The Signs of Redemption: Are We Approaching the Messianic Days?
Are we now on the eve of redemption, just before the arrival of the Messiah? Insights from the Zohar and the Talmud reveal that we might be nearing the great light of the Messianic era.
- נעמה גרין
- פורסם ה' אב התשפ"א
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The redemption of the people of Israel and the Messianic era occupy a special place in the Prophets, the Talmud, the Midrash, and the teachings of the Zohar. Belief in the coming of the Messiah and the redemption of Israel is a central obligation in Judaism, and it is even established as one of the principles of faith that every Jew is required to believe in. Belief in redemption is based on the recognition of Hashem’s infinite goodness, His great power, His endless compassion, and His love for Israel, despite their sins.
In the Tractate Sotah, it is said: "In the footsteps of the Messiah, insolence will increase, and costs will rise. The vine will give its fruit, but wine will be expensive. Monarchies will turn to heresy, and there will be no rebuke. The meeting places will become places of immorality, the Galilee will be in ruins, and the border areas will be desolate. Scholars will be despised, and those who fear sin will be scorned. The truth will be absent, and young people will disrespect the elderly. Elders will stand before the young; sons will disgrace their fathers, daughters will rise against their mothers, brides against their mothers-in-law. The enemies of a man will be his household, and the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog. The son will not be ashamed before his father, and in whom can we trust? Only in our Father in heaven."
The spiritual condition will be dire on the eve of the Messianic era. The spiritual level will be lower than ever, not only among Jews but in all kingdoms of the world. Even in places where there was some belief, it will be lost, and all nations will deny Hashem and His commandments.
Israel will also undergo this process. The Jewish people will abandon the ways of Hashem and forget the Torah and its commandments. Instead of the good qualities that characterize the Jewish people, traits such as arrogance and insolence will appear among the Jews, with behavior devoid of values. As a result of this spiritual decline, there will be an atmosphere of materialism, recklessness, and the abandonment of morality. Public immorality will be rampant, while the Torah will be disrespected and considered insignificant (Sanhedrin 97a). People will not be ashamed to speak of their sins and desires, and the few who remain God-fearing will be considered backward by the general public. The belief and clear knowledge about the Mount Sinai event will not be widely known, and people will cease to believe in it, each going after his own false idols. "Truth will be absent, indicating that it is divided into flocks and flees," as taught in the Sanhedrin there.
Why do we focus so much on destruction and exile in Judaism, and on the other hand, why must we constantly anticipate salvation and the Messianic era? Watch Rabbi Eliyahu Amir's lecture:
*In accurate expression search should be used in quotas. For example: "Family Pure", "Rabbi Zamir Cohen" and so on
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