HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu is Chief Rabbi of Tzfat.
We are now one week after the yahrzeit of my revered father and teacher, HaRav Mordechai Eliyahu, ZT"L and in the week of the yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, which falls on the 3rd of Tammuz. During the Iraq-Iran war, my father showed Rabbi Haim Druckman, of blessed memory, a Midrash that is especially relevant to the events of our day:
“Rabbi Yitzchak said: In the year in which the King Messiah is revealed, all the kings of the nations of the world provoke one another. The king of Persia provokes an Arab king, and the Arab king goes to Aram (apparently the Roman kingdom - the Christians) to seek counsel from them. Then the king of Persia returns and destroys the entire world.
“All the nations of the world tremble and panic and fall upon their faces. Pains seize them like the pains of a woman in labor. Israel also trembles and panics and says: ‘Where shall we go? Where shall we come?’
“And God says to them: ‘My children, do not fear. Everything I have done, I have done only for you. Why are you afraid? Do not fear - the time of your Redemption has arrived. And it will not be like the first Redemption. After the first Redemption, you experienced suffering and subjugation to foreign kingdoms. But after the final Redemption, there will be no suffering and no subjugation to foreign kingdoms’" (Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah 60:499).
There Is No Clearer Sign of the End
The Lubavitcher Rebbe would also repeat this Midrash many times in the same context. Thus, in 1984, he said to my revered father and teacher ZT"L, and to then Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira ZT"L who visited him when on a trip to the United States.
“All the signs brought by our Sages regarding the end of the exile have already been fulfilled. Likewise, the sign that ‘kingdoms provoke one another,’ concerning which our Sages said: ‘If you see kingdoms challenging one another, expect the footsteps of the Messiah.’ The same is true regarding the positive signs of the revealed end, as it is written in the Gemara: ‘There is no clearer sign of the end than this,’ as it is stated: ‘But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are soon to come’ (Ezekiel 36:8). Rashi explains there: ‘When the Land of Israel gives forth its fruit abundantly, then the end (of Exile) is near’" (Sanhedrin 98a and Rashi there).
The Time of Your Redemption Has Arrived
In 1991, the Rebbe repeated the Midrash about “kingdoms provoking one another" many times. In almost every talk, he stated that the Gulf War was a fulfillment of the Midrash and one of the signs that we stand on the threshold of Redemption.
Likewise, in 1992 he said:
“As we can see (as has been discussed many times), several signs of Redemption have been fulfilled in world events, beginning with the sign that ‘the time of your Redemption has arrived,’ resulting from the fact that ‘kingdoms provoke one another,’ particularly among the Arab countries."
“To He Who Struck Egypt Through Their Firstborn"
The Rebbe continued and wrote:
“Thus, we must understand that America’s victory over Saddam Hussein (and all the other victories) are acts of God carried out through natural means by human beings. The wonders are being revealed openly so that they can be seen with our physical eyes. More than that - ‘I will show him wonders.’ The Holy One Himself is showing these wonders."
Through America’s striking Iraq, the verse is fulfilled:
“To Him Who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for His kindness endures forever."
These words are especially relevant today, helping us understand that we are living within the process of Redemption.
We Need Only Open Our Eyes
In 1991, the Rebbe declared that it would be a “Year in which I will show him wonders" (Niflaot Arenu).
To those who asked where the miracles and wonders of that year could be seen, comparable to the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt or of Purim, the Rebbe replied that the miracles were right before our eyes. They were being reported in the newspapers, and if we would only reflect upon them, we would recognize the miracles being performed “for the benefit of the Jewish people and for the benefit of the entire world, similar to the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt."
The Collapse of the Kingdoms of Evil
The greatest example positive change is the collapse of the evil Soviet regime, which oppressed its Jewish citizens for seventy years. Jews were forbidden to observe the mitzvot, prevented from leaving the country, and many were sent to forced labor camps in Siberia.
"In the past year," the Rebbe noted, “we have seen how this change in attitude toward the Jewish People has spread to additional countries, including that country where, until recently, there were restrictions regarding the freedom of Jews in their observance of Torah and mitzvot and regarding their ability to leave the country. Now their attitude has changed. They permit Jews to observe Torah and mitzvot, permit them to leave without the restrictions that once existed, and, moreover, they even assist Jews in traveling to the Holy Land. This serves as a foretaste and preparation for the assistance that the nations of the world will provide when the Jewish Ppeople leave the Exile and go to the Holy Land in the true and complete Redemption."
"They Shall Beat Their Swords into Plowshares"
From the days of the Rebbe until today, nations which still maintained such regimes have continued to collapse. Thus, regimes of evil have fallen, including Syria, Venezuela, and the terrorist organizations Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, which continued along this path of evil and ultimately failed.
