Geulah Without Apocalyptic War, Thanks To The Children
From the desk of Rabbi Nissim Lagziel, Mashpia in Oholei Torah: Parshas Behaaloscha tells the story of Eldad and Meidad, two righteous men who were deserving of prophecy. In their great humility (11:26), “they did not go out to the tent but prophesied in the camp.” They were among the seventy outstanding individuals, men of spirit, who were chosen from the nation to serve under Moshe Rabeinu as the ‘Seventy Elders’ and to be partners in leading the nation, something like the first Sanhedrin in Jewish history, but they chose to stay home • Full Article
By Rabbi Nissim Lagziel, Mashpia in Oholei Torah
BEGIN WITH A GRIN
A journalist from abroad visits the Kosel and watches what’s going on. She sees an old man who has just finished praying fold his tallis and start to leave.
“Excuse me,” she says, “can I talk to you?”
“Sure,” he says.
“How often do you pray here?”
“Every day, for forty years now.”
“What do you pray for?” she asks.
“I pray that the Jews and Arabs live in peace and that all our children grow up in peace and prosperity.”
“That’s beautiful,” she says admiringly. “How do you feel after you’ve been praying for forty years now?”
“Like I’m talking to the wall.”
WORDS OF WAR
Parshas Behaaloscha tells the story of Eldad and Meidad, two righteous men who were deserving of prophecy. In their great humility (11:26), “they did not go out to the tent but prophesied in the camp.” They were among the seventy outstanding individuals, men of spirit, who were chosen from the nation to serve under Moshe Rabeinu as the ‘Seventy Elders’ and to be partners in leading the nation, something like the first Sanhedrin in Jewish history, but they chose to stay home.
Eldad and Meidad were prophesying and Yehoshua, Moshe’s closest disciple, intervenes and wants them stopped. “My master Moshe, imprison them!” Why? What was wrong with their prophesying? And what were they prophesying about anyway?
The usual response, which Rashi brings, is that they were prophesying about the passing of Moshe. “Moshe will die and Yehoshua will take them into the land.” This was a prophecy which certainly upset Yehoshua who rose to protect his master’s honor.
There are other explanations in Chazal about their prophecy. In Targum Yonasan ben Uziel on the verse it says that Eldad prophesied about the death of Moshe while Meidad prophesied about the tragic event that would take place (later in the parsha) with the slav birds. Then, both of them prophesied about something that would happen thousands of years later. They prophesied about the war of Gog and Magog. The Targum has a detailed description (quite terrifying) about the horrors of the bloody war which will take place on the eve of the Geula.
What is this war? Will it really happen?
The first mention of this war appears in chapters 38-39 of the book of Yechezkel. From this prophecy it seems that the purpose of this war is positive. It’s a cruel idea that G-d “plants” in the heart of the cursed gentile “Gog,” the wicked king who convinces the other nations to join him in war against the Jews. This goy, along with his allies, will suffer a downfall because G-d will do miracles the likes of which haven’t been seen in the world and they will be trampled and die.
The purpose of this war is to get the entire world to believe in G-d after they see the great miracles that will take place. As the verse says in Yechezkel (38:23), “And I will reveal Myself in My greatness and in My holiness and will be recognized in the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am the L-rd,” or in other words, the purpose of the war is to make the greatest kiddush Hashem in the entire world.
If there’s going to be a war already, we might as well derive some additional benefit… In fact, there is another purpose.
The second purpose of that war is to destroy the enemies of Israel, once and for all!
WAR NO MORE
In an unusual sicha (which was connected in part to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the great tension between the Soviet Union and the United States) the Rebbe explained his perspective on this war. The Gemara in Sanhedrin (94a) says that G-d wanted to make Chizkiyahu Moshiach and Sancheriv – Gog and Magog. From this we learn that there isn’t a specific individual being identified by the prophet with the name of “Gog.” And there isn’t a specific nation named “Magog.” It changes from generation to generation and from era to era.
