Rabbi E. C. ABoud

Much has been written about the time period preceding Mashiah’s arrival. Our sages have elaborated in great detail on the specific characteristics of that generation and the extraordinary events that would take place at that time. As this month’s article demonstrates, these descriptions lead us to the inevitable conclusion that we are living today in the pre-Messianic era.

Our Generation

In his later years, the Hafess Haim, z”l, (1838-1933) often referred to his times as the generation before Mashiah, noting the occurrence of all the signs mentioned by the prophets. He eventually published a pamphlet entitled Waiting for the Redemption, seeking to raise the Jewish public’s awareness of the onset of the pre-Messianic era, and the need for spiritual preparation.

In anticipation of the imminent restoration of the Bet Hamikdash, the Hafess Haim urged Torah scholars, and especially kohanim, to learn and teach the laws pertaining to the Temple rituals.  He also published a series of scholarly works elucidating these laws, and established a kollel devoted to this area of study. As a direct result of his pioneering efforts, many yeshivot today include the laws of the Mikdash in their curricula.[i]

It must be emphasized that when the Hafess Haim and others speak of  “the generation before Mashiah,” they do not refer to a particular number of years after which Mashiah will arrive.  The precise point at which Mashiah will arrive remains unknown, never to be revealed before his actual arrival.[ii]

Describing the Generation before Mashiah

Drawing from the words of the Prophets, the Talmud gives the following description of the pre-Messianic era:

“In that time, the words of our sages and those who fear sin will be disgusted and disregarded, the pursuit of truth will be scarce, the world at large will be sinners and nonbelievers, insolence will thrive, the young will shame the elderly, the elderly will stand for the young, children will stray from their parents, all will do as they please and no one will give rebuke, the face of the generation will resemble that of a dog…” (Sanhedrin 97a)

This passage, in many ways, describes the unfortunate state of the world in our times. The groups that have defected from Torah Judaism during the past two centuries openly “disgust and disregard” the sacred words of our sages, dismissing our traditions as “outdated” and “irrational.”[iii] The “pursuit of truth” has been replaced by the pursuit of vanity, and has become so “scarce” that a full eighty percent of world Jewry is not religiously observant.[iv] “The world at large” is indeed full of “non-believers” who deny the existence of a Creator. And the alarmingly rampant immorality and indecency (exacerbated in no small part by the Internet) render our generation comparable to a dog, which has no feelings of privacy or shame.[v]

Our generation resembles a dog in a different sense, as well.  Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant[vi], z”l (1810-1883), founder of the Musar Movement, noted that when a dog walks with his owner, it generally walks ahead, giving the impression that it leads and directs the owner.  It is only when it reaches a fork in the road and must wait for its master that it becomes clear that the master, and not the dog, is the leader.  In the pre-Messianic era, Rabbi Yisrael explained, the leadership, the “face of the generation”, will resemble that of a dog.  Leaders will only give the impression of leadership – while in truth it will be their constituencies who are showing them the way.

Sure enough, in our times, politicians pander to the people’s preferences, sometimes changing their platforms several times to conform to the latest opinion poll.  While the leaders try to give the impression of guiding and directing the masses, in truth, it is the people who choose the direction which the leaders then feel bound to follow.

World Developments

The Industrial Revolution in the early nineteenth century brought with it a fundamental change to the world and human life.  What used to take months to accomplish can now be done in mere seconds. A traveler can journey from one end of the earth to the other in less than 19 hours[vii], people can amass and lose enormous fortunes practically overnight, wars are fought and decided in a matter of days, and countries rise and fall in rapid succession. Our sages[viii] explain that as Mashiah’s arrival draws near, Hashem “rushes” to complete all the events that must take place before the end of days, when the world will begin a new chapter in the existence of mankind.

