Emuna: Irreversible - The Certainty of Redemption Part 8

 by Rav Sh. Yosef Veitzen yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Response to the seventh challenge: The Redemption Instinct

We continue with our series "The Certainty of Redemption," which notes three different approaches towards the national-historic process the Jewish Nation is currently experiencing. One holds that the Ingathering of Jews in the Holy Land is not a significant Redemption development, as the State of Israel is not run by a Torah government. Another view holds the opposite: The State of Israel is definitely the fulfillment of many Biblical prophecies, and we are on a one-way journey of undetermined length towards Redemption. The third approach is that the current situation is a bona-fide opportunity for Geulah (Redemption) - depending on our national and personal behavior.

Is the Jewish Nation undergoing the final Redemption? Some say no, some say maybe, and others say most certainly. Many challenges have been presented to the second approach, and Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Veitzen, the Rabbi of the Binyamin community of Psagot, responds to six of them here, here, here, here, here, and here. In this final article of the series, this final challenge is presented – and answered: 

Challenge #7:

"How can we be so sure of G-d's plans, given that the gift of Prophecy was taken from us during the Second Temple period? We do not have the tools by which to say that these or those specific events comprise a process from which there can be no turning back."

The answer to this challenge is given in seven parts:

A. No Prophecy, Yes Wisdom

Our tradition is that a Sage takes precedence over a Prophet. Rabbinic teachings help us determine some matters with a greater degree of certainty than if a Prophet would arise and tell us. The Sages continue the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu, whose gift of prophecy was the greatest of all. Therefore, we can still be guided even though we have no Prophecy. (At the same time, we have a number of clear prophecies regarding Redemption that must be studied and heard.) 

B. R. Eliezer and R. Yehoshua: The Great Dispute

A famous dispute between Mishnaic Sages is recorded in the Talmud, Tr. Sanhedrin: R. Eliezer says that if Israel repents, they will be redeemed, but if not, they will not be redeemed. R. Yehoshua responds with incredulity: "If they do not do teshuvah, they will not be redeemed?! How can this be?!" Rather, "if Israel does not repent, G-d will bring about an evil king whose decrees are as grave as those of Haman, leading Israel to repent."

R. Yehoshua and R. Eliezer continue to buttress their respective points until finally, R. Eliezer no longer responded – an indication that he conceded that teshuvah is not a precondition (see Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook's Len'tivot Yisrael, p. 190-192).

However, even according to the Amoraic-era Sage named Rav, who takes R. Eliezer's position, it appears that once there is an awakening of sorts on the part of Israel, G-d above will continue the process, which will then become irreversible. The Zohar, too, explains that even according to R. Eliezer, it is not required that the national repentance encompass all of Israel; rather, even if a minority of Jews do so, or even if one community returns to the straight and true Torah path – G-d will redeem the entire nation. This is because G-d is always waiting and anticipating for His children to return to Him, so that He can shower an abundance of good upon them.

C. Hastened in its Time?

We read in the Book of Isaiah: "I am G-d, in its time I will hasten it [the Redemption]" (60,22). The inherent contradiction is obvious: How can it be both "hastened" and "in its time"? The Sages explained the meaning: If Israel is meritorious, "I will hasten it;" but if they are not, it will come "in its [pre-set] time."

This means that if we simply show that we are in an "in its time" Redemption – wherein G-d has made the decision to Redeem us despite our spiritual state – this will be proof that the Redemption is Divine, absolute, and irreversible. But how can we show that we are in an "in its time" Redemption?

On this topic so much has been written in the Torah, Prophets, and Rabbinic commentaries, that we cannot even begin to scratch the surface. We have therefore chosen simply to bring a sampling of the sources that tell us that we are in an "in its time" Redemption.

D. The Rabbis Teach

Among the many great rabbis and scholars who have determined that we are undergoing an "in its time" process, some of whom we have cited in previous articles, we find R. Yehoshua of Kutna, Rav Kook, students of R. Akiva Eger and the Vilna Gaon, and many others. We do not claim that this is the only Rabbinic opinion; everyone may choose his rabbinic teacher and philosophy. But we can note that the majority of Torah giants of these generations who have learned all Torah disciplines, including Kabbalah and Jewish Law, have determined that the time for Geulah has come.

Let us note specifically the leading Kabbalist Gaon Rav Shlomo Elyashiv, author of Leshem Shvo v'Achlamah (a teacher of Rav Kook, and grandfather of the famed Rav Elyashiv who passed away in 2012). He was asked whether the Redemption would come in a generation that was entirely meritorious, or in one that was entirely liable [in accordance with the two choices offered by one of the Talmudic Sages], and he said: "Most definitely the second way." 

E. Not Another Exile

We mentioned in a previous article the Rabbinic teaching in the Medrash that there will never be another exile after the third Redemption. There are many other Medrashic teachings to this effect as well. In the words of the Prophets, too, we find a description of the return from the Roman exile, depicted as the final exile.

We are now in the midst of the Redemption process, with the Ingathering of the Exiles ever increasing, and many of our brethren from east and west returning home to the Land. For a while now Israel's political strengths and international standing have surpassed those during the times of the Second Temple. And just as the return to the Land at that time was termed Israel's "second return," so too and even more so should the ingathering to Zion today be called our "third return" – the final one.

According to many estimations, within a decade at most, most of the Jews in the world will be in Eretz Yisrael. This will have ramifications not only economically and otherwise, but also Halakhically, when many of the Torah's commandments will once again become fully applicable.

We are certain that everything G-d does for His people is not for naught. Whoever thinks that all the amazing phenomena we see happening before our very eyes are just "works of the Satan," must have a pretty impressive Satan… To us, at least, Satan does not appear to have such powers; the most he seems to be able to do is to dig out a river to try to impede the Patriarch Abraham from carrying out G-d's command to bind his son Isaac [as the late Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav and Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira once said, based on a Medrash].

