Besides crying, how does one merit to be included in the Final Redemption?
(ב) ויהי חשך אפלה: שלשת ימים. חֹשֶׁךְ שֶׁל אֹפֶל, שֶׁלֹּא רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו אוֹתָן ג' יָמִים. וְעוֹד שְׁלוֹשֶׁת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים חֹשֶׁךְ מֻכְפָּל עַל זֶה, שֶׁלֹּא קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו – יוֹשֵׁב אֵין יָכוֹל לַעֲמֹד, וְעוֹמֵד אֵין יָכוֹל לֵישֵׁב; וְלָמָּה הֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם חֹשֶׁךְ? שֶׁהָיוּ בְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר רְשָׁעִים וְלֹא הָיוּ רוֹצִים לָצֵאת, וּמֵתוּ בִשְׁלוֹשֶׁת יְמֵי אֲפֵלָה...
(2) ויהי חשך אפלה … שלשת ימים — there was darkness of gloom when no man saw another during those three days, and there was moreover another period of three days’ darkness... And why did He bring darkness upon them? Because there were wicked people amongst the Israelites of that generation who had no desire to leave Egypt, and these died during the three days of darkness...
What made them wicked?
(ג) וְהָיָה לָהֶן שָׁם עשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד וְלֹא הָיוּ רוֹצִים לָצֵאת, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אִם אָבִיא עֲלֵיהֶן מַכָּה בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא וְיָמוּתוּ...
They had favored positions among the Egyptians and could not dream of giving up their wealth. Therefore, they died in the plague of darkness.
הקב"ה ליבא בעי...
The Holy One, Blessed be He, seeks the heart, and the barometer of greatness is devotion of the heart and not the amount of Torah that one studies...
What did G-d “see” in their hearts?
(ד) עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנוֹ כִרְצוֹנְךָ...
(4) Do His will as though it were your will...
They weren’t interested in making G-d’s will like their will – to leave Egypt.
תניא רבי סימאי אומר... מקיש יציאתן ממצרים לביאתן לארץ מה ביאתן לארץ שנים מס' ריבוא אף יציאתן ממצרים שנים מס' ריבוא אמר רבא וכן לימות המשיח...
It is taught in a baraita with regard to the few that are destined to be redeemed: Rav Simai says... The Torah compares their exodus from Egypt to their entry into the land; just as during their entry into the land only two of six hundred thousand entered the land, as they all died in the wilderness except for Caleb and Joshua, so too, during their exodus from Egypt, in terms of the ratio, only two of six hundred thousand left Egypt and the rest died there. Rava says: And likewise, that will be situation in the messianic era... The ultimate redemption and the exodus from Egypt are juxtaposed, indicating that in the messianic era too, only few will survive.
Rashi explains that the number of Jews who left Egypt at the time was but a tiny fraction 1/300,000 - of the original Jewish population in Egypt. The rest perished during the plague of darkness when the Egyptians would not be able to witness the downfall of the sinners of our nation (ArtScroll Sanhedrin 111a, note 23). The same will be in the Messianic Era (see note 27). Only 1/300,000 of the Jews will remain at that time (ArtScroll Sanhedrin 111a, note 24).
Rashi explains that the number of Jews who left Egypt at the time was but a tiny fraction 1/300,000 - of the original Jewish population in Egypt. The rest perished during the plague of darkness when the Egyptians would not be able to witness the downfall of the sinners of our nation (ArtScroll Sanhedrin 111a, note 23). The same will be in the Messianic Era (see note 27). Only 1/300,000 of the Jews will remain at that time (ArtScroll Sanhedrin 111a, note 24).