The spiritual forces of impurity are working “overtime” and with extra vigor in a final, desperate surge of power before their final elimination with Mashiah’s arrival.[ix] The lust for wealth, rampant immorality and widespread atheism that characterize our generation are all manifestations of this process. Just as a candle shines brightest before it extinguishes completely, the forces of evil similarly shine with unprecedented force just prior to being extinguished.

Our Last Stop in Exile

The events of the twentieth century have dramatically changed the face of the Jewish nation. The Holocaust obliterated the flourishing communities of Eastern Europe; nearly all Middle Eastern Jews were forced out of their resident countries; Israel has been rebuilt to an extent that has not been seen since the Second Commonwealth, with millions of Jews settling in their homeland. How do we explain these dramatic upheavals?

A story is told how one morning, while reciting the shaharit service, Rav Haim of Volozhin (1749-1820) – the most illustrious disciple of the Vilna Gaon – suddenly burst into heartrending tears. The students watched in astonishment, wondering what could have provoked such an outbreak of emotion. A few minutes later, Rav Haim again burst into tears.

Though initially hesitant to explain to his students what had happened, Rav Haim realized that if he beheld this vision in public, it is apparently meant to be revealed.

“Know my sons,” he whispered, “that a day will come when all the communities and great yeshivot of Europe will be destroyed and uprooted. They will be rebuilt in America – the Jews’ last stop in exile before Mashiah.”

After more prodding from his students, Rav Haim revealed the reason for his second outburst. “I have also foreseen the terrible suffering and destruction that will take place before they are resettled there!”[x]

Rav Haim foresaw the calamity of WWII and the subsequent rebuilding of Jewish life in America – over a century before these events occurred. More importantly, this episode bids us to view the Holocaust and the resettling of the Jews in America as a part of Gd’s master plan to bring us to the Messianic era.

Furthermore, our Sages[xi] have alluded to the Jewish settlement of Eress Yisrael that will occur in the period before Mashiah. Indeed, after centuries of near desolation and foreign rule, Israel has, in a matter of just several decades, become a sovereign Jewish State and home to nearly 40 percent of the world’s Jewish population – yet another indication that we are living in pre-Messianic times.[xii]

Other Events

Elsewhere, the Talmud foresees the suffering that the Jewish people will endure prior to Mashiah’s arrival:

“In that time, a great wave of suffering and harsh decrees will afflict the Jewish nation, all the wicked among the Jews will die out; even the Torah scholars will have no peace… and many will despair of the final redemption.” (Sanhedrin 97b, 98a)

It has been foreseen by the prophets[xiii] that the suffering preceding Mashiah will reach an unprecedented magnitude. The commentators explain[xiv] that throughout the different periods of persecution the Jewish nation has endured, there had always been a safe haven to run to – away from affliction. In the end of days however, there will be no escape, as all the nations will unite as one common enemy against the Jewish Nation.

The Purpose of Suffering

Our Sages give a number of reasons for the suffering that will precede Mashiah.  Primarily, it will inspire a process of repentance through which the Jews will become worthy of redemption, and the sinners who fail to repent will be eliminated.[xv] Others[xvi] claim that in the period before Mashiah the Jews will spiritually deteriorate to the point where Hashem will need to hasten Mashiah’s arrival, before they reach the level at which redemption is no longer possible.

Ways to Be Saved

This information should not lead us to fear and despair, Heaven forbid.  It should rather inspire us to increase our commitment to Torah, so that Gd will spare us the suffering that will precede Mashiah.

How specifically can one save himself from these horrors?

The Talmud[xvii] lists several particular missvot that help a person escape the suffering of pre-Messianic times, including involvement in Torah learning, kindness, and ensuring to eat three meals on Shabbat. These missvot, in particular, have the ability to protect a person from suffering before Mashiah’s arrival.

The Two Times for Mashiah’s Arrival

Although the prophet Daniel[xviii] designated a specific time for Mashiah’s arrival (albeit in an indecipherable way), the Jews’ repentance could bring Mashiah earlier – even today! The Talmud[xix] relates that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi once met Mashiah, and Mashiah announced that he would be coming that very day. When the day passed uneventfully, Rabbi Yehoshua asked the prophet Eliyahu to explain why Mashiah had misled him.  Eliyahu answered that indeed, if the Jews would wholeheartedly repent, Mashiah would come that same day.

