Category — Moshiach

The little camel looked up to her mother inquisitively, “Mom, why do we have such big humps?”
“My child, they are there to help us store water for our long treks across the desert, so we can go without drinking for long periods of time.”
“Okay. And why do we have three-toed feet?”
“When we trek along desert sand, our toes will help us stay above the sand!”
“Hmm… Mom, why do we have such long eyelashes?”
“My child you’re brilliant today. They are to keep sand out of our eyes during our trips in the desert.”
“So let me get this straight, we have huge feet to stop us from sinking, long eyelashes to keep the sand out of our eyes, and these humps to store water.”
“Yes dear,” said the mother.
“So why are we in the Bronx zoo?”

Sometimes I feel like the baby camel. In truth, I wish I felt that way all the time. This week is one of those sometimes.
What happened this week? It was 17 years ago, at the Lubavitch headquarters in Brooklyn – 770, that the Lubavitcher Rebbe, gave a monumental speech, in which he told his followers, that he has done all he can to usher in the redemption, and that he now gives over the responsibly to every one of us.
Think about it: He tells me, he tells you, that we’ve got the power to make big changes. “No, he says, don’t think so low of yourself, yes you can, and must, make big revolutions. I give it over to you because I know you have all it takes – the humps, the eyelashes and the toes, plus so much more.
“There is a war waiting to be waged, there is a mission waiting to be accomplished, and there is a world waiting to be transformed; [so the Rebbe cries:] Friends: If we have all it takes to win the battle, then why are we still rotting away in the zoo? Why aren’t we going out and taking the world by storm?”
Not to take away from all that has, and is, being done; but nevertheless as long as we haven’t reached the redemption, the Rebbe’s words must ring in our ears: do all you can!
Friends, we can do it!
Just believe in yourself as much as the Rebbe believes in you.
And when we take this to heart, and make a revolution-of-goodness, then we will G-d willing be able to say goodbye to this zoo…
…Forever

Moshke came home with breaking news: “The rabbi just announced that some Moshiach guy is coming soon, and plans on taking us all to Israel!”

Shprintza was horrified: “To Israel? How could we leave the cows alone? Oy vey!”

Moshke runs back to the rabbi to voice his wife’s objections.

The rabbi says: “Moshke! Forget about cows, when Moshiach comes and we go to Israel, we will never have to suffer from the Cossacks and anti-Semites! No more fear!”

When Shprintza heard what the rabbi had said, she came up with a brilliant idea: “Listen Moshke, go tell the rabbi, to tell this Moshiach dude, to take the Cossacks with him to Israel, and leave us alone!”

***

Who needs Moshiach?

Well, if you had lived in Poland in 1940, or in Russia 1960, in Spain 1492, ah! Then Moshiach sounded like a good idea. But in our ‘life-is-great’ free world, who cares about redemption? Redemption of what?

Mafia? Terrorists? Let Moshiach take the crooks and villains and leave us be.

So maybe this Moshiach stuff is not what you think. Take a look in “our” Torah portion.

Jacob is in Egypt, and life is great. His son Joseph is world renowned as the savior. The rest of his sons have built a flourishing Jewish community with Yeshiva’s and synagogues in the suburbs of Egypt. The Family cattle business is prospering, and all is well.

All is well? Then why when it comes time to be buried, Jacob insists to be taken to Israel? Ok, you want to be buried in the Holy-Land, but to leave your family? Your children need you for inspiration and strength!

That is just it! Jacob wanted with all his heart to remain with his offspring’s, however knowing how connected his children felt to him, he feared that were he to be buried in Egypt they will never leave! So Jacob had self sacrifice, he left his beloved family, just that they should know that exile is not home.

A Jew in exile, no matter how nice and dandy it may seem, is not home.

When Moshiach comes we will serve a revealed G-d, no more hiding-and-seek games with Hashem. That is redemption, a time when we serve G-d in a G-dly world.

True, there will be no suffering and no restraints, but that is only an outcome of the infinite light that will shine. Duh! When G-d is seen by all, obviously no one will do evil!

That was Jacob’s lesson! Get out! Don’t be at peace with the situation, this is not the ideal.

Cows? Money? Who needs ‘em, we are gonna have the real McCoy!

Well, he’s coming.

Hurry! Ready or not, here he comes.

A woman in Brooklyn decided to prepare her will and plan for the end of her life. She told her rabbi she had two final requests: First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered all over the shopping mall. “Why the shopping mall?” asked the rabbi. “Then I’ll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week,” the mother responded.

Napoleon was once walking in a Jewish neighborhood and he heard many men crying inside the synagogues. So he walked into one of the Shtibels and approached a dignified looking Jew.
“Tell me, my dear man, why do you cry?”
The man responded, “I’m crying over the destruction of my temple!”
“Oh my!” exclaimed Napoleon. “Is there anything I can do to help you? Maybe tell me who destroyed it and I’ll punish him? Or maybe you need a donation to construct a new temple?”
“I’m sorry, Your Honor; you’ve misunderstood me. I’m crying and lamenting over the Holy Temple of Jerusalem destroyed close to two thousand years ago!”
Napoleon was amazed. “If a people still cries and prays two thousand years after a destruction of their temple, then I’m sure they will merit too see its rebuilding!”

Throughout the ages, although we’ve been scattered all over the world, we have always prayed and cried for the rebuilding of the Temple and our return to Zion. Seven out the 19 blessings in the Amida prayer discuss our yearning and anticipation for the time of the redemption and the coming of our righteous Moshiach.
It was on the lips of the Jews who entered the gas chambers and it kept the flame of Judaism alive in the hearts of Jews under oppression throughout the ages, as they hoped and believed in a better time that would soon arrive.
It is one of our Thirteen Principles of Faith as taught by Maimonides: “I believe in the coming of Moshiach, and though he may tarry I await his coming every day.”
Moshiach is not a dream fantasized by the sages in order to give the persecuted Jews hope - “Don’t despair; It will get better!” - Nor is it a reward for our devotion to Hashem in not abandoning the Torah and Mitzvoth even when it was inconvenient - or downright dangerous.
Rather, Moshiach is a much deeper concept, a central tenet of the Jewish religion. It is the reason and purpose of the entire creation and all that transpired in the almost six thousand years that have passed since then. Because it is only then that G-d will be able to feel at home, and reveal Himself completely His children, the Jewish people.
Building a home is a complex project. Every detail is attended to with the sole purpose of creating an environment in which the owner will feel comfortable. Since creation, we’ve been preparing that home. Every Mitzvah, each moment of Torah study, every warm gesture between two individuals - each of these brings more G-dliness into the world, creating a dwelling in which G-d can fully express Himself, as it were. When Moshiach will arrive, G-d will enter the home in all of His glory!
Automatically, when one will see G-d openly before him, there will be no room for hate and jealousy; he will lose his appetite for money, and having a good time won’t be the number one on his list of priorities. A world in which G-dliness is revealed will not tolerate war or strife. All will see the true and eternal enjoyment of learning Torah and knowing G-d, and nothing else will matter!
So let’s get ready for our face-to-face meeting with G-d. We want to look presentable; there is never a second chance for a first impression…