The Rebbe also spoke about international agreements to reduce nuclear weapons, viewing them as an influence of the spirit of Mashiach upon all nations:
"The decision and declaration of the leaders of the nations of the world concerning the state of affairs described by the verse, 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares,' announced on the eve of Shabbat Parashat Mishpatim - 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares' is an idea that is understandable and required even according to human reason ('mishpatim'). Human logic demands that the world be conducted with justice and righteousness, through the elimination of war, which brings destruction and devastation, God forbid, leading to the eradication of weapons of war ('they shall beat their swords') and transforming them into tools that benefit the settlement and development of the world ('plowshares').
“Nevertheless, throughout history there have been countless wars among the nations, causing destruction and devastation, despite what human reason would dictate. Therefore, one must conclude that the true reason why, in recent times, there has been a growing aspiration to bring the era of wars to an end and to begin a new era of justice, righteousness, peace, and unity - as expressed most clearly in the declaration of the leaders of the nations of the world on that Shabbat eve - is not merely because human reason requires it. Human reason required it in all previous generations as well.
“Rather, the primary reason is that we are approaching the time about which the Torah proclaimed at Sinai: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares."
The Mitzvah to Ascend to the Land of Israel.
In 1925, during the height of Communist persecution of Judaism in Soviet Russia, and under constant surveillance and denunciations, the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe (the Rebbe Rayatz) fought to ensure that the flame of Judaism would not be extinguished. He told one of his chassidim to “make the Land of Israel in Russia."
The Rebbe later explained at a farbrengen that when the Torah says, “When you come into the Land," it means the Land of Israel literally. Therefore, when someone relies on the words of the Rebbe Rayatz and claims that one should remain in Exile for even one more moment, Heaven forbid, he is told that the ultimate goal is “When you come into the Land" - the Land of Israel literally (mamash).
One cannot be satisfied with a merely spiritual Land of Israel. This is an established halakhah according to all opinions, without any disagreement whatsoever.
Thus, in 1991, the Rebbe spoke about the Jews leaving Russia as being similar to those who left Egypt:
“Our Jewish brothers who have just now left (and are now leaving) in an ‘Exodus from Egypt,’ from the ‘Egypt’ (in the sense of constraints and limitations) of that country."
He likewise said that same year:
“Another aspect of recent events in which one sees miracles and wonders is the departure of many Jews from that country (the Soviet Union), which resembles the Exodus from Egypt."
Specifically to the Land of Israel
“After many years of a completely different policy, during which Jews were unable to leave, it is specifically in this year and the previous year that this country opened its gates and released Jews to travel to the Holy Land. This departure from Russia is specifically to the Land of Israel [and even if, for whatever reason, some of them remain temporarily in other countries (the United States, Australia, and the like), they will soon arrive, willingly and with joy and gladness of heart, in the Holy Land together with their families]."
New York Is Exile
On the 28th of Tevet, 5751 (1991), while distributing dollars, the Rebbe spoke to Mr. Yitzchak David, who was scheduled to address a gathering in Queens of Jews who had left Russia and settled in New York. The Rebbe told him:
“Tell them in my name that exchanging the Exile of Russia for the Exile of America is merely exchanging one Exile for another. It is time to begin exchanging Exile for Redemption in the Land of Redemption. That means our Holy Land, the Land concerning which it is said: ‘The eyes of the Lord your God are upon it from the beginning of the year until the end of the year.’"
We Are Now in the Redemption
In a conversation with my father, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ZT"L, the Rebbe stated that Redemption is literally at our doorstep:
“Not only is the Redemption destined to come, but it is already standing at the threshold, waiting for every Jew to open the door and ‘pull’ the Redemption into the room."
The Rebbe repeatedly emphasized during those years:
“All that we need to do in order to receive all the spiritual lights and revelations is to open our eyes and see all the signs written in the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. This will open the heart, the eyes, and the ears, so that people will understand, see, and hear, in the most simple and literal way within the physical world itself, the true and complete Redemption in actual reality."
The Present Miracles
The Rebbe further explained that these miracles help us realize that we are truly living in the era of Redemption:
“Especially since the present miracles remind and strengthen within every Jew the feeling that he must ‘see himself as though he personally left Egypt today,’ and that ‘not only our forefathers did the Holy One redeem from Egypt, but He redeemed us together with them.’ The Redemption from Egypt is the beginning and contains within it all future Redemptions, including Redemption from all future troubles."
Delaying the Coming of Mashiach
The joy we must feel in our hearts and express over the miracles we have witnessed is so important that the Gemara says that King Hezekiah did not merit becoming the Mashiach because he failed to sing praise to God.
“Furthermore - and this is the essential point - the recognition, acknowledgment, and praise of God for the miracles He performs are not merely matters of gratitude. They also affect the coming of Mashiach and the true and complete Redemption. As the Gemara states: ‘The Holy One wished to make Hezekiah the Mashiach... The Attribute of Justice said before Him: Hezekiah, for whom You performed all these miracles, and yet he did not sing praise before You - will You make him the Mashiach?’ Accordingly, regarding our own situation, publicizing the miracles that God performs in our times is directly connected with bringing the true and complete Redemption into actual reality."
