The Retribution Before the Messianic Era

New shiur from Rabbi Mendel Kessin

The Fall of Gaza and the Rise of the Third Beis Hamikdash

There was a discussion regarding the post about Moshiach coming when Gaza falls..... and I did ask a Lubavitcher to investigate it for me, and today I received the following.

H/t NK

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn

*The Fall of Gaza and the Rise of The Third Beis Hamikdash* [Part 2 of 2] - note, I do not have Part 1

This translation was carefully researched and prepared by Rabbi Shmuel Pollen, Shlit”A

BS”D 

The father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Shneerson, makes a comment in his book “Torah of Levi Yitzchack” (page 452) that seems to imply that the fall of Gaza is a harbinger of the rebuilding of the 3rd Holy Temple and the coming of Moshiach. 

He writes that the “doors of Gaza” are 60 cubits and the sanctuary of the Beis Hamikdash is also 60 cubits. 

He further writes: “G-d created the world in such a way that, everything in the realm of good, has an opposing counterpart in the world of evil.” 

This would imply that if Gaza (the side of evil) were to be destroyed, the opposite of that would happen to the Beis Hamikdosh i.e. it would be built. And the Beis Hamikdosh will only be rebuilt with the coming of Moshiach. 

Gaza (in Hebrew: Azah) comes from the word “brazen (face)” As it says “the brazen faced go to hell.” And “dogs have a brazen soul.” Gaza corresponds to the rule of the evil side, Satan and impurity. 

The Talmud states in Tractate of Sotah 10A, “the pillars of Gaza which Samson knocked down were 60 cubits tall. This corresponds to the 60 tractates of Talmud. 

This also corresponds to the 60 mighty Jewish soldiers who guarded King Solomon. The sanctuary of the Beis Hamikdash was also 60 cubits tall. As it states: “The house that Solomon built for G-d was 60 cubits.” 

Once again, we see the fall of impurity leads to the rise of holiness. When Gaza falls, along with the 60 cubit pillars Samson knocked down, the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt with, G-d’s help. 

The Gaon of Vilna, peace be upon him, says, the impurity of the Philistines is preventing the Jewish people from meriting the messianic redemption today. 

*What is the connection between the Philistines and Gaza?* 

King David writes in psalm 83 that “within the Ishmalites (the Arabs today) we have mixed in, the Philistines and the Amalekites.” This means, all the evil forces, are together into Gaza: the children of Ishmael, the Amalekim, and the Philistines. 

Shortly before his death, the Philistines poked out both of Samson’s eyes. With no vision, Samson prayed to G-d for one final feat of strength to be able to knock down the columns of the building and thereby kill many Philistines. He asked for this act of revenge, in the merit of the loss of one of his eyes. Why did he ask only for one eye and not both? Many more Philistines were killed in Samson’s death than he ever killed in his lifetime. But the great Rashi tells us, that he wanted to leave the other eye so we can be rewarded with another defeat of the Philistines in the future (we have that merit on our side in our current war). 

When Gaza falls, the redemption will come. And we will build the Beis Hamikdash. And we will merit to see the face of the Moshiach, speedily in our days, with G-d’s help. Azah is related to the word “Azuvah” which means deserted, because “Gaza will be deserted.” Before the day is done, may all the enemies of G-d, be destroyed. 

*Translation by:* Shmuel Yitzchak Pollen 

Note: if anyone wants to email R' Shmuel Pollen, I do have his email address but I'm not publishing it on the internet.  Leave me a comment with your email address, which I will not publish, and I will send you his contact details.

Purim Katan

This Friday, 23 February, will be Purim Katan.

Purim Katan means “Little Purim.” Every year, the Jewish holiday of Purim is held in the Hebrew month of Adar. In Jewish leap years, a second month of Adar is added to the calendar and Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar II while the 14th of Adar I is acknowledged as Purim Katan. 

How do Jews Celebrate Purim Katan? 

The primary way to mark Purim Katan is to make one’s meal a little more festive. In addition, it is traditional to refrain from fasting, eulogizing or reciting Tachanun, a series of penitential prayers that are added to the Shacharit (morning) and Mincha (afternoon) prayer services. This is designed to ensure it is a happy day rather than a mournful one. [See the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 697:1]  The major rituals of Purim — reading megillah, giving gifts, reciting Al Hanisim — are not observed on Purim Katan and are reserved for the full Purim celebration that will take place a month later in Adar II.

Source: My Jewish Learning

A Gaza Dialogue

Ben Shapiro with some truth

“You can stay here until the arrival of the Messiah”

In his memoir released in 2022, Benjamin Netanyahu shares his unforgettable encounters with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

I went to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe. It had been more than four years since our first meeting, and I came to say good-bye. He was not happy with my decision and tried to dissuade me, while lamenting the situation in Israel.

“There are no good tidings from Israel,” the Rebbe said. “Action is key and there is no action, but maybe you can influence from here the leadership there.” 

“I intend to return to Israel and to try to influence things there,” I answered. 

