Clearance Sale of Our Times

My friend Moshe owns a large grocery store, much of which was funded by my purchases there. The store has been around since the neighborhood was founded, and I've always shopped there. Today, visiting the store at my wife's request to restock our fridge, I found Moshe beaming. "What's going on, my friend?" I asked. "Ah, it's nice of you to ask," Moshe replied with a broad smile. "A major investor came in wanting to build a huge shopping center right here." "Is that a reason to be happy?" I wondered aloud, thinking closing the shop would be troubling. But Moshe assured me, "You don’t get it. The offer I received is at least 40 times the store’s value. I can clear some debts, help pay for my children's weddings, and even have some left for the grandchildren. Besides, I’ve reached retirement age." He smiled slyly. Suddenly, in a few days, massive ads sprang up in our neighborhood announcing a "Huge Clearance Sale." Five diapers for a hundred, eight canned goods for twenty shekels, and other surprising deals. What was going on? Had Moshe lost it? These weren't even prices you'd see at unknown stores! I mentioned this to Ophir, a friend, who just laughed. "Yosef, seriously? Don’t you know Moshe promised to turn over the store to the investor by the month’s end?" With only three days left, Moshe had to clear all his stock, so he was cutting prices dramatically. I didn’t hear the rest. I dashed to the store with the few coins I had because everyone benefits from a clearance sale.

Rapid Changes

Have you noticed the strange things happening lately? I'm talking about significant events — there's talk of potential attacks in Iran, the air feels charged with war, and many great rabbis have passed away recently (over ten in three months, including the tragic murder of Rabbi Elazar Abuhatzeira, the sudden death of Rebbetzin Kanievsky, the head of the Mir Yeshiva, Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, and unfortunately many others). There’s the tsunami in Japan, earthquakes worldwide... something's up! At first glance, these could appear as isolated incidents. Maybe bad weather caused the tsunami, or underground shifts led to the earthquake. Yes, Iran is provoking fears and righteous figures were elderly. There’s no shortage of explanations. But I tried seeing things differently, a bit from above, and found an entirely different picture. We all know we're at the end of the sixth millennium, a time known in Talmudic terms as "heels of the Messiah" — the last steps before messianic times. The Messiah is supposed to arrive. We’re just minutes before the shop owner sells his asset — this world — and opens a vast and advanced shopping mall — the world to come. The time has come; we’re deep into the process already, but a few more details need wrapping up. Hashem is pushing things along, time is pressing, and there’s still much to do. All this, not even touching on what we've already experienced — the high cost of living, countries drowning in debt, wars everywhere, immense hatred towards religion and its followers, and a mass return to faith by hundreds of thousands of Jews... Has anyone thought about it? Did you notice? You’re reading this article online, right? Open another browser tab and look up events since World War II until now... More has happened in these 60 years scientifically, politically, and spiritually than in hundreds of years before across all realms! Allow me to quote a small excerpt from a newspaper published a few years back: "In the footsteps of the Messiah: impudence will increase, the cost of living will rise, grapes will bear fruit, but wine will cost dearly, governments will turn heretical, there will be no rebuke, a place of learning will become a place of depravity, the Galilee will be desolate, the Golan will be empty of people, and border people will wander from city to city but will not be shown mercy. The wisdom of scribes will rot, and those who fear sin will be despised, and the truth will be lacking. The faces of the generation will be like the face of a dog; the son will not shame his father." I forgot to mention; this excerpt was published millennia ago by the sages of Israel as the final Mishnah in Tractate Sotah. A prophecy that was written thousands of years ago is finally coming true.

What a Scare

So yes, we talked about wars, a gloomy forecast with Hezbollah preparing for battle, Iran with nuclear weapons, murders, robberies, terrorism continuing as part of daily life, and the ground shaking beneath us—both literally and metaphorically. It's frightening to everyone. But not quite — if we continue with the prophetic words we just saw how valid and timely they are, and move to another teaching from the sages, we might sleep peacefully at night. The sages write: Rabbi Yitzchak said, "The year the King Messiah reveals himself, the kings of the world will provoke each other. The king of Persia will provoke the king of Arabia, and the king of Arabia will go to Edom to seek advice. The king of Persia will return and destroy the entire world, and all the world's nations will be in turmoil, bewildered and terrified, clutching their sides as a woman in labor. Israel will be in turmoil, saying, 'Where shall we go? Where shall we come?' And Hashem will say to them, 'My sons, do not fear. All that I have done, I have done only for your sake. Why do you fear? Do not fear! The time of your redemption has come, and this redemption will not be like your first redemption, where you had suffering and servitude afterward, but this final redemption will not have any suffering or servitude of kingdoms afterward.' Our rabbis taught: at the time the King Messiah reveals himself, he stands on the roof of the Holy Temple and announces to Israel, saying to them, 'Humble ones, the time of your redemption has come, and if you do not believe, see my light that has shined upon you.'"

Dear Jewish people, this is my perspective, looking from "above," it seems: The time of redemption has come, the clearance sale is in full swing, gather mitzvot and rejoice for the future because Hashem walks among our camp.