“Midah keneged Midah” (“Measure for Measure”) or: President Trump, Esav (Esau), Edom, Christianity, Ismael and Islam. A spiritual view.
➔ See also related article Understanding the Messianic Process
➔ See also Part II 21st Century & The Coming of Messiah (II)
➔ Go to Kabbalah Glossary to view terms and definitions often used by R.Kessin.
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Rabbi Mendel Kessin Schiurim (Teachings) (on YouTube Channel “torahthinking”):
- (31DEC2020) C21 #61 | The Turmoil that Surrounds the Coming of Mashiach (1:15:05)
- (11NOV2020) C21 #60 | The Inner Meaning of the 2020 Election Results (1:17:56)
For more teachings of R. Mendel Kessin go to torahthinking.com.
(Video published 31-DEC-2020) 21st Century #61 | The Turmoil that Surrounds the Coming of Mashiach:
Credit goes to Robin Diamond of Blogs.TimesOfIsrael.com!
Copied from Blogs.TimesOfIsrael.com: The Blogs – Robin Diamond “Rabbi Mendel Kessin: The Turmoil That Surrounds the Coming of Mashiach“:
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“We live in very confusing times,” says Rabbi Mendel Kessin. The list is long: the havoc wrought by Covid-19, the U.S. election whose controversy is magnified by purveyors of fake news, the pending Israeli elections after two years of paralysis and socio-political divisiveness, the “turmoil” which disrupts the “flow of civilization.” So, as always, the rabbi asks, “How does the Divine Agenda explain what is happening?” How do the requirements of the Divine Agenda itself explain the turmoil? Why does it appear as though the progress of the messianic process seems to be “interrupted,” or even “stopped”?
Returning to the chumash—the 5 books of Moses, we open to the “cryptic” clues in the chapter “Vayeira,” that epic account of the binding of Isaac read cyclically and also on Yom Kippur. Putting aside the overwhelming wealth of ideas that could be gleaned, the rabbi focuses on three questions, the answers to which have “universal implications…. and reveal extraordinary secrets of the End of Time.”
1- G-d’s command to sacrifice Isaac, being the final of ten Divinely ordained tests to which Abraham is subjected, prompts us to ask “why this test,” in this form and why was it the last test?
2- Why specify that this ayil–ox was entangled in the thicket by its horns? What difference does it make that he was entangled b’karnav—by his horns?
3- Why does the text tell us that the offering of this creature was done “instead of his son”? That the animal was captured by its horns and held fast there to be used as a sacrifice is clear. Do we really need to told explicitly that it was tachas b’no—instead of his son, as a replacement?
“This final test of Abraham… really is the situation of Jews at the End of Time.” Abraham is supposed to have “input” into this so he is given a test that “models itself” after that very situation, the one we find ourselves in today.
In addition to this chapter of “Vayeira,” there is commentary by chazal—sages which reveals, with profound depth, what happens at the End. “Masechtes Sanhedrin” says that when the Davidic messiah is about to come, that generation will be in a state of either total righteousness–and therefore worthiness—or total culpability–unworthiness.
Which do we see? Do we see the overwhelming majority of Jews observing commandments and/or repenting or do we see a majority sinning, in a state of kulam chayavim? If the latter, what constitutes this sinful state? Are most people G-d-fearing?
The world has reached what is referred to as mem-tes sha’arei tumah– 49th gate/level of defilement. It is this level which teeters on the brink of irredeemability–the 50th. So, this 49th level is “exceedingly dangerous.” This designation reveals the actual state of the world when mashiach is about to come, one of gross immorality—sexual and otherwise, corruption, sheker—lies, falsehoods, distortions, a world steeped in materialism and the “rampant pursuit of pleasure” to the exclusion of almost everything else, certainly to the exclusion of spirituality. Atheism is the rule rather than the exception. Immorality is not only tolerated but legitimized as a social norm, infused into the educational system and institutions. The consequence? – the process of tikkun—rectification of Creation ceases. Looking at the world, particularly at America, we can compare this environment to that of Sdom and Gemorrah.
Besides this corrupted environment, we see that, of the fourteen million Jews in existence today, eleven million are “gone.” The rabbi relates the example of his going to a city to give a lecture and inquiring as to the number of Jewish residents in that city. He is told there are approximately 80,000 Jews but only 2,000 are observant. This kind of statistic was repeated in many cities and this was many years ago, he explains. Today, he says, “I am afraid to ask.” He adds that seven out of ten Jews are intermarried, a “horrendous statistic.” He then mentions the many who are unaffiliated.