Approximately 130 years ago, Rabbeinu Tzidkiyah zt”l wrote in the name of his brother R’ Binyamin zt”l the following:
ואפילו אם יהיה בעקב הגאולה והרי הוא נכתב בכת הרשעים שאינן מאמינים ואינן ראויין לגאולה כמו שמצינו במצרים שכל אותן שלא האמינו בגאולה מתו בשלשה ימי אפילת
Even if a person will be alive when the redemption arrives, one will be written in the group of the wicked who do not believe and are not fit for the redemption, as we find by [the redemption from] Egypt that all those who did not believe in the redemption (i.e. yearn for it) died during the three days of darkness and did not merit to leave Egypt” (Shebolei HaLeket HaSholeim, chapter 274)
(ח) וְיִתְגְּלֵי לְבָתַר מָשִׁיחַ, וְיִתְכַּנְּשׁוּן לְגַבֵּיהּ עַמִּין סַגִּיאִין, וְיִתְּעַר קְרָבִין בְּכָל עָלְמָא. וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא יִתְּעַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא גְּבוּרְתֵּיהּ לְכָל עַמִּין דְּעָלְמָא, וּמַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא יִתְיְדַע בְּכָל עָלְמָא, וְכָל מַלְכִין דְּעָלְמָא יִתְעָרוּן לְאִתְחַבְּרָא לְאַגָּחָא קְרָבָא בֵּיהּ.
יִתְגַּלֶּה הַמָּשִׁיחַ, וְיִתְכַּנְּסוּ אֵלָיו עַמִּים רַבִּים, וִיעוֹרֵר קְרָבוֹת בְּכָל הָעוֹלָם. וּבְאוֹתוֹ זְמַן יְעוֹרֵר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת גְּבוּרָתוֹ לְכָל עַמֵּי הָעוֹלָם, וּמֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ יִוָּדַע בְּכָל הָעוֹלָם, וְכָל מַלְכֵי הָעוֹלָם יִתְעוֹרְרוּ לְהִתְחַבֵּר לַעֲרֹךְ בּוֹ קְרָב.
(ט) וְכַמָּה (עמין) מִפְּרִיצֵי יְהוּדָאִין יִתְהַפְּכוּ לְאָהַדְּרָא לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, וְיֵיתוּן עִמְּהוֹן, לְאַגָּחָא קְרָבָא עַל מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא. כְּדֵין יִתְחָשַּׁךְ כָּל עָלְמָא חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה יוֹמִין, וְסַגִּיאִין מֵעַמָּא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוֹן מֵתִין בְּהַהוּא חֲשׁוֹכָא...
וְכַמָּה [עמים] מִפָּרִיצֵי הַיְּהוּדִים יִתְהַפְּכוּ לַחֲזֹר אֲלֵיהֶם, וְיָבֹאוּ עִמָּהֶם לַעֲרֹךְ קְרָב עַל מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, וְאָז יֶחְשַׁךְ כָּל הָעוֹלָם חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם, וְרַבִּים מֵעַם יִשְׂרָאֵל יָמוּתוּ בְּאוֹתוֹ חֹשֶׁךְ...
At that time the Holy One, Blessed be He, shall show forth his power before all the nations of the earth, and the Mashiach shall be manifested throughout the whole universe, and all the kings will unite to fight against him, and even in Israel there will be found some wicked ones – wayward Jews [any Jew that is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways] - who shall join them in the fight against the Mashiach. Then there will be darkness over all the world, and for fifteen days shall it continue, and many in Israel shall perish in that darkness…
Why? One reason is that they didn’t fulfill the prerequisite of what we say every day in davening:
(א) יִשְׁלַח לְקֵץ הַיָּמִין מְשִׁיחֵנוּ, לִפְדּות מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתו.
(1) He will send at the End of Days our Mashiach, to redeem those longing for His - Hashem’s - final salvation.
Not only didn’t they look forward to G-d’s salvation; on the contrary, they had the brazenness like Amaleik and attempted to fight Mashiach! The second merit is through faith. This entails keeping Shabbos. Why? Because Shabbos is the basis of faith.
The second merit is through faith. This entails keeping Shabbos. Why? Because Shabbos is the basis of faith (see Seifer HaChinuch, mitzvah #32; Rashi on Chullin 5a ד"ה אלא לאו הכי קאמר).
רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי אלמלי משמרין ישראל שתי שבתות כהלכתן מיד נגאלים...
Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: If only the Jewish people would keep two Shabbatot in accordance with their halakhot, they would be immediately redeemed...
