Moshiach and The Numbers

An observation based on the dates of the 2016 Presidential Election

 1. President Trump is the 45th U.S. President.

 2. He was 70 years, 7 months, and 7 days old on the first full day in office, Jan. 21, 2017.

 3. He beat Clinton by 77 votes (304 vs. 227)

 4.  From 3 Tammuz 5754 (6/12/94) to 3 Tammuz 2039 (6/25/39) is 16449 days (45 years)

 5.  From 3 Tammuz 5754 to  19 Dec, 2016 (Electoral College Vote) is 8226 days

 6.  From 19 Dec, 2016 Electoral College Vote to 3 Tammuz 2039 is 8223 days

I.e. the 2016 Presidential Election of the 45th U.S. President is the midpoint in the 45 year timeline described by Daniel 12:12 אשרי המחכה ויגיע לימים אלף שלש מאות שלשים וחמשה

 Rashi: Fortunate is he who waits, etc.: Forty five years are added to the above number, for our King Messiah is destined to be hidden after he is revealed and to be revealed again. So we find in Midrash Ruth, and so did Rabbi Eleazar HaKalir establish (in the concluding poem of the morning service of the portion dealing with the month of Nissan): “and he will be concealed from them six weeks of years.”

 May we merit Moshiach immediately!

 https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/67411/in-what-sense-will-moshiach-be-covered

Rabbi Friedman: How To Handle People Who Hurt You

The Unemployed Eye Doctor

With the coming of the Redemption, all physicians will find themselves unemployed. The reason for that is that all people will be healed and will stop falling sick. It follows that doctors will need to get re-training in some other professions.  The first ones to be healed will be the blind as it says in the Torah - "When G-d comes to heal His people, the blind will be the first ones." The Almighty will restore their eyesight so they will merit to see the light of the Redemption. So what, after all, will the eye doctors be doing with the coming of Moshiach? There will be huge lines of the formerly blind  outside their offices and they will be rubbing their eyes in astonishment not believing that they are able to see again! The only thing left for the doctors to do will be to calm them down and assure that their eyesight has indeed returned.

(Based on the Sicha of Parshas Eikev, 5751)

 https://www.moshiach.ru/lesson/moshiach-kids/16089.html

Clouds getting in position

Apocalyptic 'roll cloud' spanning hundreds of miles sparks mass panic on beach

An ominous cloud formation stretching hundreds of miles sparked mass panic when it was spotted on a beach.

Chilling footage captured over Rio de Janeiro's Sao Conrado beach in Brazil shows the rare tubular-shaped cloud rolling out across the sky.

According to witnesses, the chilling sight caused beachgoers to rush to the safety of their cars after fearing a heavy downfall and major storm was imminent.

Jorge Ricardo, 43, explained that the massive phenomenon "shocked everyone".

“When it started to get thicker, denser and darker it caught everyone’s attention and quite a few people became worried and ran off the beach,” he said.

FREE CHOICE—TO WHAT EXTENT?

 

Rabbi Yeheskel Lebovic

G-D’S FREE CHOICE

In this week’s Torah reading, Re’eh, we find the expression “the place which G-d will choose”—referring usually to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem—mentioned 9 times! Why did G-d choose Jerusalem and the Temple site?

The true answer is that G-d has the absolute prerogative of free choice and no reason tipping the scale in any direction has to be sought. If there would be any compelling and sensible reason to explain His choice, it would not be totally free choice. To some extent, G-d likewise granted man the ability of free choice.

However man’s free choice is not as free as it seems to be. If it were total indeed, it would well explain the fact that we periodically reach life junctures when we stop to take stock, and we ask ourselves whether this or that decision of the past has been a good one. "should I have rather have opted this way” , "I wish I would have had more foresight and acted differently", "what would have happened if I would have done this, moved there, had married this one, had taken that job position etc."

Some are gnawed at by self-doubt and self-incrimination in this retrospective process. We are likewise tempted to project such questions in the historical arena, wondering what would have happened if a political decision different from the one actually taken would have been decided upon.