The Rebbe insisted, “There is still much to influence here at the United Nations…. You know there is a Jewish mitzvah [injunction] to influence the gentiles. This is your job to do.” 

I dodged this diplomatically. 

“I haven’t forgotten our first meeting,” I said, “and I have acted as the Rebbe said, standing proud and strong. Yet I have been here for years.” 

Evidently, this length of service didn’t impress the Rebbe. “You can stay here until the arrival of the Messiah,” he said.

Source: Anash

When Gaza Falls.... Moshiach Will Come

H/t Sherry

He is talking about Rabbi Levi Yitzchak 

The Black Rainbow

For anyone who missed it in the comments yesterday, here it is

Moshiach: Exodus 2.0

"Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice…"

by HaRav Adin Even-Israel [Steinsaltz]

Only the Final Redemption will overshadow the Exodus in its significance.  

The Exodus from Egypt was apocalyptic, not only because of the supernatural events that took place during its unfolding, but also because it sparked an extremely significant change within a relatively short amount of time – and without any warning or preparation. It is true that the events recounted in the Book of Exodus did occur over the course of a few months, but when we think about the amazing transformation that the People of Israel underwent as a result – from a loosely related ethnic group of slaves to a new nation – the redemption from Egypt does indeed seem very sudden and surprising.

While Passover is the festival of redemption, the Exodus from Egypt is commemorated on each of the Biblical festivals and all through the year. Even events in Jewish history as important as the re-establishment of sovereignty in Israel during the Second Temple era are not considered to be equal to the Exodus. Our Sages teach that only the Final Redemption will be able to overshadow its significance.

The Exodus has also become a prototype of redemption for all nations of the world, a model against which other redemptions are measured and assessed. The coming of the Messiah is a momentous event – not only for the Jewish people, but for the entire world. It is not simply a matter of national deliverance, nor even of a Jewish renaissance, but of an intrinsic change in world history. In a certain way, the Final Redemption, as its name implies, marks the "end of history," or, at least, the end of history as it has been for the last several millennia.

We know from Biblical prophecies and from the Talmud that there are two possible scenarios for the Final Redemption. The difference between them lies in a fundamental question: will it be a revolutionary event, or an evolutionary one? The first redemption, the Exodus from Egypt, was a whirlwind of supernatural events, a total revolution. Indeed, many descriptions of the Final Redemption – in Jewish and non-Jewish sources alike – depict the final redemption in a similar way. For example, this approach, "the great and terrible day of the Lord," [1] is a universal earthquake which begins with "darkness, not light" [2] and involves colossal wars between "the children of light and the children of darkness." Like the Exodus, the Final Redemption is, so to speak, a Divine tour de force vis-à-vis the world. When God wills it, all of reality will be torn to shreds, and the new day will shine, as was the case in the Exodus from Egypt – out of "blood and fire and pillars of smoke." [3]

The alternative scenario of redemption is an evolutionary one and is based on human progress – whether slow or fast – toward a higher state of existence: "For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will follow you behind" [4]; or, in other words, "in sitting still and rest will you be saved." [5] While the Exodus from Egypt contained an element of flight, this redemption will be a slow, smooth process and, despite the enormous differences between the present and the future, it will still be possible to discern the steps that paved the way for the redemption. Even the Biblical metaphor that likens redemption to birth – a dramatic event with a clearly defined "before" and "after" – presupposes the long pregnancy that came before it.

Will the future redemption be a revolutionary event, or an evolutionary one?  The difference between these two diametrically opposed scenarios can be explained by the somewhat enigmatic Talmudic saying: "The son of David [the Messiah; in other words, the final redemption] will come only in a generation that is either altogether righteous or altogether wicked." [6] Redemption for an "altogether righteous" generation is preceded by years of preparation in which people work to better themselves. This kind of redemption is just the finale of an evolutionary process. On the other hand, the redemption of an "altogether wicked" generation cannot possibly be an extended, slow process, because such people, by their very nature, make no preparations for it. Therefore it must entail a revolutionary outburst, which, in this case, is not a grass-roots effort but a Divine one. As such, it must shatter the old patterns of existence – a painful, even tragic event.

The future redemption is, in many ways, the continuation and completion of the Exodus. We know from the Book of Exodus[7] that the redemption from Egypt occurred at midnight; the end of the Passover Haggadah includes references to the future redemption as the second half of this night of deliverance. This is not only solace and encouragement in the face of our present trials and tribulations; it is also a logical sequence. The Exodus, then, is a comma in the manuscript of world history, whereas the final redemption is a full stop. But what shape the final redemption will assume depends, to a great extent, on us as human beings. Through the totality of our actions, we will determine whether we are an "altogether wicked" or "altogether righteous" generation and, consequently, if we can expect "blood and fire and pillars of smoke" or salvation through "sitting still and rest." 

 FOOTNOTES 

1. Malachi 3:23. 

2. Amos 5:18. 

3. Joel 3:3. 

4. Isaiah 52:12 

5. Ibid., 30:15. 

6. Tractate Sanhedrin 98a. 

7. 12:29.