היו ישראל משמרין שבת אחת כתיקנה מיד היה בן דוד בא...
If only the Jewish people would keep one Shabbos in accordance with their halakhot, Ben David would come, i.e. they would redeemed immediately...
(יב) אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי, אִם מְשַׁמְּרִים יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת כָּרָאוּי אֲפִלּוּ יוֹם אֶחָד בֶּן דָּוִד בָּא, לָמָּה, שֶׁהִיא שְׁקוּלָה כְּנֶגֶד כָּל הַמִּצְווֹת...
(12) According to Rabbi Levi: If all of Israel were to keep Shabbat properly for even a single day, the Messiah ben David would come. Why? because it is equivalent to all of the commandments...
Rav Chaim Kanievsky said that we hold like the Yerushalmi.
(ב) דְּכַד יֵיתֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְפַקְדָּא לְאַיַּילְתָּא, יִסְתָּכַּל מַאן אִינּוּן דְּקַיְימִין בַּהֲדָהּ, בְּכָל אִינּוּן דְּמִשְׁתַּכְּחֵי עִמָּהּ, בְּכָל עוֹבָדוֹי דְּכָל חַד וְחָד, וְלָא יִשְׁתְּכַּח זַכָּאי... וְכַמָּה עַקְתִּין עַל עַקְתִּין לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.
שֶׁכְּשֶׁיָּבֹא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִפְקֹד אֶת הָאַיָּלָה, יִסְתַּכֵּל מִי הֵם אוֹתָם שֶׁעָמְדוּ עִמָּהּ, בְּכָל אוֹתָם שֶׁנִּמְצָאִים עִמָּהּ, בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂי כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, וְלֹא יִמָּצֵא צַדִּיק... וְכַמָּה צָרוֹת עַל צָרוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.
(ג) זַכָּאָה מַאן דְּיִזְדָּמַן וְיִשְׁתְּכַּח בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא, בְּגִין דְּהַהוּא דְּיִתְקָיָּים בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא בִּמְהֵימָנוּתָא, יִזְכֶּה לְהַהוּא נְהִירוּ דְּחֶדְוָה דְּמַלְכָּא...
אַשְׁרֵי מִי שֶׁיִּזְדַּמֵּן וְיִמָּצֵא בְּאוֹתוֹ הַזְּמַן - מִשּׁוּם שֶׁאוֹתוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד בְּאוֹתוֹ זְמַן בֶּאֱמוּנָה, יִזְכֶּה לְאוֹתוֹ אוֹר שֶׁל שִׂמְחַת הַמֶּלֶךְ...
When the Holy One, Blessed be He decides to bring the Final Redemption, He will look down on the world and see if there is a righteous person who is worthy of bringing the redemption. [He] will see that no one has sufficient merit for this and He will need to bring great tribulations on the Jewish people so that the Final Redemption should take place. At the same time, fortunate is this generation, for someone who passes the tests of this trying period with strong faith will merit to see the light of happiness of the King
Click here for part 4
Dedicated in memory of:
- Velvel Volf Zev ben Aharon - sanctified G-d's Name amongst Jews and non-Jews.
- Shimshon ben Meshulam Dov - exemplified living with happiness and did the same to others despite the challenges he was going through in his own life.
- HaRav Zechariah Shimon ben Yitzchak HaKohein - gave of himself both physically and spiritually on behalf of the Jewish People.
- Bryna Bracha bas Aryeh Yaakov - was a 🌟 in relationships with people and our Creator.
- Rav Meir Yaakov ben HaRav Aharon - revolutionized the transmission of the Written and Oral Torah on behalf of the Jewish People.
- Rav Yisrael Meir ben R’ Aryeh Zev HaKohein, Menachem Mendel ben Levi Yitzchak, Elchonon Bunem ben Naftali Beinish Hy”d.
- Reva Leah bas Dovid Yehoshua, Eliezer Moshe ben Avraham, Kayla Rus bas Bunim Tuvia, Rabbi Uri Zohar, Shmuel Aharon ben Nasan Nattah and Ezra Yonatan ben Gary.