THE PESACH FAQ’S REVISITED
That child-like innocence that hasn’t yet been tainted by our intellectual nature may be lying dormant. We must do something drastic, unorthodox and unconventional to awaken it.
That child-like innocence that hasn’t yet been tainted by our intellectual nature may be lying dormant. We must do something drastic, unorthodox and unconventional to awaken it.
We will still commemorate the Exodus in the Messianic era because without that memory and the transformative quality that constituted the journey out of slavery, the liberation and awareness we will experience then would not be possible.
What does the Rebbe really want from you? If you know that what he wants from you is to be crazy about Moshiach, then there is nothing else that matters…
How can it be that no one opens his mouth in protest?! If the Jewish people would ask and plead, bang on the table and demand that Moshiach Tzidkeinu should come immediately, “now!” – Moshiach would be here already, arriving even on Shabbos!
There is a tradition from the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov that the extraordinary length of the present severe galus has already made up for the troubles of that possible future battle and the trauma of the death of Moshiach ben Yosef. Therefore, these will certainly not take place.
We cannot lull ourselves into thinking that the Redemption is far off and that it is an elusive goal. That is tantamount to one who places G-d on a “pedestal” and maintains that He is beyond our reach. We must approach our requests for Moshiach and Redemption as requests for things that are within range, nay, that they are right outside our doorway standing on the threshold.
Perhaps, then, this is the innovation of Moshiach and the Jewish utopia: That with the leadership of a wise and selfless sage we will transcend our normal human limitations and attain perfection both inside and outside – which will no longer contradict each other.
Our current series is unique. Instead of focusing on the era of Moshiach or Moshiach himself, we will be discussing the characters of Yemos HaMoshiach. This will include, among others, Moshiach Ben Yosef, Gog the king of Magog, the Sanhedrin, and the role of all previous Jewish leaders in Yemos HaMoshiach.
Moshiach’s role as the one who ushers in the final Redemption has yet to materialize. The world is still shrouded in darkness even as we anticipate the Redemption every day. What can we do to see his radiant face and translate that light into the end of the darkness of exile?
The Zohar’s statement begs the well-known question: How can it be said that women are “exempt from Mitzvos”? Women are actually obligated in the majority of the Mitzvos! * The Kos Shel Bracha of the Future Era entails the revelation of the essence of G-d, which is connected with the essence of a Jew, a Jew’s inner core which transcends Torah and Mitzvos.
The message should have been unmistakably clear. The way to generate brotherly love and respect for our parents is by going out of our way to help bring purity to our brothers and sisters, even if it means that we sacrifice some of our own purity. Only the sacrifices that we will make for one another are the key to reconnecting to our Heavenly Father.
How does one summon such arrogance and self-indulgence to say that when the Jewish people need to be saved from exile, all the Jewish people remain as they are for a moment while the redemption begins to unfold for this individual?! * The entire world was indeed created for the individual Jew, to the extent that “G-d stands with him.” Thus, the redemption first unfolds for him.
“And so, now I’m on my way to Siberia. I thought that the Rebbe was dispensing business advice, but he must have seen that there is something there, in Siberia, that I must achieve, some part of my mission in life that must be played out in the frozen east. I could have gone in comfort, as a wealthy businessman and government contractor. Now I am going in chains…”