F. Other Talmudic indications that this is certainly a time of Redemption: 

1. Tr. Sanhedrin p. 98: And R. Abba said: You have no clearer sign of the End than [the blossoming of the Land of Israel], as is written (Yechezkel 36), "And you, o mountains of Israel, you will give your branches, and your fruits you will bear, for My nation Israel, for they are soon coming."

Rav Tzvi Yehuda explained that this teaching is preceded by the word "and" for good reason: It follows the dispute about whether or not Redemption is conditional upon Israel's repentance – and is a direct response to it, showing that the Redemption is in fact a function of a certain period of time, and not on whether Israel does teshuvah or not. 

R. Abba's teaching about the blossoming of the Land as a sign of Redemption tells us also – as Nachmanides explains at length in his commentary to Vayikra 26,32 – that before the Land brings forth its fruit, it will actually long be desolate. After many centuries of this, came the end of the 19th century, and even more so the beginning of the 20th century, when increasing numbers of Jews began to return to the Land – and suddenly, the Land changed its nature and began sprouting forth fruits in abundance. This was to be the clearest sign, according to the Talmud, that the Divine Presence had returned to Zion, and that all of Israel was now called upon to return as well and enjoy His Redemptive abundance. 

Another "clear" sign of the End and the Redemption is recounted by R. Eliezer in the Talmud. He said that the Geulah will be preceded by intolerable suffering for the Jews in the Diaspora, and that even Torah scholars will not be spared. 

Both these clear signs came true! In addition to the flowering of the Land, the Holocaust made it excruciatingly clear that the Exile was ending and that Jews no longer had a place amongst the Gentiles in the Diaspora. Once the Divine decision was made, the "destroyer" did not differentiate between those who had special merits of Torah life and study, and "regular" Jews who may not have even been observant at all. All of them were mercilessly slaughtered, and the impurity of the lands of the Gentiles became a giant cemetery for the holy martyrs of our nation.

2. As alluded to above, the Gemara states in the name of R. Yochanan: "The son of David [the Messiah] will arrive only either in a generation that is entirely meritorious, or in one that is totally liable." The Admor of Pilov [grandson of the Kotzker Rebbe] wrote in 1890 that it must be the latter, "as we see that it is specifically those who are far from Torah who are bringing about the Geulah."

This Geulah approach is also depicted in the Torah, in D'varim chapter 32. Nachmanides writes that this chapter is testimony that Israel will sin in the future, and that G-d will punish us – but will still redeem us. It tells us that He will not totally erase the nation; He will later console us and exact a strong punishment from our enemies, and will atone for our sins on behalf of His name. Nachmanides says that this chapter depicts the future Redemption – clearly in the form of "in its time" and not based on our merits. The fact that the Torah chose to depict it in this form shows that this is how it will actually be.

3. We have already cited the Gemara that tells us that if we deserve it, we will merit an early Redemption, but if not, it will come only "in its time." Similarly, if we merit it, the Messiah will come "with the clouds of the heavens" (Daniel 6,22), but if not, then he will come "poor, riding on a donkey" (Zecharia 9,9). The former is to be a miraculous Redemption, and the second will be a natural process. Certainly the Redemption that we are experiencing, despite the great wonders that we have seen and experienced, is a natural process, corresponding to an "in its time" Geulah.

4. The Mishna in Tr. Sotah 9 states: In the times of the footsteps of the Messiah, impudence will increase, high costs will pile up… The monarchy shall turn to heresy, and none will give reproof… The wisdom of scribes will putrefy, those who fear sin will be scorned, and the truth will be absent. The youth will shame their elders, elders will stand before minors. A son will disgrace a father; a daughter will rise up against her mother… The face of the generation will be like the face of a dog… And upon what is there for us to rely? Only upon our Father in heaven.

This is clearly a period of spiritual deterioration that can happen only in a Redemptive process of "in its time." Certainly the period in which we live can match this description very well.

5. An exceptional statement appears in Sanhedrin 98b: Both Raba and Ulla said, "Let him [the Messiah] arrive, but I [would rather] not see him [because of the great hardships of that period]." 

Rav Yosef said, "Let him arrive, and may I merit to sit [even] in the shadow of his donkey's excrement." 

The Gemara depicts the generation of Redemption as one engaged mainly in materialism. This is what Rav Yosef meant when he expressed his eagerness to be part of the Geulah – even if it means being totally involved in material matters, and even down to the level of the waste of a donkey – chamor in Hebrew, from the same root as chomer, material. 

This is most certainly a depiction of an "in its time" Geulah, when Israel is not sufficiently meritorious for a miraculous, hastened Geulah.

G. Faith: Instinct and Understanding:

In addition to all the above, there is yet another way to assess the period in which we live. It has to do with the special abilities of faith imbued within the Jewish Nation, and especially within its leaders. Just like a Torah scholar is trusted to recognize and identify his own property without having to produce signs of proof, so too he has the same tviut ayin, the ability to distinguish instinctively between truth and falsehood, between life and death. "Words of truth" are sensed instinctively, and together with them we can sense which of the approaches that are popular in this generation are true and of life, and which simply do not recognize the vitality of this generation. The truth is becoming clearer!

It is not only this generation that has seen disputes as to how to accurately understand and guide it. In the times of the Maccabees, for instance, Mattathias was forced to take sharp action to which many objected. Mordechai, uncle of Queen Esther, ostensibly endangered the Jewish nation by not bowing down to Haman – but it was ultimately revealed that it was he and his deeds that brought about Israel's salvation. For it is written that he "knew all that was going on" (Esther 4,1); he had an inner and instinctive understanding, even without prophecy. Later, R. Akiva saw in Bar Kokhba the power of Redemption. Though the sources and signs are important, they are not the only guideposts signaling to us the nature of our times.

This is the case for our generation as well. There are many people today - great Torah scholars and average Joes alike - who "smell the aroma of Redemption." The Prophet Yeshayahu tells us (11,3) that the Messiah will have a sense of smell based on "fear and awe of Heaven," and that he will judge with righteousness, though not according to what he sees or hears. Rather, he – and people in our generation as well – will use their well-developed inner sense, something that is very desirable to G-d, to rectify the disgrace of the "little faith" found, most unfortunately, in some of their compatriots.