So, with the condition of kulam chayavim—all sinning, the crisis presents a palpable threat of “slipping into the nun—the 50th level.” In Egypt, the Jews were similarly endangered, of irredeemability, of annihilation, of being subject to the death penalty—chayav misa in the sense that they “aren’t going to make it.” A crisis of such proportion can only be offset by a sacrifice and this is what Abraham’s final test tells us. The Jewish people will be on the cusp of annihilation; a sacrifice is required—their own annihilation.
But Isaac is redeemed, “Wow! He survives. But wait….—you can’t just survive but leave behind the reason for your annihilation! That is why there has to be a tachas b’no—instead of his son, a substitute.” The only way to redeem Isaac is to “supplant him.” Without the creature caught in the thicket by its horns, Isaac would have had to remain on the altar.
What are the “emergency measures,” the tachas b’no, G-d is taking to save the Jews from the altar now when the messianic era is so close? There are six to be elucidated further:
1- In order to make sure the Jews can be redeemed, G-d has to push forward the messianic process to halt the descent.
2- G-d wants to “diminish the culpability of the Jews” even though they sin. How? He “creates a terrible situation of ignorance, darkness” in a society where everyone tries to “pander their values” to others, creating conflicting ideologies, a myriad of “alternatives,” all of which stimulate confusion. In the past, what was held to be good and bad was simpler. Today, in such a morally chaotic environment, people cannot necessarily be held responsible for their choices. They can, in essence, “plead insanity,” an “ignorance plea.”
3- Another “sacrifice” is the increase in suffering to satisfy the demands of justice. Suffering, as we know, is the major vehicle for atonement.
4- G-d will bring to bear suffering my means of sickness or otherwise, of righteous individuals who accept upon themselves that which brings atonement to the rest of the nation. This is possible since all Jews are actually one entity. This can only be accomplished by very lofty souls termed sovlei cholaim—sufferings of the those who bear the iniquity of others, and there are many of them. One is Moses who agreed to be buried outside Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. As such, his soul is denied access to holiness. The two messiahs—ben Yosef and ben David—are others. This is termed yesurim mashiach—sufferings of the messiah. Throughout the generations, there have been other great souls who accepted suffering upon themselves.
5- Another substitute is one the rabbi discussed at length in his last lecture, that of the proliferation of evil which acts as a bribe to the satan. Legitimate gripes that the satan poses in his arguments in the Heavenly Court are answered with what seem to him as victories but which, in the long run, serve to further the messianic process, unbeknownst to him.
6- When a righteous person dies, his death alleviates some culpability of the Jewish people but also increases the Darkness because they are no longer present to instruct the Jewish people about what constitutes righteousness and spirituality as when they were alive.
In contrast to today’s condition, when were the Jews wholly righteous? Purim. They fasted for three days and so reached a level of holiness and purity, so much so that the mashiach could have come then. Who might that have been, a potential Mashiach ben Yosef?—Ezra the scribe, also a kohen and a priest. Had he returned to Israel with the entire Jewish people, he’d have been the messiah. He, like Moses, contained a shoresh—a root of the messiah. We are told that he too qualified for reception of the Torah at Sinai. The problem was that only 70,000 Jews returned.
When in history were the Jews, like now, on the brink? There were three times. The first was during the time of the Flood. Then, the Jews were undifferentiated from the rest of mankind in the sense that all humankind were capable of rectifying Creation but failed. All mankind, except Noah and his family, were judged to be irredeemable. G-d “pressed the re-set button.” That was the emergency measure.
The second time was in Egypt. As our rabbis tell us, the Jews had reached that 49th level of defilement then too. That is why the messianic process, with Moses as a messianic candidate, had to begin. What was the substitute, the tachas b’no then? It was the gathering of the straw. Despite the fact that Moses had revealed himself as the redeemer, the situation for the Jews worsened. Not only had they to make bricks on threat of death, but Pharoah’s decree forced them to gather straw to make the bricks.
Now is the third time when the Jews and all mankind teeter on the brink though most have become “inured” to the depravity that constitutes this fallen state. Emergency measures are being taken. How?