We also project into the future: who will be the next president and how will the nation’s choice of him/her affect the course of this nation? APPLICABLE ONLY WITH FREEDOM OF CHOICE
This type of questions can be voiced only in instances where decisions we make operate within a framework of total free choice. In cases, however, in which what one individual or nation decides and does is governed by Divine Providence, such questions have no place. Rather, in such cases, one accepts his lot in acknowledgment of a higher Divine Plan at work.

According to the Baal Shem Tov, Hashgacha Protis (Divine or Detailed Providence) is very extensive, not only in humans, but even in animals, plants and inanimate objects, down to the most minute details of Creation, all fitting within the gigantic jigsaw puzzle of Creation as only G-d knows it.

The areas in which there is freedom of choice for man to do and decide as he pleases occur only when the choice we make relates directly to good or evil: if one chooses to do a good action, say a kind word etc... or refrain from a prohibited act etc.., he has chosen good; if he chooses to act otherwise, he has chosen evil. This is expressed by the Rambam (hil. Tshuva 5:4) thusly: "In the same way that the Creator desires that (the nature of) fire and wind is to rise upwards .... and so likewise (the nature of) all creatures of the world to conduct themselves in the manner that He desires, likewise G-d desires that man should act within his own purvey and that all his actions be given over to him (in his ability to choose freely).

THE BOMBSHELL QUESTION

However, a contradiction can be raised from another statement of the Rambam in his Thirteen Principles of Faith, where he states (principle 5): "One ought not to serve any entity under G-d's (dominion), whether angels, constellations or elements and anything composed of the elements, for all of these are governed by natural processes, and there is no justice nor choice except for that of G-d." By adding the word choice, the Rambam is saying clearly that ascribing free choice to any entity other than G-d is contrary to monotheistic belief. This precisely was the mistake of the early idol-worshippers, who did not necessarily deny G-d's existence. Though they acknowledged His Existence and Dominion, they believed that G-d had granted freedom of choice to the heavenly constellations-- which, in reality, are 'but the hammer in the craftsman's hand'.

As such, homage is due only to the 'craftsman' and not to the hammer; to ascribe freedom of choice to the constellations, and worshipping them in order to elicit blessing from them is thus tantamount to full-fledged idol-worship. So why is ascribing free choice to man any less blasphemous than ascribing it to the stars???!!! If the Torah is so vehemently opposed to idol worship of any kind (even the more sophisticated type) because, to the faithful mind it is axiomatic to believe that "all of these are governed by natural processes, and there is no justice nor choice except for that of G-d" , why is there not a similar reaction to saying that man has freedom of choice and movement?

How can there be anything (even man's choice) divorced from G-d's arena of power and direction?!

SOLVING THE RIDDLE
This leads us to the inescapable conclusion that man's freedom of choice is not totally "free" and that, in the final analysis, there is a G-dly providence even in man's free choice of good or evil in terms of its results!!! The reason why man is punished for choosing evil, for example, is that there are two separate elements at work: 1) man's decision and freedom to choose evil. 2) the situation that results from his choice, be it golus for the entire nation, or whatever tribulations and punishment for the individual (as a result of having chosen evil).

Thus, though man has freedom to choose an (evil) course of action, against G-d's Will, Who would that he rather choose good and refrain from evil, --nonetheess the resultant situation is still within G-d's plan of Creation, within the framework of Divine Detailed providence, and is an area in which man's freedom of choice does not hold sway. In other words, man may choose a course of action that will "put him in a pickle"; however, there is plan and design in that he should find himself in this pickle in any event, regardless of the fact that it was his unapproved-by-G-d choice and action that led to this situation.

CURE FOR ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL AILMENTS
 This is a very soothing approach which helps one to be contently resigned and accepting of whatever situation he finds himself in, regardless of whatever bad choices he thinks brought him there. At any given point in one's life, one can literally pull himself up by his own boot straps, in the realization that G-d is pulling along with him and will certainly improve his situation.