IN CONCLUSION:

Our times are totally unique. The process of true and complete Redemption has set off on its journey, one that will surely reach its destination. It is incumbent upon us to recognize this – by studying, and also instinctively – and to do our part to move it along, whilst recognizing that G-d's word and desire will come to fruition.

Dvarim: It All Becomes Clear in the End!

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

Many times, when consoling mourners at a shiva home, people will discuss the last words they heard from the deceased, or the last things that he or she did. This is apparently based on a sense and instinct that the last words of a person hint, in some way, as to the essence of his life.

It is told that when the Baal Shem Tov was on his deathbed, he was heard murmuring, "Let not the foot of arrogance come to me" (Psalms 36,12). He lived his entire life as a loyal conduit for the fulfillment of G-d's word, and he merited to establish, for generations, the Hassidic movement. And on his deathbed, he prayed that no form of pride should enter his heart.

Regarding the Gaon of Vilna it is recounted that when he was about to leave this world, he grasped his tzitzit in hand and said, "O Tzitzit, in This World, one can purchase you for a few coins, and with you he can merit life in the World to Come. But yet throughout that entire life of the World to Come, he cannot acquire even one mitzvah." Yes, his whole life was directed towards Torah and the precise fulfillment of its commandments and teachings. 

And when the Baal HaTanya was about to die, he turned to his grandson, the Tzemach Tzedek, and asked him, "Look up; what do you see?" The grandson said, "A ceiling." The Baal HaTanya said, "What I see is the Active Force upon Creation [a Kabbalistic/Hassidic concept]" – for his life was for the purpose of revealing and living the Divine spark that gives life to all of Existence.

In our weekly Torah portion of D'varim (Deut. 1,1-3,22), Moshe Rabbeinu begins his great parting speech to Israel in the knowledge that he is about to pass from this world. The Torah tells us that here he "began to explain this Torah, as follows:" Before his death, Moshe begins to explain the Torah – for this was his essence in the world, to bring Torah to Israel and to the world.

Aside from the significance of one's "final words," another fundamental point is taught here as well. For at first glance, there seems to be a difficulty here. The Ramban, in his introduction to the Torah, asks why the Torah did not start off with this simple sentence: "G-d said to Moshe all of the following." Many of the Books of the Prophets start off in that way, such as, "The vision of Yeshayahu ben Amotz" (this week's Haftarah reading, Isaiah 1), "the words of Yirmiyahu ben Chilkiyahu," etc. 

The Ramban answers that of course, the whole Torah was spoken by G-d into the ears of Moshe. Still, however, the Torah specifically did not begin by stating that this is Moshe's prophecy. This is because the Torah preceded the Creation of the World, not to mention the birth of Moshe; he is not a participant, but rather a scribe copying from an ancient work. The Ramban says that this is a clear difference between Moshe and the other prophets, who emphasize their presence in the prophecies: Yechezkel often said, "G-d's word to me was…" and Yirmiyahu said similar things. The Torah, on the other hand, speaks of Moshe as a third-person recounting the events – to teach you that the Torah preceded all.

This explanation by the Ramban likely includes many secrets, exalted above our understanding, about the difference between the prophecies of our Prophets and the Holy Torah. 

Another Medieval period commentator, known as the Ran, noted in his work D'rashot HaRan the difference between Moshe's prophecy and that of the other prophets, and that the former is "above and beyond nature." (And Rav Kook wrote at the beginning of his work Orot HaTorah (Lights of Torah): "We receive the Written Torah via the highest and most comprehensive formulation in our soul... Through it we fly above all reason and intelligence, and we feel the supreme Spirit of God hovering over us, touching and not touching... ). 

Why then, asks the Ramban, does the Book of Deuteronomy clearly state that it is the words of Moshe himself? And furthermore, when we read that Moshe "began to explain the Torah" here, the Ramban adds that Moshe himself decided to do this, and that G-d did not command him to do so. In addition, Moshe writes about himself in this book, "I pleaded with G-d" (Deut. 3,23) and other first-person phrases. 

Thus, the Book of Deuteronomy is the words of Moshe, and not of G-d – and as such, why is it on an equal level to the other four books of the Torah? Why is it not, Heaven forbid, on the level of the Books of the Prophets?

The answer, it appears, is that we learn here the great extent to which Moshe minimized himself in relation to the Giver of the Torah. Moshe's words are the words of G-d that were formulated even before the world was created! Moshe's thoughts and reasoning to "explain the Torah," as he does here in the Book of Deuteronomy, were already written up before Creation!

In the Sefer HaKuzari of R. Yehuda HaLevy, we learn that the soul of Moshe is a manifestation of the soul of every Jew. This teaches us that whatever the Sages of the Oral Torah teach and explain, it comes amid their "self-effacement" vis-à-vis G-d's word – and is actually a continuation of the Giving of the Torah. 

-- May it be G-d's will that during this period of the Three Weeks of Mourning over the exile and destruction of the Holy Temples, the light of the revelation of the Torah in the world should shine upon us once again, and that the Rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash should reveal in itself that "from Zion shall emanate Torah, and G-d's word from Jerusalem!"

Emuna: Irreversible - The Certainty of Redemption Part 7

by Rav Sh. Yosef Veitzen yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Response to the sixth challenge: Rabbi Akiva and Bar Kokhba

We continue with our series "The Certainty of Redemption," which notes three different approaches towards the national-historic process the Jewish Nation is currently experiencing. One holds that the Ingathering of Jews in the Holy Land is not a significant Redemption development, as the State of Israel is not run by a Torah government. Another view holds the opposite: The State of Israel is definitely the fulfillment of many Biblical prophecies, and we are on a one-way journey of undetermined length towards Redemption. The third approach is that the current situation is a bona-fide opportunity for Geulah (Redemption) - depending on our national and personal behavior.

Many challenges have been presented to the second approach, and Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Veitzen, the Rabbi of the Binyamin community of Psagot, responds to five of them here, here, here, here, and here. A sixth challenge, and his response, are presented below.