The Talmud[xx] says that the present world will span a period of six thousand years, and Mashiah will come some time during the last two millennia – thus guaranteeing his arrival by the year 6000.[xxi] We are now in the year 5769, a mere 231 years away from that “deadline.” Hopefully, through our sincere efforts to repent, we will be deserving of welcoming Mashiah even before then, speedily and in our times, Amen!

Next Month:  Mashiah ben Yosef and Mashiah ben David

[i] Kol Kitvei Hafess Haim, vol. 3, pp. 60-63.

[ii] Letter from Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman (1875-1941); see preface to Bet Hasho’eva by Rabbi Shimon Shwab, zt”l.

[iii] Tsipita Li’yeshu’a, chapter 1.

[iv] Simpletoremember.com.

[v] Bet Hasho’eva, pp. 112,117.

[vi] Bet Hasho’eva, p. 124.

[vii] Flug Revue 4/2004, p. 22.

[viii] The Hafess Haim and others; see Bet Hasho’eva, p. 162.

[ix] See Osserot Aharit Hayamim, p. 89, and Kovess He’arot, p. 146.

[x] Sefer Avi Hayeshivot, p. 110.

[xi] See Sanhedrin 97b and 98b, and Malbim’s commentary to Yehezkel, chapter 38.

[xii] Jewish Virtual Library.org.

[xiii] Daniel chapter 12

[xiv] Bet Hasho’eva p.164

[xv] Sanhedrin 97b and Sefer Even Shelomo, 11:6.

[xvi] Bet Hasho’eva, p.182.

[xvii] Sanhedrin 98b, Shabbat 118a.

[xviii] Daniel, chapter 12 (see commentaries).

[xix] Sanhedrin 98a.

[xx] Sanhedrin 97b.

[xxi] Sefer Nessah Yisrael, 27.

 Dear Friends,

I am excited to welcome our residents and community members back to Deal for another exciting, albeit a very unique summer.

Our highest concern at the Borough of Deal is your health and safety, and it holds special significance this summer amid the pandemic. While many of you have already been in Deal for weeks or months, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to coronavirus prevention.

It is precisely because our community is social by nature that we remain at a higher risk of infection from this epidemic than others. We urge you not to let up and continue to practice social distancing and wear masks as needed. We must all do our part to prevent the spread of this virus.

While we remain laser-focused on health and safety, we also continue with our pledge to maintaining the incomparable beauty and extraordinary services of the Borough of Deal as well. Our goal is for our residents and community to safely enjoy the beauty and the exceptional services of the Borough of Deal this summer and all year long.

Enhancing the natural beauty of the town of Deal, we have planted nearly 1,000 trees these past three years and have consistently resurfaced roads ahead of normal. This year we have completed or are in the process of repaving parts or all of Phillips Avenue, Monmouth Drive, Neptune Avenue Richmond Avenue Sydney Avenue, Roseld Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue, Drummond Avenue and Railroad Avenue.

While our attention is rightfully on the pandemic, we must not relax the town’s security and protection. Seeking ways to proactively improve your safety, we have installed automatic license plate readers throughout the Borough to support our police department. This will give us better visibility on traffic throughout the borough. Additionally, there continues to be some reports of car thefts in the area, so we urge all residents to exercise extra vigilance with their vehicles and homes. When parking your vehicles, we want to remind everyone to remove valuables and to lock your car doors.

As always, we kindly remind cyclists to always wear a helmet and ride on the right side of the road, and please ensure that all bicycles are equipped with proper reflectors.

Should you have any concerns whatsoever, please visit us at: http://www.dealborough.com/ and fill out a “Report a Concern” form. If you require any immediate assistance, police, fire, or first aid for an emergency, please dial 911.

