Shabbat Parshat Va'etchanan - 5762
The Sunday of Chazon

One of the most admirable customs of the Monsey community is that on the Sunday before Tishah B’Av, a gathering is held to raise money for Kupath Ezra of Rockland County, the organization dedicated to the collection and distribution of charitable funds within the community in the manner of mattan b’saser, secret gifts. This year the guest speaker was the distinguished Rosh Yeshiva, author and lecturer from Ner Yisroel, Rav Yissochor Frand, Shlita, whose words I will attempt to summarize.

Rabbi Frand began by praising the work of Kupath Ezra. He said that HaShem cherishes tzedakkah, charity, and also cherishes tznius, the quite and modest way in which Kupath Ezra distributes its funds.

He then stated his belief that not only are we living in the period of “Ikvesa D’Meshicha,” the time when the footsteps of the Moshiach can be heard, but that it is also the “endgame” of that period; that is, the arrival of the Moshiach, the event longed for – for two thousand years – is finally near at hand!

What is the evidence for the above notion? Rabbi Frand cited a Midrash from Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer on the Bris Bein HaBesarim, a covenant that HaShem made with our forefather, Avram Before his name was changed), where we find (Bereshis 15:12), “...and behold, a great and dark terror fell upon him,” where each word is associated with one of the world empires that sought to oppress Israel – Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, but the final words are interpreted by Rabbi Eliezer as referring to our final conflict with Yishmael.

One hundred years ago, when the Arabs were riding around in the desert on camels, and had receded from the arena of world history, what could this have meant to the Chofetz Chayim, ZT”L? And fifty years ago, what could that prophecy concerning Yishmael have meant to Rav Elchonon Wasserman, ZT”L? Even thirty five years ago, when the Arabs were handed a stunning defeat in the Six-Day War, they seemed less than formidable rivals. However, in our time, in the Age of Terror, when suicide-homicide bombers are executing bitter and bloody attacks on our People, while Arab nations, with their own armaments at the ready, urge the terrorists on, and Europe cheers from the sidelines, there is little doubt about what we face from our ancient cousins.

David HaMelech makes explicit reference to the Yishmaelim in Tehilim 120:5-7, “Woe is me for I live in Meshech; I dwell among the tents of Kedar. Long has my soul dwelt with the haters of peace. I desire peace – but when I would speak with them, their only desire is to make war.”

The period immediately preceding the Arrival of the Mashiach is referred to in the Talmud as “Chevlei Mashiach,” the Birth Pangs of the Mashiach. Indeed, an Amora makes the statement that while he hopes for the speedy arrival of the Mashiach, he would readily forego being present during the “Chevlei Mashiach.” Why was the metaphor of childbirth chosen by CHAZAL? The MAHARAL explains that childbirth is a time of complete transition for the infant. There is a profound difference between its peaceful existence in the womb of its mother and its life after birth, in the harsh light of the “real world,” marked certainly initially and frequently throughout life by pain and struggle. And indeed, we will have to undergo a similar transition and transformation between the world in which we now live and the Messianic world. The RAMBAM says “The Sages desired the coming of the Mashiach not in order to dominate other nations, but rather because that time would be a time of freedom to pursue knowledge of the Torah.”

There is no doubt that the Western world is about physical pleasure. Whereas the world of the Mashiach will be about the Torah of HaShem and the knowledge of HaShem. The Jewish People has much for which to be grateful to the United States of America, as the only country that showed them a smiling face in a time of great darkness. But September 11 was a wake-up call. It taught us that this country is vulnerable. The collapse of Enron, the debacle of Worldcom, the nosedive of the stock market – teach us not to place our faith in human beings. After the Six Day War, it was also very easy to fall into the trap of reliance on the great IDF, but in the time of the Intafada that is soaking the blood of our People, our faith in the Army of Israel is shaken. HaShem is calling to us, “Come back to Me, in Whom you can trust.”

How can we prepare ourselves for receiving the Mashiach? It is not by becoming more “religious.” Observing “Chodosh” and “Yoshon,” drinking “Cholov Yisroel” exclusively, are not the answer. Why, when Yaakov stated that he had observed the entire Torah in the near-proximity of Lavan HaRasha, did he have to add, according to the Midrash, “And I didn’t learn from his evil ways.”? The answer is that one can observe the entire Torah, at least on the surface level, and still be a despicable individual, a “naval bireshus haTorah.” But we must become more spiritual. We must change the focus of our lives radically. Spending forty minutes a day on “Daf Yomi” also does not address the real issue, which is a change of heart.

One might imagine being honored to pick up the Mashiach at Newark Airport when he comes to visit us before our return with him to Yerushalayim. The Mashiach would step into our car (this actually reminded me of a childhood fantasy that I had of riding around with Avraham Avinu in our family Buick, giving him a tour of Washington Heights - PF), run his eyes over the leather seats and the ergonomic console and ask, pointing to an interesting-looking contraption, and ask, “What is that?” And we would have to respond, “It’s a cooler to keep my Coca Cola cold, while I commute to and from work, listening to my 98-track stereo.” And in our home, we would also have to explain the variety of unnecessary luxuries, that we expend much mental and emotional energy in acquiring. The point is not that we should have to take vows of poverty, but that we should be living lives that would enable us to feel proud, and not humiliated, under the questioning of the Mashiach.

To sum up, we have now more than ever to prepare ourselves to receive the Mashiach, by shifting the focus of our lives from the “gashmi,” the material, to the “ruchani,” the spiritual, because the “arrival of the Righteous Redeemer, soon and in our days,” seems truly to be at hand.

Rabbi Pinchas Frankel

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