Challenge #6:

During the Mishnaic period, 1,890 years ago, the great sage Rabbi Akiva was sure that Bar Kokhba was the Messiah – but he was soon proven wrong. Does this not show that we can never be sure that a given situation is irreversibly Messianic? R. Akiva even said that the Torah verse "a star will go forth from Yaakov" (Bamidbar 24,17), which speaks of the defeat of Edom (Rome), applies to Bar Kokhba – yet within three years, the Romans had soundly crushed his short-lived Jewish administration.

Response:

1. The Big Difference

R. Akiva identified a particular man as the Messiah, and saw Bar Kokhba's Jewish might as the basis for the Redemption. The great sage then sought to harness this strength for that goal; this was to be a Redemption starting with one man, who would then sweep up many Jews after him. Yes, some great Sages were supportive, but this would be a Redemption whose engine was flesh and blood. And then, because of Bar Kokhba's sins and other reasons, the rebellion failed and the Redemption was thwarted.  

As we explained in our previous article, the Prophet Yeshayahu says about the Redemption, "In its time, I [G-d] will hasten it" (60,22), and the Talmud explains that though this prediction appears to be self-contradictory, it actually indicates two different forms of Redemption: "If Israel is meritorious, I will hasten it; but if not, then it will come in its time." The Bar Kokhba rebellion was an attempt to bring about the Geulah in the "meritorious, hastened" form. 

But the Redemption taking place today is very different. It is not rooted in Israel's great merits and good deeds, nor is it being led by individual righteous people. It is rather a product of the special nature of Klal Yisrael, and G-d's decision at this time. As the venerated R. Yisrael Yehoshua Kotna (1820-1893) wrote in his work Yeshuot Malko: "… and especially now when we see the great passion [in the entire nation] among simple people, among the mediocre, and among those with great integrity of heart – it is practically a certainty that the light of Redemption is shining."

This is a nation-wide uprising in the positive sense, and those at the forefront were not even specifically aiming for a Redemptive objective. This teaches us that the shining of the Redemption stems from G-d and not from our actions alone. This is an "in its time" Redemption, powered not by humans but by G-d. 

2. Bar-Kokhba Continued the Second Redemption; We're Now in the Third

Many sources in Rabbinic literature indicate that the Third Redemption – i.e., the one currently underway, following 1) the Exodus from Egypt and 2) the predicted return, with Ezra the Scribe, after the 70 years of Exile in Babylon – is the final one, and that no exile or destruction will follow it. In 1942, when Nazi forces appeared to be on the verge of invading the Holy Land and its more than half-a-million Jews, Rav Yitzchak HaLevy Herzog (who later became Israel's first Chief Rabbi) greatly uplifted their faith and spirit by saying that our Prophets had foreseen two exiles – not a third one. 

For instance, the Medrash Tanchuma (Shoftim 9) explains that the words "the third will remain there" (Zecharia 13,8) mean that the Jewish People will only finally settle in the Land during the Third Redemption, which will never end.

But this is difficult – for did not the Bar Kokhba government of renewed Jewish rule in the Holy Land come to an abrupt end after only three years?

The answer is that the Bar Kokhba period was really only a continuation of the Second Redemption. True, the Holy Temple had been destroyed some decades earlier, but many Jews were not exiled at that time, and remained and participated in the Bar Kokhba uprising. R. Akiva, Bar Kokhba, and others attempted to revive the last embers of the Second Redemption and give new life to the national entity. Their failure, and the resulting exile and enslavement and persecution of many thousands of Jews, was the final blow to the Second Exile and Destruction. 

Thus, what we see happening in our generations – the return of millions of Jews and the rebuilding of the Land of Israel – is in fact the long-awaited Third Redemption, which will never end.

So wrote HaRav Kook to the youth of the Bnei Akiva movement in the Holy Land in 1934:

"… and precisely because [R. Akiva's] vision failed in his time [see Tr. Sanhedrin 97b], and Bar Kokhba failed, and with them Israel fell in terms of its national freedom – we are certain that the time has come for the Torah of Truth of [R. Akiva's] mouth to come true – and it is coming soon, and 'the tribulations will not happen twice' (Nachum 1,9), and not for naught did Israel fight for its existence and its eternity, up to and including the final generation." 

We will continue next week with a response to yet a seventh challenge to the view that we are surely in a one-way historic national Redemptive process.

Emuna: Irreversible - The Certainty of Redemption Part 6

by Rav Sh. Yosef Veitzen yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Response to the fifth challenge: Hard to believe, isn't it? Quite natural…

We continue with our series "The Certainty of Redemption," which notes three different approaches towards the national-historic process the Jewish Nation is currently experiencing. One holds that the Ingathering of Jews in the Holy Land is not a significant Redemption development, as the State of Israel is not run by a Torah government. Another view holds the opposite: The State of Israel is definitely the fulfillment of many Biblical prophecies, and we are on a one-way journey of undetermined length towards Redemption. The third approach is that the current situation is a bona-fide opportunity for Geulah (Redemption) - depending on our national and personal behavior.

Many challenges have been presented to the second approach, and Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Veitzen, the Rabbi of the Binyamin community of Psagot, responds to four of them here, here, here and here. A fifth challenge, and his response, are presented below.

Challenge #5: 

It appears that the throes of the processes we are currently experiencing strengthen our fears and skepticism. Looking around us, there is much to frighten us into thinking that our attempts at rebuilding our State and bringing about the Redemption might actually not succeed. The cultural processes taking place in Israel sometimes give the impression that the country faces a truly existential danger. Willingness to fight even necessary wars is decreasing, and this stems from a deep spiritual crisis regarding our Jewish identity. Some among us have truly and finally despaired of the State, and many religious Jews no longer even refer to it as the Beginning of the Sprouting of our Redemption [as appears in the Prayer for the Welfare of the State]. Who can say what will be?