For, though being in a pickle is in itself an indication that G-d designed it for him to be in that situation (as explained above), nowhere does it state that the duration of the pickling-stage has to drag on and on. Life is made of stages and cycles and it is up to us to "tracht gut, es vet zain gut-think good and it will be good", from any given point and forward, for this whole above-mentioned exposition works only in retrospect: no matter what the situation is, be it golus, divorce, sickness, abuse (physical, verbal, sexual) lack of nachas, crumbling towers, war etc.., we Jews acknowledge the Hand of G-d even when we are culpable of having made bad choices. But as far as looking ahead is concerned, we have utmost hope and confidence that ...... the end of evil and suffering will swiftly come to pass

Based on Likutey Sichos vol. 5 pp. 65-67, note 67

 

TRUST IN G-D

BS”D

TRUST IN G-D

by Rabbi Yeheskel Lebovic

Emuna and Bitachon

After Tisha B’Av we proceed into Shabbos Nachamu, leading to the great consolations to come soon.  This reflects the great trust that we Jews have in G-d orchestrating every phase of history leading to the eventual, soon to come, era of Moshiach.  Now, there is a big difference between belief and trust. Most do believe that G-d can, at any time, extricate someone from a difficult situation.

Faith in G-d is inherent in everyone's nature, although not always internalized and not necessarily a part of one’s conscious level. But faith alone in G-d's Omnipotent ability will not necessarily comfort someone confronted with a threatening situation and remove anxiety and worry.

Trust is a state of mind like to the firm reliance one has in a good friend or relative and who we know will for sure rally to our aid. The one who possesses trust in G-d implicitly trusts that G-d's help will be forthcoming in a tangible way when he needs it, no matter what.  He will therefore not worry about his situation but will  act to the best of his ability to resolve it, confident that G-d will help to pull him through. Such trust diminishes worry and generates peace of mind.

Why Does It Work?

 How can one be so assured of deliverance, there may be the possibility that the present predicament is some form of divine retribution for some past misdeeds?  Wouldn’t such a thought diminish the assurance of deliverance and raise the worry threshold? And if the possibility of such retribution for past misdeeds enters into the equation, then only the fully righteous (a very small minority) could expect complete deliverance. Everyone is enjoined to develop the trait of full trust and bitachon.

The answer is the saying of the Tzemach Tzedek: "If you think positive-- things will turn out positive".  Meaning  a positive outlook is more than merely beneficial for one's frame of mind and more than enhancing his ability to function more efficiently. The very thought itself can generate a positive outcome that will improve the situation so that "things will turn out OK".

How does this work?

This is because trust and the positive outlook and thoughts constitute a difficult divine service, a mental rigorous exercise. Spiritual stamina is needed to combat the bleakness and seeming hopelessness of a given situation. One must work arduously at maintaining the "think positive" process. Such a mental service serves as an "arousal from below" which can generate a reciprocal "arousal from Above". G-d decreed at the beginning that for every good action, word and intention there would be a reciprocal reaction from on High, resulting in many Divine blessings.

Thus G-d says: if you rely on Me against all odds and beyond all calculations, I, too, will relate to you beyond the calculation as to whether you deserve My help or not, and as to whether you still have some past misdeed to rectify and seek atonement for!!!

This explains the fact Yaakov and Moshe seemed to have lacked trust in G-d. When Yaakov left his paternal home, G-d assured him: "Behold, I will be with you" (Gen 28:15). But when he was confronted by the threat of Esau and his four hundred men "Jacob feared and was distressed"! (ibid 32:8)

 Moshe was told by G-d, "Do not fear him (King Og)." (Num. 21:34) The Midrash adds: 'one does not say "don't fear," but to one who is fearful'!!

Trust is a process of reciprocity between the spiritual service of the individual and G-d's response to it. The process of reciprocity itself is not an obligatory, automatic one, but a gift of G-d which He built into the world order. It is precisely the great righteous ones who are in an intense state of self-annulment to G-d, and who therefore don’t automatically expect G-d's reciprocity to their service of Him.

