned it to.... you could chas v'shalom be plunged into the depths of despair and even feel suicidal.  You MUST prepare yourself for the fact that it may not play out in the way that we are hoping it does.

This is a Geula blog... it didn't start out that way, I never intended it to be a Geula blog, but it seemed to have a life of it's own and it basically created itself.  I do not PREDICT Geula, I just blog about things that relate to Geula.   Some of those things may, or may not, happen.   

When Rav Zeira happened upon scholars who were engaged [in calculating the date of the coming of Moshiach], he told them, "I beg you, do not postpone it . . . for it has been taught, ‘Three things come when the mind is occupied otherwise: Moshiach, something that is lost, and a scorpion.' "(Sanhedrin 97a)  [Source: Do You Anticipate the Redemption?]

As we are definitely close to the time of Moshiach's arrival, were are allowed to talk about it and we are allowed to attempt to calculate the date.  However, have we reached the time where even children will be able to make the calculation????[see quote below]

The Maggid of Dubno : the Zohar even states that it is not God’s will to reveal the arrival date of the Moshiach, but when the date draws near, even children will be able to make the calculation [Bereishis 118a]

I'm just going to continue on blogging as usual, because I have asked a few people whether or not I should.....and the answer has always been to keep going.  We need to have a Moshiach consciousness. The more people who think about it and talk about it, the more it gains a Geula energy.  You need to be planting Moshiach seeds wherever you go.  Don't worry if people look at you strangely, or think you're a bit crazy..... just plant the seed and let Hashem take it from there.  You'd be surprised how these people, who never gave a thought to Moshiach previously, suddenly start thinking about it, and the next time they see you, they ask you where Moshiach is.  That happens to me all the time in real life.  But I'm just happy that they are giving some thought to a concept which they'd never acknowledged until I brought it to their attention.

....the Dark Side tries everything to prevent Moshiach's arrival, so Hashem must engineer it in such a way that catches the unholy spiritual opposition completely off guard. [Rabbi Lazer Brody - "The Seeds of Moshiach" click here to listen to "The Book of Ruth"]

As I was typing up this post and I read this,,,, On the first of Nissan, 2448 years after the creation of Adam, G‑d commanded His first mitzvah to the fledgling nation of Israel—to establish a calendar based on the monthly lunar cycle.....

I did a small calculation on my notepad: 2448 x 2 = 4896

Then I subtracted 4896 from the current year 5784.  The remaining total was 888.

I don't know if that's relevant to anything at all, but it was exciting for me to see because 8 is the number of Moshiach.  Our current world is a world of sevens, seven continents, seven seas, etc. but the world of Moshiach is the world of 8.  

Who Will Fight the Battle of Gog and Magog ?

 Rabbi Zamir Cohen [in English]    H/t Sherry

Sun, Moon and Asteroids

The first time I noticed something strange in the sky was about 7 years ago. It was first night Seder and I went outside and looked up at the moon.  It looked something like this.  

I clearly remember asking my sister-in-law to come outside and explain to me why the moon had colours all around it.  She didn't know, but thought it was something to do with Moshiach coming soon.

I have seen the moon looking like this quite a few times since then, but it was not until five years later that I found out WHY there were colours around the moon.  

I saw a video on TikTok about planets passing between Earth and the Sun, which were highly visible to us.  After a lot more investigating, I started to understand why there were these colours around the moon.

Most people in the world still have no idea why they are seeing this.  Here is a typical example of things people post and, in response to their question, they are told utter nonsense about the reason why they are seeing these colours.

There are planets all around the sun, all different colours, and this is what is creating the rainbow-like effect both around the moon and also the sun.  

If you take a photo of the sun you make well see blue flashes around it - like this photo below.  You may also notice that it is not a full circle, it's being cut off at the sides.  This is called a light pinch.  The planets around it are blocking the edges of the sun from being seen. [You won't always get the colours or the blue around the sun, it depends where the planets are on that day.  I have successfully photographed blue flashes around the sun several times.  You do need to take photos on a daily basis to maximize your chances of catching the blue.]

In the picture below, a diagram has been superimposed below the image to show you what you are actually looking at.

The blue flashes are from the blue asteroid, which is an amazing turquoise colour, causing the blue around the sun. The asteroids appear to us as a circle with stripes. This is actually the "leading asteroid" - all of these orbiting objects have been named and new drawings are issued on the 15th of every month, showing their new positions in relation to our Sun.  There is also a red, a green and a tan coloured asteroid that we see.

Here is a picture of the blue asteroid illuminated under the moon. 

You can often see asteroid trails, which people wrongly identify as chemtrails or some other man-made thing.  Asteroid trails are wider and thicker, and they don't disappear after a few minutes, they hang around for quite a long time. Below is a short video of an asteroid trail.

Talking About Mashiach

Q and A with Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh

Translated from a class given by Rabbi Ginsburgh on 22 Shvat 5777 (2017) 

Q: Should we identify the Mashiach with a specific person? If so, does he have to be someone from this generation or can he be from the past? 

A: In the Talmud, it is written that if Mashiach is from the living, he is so-and-so and if he is from the dead he is so-and-so. The example given of someone from the dead is Daniel and the example of someone from the living is Rebbe (Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi). The sages left this question open. If we try to find a Mashiach living now in this generation, we will have to work hard. 

Q: Please explain more about courage. The common definition of courage is to feel fear regarding a certain action and to do it anyway. How can we access the fountain of courage within us? 