Response:

1. The Faith-Based Minority

Fact: Only a small portion of the Nation of Israel sees what has happening during these last decades, and continues to happen, as an irreversible Divine process. On the one hand, there is the "secular" camp that, in any event, barely if at all connects G-d with history. On the other hand, many among those who do "proclaim the Name of G-d" still relate to our national reality as one of Exile. They believe that nothing substantial has changed just because we have relocated from the impurity of the lands of the Gentiles to the holiness of the Land of Israel. Only a minority of Jews believe whole-heartedly in the absolute and unique greatness of our period in history. The Vilna Gaon, known as the Gra, writes in his work Kol HaTor that this situation is not surprising, and is even alluded to in Psalms 126, the most famous of the Shir HaMaalot chapters. It refers to G-d's returning of the exiles of Zion, and states that the Gentiles will say, "G-d has done great things for these people [Israel]" – and only afterwards does it tell us that we, too, will say: "G-d has done great things for us."

"Small in faith" – this is how the Gra terms those who don't see, or refuse to see, the Redemption. Really, why is it so hard to see the greatness of the period in which we are living? The Gra explains that the reason is because our Redemption of today is one that must come hiddenly, "under the radar." It cannot come with open miracles and wonders, as people generally think it will come. The Prophet Yeshayahu (60,22) says about the Redemption, "In its time, I [G-d] will hasten it." The Talmud explains that though this verse appears to be self-contradictory, in fact it indicates two different forms of Redemption: "If Israel is meritorious, I will hasten it; but if not, then it will come in its time." 

We are currently in a Redemption of the latter kind, which involves suffering and tests along its way to completion. The main test, as we have explained, is that of our faith and trust in Hashem. As written in Kol HaTor:

We must know in advance [that] to the extent that the work for the Ingathering of the Exiles and the rebuilding of Jerusalem will increase, the Sitra Achra [the "other side," that of impurity, in Kabbalah] will increase as well... with its main weapon: the prevention of truth and the prevention of G-d's sanctification. 

This is why it is written, "Your enemies have taunted the footsteps of Your Messiah" (Tehillim 89,52) – and during the period of the Footsteps of Messiah, the "other side" grows even stronger, striking with blinders even those who grasp the Torah.

It is also brought in the name of the Vilna Gaon that the ultimate, End of Days war of Gog and Magog is meant to open the eyes of those who are short on faith. The chief mission that he assigned to his students was to raise a generation of children and students great in faith, and who will be able to illuminate the eyes of all of Israel so that they can see the enormity of the wondrous processes that we are undergoing. 

As such we must know, dear brothers and friends, that what we are going through now, with so many question marks enveloping our society, and where no one can tell what direction the State of Israel is headed – all this is just a stage in the "preparation of our hearts" for the absolute recognition and understanding of the Divine Redemptive process – and our thanks for it as well. These events, and those of the preceding decades, will lead the entire nation to proclaim: "Behold, it is here standing just behind our wall!" (Song of Songs 2,9). The Nation of Israel will finally see Who it is that is hiding behind and guiding everything that is happening to us.

2. The Book of Lights

How can we reconcile the situation of Redemption, which we understand as a wondrous reality of Divine Providence and great spirituality in our nation, with the much less exalted state that we see before our eyes?

The processes we are undergoing are very different than anything we have experienced in previous ages, and cannot be likened to any past period in the rich history of the People of Israel. The lights that have shined in this generation of Israel's history brought about phenomena and processes in the nation that are totally unique to the generation of Redemption.

What is the nature of the new movements sprouting up in our nation? How will they develop? Will we undergo additional crises, and how will we overcome them? We can learn and answer these questions only with a profound understanding of the so-special reality that will obtain in the period of Redemption. 

Rav Kook writes (Igrot HaR'ayah, Letter 378):

If a person will come to innovate heavenly, supernal matters regarding teshuvah (repentance) in our times, without considering and looking at the “revealed end” [the many signs of the Redemption we see in this generation] and the dawning light of salvation – he will not be able to come up with any aspect of the truth of the Torah of truth… G-d's initiative to begin to apply the light of redemption [in a manner that is] hidden in concealed treasures… -- certainly all the calculations that arise in human hearts [will not succeed] against this supreme counsel of G-d "Who speaks well of Israel" to prepare [in this way] the light of redemption for the rest of His people, all of whom are destined to return from their sins.

Rav Kook carries out this great work of studying the Redemption Generation in countless places in his writings, many of which are concentrated in his great work Orot, Lights. One who studies this book will find there answers to many contemporary questions. Rav Kook, who wrote Orot approximately a century ago, anticipates and foresees the period in which we find ourselves now. But in truth, these are not his own original ideas. We find many references to "the pangs of Messiah" in many early Rabbinic sources, and Rav Kook explains that these are spiritual pangs and great soul aspirations – sometimes contradictory – that run to and fro among different Jewish souls. 

For instance, we read in the Talmud that Rav Yosef describes the times of Redemption in the lowliest of terms, with reference to a donkey's excrement, and others speak there of "great brazenness" that will be prevalent. In Orot, Rav Kook took these ancient Rabbinic terms referring to Redemption, and gave them meaning that is relevant to our generation.

One who views our generation superficially will certainly see many things that clash with our concepts of Redemption. But if we look more profoundly, and see the "dawning light of salvation" that is upon us, will understand how every single process and phenomenon we are undergoing strengthens and reinforces our understanding that we are in the Generation of Redemption.

We will continue next week with a response to yet a sixth challenge to the view that we are surely in a one-way historic national Redemptive process.

Mattot-Masei: Don't Get Stuck, Get a Move On!

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

A Hassidic story for Parashat Mas'ei (one of this week's two weekly portions, Numbers 30,2 to the end of the book):

Rabbe Yechiel Michel Ashkenazi, son-in-law of the holy Baal Shem Tov (the Besht), wished to visit his father, who lived across the sea in a far-off country. Before he left, he called on his saintly father-in-law to ask for a blessing for his journey to honor his father.

The Besht blessed R. Yechiel that he should travel safely and return in peace. It was summer time, and R. Yechiel, thinking ahead, asked the Besht for a blessing that he should return in time for Rosh HaShanah. The Besht did not respond, and did so twice more when R. Yechiel asked him again and again. The son-in-law got the hint, and realized that he would not be able to return in time. He therefore packed a shofar in his suitcase so that he could make sure to hear the Biblically-required Rosh HaShanah shofar blasts.

