A Whiter Shade of Pale

"If he has turned completely white, he remains pure" [Tazria 13:13]

R' Yochanan in Maseches Sanhedrin [98a] taught: "Mashiach, the son of David, will only come to a generation that is either entirely meritorious or entirely guilty".

This statement is difficult to understand, noted the Chasam Sofer (R' Moshe Sofer).  For while it is easily understood why a generation that is entirely meritorious would be worthy of receiving Mashiach, on what basis would a thoroughly guilty generation receive him?

We find a similar difficulty in the verse: "If he has turned completely white, he remains pure".  If a small affliction is considered impure, why is it considered pure when it covers the metzora's entire body?

We can answer both questions with one answer. Skin afflictions come upon an individual in order to inspire him to repent for his misdeeds.  Now, if his entire body has turned white, he will definitely be humbled to repent completely and sincerely. There is therefore no need to declare him impure.

The same applies to a generation that is completely guilty.  The way to awaken a generation that is full of sin is not with reproach but by sending them Mashiach ben David.  Then they will return to Hashem in complete repentance.

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

The Talmud states: "The son of David [Moshiach] will only come when every government becomes heretical".

Rabah said: "Where do we see [an allusion to] this in Scripture?  From the verse: "he has turned completely white, he is ritually pure." [Sanhedrin 97a]

Rashi explains: "Just like when the affliction has spread throughout the entire skin the person is ritually pure, so too when all the governments have become heretical, the redemption will come."

This sign of redemption could be seen as either:

a) A negative sign, that people have become so corrupt that G-d is forced, so to speak, to save the world and bring redemption.

b) A positive sign, that the world has become so refined that it is clear to everybody that any regime or government which is not based on Torah is heretical and corrupt.

This parallels the two views expressed above:

a) If the corruption of governments is a negative sign, it follows that G-d is "forced" to bring the redemption, so to speak, despite the world.  This corresponds to the view that the law ("he has turned completely white, he is ritually pure") is a super-rational decree of scripture, which is followed despite the fact that it is illogical.

b) But if the corruption of governments is a positive sign, it follows that G-d is bringing the redemption because the world has become good. This corresponds to the view that the law is logical.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

First Libya, then Israel .....?

Quoting Frank Gaffney Jr. "Particularly concerning is the prospect that what we might call the Gaddafi Precedent will be used in the not-to-distant future to justify and threaten the use of U.S. military forces against an American ally: Israel."

Full article here: UN intervention into Libya an ominous precedent for Israel

Glenn Beck sets it all out for us in these two videos: [Hat tip Moriah]

Revisiting the Prophecies in Psalm 93

Guest post, received via email, published with permission:

Regarding the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe’s prophecy [written in approx. 1943, in a publication called Keriah VeKudusah, explaining Tehillim 93].

[The Arizal says that our generation is a reincarnation of the generation that was in Egypt over 3,000 years ago. Also, the way in which the Geula will happen now will be similar to the way it happened in Egypt; as explained in the Hagaddah. Therefore, just as in Egypt, there were ten ways nature was changed in order to prove to the nations that G-d runs the world; so too now.]

To paraphrase:

There are two parts to the Prophecy:

1. Hashem wants the entire world (not just the Jews) to know that He runs the world; but simultaneously, He wants everyone to have free-choice.

How does He accomplish this, as well as the second part of the Prophecy [see below]?

Answer: Through flooding.

The flooding will reach to such an extent, that it will become obvious that these are not natural events.

2. The second part of the prophecy has not happened yet.

The Previous Rebbe says that a certain country will be either totally, or almost totally, inundated by flooding.

This will reach to such an extent that everyone will realize that this is a punishment from G-d; and the world’s political structure will change accordingly.

As explained in the talks from 1991-1992, as opposed to previous miracles that were mainly for Jews, the current changes will be visible to the entire world.

[As long as the wizards in Egypt could tell Pharaoh that they could duplicate Moshe's miracles, the Egyptians thought that Moshe was just a great wizard.]

So too now, as long as people can say that current events happen once every hundred years, or are due to natural causes; these events have not achieved their goal.

To say that these events happen once a century could be considered justified - if only one or two events were occurring - but when multiple events happen across the globe, how can they all be seen as happening once every one hundred years?

From the Previous Rebbe’s words it would seem that there is a land-locked country that will be entirely flooded.

It will not be near an ocean, so that we can’t say it is a tsunami; or in an earthquake or flooding zone, so that we can say it was nature.

And somehow the world will realize that G-d did it, in order to bring the Geula to the world.

Also see: Decoding Psalm 93

In the Days of Moshiach.....

  Rainbow at North Poorton, Dorset - Photographer Kris Dutson Daily Mail UK

Question:  When Moshiach comes, the primary branch of Torah study will be the mystical dimension, which deals with knowledge of G-d’s attributes and qualities. However, if this is the case, how we know how to observe the mitzvot?

