Moshiach, now?

The following comment was posted on the previous post:

Please, Ari, please don't fall into the trap of predicting a scary downfall of America. Just three months ago, I asked R. Chaim Kanievsky if I should move my family to E"Y. I was all excited about it.

He replied that I cannot come without parnassah. I asked him if I should just "cash out" and come. He said, "Then you spend it and go back. What's the point?"

Parnassah is in the hands of HaShem. Thus, for us, so is moving to E'Y. In the meantime, we must have faith that HaShem is going to orchestrate the kibbutz galius we just read about in the Pesach haftorah.

Please don't be insensitive to those who b'emes long to come to E"Y, but don't have the financial capabilities (yet!) to do so.

I would just like to clarify my general approach with this blog. I really try not to make any predictions, and it was not my intent to predict the fall of the US. I was merely sharing a story with you that I thought would be interesting. I personally firmly believe that every single person must ask a shailah in regards to how they should proceed with life, and rest assured that if they follow da'as Torah, Hashem will not steer them wrong. I encourage everyone to do so, and it is interesting to me that when you asked R' Chaim he responded that way, as someone else recently told me in a conversation that they asked an American Gadol (who is very serious about the idea of living in Eretz Yisrael) the same question and received the same exact answer - one can not come here without a realistic plan for parnassah.

One thought I would like to mention that hits me as I am writing this, is that even if a particular Gadol, say, R' Kanievsky, told one person that this is the proper approach, he may not tell the next person the same thing. Our Gedolim are gifted with Ruach Hakodesh and receive constant guidance as they help out the Klal as well as the many individuals who seek their guidance. I almost laugh as I think about the obviousness of it, but I think we've learned that what a Gadol says for one person will not necessarily apply to another. Just because you read in this blog that R' Chaim told 'anonymous' not to come here doesn't mean you shouldn't ask your rav if it might be the right thing for you.

Our lives must center around serving Hashem, and while צפית לישועה is of course an important thing, it mustn't take over our lives. I realized how compulsively I was checking the news, and I realized that it began when I got very into the whole Moshiach kick. I was never into politics, not here in Israel, and not in the US. It is all a waste of time, and all it does is steer us away from our avodas Hashem. I have really been conscious of not looking at the news, and I am proud to say that I was surprised that I didn't know that 'Durban II' was happening until someone told me about it.

I think it is important to talk and be excited and hopeful about Moshiach's advent, and I do believe he will be here soon. I am happy to say that I don't know how soon, but I do wait for him every day, so I think I'm headed in a good direction. Do I think that the US will fall? I don't know, and I don't wish it upon anyone, certainly not our wonderful brothers and sisters who live there (and might even want to be here in Israel much more than being there). One thing I am sure of is that no matter where we are, Hashem will be taking care of us, and if we have indeed reached the final stages of Geulah, or are nearing them, there will be a tremendous amount of rachamim for us, not destruction ח"ו.

The final redemption will defy logic, and if one takes a look around, the entire world, and the entire state of affairs for the Jewish people as a whole defies all logic. When everything defies logic, it is Hashem's fingerprints, his voice whispering, "I'm here with you." When the winter goes by and it is one of the driest winters in years, and the weather experts are exclaiming that the chances of such a winter are zero - when the chances are zero, this is Hashem speaking. It's no coincidence that this horrible winter in Israel was the worst time for the entire world since the Great Depression. Israel is the conduit for Hashem's goodness. Whatever happens here is a sign of what is happening everywhere else.

Bottom line is that we need to love Hashem, commit to coming close to Him, chuck all the distractions, and focus in on what really counts. We don't need to know what will happen in the future. The more we try to figure it out, the more futile it will be. We can want Moshiach without needing to know when he will be here, and without trying to figure out precisely what will happen and how it will unfold.

In any event, my bet is that it will be interesting, as there's no better 'storyteller' than Hashem. We can sit back and enjoy the show without trying to figure out the ending. We can also get 'into' the story and watch as it progresses without getting carried away and losing sight of what's really important in our lives. We can be excited when we hear that the gematria of ברק אובאמה is the same as the נחש which is also the same as משיח because they are all forces that come into play in the final story. And we can also say that maybe that's not significant and maybe the story will end in a different way. If a great author can give you a surprising and shocking ending, do we think that we can figure out the ending to this story written by Hashem? No matter what it will be interesting, and no matter what it will be the Ultimate Good. Let's try to do this with balance.