 For knowing that "there is no righteous man on earth who does only good and does not sin," they project in their mind that their "transgressions" may obstruct the fulfillment of G-d's assurances to them. But since G-d did decide on the reciprocity process, anyone and everyone who does exert himself in relying on G-d will surely merit His reciprocal response.

How Does One Do It? 

 How, indeed, does one maintain a positive attitude?

1.       The first step is to keep away from negative thoughts by keeping the mind occupied with positive thoughts and attitudes which keep unwanted negative thoughts and attitudes away: the nature of the mind is such that it  cannot simultaneously be occupied with clashing, opposite thoughts.

2.       Eventually our mental attitude will shift and be commensurate with the extent to which we habituate ourselves to think positively. One's attitude can definitely be impacted by a conscious effort to constantly "think good, think positively."

3.       And even when one tends to fall into old negative patterns, one can at any point make a conscious, determined decision to leave the old pattern behind and return to positive mental motions.

Bad Things Happening to Good People

What about those who do have strong trust and yet experience the phenomenon of "bad things happening to good people?" Though they are thoroughly positive and trusting , they do experience bad things: sickness, accidents, are laid off, etc… As a result, some do lose their trust in G-d.

The truth is that we do not fully know the absolute definition of "good and bad" since we view life within our narrow, finite terms. The true definition is much more encompassing and takes into account the spiritual, other-worldly realms. Hence, what seems to be "bad" to us may ultimately actually be good -- more so than even the usual divine atonement for misdeeds. Great men even in the bleakest moments, ascribed goodness to whatever circumstances they were confronted with. Bottom line, we can only gain by espousing a constant cheerful, positive disposition.

In addition, G-d also has trust in us! Though He gave us total freedom of choice in regards to whether we choose good or evil, He has confidence and "trust" that we will choose good and fulfill our destiny according to His will. If we live up to His trust in us and lead a decent, honest life to the utmost of our ability, G-d will no doubt "come through" on our trust in Him, and bless us and our families.

With a Cargo Van at the Ohel: Part 3

Part 3: Rabbi Shmully Hecht, Senior Chabad Rabbi at Yale, describes his Shabbos Gimmel Tammuz 5779 at the Ohel..

By Shmully Hecht, Senior Chabad Rabbi at Yale

The Ohel on Gimel Tamuz was crowded and the numbers were unprecedented. As individuals, we are often challenged to find our distinct space and individual standing, both literally and conceptually. Yet as Lubavitchers we maintain a collective identity. In unison, we are challenged to fashion the distinct paths on which we all travel. We shape a particular genre and tune within the broader melody performed by many. No different than a single musician in a large orchestra. “Makom Haaron Einoi Min Hamidah,” Reb Moshe quipped with a half-smile on his face. ‘The Holy Ark required a perfect and precise measurement to attain its sacred status in the Temple. So did the Holy of Holies in which it was set. In fact, the Torah delineates their exact dimensions. Yet simultaneously the Talmud tells us, the ark took up no actual space in the Holy of Holies. ‘If you want to fit into this or any tight space Shmully, and actually situate yourself in totality, you must first dissipate into the ether.’

It dawned on me. The conundrum of the Aron challenges the mind to entertain two opposites coexisting. Space and non-space. This is a common theme discussed in Chasidus when describing various manifestations of G-d and his universe. The Archimedes principal explains that buoyancy makes things feel lighter in water, as a solid object displaces liquid of the equivalent size. The key word is feeling lighter, for the weight of the object doesn’t change in water. It only seems that way, as the water pushes the object upward. Newtonian Physics on the other hand discovered that actual weight is indeed relative to its environment. As the gravitational pull recedes, mass actually weighs less. In other words, weight is measured as mass, relative to the gravitational pull of its surroundings. For this reason, on the moon where there is less gravity then on Earth, an object will actually weigh one sixth of what it weighs on Earth. In outer space, a heavy object may even be weightless.