During these most unprecedented times, I am especially grateful to those on the front lines, the dedicated and selfless Borough of Deal team.

Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones. With a new perspective, I would like to extend our warmest wishes for a wonderful summer where you will cherish the beauty of our town and community more than ever.

Sincerely,

Samuel Cohen

Mayor of Deal

Rabbi Joey Mizrahi

HOME SCHOOL. Did we ever think we would play the role of parent and teacher at the same time? Yet, we were thrown unexpectedly into that double role and our homes were suddenly transformed into classrooms for all different ages. As we look at the jumble of what is left over from at-home learning, we see a collection of schoolwork, sefarim, and Hebrew worksheets that have to be organized and sorted in preparation for the summer. Many of these items contain pesukim and divrei Torah, which may deem these items to be too holy to just throw away. Have you ever wondered why?

From our daily prayers to the many berachot we recite, we constantly use our holy books to guide us. These holy books are used by all ages, from a child’s schoolwork to a man’s learning books and a woman’s siddur and Tehillim. We use them on all occasions and during all of the holidays. For what reason? To give us a guide on how to live our lives the proper way. Holy books that guide us include Humash, Navi, Mishnah, Gemara, the commentaries, and books by halachic authorities. Think. When we have questions, the first thing we do is to pick up a phone and reach out to a rabbi. Where does the rabbi get an answer from? From our holy Torah and the many books written on that specific topic. Many people do not realize how important these sefarim are and what they represent.

When Sefarim Are No Longer Fit for Use

Consider what happens when sefarim wear out and can’t be used anymore. What happens when a new version is printed, and no one is using the old one? What is done with these books? The Rambam writes in his commentary on Pirkei Avot (Chapter 4, Mishna 6), that one who respects the Torah properly will in return be respected by others. This rule does not only apply to the Torah itself but to all the books of Torah learning that are written as well. Respecting a book means treating it the way you would treat a sefer Torah. How do we treat holy books properly once they are no longer in use? By burying them properly.

We see here how our children’s Hebrew schoolwork is not just made up of random papers and notebooks that can be thrown away, but the schoolwork papers themselves may contain holiness. Like a sefer Torah, they too must receive the proper respect.

Besides schoolwork, there are other items you should keep in mind before discarding – such as tefillin, mezuzot and their cases, and tzitzit.

Halachot of Genizah for Everyday Life

Many times, we assume that items used for a mitzvah need genizah when, in fact, they do not. An example would be a kippah. A kippah has no intrinsic holiness, and may be thrown away after it is worn out.

There are many halachot that come with the mitzvah of genizah and it is important to be familiar with them because situations often occur in our lives where these halachot are relevant. The Gemara (Rosh Hashana 18b) relates that after the Hashmonaim defeated the Greek army and instituted the holiday of Hanukah, the Hashmonaim also decreed that all documents must have Hashem’s name written on them. When the rabbis heard about this, they were upset. They said that when one pays off his loans, for example, the document with Hashem’s name will end up being thrown into the garbage. The rabbis therefore abolished the rule to include Hashem’s name on all documents and decreed that no document should have Hashem’s name on it. When they heard how everyone who was already accustomed to writing Hashem’s name on documents stopped doing so, the rabbis made that day into a holiday, celebrating the fact that they saved Hashem’s name from being desecrated.

Through keeping this vital mitzvah may we merit seeing the coming of Mashiah very soon!

R’ Joey Mizrahi picks up genizah items from homes and can be contacted at (347)-598-3215.

Below are some questions you should contemplate when sorting through your kids’ school papers and books:

• Do they include the name of Hashem?
• Do they include pesukim?
• Do they include divrei Torah?
• Do they include an article on the weekly parashah?
• Are they Rashi sheets or translation sheets?
• Do they include pizmonim?
• Are they siddurim, humashim, or nevi’im?

If so, a competent halachic authority should be contacted to evaluate whether they should be put aside for genizah.

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