by Rabbi Alan Betsalel Friedlander
The Lubavitcher Rebbe said that all necessary preparations to bring moshiach(messiah) have been accomplished. Yet Moshiach has not arrived yet. Why is this so?
Implicitly, this depends on the assumption that Moshiach will come even before the nation is fully religious.
First we need to establish that redemption will come even before the people are fully righteous. As the sages of the Talmud have said that the redemption can only occur if the nation repents (Sanhedrin 97a.)
So first we have to understand the statement of the Rebbe in this context. There are two aspects of the redemption just as there are two aspects of a bottle of water. There is the water, and there is also the container. The preparations have been accomplished means, the bottle of water has been filled with water. The bottle has brought to the table and is ready to pour. A cup has been selected and has now been placed on the table. But the water has not yet been poured into the cup from the bottle that are both already on the table. Why is there this delay? What is the impediment?
If the family pet made a mess on the floor, the person may use a cleanser to clean up before taking that drink of water. If so, it would only be natural to wash hands before grabbing the cup and bottle, lest the poison of the cleanser get into the water, and force it to be wasted.
In other words, a new national sin must have occurred that has the power to delay redemption. What could it be?
It would have to be something huge that compels the Just God to withhold His promised mercy. As mentioned before, HaShem promised in multiple locations of Tanach, that He will bring the final redemption with mercy. Including, “For a small moment have I forsaken you, and with great mercy will I gather you. With a little wrath did I hide My countenance for a moment from you, and with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you,” said your Redeemer, the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:7-8) In other words, much greater than the pain we suffered for thousands of years, will be the joy of the redemption and it will be a joy that is not interrupted. This is the very same redemption that the sages of our generation say that we are now on the verge of.
The sages have said that the main thing to bring redemption is Torah. This is the catalyst for a repository of awareness of what spiritual choices will need to be made once Moshiach (messiah) arrives. Therefore without Torah, then any preparations for redemption would be as placing an empty bottle on the table, without any water inside. No chance for the thirst to be immediately quenched that way.
There are two sayings of the holy sages of the Talmud that we need to consider to find the spiritual cause of this.
First, consider the midrash which says in more than one place (on Genesis and Leviticus,) that the world was only created for Torah. To be able to establish eternal peace, knowledge of the peaceful Torah ways is a must.
But what happens if there is heresy in the place of Torah? Then it is as water tainted with poison. Undrinkable. Unable to redeem. So if someone tries to make false claims about the Torah, it is vital to point out, “not that bottle of water, it is poisoned. Use this bottle of water to quench your thirst.” Without this vital warning, both bottles become unusable, lest the person who thirsts poison his/herself. Similarly if the bottle of the water of Torah, is symbolically, the scholar, then no poisonous heresy must enter him, or the water of Torah that he holds will become tainted, the presence of the poison in the room puts all at risk. Without opposition, it would prevent the salvation that would quench the great thirst.
So clearly, heresy against vital Torah concepts must be opposed, for moshiach to come. Even if the water is in the bottle on the table, if there is a doubt as to which bottle of water can be used. None can be used, and the redemption, though ready, cannot yet occur. Therefore, how is the merit of the Torah accessible to us in this situation? We must know the nature of the sin that inhibits our redemption, and then oppose and expose it.
What sin increased since the Rebbe made that declaration? In the 1990s, abortions increased to their peak historic levels. Slightly less now, but that has been replaced with a new sin on top of it. False claims that the Torah somehow condones abortion by choice. And in the past several months since the fall of Roe Vs Wade, this heresy against the merciful Torah, has increased exponentially, as heretics have claimed that it is against Judaism to ban abortion. The second saying of the Talmudic sages we need to consider is that the world was only created for Being Fruitful and Multiplying. (Gittin 41b)
Thus Torah and Being Fruitful are both key foundations to Creation. You can’t have Torah without life. You can’t have Torah true philosophy, without respect for life.
Now let’s apply causational logic to our parable:
* The bottle of a Torah scholar is his body.
* His being born depends on his parents not attempting to negate the command of being fruitful and multiplying.
* To advocate abortion by whim, places potential Torah scholars at risk.
* Such a society as tolerates abortion, is disrespecting the value of the Torah that says to be fruitful and also to choose life.
* The end result is, such a society is declaring it’s own Torah, as potentially poisonous, by way of it’s own hypocrisy.
* Such Torah cannot be the cause of redemption. Though it stands pure and delicious, it is currently beyond grasp.
Though many holy sages and innocent children have studied and accumulated pure and holy words of Torah, there is a perceived desecration of God’s name, by countless people who can’t understand why the Jews support abortion, when the Torah is so pro life. Remember that “In a place of desecration of God’s name, we do not allocate honors (even) to sages.” (Sanhedrin 82a, kol makom chilul HaShem ain cholkin kavod leRav.)
“Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her penitent through righteousness.” (Isaiah 1:27) If we tolerate the bloodshed of the innocent, how can we expect our redemption? This redemption will be with mercy, so how can we expect redemption with any toleration of cruelty among us? Including abortion by whim.
But if we protest the evil and reject the poison, and distance ourselves from the sin. We will redeem the Torah of our generation, and measure for measure also be redeemed.
What is more: Even if the horrid sin of willful abortion continues in other circles, Heaven forbid! HaShem will still bring Mashiach, to fulfill HaShem’s commitment of redemption with mercy. But only if there exists those who are clearly on the side of His holy, just and merciful Torah.
“But you-if you do warn the wicked man, and (even if) he does not repent of his wickedness and of his evil way, he will die because of his iniquity, and you-you will have saved your soul. (Ezekiel 3:19)
If the perception of poisoned water, heresy to the Holy Torah, is removed, then the power of the Torah will be revealed, and the end result can only be the complete and eternal salvation, which Our Father in Heaven desires greatly to bestow upon us.
May it soon be so, by the grace of God.
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