A Soulful Journey

"The Messiah...will come [to Rome] and command the Pope and all the kings of the nations in the name of God, 'Let my people go so that they may serve Me'."  - Ramban For thousands of years this has been the hope of the Jew.

 In the town of Chelm there lived a genuine desire to see the Messiah arrive soon.  So great was the desire that they gave no great thought to their future.*  So when finally the shamash of the synagogue asked for an old age pension, they fired him immediately. *In the Messiah's time all things will be provided. Faith, trust while living in the present are all necessary ingredients to a healthy life.

On Bar Kochba*: And what did they do?  They assembled and went forth to battle and many of them were slain.  Why was this?  Because they did not believe in the Lord and did not trust in His salvation, but anticipated the end and transgressed the adjuration – Midrash, Shir HShirim Rabbah   So much of what we do depends upon our trust, our faith in the outcome.  Whether in business or in relationships, trust will decide whether we meet success or not.  Why should it be any different with God? *The Bar Kochba revolution was supposed to bring  about the end of the Roman occupation and the beginning of the Third Temple.  Instead, the revolt failed.  

Like all Hasidic Masters, he lived wholly in in expectation of the Messiah's coming.  Mornings he would go to the window, look outside and sadly remark, "He has not yet come, for the world is still the same." Menahem Mendl Never stop searching.  Neve give up.

 The Baal Shem Tov: "But when, when will you come?" The Messiah answered, "When your spring will run over and when your teaching will cover the land." He even conversed its the Angel of Death, asking him, "Why do you massacre so many innocent and helpless Jews?" "I do it for the sake of Heaven, for the love of God and for His Glory," answered the Angel with disquieting humor. Remain strong, like iron, full of faith.  Only then will the one be released to redeem.

Before his death, Rebbe Wolfe told his servant: "I can see... A day will come, and it fills me with fear.  The world will lose its stability and man his reason...  A day will come, and it it fills me with fear... A day will come, and it makes me tremble.  Do you hear me?" "Yes Rebbe. I hear you." "I ask of you to tell it to our people.  Tell them that on that day none will be spared, not even men like me or you.  We shall have to delve deep into our consciousness to find the spark.  Will you tell them?" "Yes, Rebbe.  But...when the day comes, what must they do in order not to go  under?  Do you know the remedy, Rebbe?" The sick man sighed: "When that day comes, tell our people that I have foreseen it."   He turned to the wall, and was gone.

Akiba himself did not long resist the contagion of messianism.  When he saw Roman legions yield to untrained Judean youths, new hope blossomed in his heart.  "Yet once, it will be a little while," he quoted from Haggai (2:6), "and I will shake the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land ."  He went so far as to encourage the popular delusion concerning the miraculous role to be played by the new leader and applied to him the verse (Numbers 24:1), "The star hath trodden forth out of Jacob."  Once he even said outright, "this is the messianic king." The dismal response of one of his friends, "Akiba, grass will grow out of your jaw and the messiah will not yet have come!" shows that some of the sages were till sane enough to realize the hopeless inequality of the struggle.  -Rabbi Louis Finkelstein In many generations when disaster confronted our people we have prayed and loved for the redeemer to be dispatched and deliver...

A farmer came running home one day with news. "Did you hear, my wife?  There is a rumor in town that the Messiah is coming this year.  Woe as me!  What will we do?  I have so much invested in the farm, rebuilt the house and cultivated the fields.  Now we will have to leave everything behind and go." "Don't worry, my husband," his wife consoled him. "We Jews have gone through so much suffering.  We had a Pharaoh, a Haman and the good good Lord helped get rid of them.  I am sure that he will also help us get rid of the Messiah too!" When times are bad we wish for better days.  When times are good we forget what we once dreamed of.

The story is told the Bratzlaver rebbe, the famous Rebbe Nachman, who on the eve of his daughter’s betrothal remarked, “If the Messiah comes my daughter shall be married in Jerusalem.  If not, then in Bratzlav.”  - Rabbi Jonathan Magonet Lose hope and you have lost reason for being.  Hope and you will find that the stars will always shine.

The Messiah by H. Leivick Tanks and airplanes come, but the Messiah does not come upon them, The Messiah does not come, nor will he come, upon a tank; The Messiah does not come, nor will he come, upon a plane. Brothers, pronounce these words without regret or anger, Pronounce them gravely, not with chance or whim, Pronounce them brothers, verily with joy. Speak with the will of those of us Who are but putty, but redemption clay Within the hands of every uniformed redeemer; And those of us, the weak, lost, and betrayed Who in the last extreme of wretchedness Still seek for comfort, saying to ourselves; “Though he delay, we will not cease to wait him.” From this it surely follows, O my brothers, That the Messiah will not come except in a fashion Foretold by all of our most ancient dreamers: The Messiah will not come save as the lowly come, Riding humbly on a donkey’...

There is a midrash on Ruth Rabbah (5:6). Rabbi Yitzhak the son of Merion said: Our text comes to teach us that if a person performs a mitzvah he should perform it with a perfect heart.  If Reuven had known that the Holy One delivered him from their hand he would have carried Joseph on his shoulders to his father.     And if Aaron had known that the Holy One blessed be He was recording of him “Behold he is coming to meet you,” he would have come to meet Moses with drums and with dancing.    If Boaz had known that the Holy One blessed be He  would record of him, “And they reached out to her parched corn and she ate and was satisfied and left thereof,” he would have fed her fatted calves.  In the distant past when a person performed a mitzvah the prophet would record it.   When a person performs a mitzvah nowadays who is there to record it? Elijah records it and the messiah – and the Holy One blessed be He se...