Leadership qualities

I'm currently reading an amazing book by Stephen Covey, entitled "The Eighth Habit." I have found this book, as well as his bestselling "Seven Habits" book to be very insightful and relevant. I am amazed at how much of what he writes is actually based on very lofty concepts taught in sifrei machshava, but the truth is that the sfarim hakedoshim speak of the root of reality, and Covey's books להבדיל speak accurately of the reality we see, which is a reflection of that root.

I'd like to share a short quote, which speaks of leadership, but applies to each and every one of us. We are all leaders, whether we are aware or not. Some of us are leaders in our families, some of us in the classroom, some at work, and some in the Shul. We are all leaders because every move we make is seen by others, and every interaction we have with another has the ability to empower another human being, or to disempower them ח"ו.

That being the case, we need to understand what true leadership is, and if we listen carefully, we will see it applies to each and every one of us. If we look carefully, we will also see that it something that is completely dependent on our level of pride/humility.

Covey says has the following question and answer (on page 122):

Q: How would you define leadership?

A: Again, leadership is communicating people's worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves. Notice the words worth and potential. People must feel an intrinsic sense of worth - that is, that they have intrinsic value - totally apart from being compared to others, and that they are worthy of unconditional love, regardless of behavior or performance. Then when you communicate their potential and create opportunities to develop and use it, you are building on a solid foundation. To communicate people's potential and to give them a sense of extrinsic worth is a flawed foundation, and their potential will never be optimized.

Try to give that paragraph another read, and think about how our lives would be different if others would treat us this way. Then realize how we can affect others by living in consonance with this ideal.

Missing the point

I heard the following story in the name of R' Shimshon Pincus z'l.

Rabbi Boruch Adler* was asked to give a shiur to a mixed group of people, comprised of both scholars and unlettered individuals. He was forewarned that he should make sure to explain and translate words or concepts that might be foreign to anyone. Throughout his derasha he made every effort to explain each and every word, at times expounding on concepts that to him were fundamental. He made no assumptions, however, and explained everything to the best of his ability.

After his speech was completed, one of those who attended came up to Rav Adler with a broad smile on his face. As they began to speak it became evident that he was one of the less learned of the group.

"Rabbi," the man said, "I just want you to know that I truly appreciated how you made such a great effort to explain all of those lofty concepts."

Rabbi Adler nodded and smiled.

The man continued and said, "I believe that I really understood the ideas you were conveying in your speech, and I benefitted each time you translated the words from Hebrew in to English. There was just one word that you said a few times which you didn't translate."

"What was that," asked Rav Adler, looking slightly worried.

The man replied, "I didn't know what you meant when you kept saying 'Hakadosh Baruch Hu.'"

If Hakadosh Baruch Hu - God - is missing from the shiur, you've missed the whole point!

We can wake up every day, learn the daf yomi, put on our tallis and tefillin to daven, run to do chesed, be careful about saying Lashon Hara, and make sure to say Amen to the berachos that our friends say out loud. But if the essential ingredient is missing - if we are lacking the connection to Hashem - we've missed the boat!

The Yetzer Hara's last stand

A friend of mine recently shared with me a very beautiful idea which I found to be insightful.

He told me that he heard from his rebbe that in the times before Moshiach, as the Yetzer Hara's power is waning and he is nearing his defeat, he makes his final stand. His behavior is similar to a star going supernova that lets off the light of ten suns as it is about to die.

Where does the Satan place all his final energy? Into the place that is most important, and most vulnerable - Shalom Bayis. He tries to create marital discord. Jewish life, in all of its aspects is completely dependent on this most central pillar. It is here that the evil one strikes in his last ditch effort.

Once we become aware of this, we can recognize that if our spouse does something that would provoke us, it isn't really our spouse - it's the Yetzer Hara! He is trying to fight his final battle in the place we are most sensitive. Notice again that the yetzer's primary tool is pride. We can fight pride with humility.

Recognize that the provocation is not really coming from the spouse. It is coming from the evil inclination. Respond with humility. A quiet voice calms anger. We know in ourselves that we respond with humility when others act towards us with humility. Use the tool of the Yetzer Tov.

This tool can be used in all of our interactions with others.

Commit for thirty days to always respond with humility to others, especially one's spouse, no matter what the provocation. See the difference it makes in your life.

Make humility part of your personal creed.

It will reveal the light of Hashem and bring Moshiach.

Winning the game

We affect every person we meet. We can have a positive impact on others, sometimes so great that it will affect their lives. This is certainly true of the children Hashem has given into our care. There is power in that, but as Peter Parker learned early on, 'with great power comes great responsibility.'

The positive affect one can have on another, and specifically one's child, was brought home to me last night as I put my five and a half year old son to sleep.