One “emergency” step is in keeping with the principle of suffering, specifically that of a messiah, in this case Mashiach ben Yosef as described in the “Yalkut Shimoni,” based on the prophecy of Yeshayahu–Isaiah. In “Yalkut,” section 499, there is reference to him as Mashiach ben Ephraim. It says that, in the beginning of time, G-d declares to the soul of the Mashiach ben Yosef that, at the End of Time, the Jews overall will have earned their destruction. The mashiach, therefore, accepts upon himself a tremendous suffering to alleviate their culpability because their sins are so numerous, they could not expiate them in a given lifetime or even many. The Mashiach ben Yosef accepts upon himself the suffering of all Jews throughout all time. The midrash– exegesis goes on to symbolize this burden of suffering of the sins of the Jews as an iron yolk like that borne by a beast of burden. Mashiach ben Yosef is said to “bend” under the tremendous weight and to cry out that he cannot bear it to which G-d assures him that He, G-d, will share the burden. G-d’s Divine Presence, the shekhina, will be exiled and suffer. To this the messiah agrees.
How precisely does the messiah suffer?
At the end of the Torah, prior to his death, Moses blesses each tribe. His blessing to the tribe of Joseph expresses the beauty that is his using the metaphor of a magnificently-horned creature, the re’eim, a creature for which there is no absolute identifiable translation. What creature this is, is cryptic. Some might call it an “ox” but the horns of an ox are simply short and powerful for the purpose of goring or ramming. More significant is the majestic beauty of its horns. The figurative meaning here, this raw power and beauty, is that of chochma—wisdom, a spellbinding wisdom with which the Mashiach ben Yosef will “gore the nations.” It is a wisdom that “emanates from the head” just like horns. It is the ohr ha’ganuz–Hidden Light, also called ohr mashiach–Messianic Light and ohr rishon—First Light. With its power and splendor, the mashiach convinces the world that the basis of all reality emanates from G-d.
But when Mashiach ben Yosef took upon himself the suffering, the power of his “horns” became blocked. This constitutes his suffering. His incredible spiritual potential is stymied; he cannot express it. This now explains the portion about the substitution of this horned creature caught in the thicket which Abraham uses to redeem Isaac. That creature is a symbol of Mashiach ben Yosef, captured when its horns became entangled in the thicket.
The following aspects of the emergency G-d pushes forward in the messianic process is one the rabbi has discussed often since 2015, as actualized in the miraculous election of Donald Trump. In modernity, the messianic process starts with Esav/Edom repenting. In fulfilling the repentance of Esav, Trump embodies the tov she’b’Esav, the good, redeemable part of Esav who is Edom. Trump fulfills the prophecy in two ways: In the prophecy given to Rebecca, “Rav ya’avod tza’ir,” Esav is the elder who will serve the younger. Trump has done this through policies and diplomacy over his four years of presidency. The good remnant of Esav, of Edom, serves the Jewish people. Another penitent gesture is Esav’s statement to Jacob saying, “Let that which is yours be yours,” a conciliatory expression acknowledging Jacob’s entitlement to the blessings that, prior to that point, had been deemed stolen. This has been borne out by Trump in his acknowledgement of the legitimacy of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, of the Golan as an integral part of the Holy Land, both of which acknowledge the legitimacy of the biblical claim, G-d’s claim, that Israel was His to give to the Jewish nation. Support of the Jewish nation is also evident in new alliances between Israel and Arab nations that Trump’s administration has fostered. Israel’s “rise among the nations” has begun. This is also indicative of the repentance of Ishmael.
As mentioned earlier, the diminishment of man’s culpability is achieved by fomenting pervasive ignorance and confusion rendering many Jews, and non-Jews, too insensible to blame for their transgressions. This is also why it is so difficult to subdue or eradicate the evil aspect of Esav. Fake news, the creation of popular opinion antithetical to truth, renders the thinking and judgement of many people, impaired.
