Seventy years

In the previous posts we saw that there is a significant period of seventy years that constitutes the 'pregnancy' of the redemption. It is characterized by a 'conception' which is especially difficult, and a 'birth' which is difficult as well.

In light of this, the story that I mentioned a while ago becomes ever-so-interesting. Here I will repeat it.

I recently heard from a very reliable source that Rav Elya Svei z'l said that in 1939, Rav Elchanan Wasserman said that Moshiach would come in seventy years. After I heard that story, I "happened" upon another story that Rav Elya Lopian said over (in his sefer Lev Eliyahu) from Rav Elchanan Wasserman that he was with the Chofetz Chaim in the beginning of World War I (circa 1914) and the Chofetz Chaim said that WWI was the first of three Gog Umagog wars. The next would be in twenty five years. That story ends there, but clearly Rav Elchanan Wasserman was someone in the know.

Someone showed me a similar story in a sefer that quoted Rav Nosson Wachtfogel z'l, who said that at the beginning of World War I, people were coming to the Chofetz Chaim asking him if that was to be the war of Gog Umagog, and his response was that it was the first of three, as he told Reb Elchanan.

When Rav Wachtfogel was asked how we would survive a possible nuclear war, his response was that in Egypt, the Jew and Egyptian drank from the same cup of water, but the Egyptian drank blood, and the Jew drank water.

What's also interesting is that World War II actually began on the first of September in 1939, which was still 5699, seventy years ago, and Kristallnacht, which many consider the beginning of Hitler's final solution occurred the previous year ('38) in November, which was also 5699.

I have a friend who is related to Rav Svei z'l, and he told me that Rav Svei has been consistently saying for the last twenty years that Moshiach is coming in 5769. אמן כן יהי רצון