The Rebbe further wrote that the joy over these miracles should be so great that one breaks out into dancing, because Redemption is happening now and is not merely a future event:
“Even if there is still a Jew who needs an explanation before he can see the miracles, because he does not yet perceive them, this can be accomplished very easily, pleasantly, peacefully, joyfully, and with gladness of heart. It is enough to awaken him to the matter just once. May it be God's will that there be no need to speak to one another about the miracles, because every person will see them openly, point with his finger and say, ‘This is it,’ recognize and thank God for the miracles, and not be embarrassed to go out dancing because of the revealed miracles."
Preparing Drums for the Redemption
In a talk on Parashat Beshalach, 5752 (1992), the Rebbe cited the teaching of the Sages concerning the righteous women who prepared tambourines in Egypt:
“In the merit of the righteous women of that generation, Israel was redeemed from Egypt."
Similarly, regarding the future Redemption, concerning which it is said:
“As in the days of your departure from Egypt, I will show you wonders."
The Redemption will come in the merit of the righteous women of that generation, as the Sages taught:
“Generations are redeemed only through the merit of the righteous women who are in the generation."
The Rebbe continued:
“Particularly in light of the explanation found in the writings of the Ari that the generation of the future Redemption is a reincarnation of the generation that left Egypt. Accordingly, the righteous women of our generation, through whose merit Redemption comes, are the very same righteous women through whose merit Israel left Egypt."
Miracles Through the Natural Order
The Rebbe explained that the miracles we are privileged to witness in our times are even more apparent than the miracles of Purim:
"On the contrary, the miracle of Purim was a miracle clothed within the ways of nature. Only by connecting the beginning of Achashverosh's reign with 'the third year of his reign,' and with 'the seventh year of his reign,' and with 'the month of Nisan in the twelfth year of his reign,' together with Esther's banquets for Achashverosh and Haman, and by linking all these events into one continuous narrative and contemplating them, can one discern the hand of God. In contrast, the events of our times involve open miracles and wonders, revealed not only to the Jewish People, but also to the nations of the world."
The Rebbe explained that at the beginning of the Messianic era there will not necessarily be miracles that transcend nature. Rather, there will be miracles clothed within nature itself.
"The world will continue according to its normal order; only sovereignty will return to Israel."
As the early Sages taught:
"Shmuel said: There is no difference between this world and the days of Mashiach except freedom from subjugation to foreign kingdoms" (Berachot 34b; Rambam, Hilchot Teshuvah 9:2).
As a result: "Knowledge, wisdom, and truth will greatly increase" (Likkutei Sichot, Vol. 27, p. 198)
Elsewhere the Rebbe wrote:
"In truth, miracles clothed within the natural order are superior to openly supernatural miracles."
Similarly, the Rambam writes in Hilchot Melachim (12:1):
"One should not imagine that in the days of Mashiach any aspect of the natural order will cease to exist, or that there will be any innovation in the work of Creation. Rather, the world will continue according to its normal course. That which is written in Isaiah, 'The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid,' is a metaphor and an allegory. It means that Israel will dwell securely among the wicked nations of the world, who are compared to wolves and leopards."
Nevertheless, the prophet Jeremiah teaches that the miracles of the Messianic era will be even greater than those of the Exodus from Egypt.
Increase of Darkness
When the great light of Redemption begins to shine, darkness attempts to cover the earth.
The Rebbe explained:
"It may be said that the approach of the coming of Mashiach is itself the reason for the increase of darkness in the world. Because holiness is increasing, there is also an increase in the opposing forces that resist the coming of Mashiach. Therefore, it is necessary to battle those forces, which is the meaning of 'He shall fight the wars of God' until he is victorious."
A parallel to this can be seen in Parshat Chukat, which describes the final year of Israel's journey in the wilderness before entering the Land of Israel. Just before the nation reached its destination, it encountered some of its most difficult challenges and battles. Likewise, before Redemption is fully revealed, there can be intensified opposition and darkness. Yet these very struggles may themselves be signs that the long-awaited Redemption is drawing near.
A Year of Light
There is no doubt that this has been a very difficult year for the Jewish People. Nevertheless, it is also a year of great light.
Similarly, in that final year in the wilderness, the Israelites overcame their fears. They went out to battle against Sihon and Og, the king of Bashan, and achieved a great victory. They also defeated the Midianites, and the tribe of Manasseh conquered extensive territories east of the Jordan River. Our Sages taught that during that year, on the Fifteenth of Av, the Divine Presence once again rested upon Israel, and the Divine communication that had been withheld from Moses for thirty-eight years was restored to him.
Our Sages also derived from this Torah portion the principle that the death of the righteous brings atonement for the People of Israel. And who were greater righteous individuals than Moses, Aaron, and Miriam?
For this reason, the Torah in this portion tells us about the Red Heifer (Parah Adumah), which purifies the most severe form of impurity - the impurity associated with death. This teaches that the final year in the wilderness was a year in which the People of Israel were purified more than in any other year.
Thus, although it was a year marked by loss and challenge, it was also a year of spiritual cleansing, renewal, victory, and a renewed revelation of God's Presence among His people. So may it be with us.