And in fact, on his way back, while in a ship on the sea, a heavy storm broke out, driving the ship far from its destination. It finally made shore on Rosh HaShanah eve in an unfamiliar land, where no Jews were found.

R. Yechiel understood that the storm was all for his sake, and that it was G-d's will that he should spend the holy days specifically in that place. He accepted the suffering with good cheer, knowing that he did not, and might not ever, know the full story. He spent that Rosh HaShanah praying from the depths of his heart, with great sobbing and cries, and of course blew the shofar as prescribed.

When he finally returned home after the holiday, he again called upon his illustrious father-in-law, the Baal Shem Tov. The Besht received him most affectionately, and explained: "Know that in that place, there were no Jews, but there were many holy sparks. If you had not come there, Jews would have been forcibly taken there in metal chains – but because you were there for Rosh HaShanah, and prayed so heartfully, you were able to raise up all the sparks to their source, thus voiding the need for Jews to be there.

Truly this story teaches us a great principle in the service of G-d, one that arises from this week's Parashat Mas'ei as well, and one that can gladden and benefit all of us. The portion begins by listing the names of the 42 encampments during the Children of Israel's journey through the Sinai Desert on their way to the Promised Land. Many Sages and commentators are puzzled by this list: Why must we know the names of these places in which the Israelites stayed? The past is over, these places were temporary way-stations, and the main thing is that we arrived safely at our destination, Eretz Yisrael. What importance do these places have for us now? 

Several answers have been given. The Medrash (Bamidbar Rabba 23,3) says that this can be compared to a king who took his ill son to a far-off doctor for a cure. On their way back, as they passed each place through which they had originally come, the father pointed out each place and said, "Here we slept, here we were cold, here your head hurt you, etc." The same here: G-d told Moshe to list for them all the places in which they had sinned and angered G-d.

What is this story telling us? The commentators explain that the Sages wish to teach us that the young prince was ill throughout the long journey, but in the end he was cured. The king sought to impress upon him that just as he went through great hardships on his journey to complete health, so too in the future, whenever he faced difficulties, he must always take heart and trust that, with G-d's help, he would survive them. 

The same for Israel: They sinned and were punished many times in the desert in those encampments, but G-d ultimately saved them from all dangers and protected them. And now too, at the end of this Book of Numbers, after a plague struck the Israelites following the sin of Baal Pe'or, they must gird themselves with faith and recognize that G-d would extricate them from those grave hardships and grant them blessing.

Another explanation, based on the Kabbalah, is given by the Ohr HaChaim, whose yahrtzeit (death-date anniversary) was commemorated this week by many Jews around the world. He says that the purpose of Bnei Yisrael's travels through the desert was to raise up the holy sparks – aspects of spirituality – that were there in the wilderness. This is why in some places they spent just a few hours, and in some they stayed for up to a year (Bamidbar 9,22) – each place according to its need for raising up the sparks.

It would seem that here we can ask another question: If the purpose was to encamp in each place for a certain amount of time, why does the Torah introduce the list of places by saying, "These are the journeys of the Children of Israel"? It should have emphasized the "encampments" instead!

If a person encounters a situation of difficulties and challenges, like the sick young prince, and sinks in the mire of his sadness and allows only that to leave its mark – then he does not raise up any "sparks of sanctity" from that place. He rather stays "encamped" there, and makes no progress. But if he understands that there was a purpose and reason for his arrival in that specific place and situation, and he garners benefit and meaning from its challenges, then he truly is cured of the hardships, raising up its "sparks" that will help him spiritually as he continues his journey. He then travels and takes with him the holy Divine spark wherever he goes.

In each encampment, the important thing is not the act of encamping, but rather what we take from it to the next place. In every station of life, the main thing is not the difficulty we face there, but rather the lesson we learn there from it, and what we take with us for the rest of the journey. These are the "sparks" that we raise up wherever we go – the very purpose for which we arrived there.

If we live with this constant awareness, then in every station we find ourselves, and from every challenge we face, we will extricate the most and will thus be filled with happiness. 

The Holy Temple, too, will be rebuilt from the very stones that we worked so hard to drag and lift – speedily in our days!

Pinhas: Transferring the Scepter of Leadership

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtat, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

In this week's Torah portion of Pinchas (Bamidbar 25,10-30,1), we read of Moshe's request to G-d for Israel's future: "Moshe spoke to G-d, saying: May the G-d of all living spirits place a man over the congregation" (27,15-16).

The Medrash teaches that Moshe specifically asked for a leader who would recognize and appreciate each individual for what he was, and who would personally lead them in battle as he did. 

This is quite remarkable. Moshe Rabbeinu is about to leave this world, and the main thing that concerns him is that his flock, the People of Israel, should not be left as "sheep without a shepherd" (verse 17). He turns to G-d in prayer and asks that the new leader He plans to appoint for Israel will be one who understands the complexities of the nation, who can relate to people's souls, who takes full responsibility, and who knows how to meet everyone's various needs.

The Medrash further notes that this request of Moshe appears in the Torah after the laws of priorities in inheritance - and especially the story of the daughters of Tzlofchad and their inheritance of his land. Moshe therefore thought that this means that his sons should inherit and take over his own position. However, G-d said no, and that Yehoshua was more worthy than them. Why? Because Yehoshua was constantly engaged in the study of Torah and in facilitating it for others, and always assisted Moshe in his duties, and was therefore the correct choice to lead the nation.  

This raises the following question: What did Moshe think at first, and what did he understand afterwards?

The law is that a new King of Israel is anointed with the special Oil of Anointment, and with this he acquires the kingship not only for himself, but also for his descendants after him for all generations. As written: "So that he and his descendants in Israel will reign for many days" (D'varim 17,20). This is true not only for kingship, but for all positions of leadership; they all pass from father to son – "on condition that the son can fill his forefathers' place in wisdom and fear of G-d" (Maimonides, Laws of Kings 1,7).

