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Moshiach in the Parsha
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THE NAME OF MOSHIACH
Breishis 1:2.
Sources: Baal HaTurim. Rokeach. Beraishis Rabbah 1:4. Yefei To'ar Hashalem There are a few things that are so important that Hashem created them even before He created the world. For example, the Torah and the Jewish people came first, because they are the purpose for which the world was created. Hashem also determined the name and identity of Moshiach before creating the world. This is because the main goal of creation is to fill the world with knowledge of Hashem -- and this will happen in Days of Moshiach. This is hinted to in the book of Tehilim and in Chumash. In Tehilim (72:17) it is written, "His [Moshiach's] name existed even before the sun." This shows that the identity of Moshiach was determined even before the world was created. And in Chumash it is written (Breishis 1:2), "And the soul of Hashem hovered above the waters." Our Sages tell us that this actually refers to the soul of Moshiach. Even the Hebrew words in the verse (v'ruach Elokim m'rachefes) have the same numeric value as the words, "This is the soul of Melech HaMoshiach" (ze haya rucho shel Melech HaMashiach).
THE FOUR EXILES
Breishis 1:2. 2:10-14.
Sources: Beraishis Rabbah 2:4. 16:4. Yefei To'ar When Hashem created the world, He knew that the Jewish people would be in exile 4 times (not including Egypt). The first exile was that of Bavel (Babylon), the second, Modai (Medea), the third, Yavan (Greece), and the fourth, Edom. It is this fourth exile that we have been suffering in for almost 2000 years. Hashem hinted to these 4 exiles in the story of creation. At the beginning of creation it is written that, "The world was tohu and vohu, and darkness covering the deep." The four phrases -- 1) "tohu", 2) "vohu", 3) "darkness", and 4) "covering the deep" -- hint to the 4 exiles. We find a similar hint in the description of the Garden of Eden, from which came out a river that split into 4 smaller rivers: Pishon, Gichon, Chidekel, and P'ros (Euphrates). These 4 rivers also correspond to the 4 exiles of Bavel, Modai, Yavan and Edom. The final exile, Edom, corresponds to the phrase, covering the deep" because just as we cannot grasp the depth of the ocean, so too we cannot grasp how terrible this exile is. It also is hinted to in the river "P'ros," because this exile has "upset" (hefirah, similar to the Hebrew word, "P'ros") the entire world. But it is the final exile, because Hashem will soon take away (hefer) this exile forever with the revelation of Moshiach!
THE BRIGHT LIGHT OF MOSHIACH
Breishis 1:4
Source: Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshayahu 499 Before the world was created, Hashem created the soul of Moshiach. It shone very brightly, and is hinted to in the verse: "And Hashem saw the light, that it was good." The forces of evil also saw this light, and asked Hashem, "Whose light is this?" Hashem answered, "This is the king who will defeat all of you in the End of Days." The forces of evil then fell on the ground in fear before the soul of Moshiach. Hashem then asked Moshiach, "It is destined that you will suffer greatly. Are you willing to accept this suffering?" Moshiach answered, "If you agree that in the Days of Moshiach everyone will live again and even those who were meant to be born will come to life -- upon these conditions I happily accept the suffering." And when the time for Redemption comes, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov will come to Moshiach and say, "Perhaps you have bad feeling towards the Jews who sinned, and therefore caused you to suffer. Maybe you don't want them to have a share in the joys of Geulah?" And Moshiach will answer them, "But all my suffering was only for their sake! Of course I want them to have a share in the Geulah!" And our Avos will answer him, "Moshiach, you have comforted us!"
THE MOON SO BRIGHT
Breishis 1:16.
Sources: Rashi. Yeshayahu 30:26. Shaloh 236 Hashem originally created the sun and the moon with equal brightness -- "the two great luminaries." But when the moon complained, Hashem made it smaller than the sun. In the Days of Moshiach, however, Hashem will make the moon shine brightly like the sun, as the prophet Yeshayahu said, "And the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, like the light of the Seven Days of Creation." This means that the sun will be much, much brighter than it is now. But the moon will be that much stronger, and shine just as brightly as that amazingly bright sun!
READY FOR SHABBOS
Breishis 2:3.
Sources: Ramban. Sefer HaSichos 5750:254. Birchas Hamazon In writing about Shabbos, the Torah says (and we include in our Kiddush on Friday night), "And Hashem blessed the 7th Day and made it holy, for on it He rested from all His work which He created to make."
The words, "to make," seem to be extra. Why are they written? One of the reasons is that the 7 days of creation correspond to the history of the world. When Hashem created the world in the beginning, He also "made" all of history. Each day of creation represents 1000 years, and the 6 days of creation match the 6000 years the world will exist in its present form. The 7th day, Shabbos, corresponds to the period after the year 6000, when the world will become fully and eternally holy. The period from the year 5000 to 6000 corresponds to Friday, and after the year 5750, to Friday afternoon. At that time we make intense preparations for Shabbos, and some of the laws of Shabbos already apply. Since we are in the Erev Shabbos ("Friday afternoon") before the Days of Moshiach, we must be sure to prepare ourselves for the Geulah -- which will be "All Shabbos and rest for eternal life."
WHAT THE JEWS ALWAYS PRAY FOR
Breishis 2:5
Source: Beraishis Rabbah 13:2 Before Hashem brought rain to the world, the trees and plants did not begin to grow. When the Torah writes about these trees it uses an unusual phrase: "si'ach hasadeh." This can be translated in two ways: "trees of the field" or "talk of the field." The Midrash tells us that this phrase points out the difference between what Jews and other nations talk about and pray for. When the nations talk it is always, "talk of the field" -- this means how much food their field is producing and how much money they are making. When they pray, they always ask, "Please, let the earth produce a lot of fruit!" The prayers of the Jewish people are different, because they are always praying for another kind of "field" -- the Bais HaMikdosh (Holy Temple, which is also called a "field"). They pray, "Please, let the Bais HaMikdosh be rebuilt!" and ask "When will the Bais HaMikdosh be rebuilt!"
THE SNAKE'S PUNISHMENT
Breishis 3:14
Source: Beraishis Rabbah 20:5 Before the snake caused Adam and Chava to sin, it had hands and feet. As a punishment, it lost its hands and feet and was cursed by Hashem, "You shall crawl on your belly and eat the dust all the days of your life." Rabbi Levi said that in the Age of Moshiach, everyone sick and everything that has something wrong with it will be healed. But the snake will not be healed -- even then it will have to crawl.
THE BOOK OF NAMES
Breishis 5:1
Source: Beraishis Rabbah 24:4 The Torah mentions, "The Book of the Generations of Adam." Rabbi Tanchum says that this book contains all the people who are to be born until the coming of Moshiach. He also said, "Melech HaMoshiach will come only when all the souls Hashem planned to create will be born." The names of these souls are written in the "Book of the Generations of Adam."
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