After saying Shema and going through our nightly thankyou's to Hashem, I was talking to him, and I told him that I am very proud of him. I just had this general feeling from the day that made me say that, it was nothing in particular. He gave me a look that I couldn't read, and I wondered to myself if I had perhaps said something that was wrong. So I asked him if he liked it when I said I was proud of him.

He answered, "It feels like I won the game."

It made me realize how essential my role is as a parent. My child's self esteem and personal value is currently being built. We don't realize how powerful the simple words "I am proud of you" are. But they can make or break our child's confidence in his ability to 'win the game' of life.

This idea struck me even deeper as I realized that this doesn't just hold true for our children but rather for every person we encounter. We can walk away from literally every interaction with a human being, leaving them with a feeling that they can win the game. We also have the free choice do the opposite if we raise the banner of our own pride too high.

Here again, when we act with humility our world is no longer limited to our small selfish reality, but it is expanded and continues to expand ever outward, lifting those around us along with the entire world.

What in the world is going on?!

I try not to read the news. I try to avoid the news websites and the magazines and papers that bring the news into my home. The news dazzles and confuses. We can always find some tragedy to hold up and either cry from or encourage ourselves with, saying that surely Moshiach is on his way.

But reading the news is like putting on dark glasses that block one's view of reality.

Part of the problem is that no matter what we read we are completely missing the point.

A while ago, I read the headline that said Olmert is giving 250 prisoners to Abbas as a good-will gesture.

My blood began to boil. Is he nuts? On PA television, Abbas is spurring on his people to more and more hatred of the Jews living next door, and we need to show him good will?

As the juices start running in my head I catch myself. I let out a laugh! This makes no sense!

The joke is that the thought is so ludicrous it is clearly Hashem peeking out from behind the scenes.

Hashem you say? In Olmert's idiocy? Come now, you must be kidding. Olmert is just a fool who somehow made it into a position of power by a fluke. Soon we will be rid of him and all will be well. But to say that Hashem is behind his lunacy?

But get this, folks. If you want to find Hashem, you actually have to look for the joke. Find the point that makes absolutely no sense. That is where He is found. How do I explain that?

Things start to make sense when we internalize the fact that Hashem Himself is pulling all the strings. He is placing all of the chess pieces in their positions in order to bring about the final checkmate. He is putting the ideas in the heads of the leaders of each country, orchestrating events so that a beautiful concerto will soon be heard. As the orchestra gets in tune and is about to start playing, the room sounds like a rather awful cacophony. One would be hard pressed to believe that a symphony is about to be heard.

Then the conductor lifts his wand and the whole room is silent, and the music begins.

One could think that the music has only just begun, but in truth, the music was written before and each musician received the musical notes specially prepared for the part he was to play. The conductor also invested much time and effort placing each instrument in its proper place. The wind instruments in their place, the strings in theirs, the brass in theirs, and the percussive instruments in theirs. The concert actually began long before the conductor raised his wand.

One with a discerning ear can indeed hear the music long before. Such a person sees the careful placement and planning, yet hears the cacophony directly preceding the symphony and is struck with the utter humor of the situation. Others will notice the irony only in retrospect. Still others will miss the fact that there ever was an irony to begin with.

We can choose the group we wish to be a part of.

Who is wise...

Sometimes you learn a lesson from the place you least expect it.

I spent this past Shabbos with my family in Jerusalem. We took a bus from Ramat Beit Shemesh until the entrance of the city. From there we took a cab until our destination. As soon as we got in the cab I knew he was Arab. There are certain clues that give it away. I am always interested to know what they think of us, and I asked him what the feelings are generally in East Jerusalem. He seemed a little bit perturbed that I was asking him this. He said to me, "If you want to know about politics, ask Olmert!"

At some point in our conversation, it seems like he felt he needed to prove himself and he pulled out a document attesting to the fact that he had served Israel faithfully in one of its wars. He also told me that he was sixty years old and the proud grandfather of eighteen grandchildren.

What impressed me was a comment he made. He said that the problem with politics is selfishness. We need to be concerned about honoring our parents and our elders. He told me that Teddy Kolek, who served as mayor of Jerusalem for over thirty years, is sitting and rotting away in a nursing home. Is this how we show our appreciation for a person who served the public for so long? This is how we treat our elders - as soon as they aren't useful to us anymore we throw them out in the trash heap?

I told him that I was impressed with his attitude, and if there were more people thinking this way, the world would be a much lovelier place.

He left us off at our destination and said, "Shabbat Shalom."

Seems you can learn something from any man.