"Immediate suffering....was the welcome penalty to be paid for eventual, universal dominion."  - Jacob Neusner There are many theories abut the arrival of the Messiah.  One of them involves the world devolving into the chaos whereupon God's intervention becomes immediate and necessary before we self-destruct.  The other is when humanity conducts itself righteously under God doing Mitzvot. It is our choice.

It is said that one day the Maggid decided that the signed the time had come to bring man’s exiled to an end. The decision caused alarm in heaven. He was asked: “Who do you think you are to dare tampering with the celestial order?” --- “I am the Tzaddik hador, this generation’s Just Man,” he replied – “You?  Prove it.”  -- “Very well, my disciples will furnish you proof.” Gathered hurriedly, they were asked point blank: “Am I or am I not this generation’s Just Man?” Thunder-struck, the disciples remained silent.  The Maggid repeated his question; nobody said a word.  He tried a third time and again was met by silence, always the same silence. It was a strange refusal, one that has remained unexplained to this day.  One wonders why these blindly devoted men refused, at the critical moment, to support their Master.  What is known is that, contrary to his predecessor, he never tried again.  It is written t...

Mitchell Wohlberg shared: Once, the plight of the Jewish people in a certain small village in Eastern Europe was so great that they cried to God to send the Messiah.  God heard their prayer.  But when the Messiah arrived, he had a problem.  Where should he announce his arrival?  If he announced his presence in the Chasidic shteibel, the MItnagdim would be offended.  If he announced his presence in the Mitnagdic synagogue, the Chasidim would be offended. What should he do? He thought it over and decided that he wouldn’t come so as not to offend either group.”- Robert Orkand W hen will he arrive?  When we are deserving of him.

The Dubner Maggid overheard a group of freethinkers scoffing at the Jewish religion and at the idea of a Messiah.  He turned to them and said, “A hungry fox saw a crow standing on a branch of a tall tree and called up, “Why are you afraid to come down to me?  The Messiah has come; no animal will now devour the other.  All will live in peace with one another.”   While the fox was talking to the crow, he heard the voices of barking dogs.  He became frightened and asked the crow to see where the barking came from.   “Hunter and ferocious-looking dogs are coming this way,” the crow informed him.   Instantly the fox began to run.   “Didn’t you say that the Messiah had come?” the crow asked. “Why are you running?”   “What else should I do?” the fox replied.  “Dogs don’t believe in a Messiah.”

Before Kol Nidre, the Koshnitzer Maggid stood before the holy Ark.  he said,  "Lord of the Universe! Had I known that the Messiah would not come in my days, I would have long ago surrendered my soul to Thee. All my life was the hope that the Messiah would come soon.  Now I ask You, dear God, is it nice to make a fool out of an old man like me?" -Rabbi Morris Shapiro When each of us comes to terms with a personal God, one whom we know and adore, will we be able to speak intimately like the Koshnitzer.

My father, of blessed memory, once gave me his scenario of messianic days:   Gog is on his throne, Messiah is at His right hand.   The villains of world history are brought to justice.   Hitler, Torquemada, Chemielnitski, Haman and Stalin are brought forward.   Their record is read: God turns to the Messiah and asks him: “Do you forgive?”   Messiah turns to the Jews and asks them: “Do you forgive?”   The Jews respond “Forgiven!” My father was a soft man.   But when he spoke about Europe and the Nazis he used language such as this: Zei zenen gangen in unzer blut biz iber di knee .   “They marched through our blood up to the knees.”   His expression was fierce.   –Rabbi Jacob Chinitz

"The lion and the calf shall lie down together but the calf won't get much sleep." -Woody Allen Have a little faith. Losing hope for what might be, is a tragedy.

Rabbi Mikhail of Zlotchov told:   Once when we were on a journey with our teacher, the Baal Shem Tov, he went into the woods to say the afternoon prayer.   Suddenly we saw him strike his head against a tree and cry out loud.   Later we asked him about it.   He said, “While I plunged into the holy spirit I saw that, in the generations which precede the coming of the Messiah, the rabbis of the Hasidim will multiply like locusts, and it will be they who delay redemption, for they will bring about the separation of hearts and groundless hatred.” –Martin Buber Even good intentions can bring about disaster.  We must always be vigilant and ask if we are doing the correct thing.

There is a legend told by the Eastern European Jews.   Rabbi Hayim of Volozhyn died and was told that he would be admitted immediately to Heaven so rich was he in good deeds.    Rabbi Hayim refused to enter until a guarantee had been given him that the pupils and teachers of the great Yeshiva would also be admitted without further ado.   After all, he argued, the success of the Yeshiva is their achievement not mine.   When this was acknowledged, Rabbi Hayim argued further for the admission of all Jews since Jewish householders everywhere contribute to the Torah.    But even this did not satisfy Rabbi Hayim.   After all, he argued further, the Gentiles have provided a home for the Jews.   They, too, have a share in the Torah.   In short, Rabbi Hayim refused to enter unless he were given a guarantee that all men would be allowed to enter.   He was told that at that time this was not possible since it had not yet been decreed that the...