Moshe Rabbeinu certainly knew that his sons were not as learned as Yehoshua. On the other hand, he felt, in addition to his fatherly instincts, that if Tzlofchad's daughters inherited him, certainly his sons should inherit him. G-d, however, explained to him that though this is true in principle, his sons do not meet the added requirements of filling their father's shoes in terms of wisdom and fear – and therefore the law is that it is not their place to inherit Moshe's position. 

G-d also added that "Yehoshua is worthy of leading Israel," according to the Medrash. This means that even if the law would have been that Moshe's sons could lead, it is important to consider what is "worthy" and what is the most correct thing to do in every case. Since Yehoshua was the most suitable and worthy, and also worked hard and with integrity and devotion to attain his position, he was the proper choice to take over the mantle of leadership.

R. Natan taught in the Medrash: "Moshe was saddened that none of his sons became the leader." G-d told him, "Your brother Aharon's sons are like your own [for Moshe taught them Torah, rendering them like his sons – Tr. Sanhedrin 19b], and whomever I appoint as leader will go and consult with Aharon's son Elazar." G-d understood the difficulty that Moshe was facing, in that the new leader would be his student and not his son, and therefore commanded Yehoshua to go to the door of Moshe's nephew Elazar and ask him to consult the Urim V'Tumim regarding critical decisions for Israel.

The Torah thus teaches us in a detailed format how a new leader must be chosen. He must be the most worthy choice, one who is eligible for the post according to Torah law, and also worthy on his own merits. In addition, if the outgoing leader is not succeeded by his own son, the transfer of authority must be effected with the greatest sensitivity, to ensure that no one's feelings are hurt.

Installing the New Leader

The verses tell us that four steps must be carried out during the actual appointment of the new leader: 

G-d said to Moshe, "Take Yehoshua bin Nun, a man of spirit, and place your hand upon him. And present him before Elazar the Priest, and before the entire congregation, and charge him in their presence. Bestow some of your majesty upon him so that the entire congregation of the children of Israel will take heed." (Bamidbar 27)

The four necessary steps for the transfer to go over smoothly and without dispute are these:

1. "Place your hand upon him" -  Rashi explains: "Give him an interpreter, so that he will hold Halakhic discourses during your lifetime - so that people will not say about him that he dared not raise his head when Moshe was alive" [and see also Sifrei Bamidbar 140,1]. The transfer must take place even before the outgoing leader actually leaves, so that it will be clear to all that the new leader has the approval of his predecessor, who believes in and trusts him completely.

2. "Present him before Elazar the Priest, and before the entire congregation" – The new appointment must be carried out before the entire congregation and its leaders, in order to avoid any subsequent challenges.

3. "And charge him" – regarding Israel. He should know the troubles they made for Moshe, in order that he accept the job with all its difficulties. It often happens that a person takes upon himself an attractive and desirable position, but when he sees the difficulties that are involved, he shies away from dealing with them, explaining that he did not accept the job with such conditions. To avoid this, the candidate must be provided with all the necessary information beforehand, so that he accept the job with full knowledge of what it involves, and will then execute his responsibilities effectively.

4. "Bestow some of your majesty upon him" – Just as Moshe's face shone, so too Yehoshua's face must shine, "so that the entire congregation of Israel will take heed" and will honor and fear him (Rashi). One of the conditions of success for a leader is that his authority be established – and this requires the trappings of honor. A king needs a crown, royal garments, a luxurious palace, and an honor guard. A chief rabbi requires a special Rabbinic cloak and recognition and honor from the elders and the entire congregation. These must be afforded the leader, in order that he be able to wield his authority effectively for the benefit of all.

May G-d grant that we merit very soon the leadership of "a shoot from the stem of Yishai [father of David]," for whom "righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his waist" (Yeshayahu 11,1-5).

Emuna: Irreversible - The Certainty of Redemption Part 5

  by Rav Sh. Yosef Veitzen yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Response to the fourth challenge: Divine Redemption – or Man-Made?

We continue with our series "The Certainty of Redemption," which notes three different approaches towards the national-historic process the Jewish Nation is currently experiencing. One holds that the Ingathering of Jews in the Holy Land is not a significant Redemption development, as the State of Israel is not run by a Torah government. Another view holds the opposite: The State of Israel is definitely the fulfillment of many Biblical prophecies, and we are on a one-way journey of undetermined length towards Redemption. The third approach is that the current situation is a bona-fide opportunity for Geulah (Redemption) - depending on our national and personal behavior.

Many challenges have been presented to the second approach, and Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Veitzen, the Rabbi of the Binyamin community of Psagot, responds to three of them here, here and here. A fourth challenge, and his response, are presented herein.

Challenge #4: 

What do we gain from being so sure that the State of Israel is most definitely the beginning of our Geulah? After all, the approach that holds the State of Israel to be a "possible opportunity" for Redemption, depending on our deeds, is not that different than the "certainty" approach; both require that we rectify our deeds, etc. The Hallel prayer that we say on Independence Day is the same whether we are "certain" or merely "confidently hopeful."

Response:

1. The Return of the Divine Presence Jumpstarts a Process

As we have explained, the main difference between the two approaches mentioned here is our role in the process as mortals: Are we in a beginning stage in which man, with Divine aid, plays a major role? If so, the progress is dependent upon our spiritual level. Or are we actually much further along in the process because a Divine decision has already been made to redeem Israel, no matter what our status? This question brings us to an important principle in understanding the Redemption.

The "certainty" approach knows that it is not man and his actions that initiate and direct the Redemption process; rather, it is G-d's will, hidden from our eyes, that pushes the entire process forward. Redemption means the coming close of G-d to His People. During the Exile, the Shechina (Divine Presence) too is in Exile. Redemption begins when this changes: when the Presence leaves and reveals itself in the Land of Israel. The Divine Presence in Israel during the Exile is fundamentally different than at the time of Geulah: In exile, the nation has no existence, and G-d's supervision is only upon as individuals according to the actions of each and every person. Providence over the nation is only for the purpose of keeping Israel alive in exile, and so that the 70 wolves constantly seeking to devour the one sheep that is Israel should never succeed.