A: Courage is the ability to emerge from all frameworks, to swim against the stream, and to think out of the box. Courage is to disagree with someone in the name of God’s truth. One of the reasons to learn Torah in depth is to attain courage. The Torah teaches the truth and the truth is generally not aligned with the current popular agenda. A person who speaks the truth needs courage. The essence of the power of Mashiach is that he speaks the truth. Mashiach is the leader, he speaks for the entire generation. The power of the speaker is that he speaks the truth even when it is not popular. This is a simple expression of the courage that we must get from the Torah. Courage is not only what we say, but the ability to lead people according to the truth of the Torah, even when that is not popular. The Lubavitcher Rebbe directed us to say unpopular things “in a manner that can be accepted.” We have to speak the truth in a manner that will enter the ears and minds of the listener. 

Q: Who is the primordial snake with whom Mashiach has to do battle? Who is Amalek? 

A: Just above we said that Mashiach dares to say things that are not popular. From this, we can understand that the politically correct is the enemy. Where is this expressed? In the media. The Primordial Snake controls the media today. If the snake will repent – he can repent – he will be the great light of humanity, as was supposed to happen with Adam. He still has the opportunity to repent today. We need courage to fight the snake. We also have to be ingenious. Kabbalah teaches that the root of wisdom is in the attribute of might of the crown. How will Mashiach accomplish this? In addition to diligence and hard work, he needs genius and creativity. Let us pray to God that He will give the Mashiach the qualities that he needs to defeat the Primordial Snake. 

Q: How does the Mashiach make war? What weapons does he use? 

A: In Isaiah 11:4 it says, “And with the breath of his mouth he will kill the wicked.” Moses said of himself that he had “uncircumcised lips.” Mashiach, however, will have very strong lips so that he will be able to kill the wicked with the breath of his lips. He kills the Primordial Snake with the breath of his lips. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says that the Mashiach will not fire one bullet. He will triumph with the breath of his lips.

Original article here

The Power of Hashem

Rashi says that after Yitro saw Hashem punish the Egyptians Midda K'Neged Midda he then declared, "Ata Yadati Ki Gadol Hashem MiKol HaElokim" -  I now know that Hashem is greater than any other power. 

What is it about Midda K'Neged Midda that makes Hashem so unique, is it the ingenuity?

Rav Shimshon Pincus explains that every Koach [strength] in the world only has its own power to use. Fire can fight water with fire only, and not water. Aside from the fact that this is its only capability, it also wants to show its opponent what makes it unique. It cannot use power that it doesn't have.

Hashem works the opposite way. To show fire who is boss, Hashem uses fire to fight fire. He uses water to fight water. This unique fighting strategy shows that Hashem is more powerful than any other force. Moreover it shows that He is the only force, and the force behind all forces. 

In a way this doesn't counter the above logic, it works with it. Hashem fights each element with His unique force. He is Echad Yachid U'Miyuchad and every possible force is His. And He shows it to everybody as needed.

Source: Revach.net

Wake Up Everyone

Everything's normal..... right?    

I don't know what it is, when I find out I'll let you know in the comments.... 

This was New Jersey last night.  Photo S. Roberts

How God Ensures Every Jew Enters the World to Come | Part 1

Rabbi Mendel Kessin

Rosh HaShanah of Trees

 

Angel Oak Tree, Charleston South Carolina

Tu b'Shevat is Wednesday night/Thursday January 25 - we eat fruit associated with the Land of Israel: grapes, figs, pomegranate, dates, olives - see below for laws and customs.

Compiled by Rabbi Shmuel Lesches 

Tu b’Shevat (15th of Shevat) is the Rosh Hashanah for trees, as it is the time when they are infused with sap and their fruits begin the earliest stage of development. Tu B’Shevat is one of the dates used to calculate the years for Orlah (the first three years of a tree’s growth – when its fruit is forbidden), Revai (the fourth year of a tree’s growth – when its fruit must be consecrated), Terumah and Maaser (the tithes given to the Kohen and the Levi). 

Outside of Eretz Yisroel, the laws of Orlah apply to any fruits known to have grown during a tree’s first three years, and the laws of Revai apply to grapes known to have grown during a vine’s fourth year. A Rav should be consulted to compute these times properly. 

Even though Tu B’Shevat is the time of a fruit’s development in the Northern Hemisphere, it is still the date used when calculating Orlah and Revai for fruits grown in the Southern Hemisphere. Contrary to popular misconception, Tu B’Shevat is not the day of judgement for trees. Rather, that occurs on Shavuot.

Tu b'Shevat Customs

On Tu B’Shevat, it is customary to consume the fruit of trees, especially the Shivas Haminim (the fruit for which Eretz Yisroel is praised – grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates). Some have the custom of eating a new fruit and reciting Shehecheyanu. 

It is also customary to eat carobs, which are especially associated with miracles. All this is to praise Hashem for renewing the fruits. 

When eating fruits grown in Eretz Yisroel, one must ensure that there is no concern of Orlah, Revai, Tevel and Shemitah. When shopping for fruit, one should note the country of origin. 

The Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged giving extra Tzedakah on Tu b’Shevat.

Man is Like a Tree

The Torah likens man to a tree: 

A healthy and vibrant tree constantly grows and produces fruit in abundance, both qualitatively as well as quantitatively. So too, a person must grow and produce fine fruits in Torah, Tefillah and Tzedakah.