The Rebbe quotes the prophet Yeshaya (8:18), “Behold, I and the children whom the L-rd gave me for signs and for tokens in Israel…” According to this prophecy, it’s the children that G-d gave him, who will redeem him in the war of Sancheriv. From here the Rebbe learns that it will be the Jewish children who will save us from the war of Gog and Magog!
The Rebbe explains, the Gemara (Brachos 7b) teaches us that there is something far worse than the war of Gog and Magog, and that is, “A wayward child in a man’s home is worse than the war of Gog and Magog.” The Gemara brings proof from Dovid HaMelech. In the war of Avshalom, his son, he says (Tehillim 3:2), “O L-rd, how many have my adversaries become! Great men rise up against me,” while regarding the war of Gog and Magog he says (2:1), “Why have nations gathered and [why do] kingdoms think vain things?”
The nations fight among themselves; maybe they think they are fighting with us, but the truth is that when it concerns a Jew, their strength turns to nothing. Not because of an Iron Dome or a tank (“my strength and the power of my hand,” G-d forbid) but because, “He Who dwells in Heaven laughs; the L-rd mocks them.” They can fight from today till tomorrow but the Jewish people know “G-d is with us.”
Our real concern needs to be the chinuch of Jewish children, those children who will save us in battle. Sheor Yashuv, Emanuel, Maheir Shalal Chish Baz (the names of Yeshaya’s children who saved him in the war with Sancheriv).
We need to teach our children that “Sheor Yashuv”, i.e. the remnant of Israel, will return from exile. Following them will come the Geula for every single Jew. We need to teach our children that “Emanuel” – G-d is with us and victory is in our hands, because there is no power in the world that can overcome G-d’s omnipotence. We need to teach our children that “Maheir Shalal Chish Baz” – the victory will be swift to the point that the booty and spoils of war are already in our hands!
On that same occasion, the Rebbe even mentioned the Gemara (Sanhedrin 98a), “In the seventh year, wars; in motzoei sheviis (Shnas Hakhel!) Ben Dovid comes!” This year, 5783, is motzoei sheviis!
As to the question whether the war of Gog and Magog will actually happen, there is a tradition from the Baal Shem Tov (Shem M’Shmuel Vayigash 5677 p. 298) “that now that the exile has been extended so long, we are exempt from the war of Gog and Magog, and after the ingathering of exiles the Jewish people will settle peacefully on their land forever.”
In addition, in an interesting dialogue that took place between the Rebbe and his brother-in-law, Rashag, at the Acharon shel Pesach seuda in 5730, Rashag asked the Rebbe whether the war of God and Magog already took place and if not, when would it be. The Rebbe answered that some say in World War I there was someone who was called by the name Gog and it says in sefarim that in the year 5674 (1914, the year World War I began) was a ketz.
On another occasion (Shabbos parshas Vaeira 5751) the Rebbe said, “It is obvious that… after the Holocaust, there will be no repeat of the affliction, nothing similar to it or even a partial repeat; on the contrary, it will only be goodness and kindness with apparent, visible goodness for every Jew and all the Jewish people wherever they are.”
What should be of concern to us regarding the Geula is what exactly is happening with our children. Are we providing them with the proper chinuch and are they receiving the chinuch that we are trying to give them. As far as the war of Gog and Magog, leave that to G-d; he’ll take care of them!
TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY
We will end with a story about the importance of children to the Rebbe. Rabbi YY Jacobson related, “Sunday, 26 Adar 5752, I was a bachur and was supposed to fly to Eretz Yisrael. Before the flight, I went to the Rebbe for a dollar and a bracha.
“I stood on a long, winding line for an hour. In front of me was a girl about six or seven who was obviously not Chabad but when she passed by the Rebbe and received her dollar, she said in English, ‘I love you.’
“The secretaries were a bit taken aback and I was curious to see how the Rebbe would react. The Rebbe smiled in a way I had never seen before. I saw the Rebbe smile many times, whether at farbrengens or other occasions, but never a smile like this. The Rebbe’s face shone with joy. The Rebbe said to her: “Thank you very much.” As the little girl was about to move on, the Rebbe gave her a second dollar and said, “This is for your love.” Those were the last words to date that I heard from the Rebbe.”
Good Shabbos!
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