As we read in Vayikra (Lev. 26,44): "Despite all this, while they are in the land of their enemies I will not … reject them to annihilate them, thereby breaking My covenant that is with them; for I am the Lord their God."

2. We're Right Behind the Divine Presence!

Let us consider, for example, the following simple question: What caused the People of Israel to remain in Exile for nearly 2,000 years (!), and only begin returning to Zion in the modern period, 140 years ago? The man-based view of the situation provides various explanations, all connected with historical-sociological processes such as rise of nationalist movements, changes the Jewish People underwent ever since the French Revolution, anti-Semitism, etc. But a faith-based approach knows that the real motivating factor of the Jews' movement and return to their homeland is this: The Jewish Nation can live only where the Divine Presence is found! As long as the Presence was outside the Land, the Jewish People were able to subsist there. But once the Presence "ascends" to Eretz Yisrael, the Jewish Nation loses its ability to survive outside among the Gentiles. The nation knows and instinctively feels that its existence as a people is, from now, dependent upon its return to its Land. Of course the other reasons listed above, and more, are all part of the Divinely-spun story as well; but the inner force that shunts us en masse out of our former host countries, and specifically to Eretz Yisrael, is our instinctive sense responding to the signal to quickly leave the Diaspora that has now become a cemetery for us. Only in Eretz Yisrael are we destined to find life. 

And this is how the Geulah worked: The Land began producing fruits most generously (the clearest signal of the upcoming Redemption, as the Talmud states) even before the Jews begin gathering in the Land by their myriads. This is because of what we stated: The Divine Presence ascends to the Land even before the Nation does! Once the Shechina is in the Land, abundant blessing automatically begins to be revealed there – for even before it was the Land of Israel, it was the Land of G-d. Yechezkel 36 teaches that the redemption of the Land precedes that of the People.

3.  G-d Produces Leaders 

Just like the return to the Land is driven by the Shechina, so too regarding other aspects of the Geulah – such as its main aspect: the spiritual level of Israel. Our "heart of stone" of so many generations will finally turn to a "heart of flesh" – and how will this happen? Not only via human efforts. Rather, the Divine decision that this is the time brings great, high-level souls into the world, and they prepare and prime Israel for the Redemption. For instance, the light of redemption began shining in the soul of the Holy Arizal, who revealed secrets of the Torah and thus brought the revelation of the Shechinah closer. Afterwards this light continued to shine in the wondrous personage of the Gaon of Vilna, who founded the school of thought of "Redemption via natural means."

Of course, not only the great leaders must undergo the necessary change; the same must happen with every Jew. How is this done? How is the Exile to be removed from their hearts, after having been entrenched there for so many generations? Some claim that this would be the result of various changes in Western culture – but we do not agree at all. "Not like these is the Portion of Jacob" (Jeremiah 10,16): It is only the presence of the Shechina that provides Israel with the will for true freedom. And the great strengths born in the nation at this fateful hour are those that bring about the various forms of Jewish brazenness that, as is known, increases during Messianic times.

And so, if we define our Redemption as "Geulah via nature," clearly we will not understand many of the processes that we are undergoing. But since our Geulah is actually a Divine process, we must understand the resulting phenomenon with that in mind – that G-d spins spiritual processes in order to bring about the desired spiritual revolution in Am Yisrael.

4.  Becoming a clal

As mentioned, the approach that today's situation is merely an "opportunity for Redemption" renders it dependent on mortal deeds – and since we have not yet dramatically changed, there is a danger that the entire process will collapse. But the "certainty of Geulah" approach means that we do not look at the deeds of any given individual, or of all of them; G-d is restoring His Presence to the entirety of Am Yisrael. This concept and reality of "nationhood" did not exist in the Exile, and only now has been reborn. This understanding lends a very different perception of many things happening in our generation.

For example, how do we relate to those who have shaken off the yoke of Torah and its commandments? During the generations of the Exile, a Jew's connection to his nation was manifest via his fulfillment of commandments – or his failure to do so. But in the generation of Geulah, as Rav Kook taught in his famous Igeret Takanah, one's connection to the nation can come via his belonging to the general essence of the soul of Israel that is becoming revealed, and not only via the mitzvot. His very willingness to be called a Jew, and his link-up with the nation's destiny, is the manifestation of his connection with G-d.

In Exile, this doesn't work, as there is no "national soul reality," whereas during the Geulah, when the nation is a genuine reality, even a Jew-in-his-heart is close to G-d. Today, an individual Jew can be a sinner, but he is still a Jew in all respects, and is therefore close to Hashem.

The same is true regarding the mitzvah of living in the Land today. This is one of the 613 commandments according to Nachmanides – i.e., to settle the Land even during the Exile – but nowadays we are not merely fulfilling a technical mitzvah by doing so. Rather, during times of Geulah, this is the fulfillment of a national public mitzvah: the return of the Shechinah to Zion. The more we cling to Eretz Yisrael, the more we reveal the essential soul of the nation.

Rav Kook explains often that this is true regarding Torah study as well. The Torah that was studied during the Exile was generally reduced to details, whereas during the Geulah, the study is one that illuminates the entire Torah with the overall light of general Israel-ness.

5. Hallel

In sum, and in the terms used by the "challenge" above, the Hallel recited for the "opportunity of Geulah" is not the same as that recited for "certain Redemption." The former is a form of thanksgiving for the specific miracles wrought for a specific generation that returned to the Land, with the anticipation that something even greater might one day develop.

But the Hallel recited for the certainty of today's Geulah is for the fulfillment of the vision of the Prophets in our very times, for the revelation of the Divine Presence in our midst right now – and therefore is a thanksgiving for our general national salvation. This does not mean the process is over. It has started, however, and it will continue and develop until the Shechina completes its appearance on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

-----We will continue next week with a response to yet a fifth challenge to the view that we are surely in a one-way historic national Redemptive process.