Reb Moshe was using the Meta Universe of the Holy of Holies analogy as a lesson in our practical lives. He was reminding me that only through absolute self-negation can one achieve our true place in the Universe. And it starts right here at the Ohel. The greatest minds and personalities in Chabad were always those most subservient to the Rebbe’s wishes and requests. It made them greater Chasidim, and greater men, for that matter. Precisely because the Ohel was packed was there room for everyone. 

And in Reb Berel’s humble abode we encountered his daughter, Rebetzin Greenberg of Alaska. Despite the myth, her Chabad house is not in an igloo. The Rebetzin and her husband Reb Yoske have founded Chabad centers in a region of the world one wouldn’t imagine ever meeting Jews. Let’s be honest. When is the last time you were sitting at a sheva brochos next to a Jew from Alaska. When my friend, Yale Professor Mark Oppenheimer was writing a book about exotic bar mitzvahs, I expressed that it would only be comprehensive with an Alaskan tale. He actually came to the Ohel to meet the Greenbergs and transcribed it. I told the Rebetzin I would have to visit. Denali that is, and of course Chabad of Anchorage. When we asked Reb Berel to make sense of it all, he simply replied, “We must bring twenty million Jews to the Ohel.”

As a yeshiva bochur, The Rosh as he is known, was the sensation of Yeshivas Eitz Chaim Toronto, Chofetz Chaim Baltimore, Ner Yisroel, and Beit Medrosh Gevoah of Lakewood. He was the prize student of Rav Aron Kotler OBM and learned with his son Rav Schneur Kotler. In Eretz Yisroel he was the wonder mind of Brisk and dialogued with the heads of Mir, Ponovitz, Chebin and Yeshivas Chevron. Having excelled in all the great halls of Talmudic Scholarship he rose to prominence as a Sar Hatorah in Lubavitch. He is among the elder Shluchim, Roshei Yeshivas and Chasidim of the Rebbe. Were the Rosh not a chosid, the Yeshiva world would have long ago crowned him a Gadol Hador.

My brother in law Schneur Zalman Kaplan relayed that on this past Shabos a Jew that lives an hour and a half from Fort Lauderdale showed up in his shul. This Yid grew up in Satmar and left the fold decades ago. Unrecognizable. On the exterior that is. Having heard of Rabbi Kaplan’s Chabad house from another Satmar friend who has assimilated, he decided to attend this one time. Schneur Zalman described how this middle aged Jew visited shul for the first time in forty years. He came up to the Torah with his hands trembling, as he fetched a siddur to refresh himself of the language of the blessings. He grasped the Torah Scroll and cried out Borchi es hashem hamivoirach, in his childhood Hungarisha dialect. The words emanating from the core of his being. This yid had not been called up to the Torah for forty years and remarked on the irony of the fact that when he was young, Satmar fought with Lubavitch. “Loi Yidach memenu nidach,” said Rabbi Kaplan. No Jew will be left behind. Not even the Jews who once frequented Satmar, Mir or Brisk, only to deliberately abandon their parents’ home. They ultimately show up at our centers regularly, and the stories are literally endless.

It was here that the weekend culminated...silently reflecting on the question, what happened to the Rebbe’s assurance of Moshiach’s imminent arrival? A year late, ok. A decade, perhaps. Jews are notoriously late. But what would the neo Misnagdim in Lakewood say if we returned after Shabos and the Golus survived us.  If there was one person that could resolve the community’s dilemma, it was Rabbi Schochet.  Lubavitch has few geniuses. No more or less than anywhere else. Lots of brilliant folk, but prodigies are rare. The Rosh was trapped as we jumped in headfirst. “All courtesy aside,” Levi remarked. ‘This is an urgent time. The meaning of life is on the line Shmully. No time for niceties.’

Can Waze simply be wrong? Waze can see around the globe because satellites and fellow wazers feed the system and extend its line of sight. Trust the computer. Traffic patterns are computed quite simply, assuming of course you have the data. The Rebbe could not be wrong.

