ר' יהושע אומר בניסן נגאלו בניסן עתידין ליגאל...
It was also taught in the baraita: Rabbi Yehoshua says: In Nisan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt; and in Nisan in the future the Jewish people will be redeemed in the final redemption...
“The exodus from Egypt liberated only one out of five Jews — and some say one out of every 50 – because all those who were bound to Egypt and did not want to depart died in the three days of darkness and were not privileged to leave. That is, only those who desired redemption with all their hearts were redeemed. The Final Redemption, likewise, depends upon our yearning.” As we say every morning, “By the End of Days He will send our Messiah, to redeem those longing for His final salvation.”[1]
“…When Hashem decides to bring the Geulah He will look down on the world and see if there is a tzaddik who is worthy of bringing the redemption. Hashem will see that there is no one who has sufficient merit for this, and He will need to bring great tribulations on the Jewish people, in order that the Geulah should take place. At the same time, happy is this generation, for someone who passes the tests of this trying period with strong emunah will merit to see the light of Hashem.”
Rav Mattisyahu Solomon says that having faith that Hashem will eventually bring the Geulah isn’t enough.
(א) וְכָל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַאֲמִין בּוֹ. אוֹ מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְחַכֶּה לְבִיאָתוֹ. לֹא בִּשְׁאָר נְבִיאִים בִּלְבַד הוּא כּוֹפֵר. אֶלָּא בַּתּוֹרָה וּבְמשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ:
(1) Anyone who does not believe in him or one who does not anticipate his coming not only denies the Prophets, but also the Torah and Moses our Teacher.
On Wednesday, Mrs. Leah Rubashkin got a call that her husband summoned to the warden’s office. She got into the car and headed off to Otisville. She arrived with a change of clothing for her husband, but the guard said no, he couldn’t change on the premises – one last display of power on the part of the warden’s office. I wondered how she’d had the presence of mind to grab a change of clothing after having received the most exhilarating phone call of her life.
“I didn’t,” Mrs. Rubashkin answered. “I’ve been driving around with that change of clothing in my car for eight years.” Mrs. Leah Rubashkin is the epitome of the Chofeitz Chayim![1]
How is the word ‘religious’ defined by Catholicism? How is it defined in Judaism? Religion, for Christians, relates to one’s creed – i.e. what you believe. For a Jew, Religion relates to one’s deeds – it is a person’s actions that count.[1]
שלשה הקדוש ברוך הוא שונאן המדבר אחד בפה ואחד בלב...
The Gemara cites a similar statement... The Holy One, Blessed be He, hates three people: One who says one statement with his mouth and means another in his heart, i.e., a hypocrite;...
חותמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא אמת...
The seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is truth [emet]...
הקב"ה ליבא בעי...
The Holy One, Blessed be He, seeks the heart...
(יח) רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד... וְעַל הָאֱמֶת...:
(18) Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, "On three things the world stands... on truth...
“Even though the time of the redemption had arrived, they weren’t worthy of being redeemed. However, once they all cried out in unison from the work that they were undergoing, their tefillos were accepted… This is to teach you that the tefillah of a person is only complete when one cries out from the pain and stress that are contained within one’s heart. This type of tefillah is more accepted by Hashem then mere lip service.”[1]
וַיְמָרְר֨וּ אֶת־חַיֵּיהֶ֜ם בַּעֲבֹדָ֣ה קָשָׁ֗ה בְּחֹ֙מֶר֙ וּבִלְבֵנִ֔ים וּבְכָל־עֲבֹדָ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה אֵ֚ת כָּל־עֲבֹ֣דָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃
the various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlessly they made life bitter for them with harsh labor at mortar and bricks and with all sorts of tasks in the field.
That G-d’s Name should be sanctified… As the Rambam says, “Moshiach will correct the entire world to worship G-d together, as it says, ‘For then I [G-d] will turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Hashem, to serve Him with one consent.’”[1]
(כד) השיבה שופטינו ...ומלוך עלינו אתה יקוק לבדך שנאמר והיה יקוק למלך על כל הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה יקוק אחד ושמו אחד...
and reign over us, You, O Lord alone, as it is written: "And the LORD shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one LORD with one name."
The whole world should know of His existence!
איתיביה ר' יוסי בר' יהודה אומר שלש רגלים בשנה נצטוו ישראל לעלות ברגל בחג המצות ובחג השבועות ובחג הסוכות...
Reish Lakish raised another objection to the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan. Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: Three times a year the Jewish people were commanded to ascend on the pilgrimage Festival: On Passover, on Shavuot, and on Sukkot...
“Even though we pray for the redemption several times every day, requesting by itself is not enough. One must demand the redemption, just as with the wages of a hired worker. Failure to do so shows that this matter is clearly not that urgent to us!”[1]
We can...