Answer:  Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi raises this question, and explains that in the future there will be no lapses of memory. Once we learn something, it will be imprinted in our memory forever. Memory loss is a manifestation of impurity and evil spirit, which will evaporate when Moshiach comes. Furthermore, any memories that we might have lost before Moshiach comes will be restored to us. Therefore, we won’t need to dedicate as much time to memorizing the details of the Law, and will be able to spend the bulk of our time studying the inner dimensions of Torah.

Additionally, Rabbi Schneur Zalman explains, in the Messianic era we will be granted an extra level of understanding, and from our study of the Torah’s mystical dimensions, we will be able to infer all the practical laws of Jewish observance.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe adds a unique interpretation: When Moshiach comes, our evil inclination will be removed, and our nature and instincts will be transformed. Just as a young child instinctively draws his hand away from fire, we will have a natural aversion to those things forbidden by the Torah, and a natural inclination to do the things the Torah requires. The details of Jewish Law will be hard-wired into our system, and will not require as much time for us to master.

[Igeret Hakodesh, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, ch. 26; Hilchos Talmud Torah, 10:2; Likutei Sichos, vol. 25, p. 263]

 

Source: Chabad.info

A Sobering Thought

Art Rob Gonsalves

Everything can change in the blink of an eye. [Rebbe Nachman of Breslov]


"Do not drink wine that will lead to intoxication, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, so that you shall not die. [This is] an eternal statute for your generations..." [Shemini 10:9]

There is a view [see Rambam, Laws of Entering the Temple 1:7] that even nowadays a priest [kohen] may not drink a revi'is [86ml] of wine, for this is sufficient to cause some degree of intoxication, and since it is quite feasible that the Holy Temple will be rebuilt within the time it takes for him to become sober, the wine would thus render him unfit for service in the Temple.

Now, according to Jewish law, intoxication caused by a revi'is of wine can be removed by either a short sleep, or by waiting the time it would take to walk a mil. (There are different views as to precisely how long this is: either 18 or at most 24 minutes).

From here we see a remarkable ramification of the above principle: that Jewish law takes seriously into consideration the fact that it is possible for Moshiach to come, with a completed Holy Temple, within a maximum of 23 minutes and 59 seconds, thus requiring the priests to be ready for service immediately!

Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe [Gutnick Chumash]

The Test of the End of Days

from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Great disbelief will spread throughout the world.

Fortunate is the person who will strengthen himself with faith in those times.

This warning will not help.

There were others, such as Daniel, who foretold that before the coming of the Messiah, many will be tested and refined, that the evil will worsen while the wise will keep their understanding.

Many will have their faith tested. The person who will pass the test and retain his faith will be fortunate and will attain all the good that is destined to come (may it be soon and in our days) about which the prophets and wise men prophesied.

If so, everyone should take care to remain strong in his faith. Since this prediction is already common knowledge, there will be no test.

But it will still be a great test.

Many will do evil. "The wicked will act wickedly" [Daniel 12:10]

I am telling you this for the sake of those few good people who will be strong in their faith. They will have great internal  battles. But my words will console and strengthen them, for they will see that someone already predicted this. - Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

How to get your prayers answered

There is a very simple way to have prayers answered.  It's so simple, and yet most people haven't yet managed to achieve it.  Hashem is giving people a shove in the right direction, by making things very difficult for many of us, with no help to be found in this generation with the face of a dog.

The way to do it is to come to understand that there is nothing and no-one who can supply what you need, but Hashem.

As Rabbi Yigal Haimoff explains in his shiur Depend Only On Hashem :

Moshiach will not come until all Jews have come to the realization that there is no-one to depend on, no-one to ask, but Hashem. 

But we're not there yet.

Because even while we are praying to G-d, we are also thinking that other people can help us as well. 

Until we get to the point where we are like a newborn baby, solely dependant on its mother for sustenance and survival, our prayers will not achieve what we want them to.

The more a person is solely dependant on Hashem, the more likely it is that he will get whatever he's praying for.   But if Hashem sees that a person also relies on someone else to rescue him, G-d will say ok, that person can help you, you don't need Me yet.

To watch the video shiur: Click here

Humble Origins

Art Tim Gagnon



  וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל אַהֲרֹן קְרַב אֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ

"Moshe then said to Aharon "Draw near to the altar" [Shemini 9:7]

Rashi explains that Aharon was embarrassed and afraid to approach the altar.  Moshe therefore said to him "Why are you embarrassed? This is what you were selected for."

The Baal Shem Tov elucidated Rashi's words.  Moshe was saying to Aharon: "Why are you embarrassed? It is specifically due to the fact that you possess the character trait of humility and that you feel ashamed before Hashem that you were chosen to be the Kohen - "This is what you were selected for!"

Source: Rabbi Y. Bronstein