“Rabbi Schochet,” I proclaimed, interjecting myself into his farbrengen. “The sun will set in a few hours and it seems like we will be returning next year. It’s time to call the bluff of all the greats. You must call for the resurrection or we are compelled to resign,” I continued. “Enough is enough. Time to crack the great deception.” It was sheer chutzpah and utter disrespect. My mother would have scolded me, and that is an understatement. Yet a farbrengen is a time for honesty and I proceeded. I caught a glimpse of the Holy Rosh’s face as I squinted and caught his eye. The omnipotent Rosh in all his glory.

The Rosh’s response was rather harsh. The truth often is. Consequently, it often falls on deaf ears. We embrace lies because they are comfortable; in every facet of our lives. We often arrive at the truth at the closing argument and verdict of a trial, with the findings relayed by a surgeon, at the ruling at a divorce hearing, in the outcome of an election, and through the shattering words of a eulogy. Truth is also the turning point in every conflict, the resolution of every debate, the liberating inspiration of every social movement, and the climax of every revolution. 

For four hours Rabbi Schochet laid down the law. The vodka flowed at 20 minutes intervals, so I paraphrase as best as I can.

“Heeeeeecht…” the Rosh raged. ‘Who you think you are, making demands of the Creator and testing 3700 years of our survival? Are you worthy of the resurrection and revelation of Mashiach? Why do you assume you are going to show up with petitions and mandates expecting wonders be performed? Enough of your petty frustrations! You have obstructed Justice! Yes, you have hindered the divine order! What have you done to effect change? Have you moved the needle one iota? Have you modified your behavior over the years? Have you for one moment ever gone out of your comfort zone in your service of the Creator? Have you even once done a favor for someone else, selflessly, anonymously, with altruistic love? Why do we assume that we are the heirs to the ultimate revelation of G-d’s infinite kindness when we have pressed the snooze button on the entire ordeal?’

The Rosh elaborated on Chapter 41 of Tanya, The Rebbe’s sichos of 1967, insights of the parshah dealing with the giving of the Torah, interspersed with snippets of bitush, harsh but loving discipline for all of us. He spoke of the importance of the basic daily Chitas and Rambam requirements, davening with kavanah, and ahavas Yisroel, as the melody of Shuvah Hashem Ad Mosai filled the air. The wind crackled through the opening of the tent as a tear-filled Rabbi Schochet reminded us that the revelation was about us. Yes US! Our devotion, Our dedication, Our commitment, Our actions, Our deeds, Our sacrifice, Our transformation, Our personal spiritual metamorphosis. It had nothing to do with G-d or the Rebbe. We were not victims of Golus, we were the culprits. No lifeguard was arriving any time soon. No Boat. No helicopter. Learn to swim really fast my friend. We were compelled to redeem ourselves. It was in our own very hands. ‘This was the final message of the Rebbe, as he proclaimed Ich gib das iber zu eich, I bestow it upon you the Chasidim to complete the sacred mission.’

And at that final hour, as the crowd quietly dispersed, The Holy Chosid Reb Ezra rose from his chair and with the sincerest expression on the face of humanity, he said, “and I speak of course to myself.”

We headed back to the Ohel where the masses were assembling. On the way to the Ohel I passed the grave of my late grandfather Rabbi Yaakov Yehuda Hecht, who was buried as he lived; at the Rebbe’s side. JJ Hecht as he was known, was often described as the Rebbe’s ben Yachid and best friend.

I reminisced how My zeide, with whom I lived for the final five years of his life, often reminded us that we were born on a mountain top. Ashreinu Mah Tov Chelkeinu Umah Naim Goiraleinu

Shabbos was over.

Epilogue:

Two score and five years ago the sun set over the horizon and darkness descended upon the world. Entering this twilight of History, we were individually empowered to restore the everlasting flame of the Universe. Each and every time we ignite a spark, our own, and that of others, we illuminate our nocturnal existence and propel the great luminary back over the perpetual landscape of time. Blessed are we, children and disciples of the Holy Rebbe of Lubavitch, eternally revered and loved by all.