15 Marcheshvan 5777
Part 2 of What Does It Mean To Be "Pro-Israel"?
Many Jews in their eagerness to find clues about the final redemption in current events appear at times to jump ahead of the process and to see it as further along than it really is. Take, for example, the establishment of the modern State of Israel. They seem to think a government that includes Arabs and guarantees the "rights" of those who transgress the Torah as well as an IDF that includes Christians and Druze and mixes men and women can be considered messianic in nature.
There is no denying that the current reality is part of the process of getting to messianic times. Even the Erev Rav cannot succeed unless HKB"H wills it. But, what we have today is not the final product. If we think of the embryonic Kingdom of Israel which will come into existence in Days of Mashiach as a bird's egg, what we see of the State of Israel today is more like the shell within which the Kingdom develops until it is ready to "hatch". Once the bird pecks it's way out, the shell is discarded and forgotten. It served its purpose and is of no further use because it now has nothing to do with the future life of this bird.
Another example of jumping ahead before the process is far enough advanced is the push for building the Third Temple. Even though according to the law, there is no reason we should not rebuild the Temple, in point of fact, HKB"H has seen fit to block that path via the Muslim presence there until the time is ripe. Had the Muslims not been on the Temple Mount when the secular Zionists came to power, no doubt they would have turned it into a tourist attraction with a McDonald's on the spot. Today, we fare no better with the religious Zionists who are also infiltrated with Erev Rav. They want to build a Temple where all people of every religion can come to pray to their various false gods. They are already doing it at the Kotel HaMa'aravi!
Now, we come to the matter of the gentiles who have suddenly turned their attention to Israel and the Jews. Many good Jews with pure motives are seeing the "fulfillment of prophecy" in this trend. After all, that's what these gentiles are telling them - they are coming to "fulfill prophecy". However, "prophecy" which contradicts the Torah is not a true prophecy. And the world simply abounds with false prophecy and false prophets today - maybe like never before.
The vast majority of these gentiles still adhere to false beliefs no matter how much they claim to have left their former religion behind. Economic, social and cultural ties are being forged between these gentiles and well-meaning Jews like never before in history. In their vision of messianic times, it is not the lion and the lamb who lie down together, it is Jew and gentile. Together they proclaim there is no essential difference between the two and all the laws forbidding contact and mixing have been set aside as no longer relevant to this new "messianic era".
To all those who announce "We have arrived!" I reply, "We're not there yet!"
All of the prophecies of the Tanakh which foretell a mass movement of gentiles coming to the truth of Judaism describe the time after Mashiach has subdued the nations of the world who arrogantly went to war with HKB"H.
As I attempted to point out in the previous blog post, those gentiles who profess an affinity for Israel and the Jews are really identifying with the modern State of Israel which so closely resembles the West culturally. Furthermore, it is people like PM Netanyahu and very right-wing Zionistic Jews whom they admire - not the many Torah-learners sitting in yeshivah. The more connected the Jew is to the material (rather than the spiritual), the more the gentiles are drawn to them. Interestingly, according to the prophecies, it is the Torah that draws the gentiles to the Jews in true messianic times.
The fact is, the whole world, on a sub-conscious soul level, understands that the complete redemption is very near and that Jews are the vehicle for it. Therefore, they want to attach themselves wherever and however they can so that they can be a part of it. The thing is, it's not something that's just out there for the taking. A person - Jew or gentile - has to earn it, has to be made fit for it. I find an allusion to this in the Talmud.
It speaks of a final test for the gentiles at the end of days...
“….I have one easy Mitzvah, called Sukkah. Go and do it…” – Immediately, each gentle will build a Sukkah on his roof. G-d will make the sun blaze, and they will kick the Sukkah and leave. " – (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 3a-3b)
Hearking back again to yesterday's blog post, I described how difficult the situation will become after Mashiach begins to govern Israel in accordance with Torah values rather than Western ones. Suddenly, the smiles will fade and be replaced with frowns as Ya'aqov, Eisav's twin, morphs into Yisrael. Mashiach will be at loggerheads with every other world government on the planet and overnight, it will become as unpopular to be friends with Jews as it is popular in our present time.
This situation will "turn up the heat" making it very uncomfortable to remain steadfast alongside Jews. So much so that the insincere, who are the vast majority, will leave us with an epithet on their lips and a scowl on their faces.
Just so you know, we're not there yet. But we're getting there. It won't be much longer now.