Also difficult to destroy is the domination of the Eirev Rav, those Jews who, simply put, seek to do away with the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people. It is Judaism, not Jews, they seek to extinguish and, if not extinguish, render impotent. Judaism as a culture, rather than an eternal covenant, suits their preferred sensibility. What the Eirev Rav seek is that condition so anathema to the Amoraim, those sages of the Babylonian era whose wisdom was eventually codified in the Gemara. It was their generation who said: “Let the mashiach come but I don’t want to see it.” As the rabbi has explained before, this declaration suggests that they anticipated the void, the lack of spirituality that pervades our era. Such me’ut ohr—diminishment of spiritual Light is untenable, intolerable to the righteous. They knew that such would be the prevailing condition necessary to decrease culpability. In the Heavenly Court, we can plead “ignorance.” This is why, as the generations have ensued, there are have been fewer and fewer gedolim—Torah scholars. It is also why, during this pandemic, so many great Torah thinkers and disseminators, roshei yeshivot, gedolim have died from the Covid pandemic. The nation is bereft.
The suffering that provides atonement is obvious in what the pandemic has wrought to the entire world. Fear of death is a death sentence equivalent and, therefore, a substitute for death to provide atonement. Suffering has also taken the form of socio-economic instability. “All this is incredibly anxiety-provoking.” But, the rabbi reminds us, world-wide suffering will be eventually transformed into “world-wide success, light, and health” but the non-Jewish world too must deserve it.
Though it seems that the climb out of Darkness that serves as the tachas b’no has stalled or stopped, there are signs the process will soon regain momentum.
Another path by which the process can regain momentum, a sign that the need for the sacrificial substitute is ending, is due to multiple vaccines being released for use, along with regimens to deploy them.
Another sign is the newly-forming and ever-increasing alliances between Israel and the Arab world. This signifies the end of the klippah—evil impediment of Yishmael.
Yet another is the imminent end of the domination of the Eirev Rav as manifest in the upcoming fourth election in Israel. The outcome of this election, anticipated by the rabbi for many years, is the election of Gideon Sa’ar to become prime minister. He will “terminate the power of the Eirev Rav” under whose domination the Jews cannot do teshuva, cannot draw closer to G-d and His Torah. Under Sa’ar’s leadership and that of his newly-constituted party, “New Hope,” Israel can realize its true nature, that of a “super-nation” and not the “pariah nation” it has long appeared to be. That emerging power will be socio-political, economic, and, most importantly, spiritual.
The unprecedented efforts to oust Trump over the four years of his presidency have culminated in an effort to steal the election. This scheme has revealed the prevalence and extent of evil and its perpetrators, a level of corruption which has reached its zenith. Aside from the disenfranchisement of at least seventy million Americans through voter fraud, there is reason to believe that this is the last stand, the last chance to rout out the deep-seated corruption and treason which has proliferated over the decades and pervades nearly all branches of the U.S. government. It is hoped that the republic will find remedy via paths that are legal and /or military. The rabbi echoes the sentiments of many Constitutional scholars and high-ranking military men who say that this election theft is not simply criminal; it is treasonous and must be dealt with as such, even if that incurs invoking maritial law and /or conducting military tribunals.
The rabbi believes Trump will be successful in restoring the integrity of the republic which will be blessed by G-d.
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(Video published 11-NOV-2020) 21st Century #60 | The Inner Meaning of the 2020 Election Results:
[TM: Video Content: Hashkafa (השקפה) upto 55:00 | Three possible scenarios or prospects of the presidential election | Halacha: “Don’t corner the enemy”, Moshiach generating evil]
Credit goes to Robin Diamond of Blogs.TimesOfIsrael.com!
Copied from Blogs.TimesOfIsrael.com: The Blogs – Robin Diamond “Rabbi Mendel Kessin: The Inner Meaning of the 2020 American Elections“:
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The rabbi describes what he does as “connecting the dots” in transmitting an understanding of current events in light of foundational, hashkofic ideas. You see a larger landscape after all. But the picture is bigger still. The landscapes from all directions recently traversed can yet be connected. That is what the rabbi had done here. He has consolidated ideas from half a dozen previous lectures given from the time the shift in the world began and the messianic process accelerated, “at least on some level…in terms of precursors,” particularly in terms of Trump’s unprecedented accomplishments which “further the mazal—fortunes of the Jewish people.”
First is a brief review of a foundational idea the rabbi has emphasized for years, the distinction between the tov she’b’Esav—good aspects of Esav and the ra she’b’Esav—evil aspect of Esav, a distinction alluded to in the prophecy given to his mother, Rivka, when she is told, “rav ya’avod tzair”—the elder will serve the younger (his younger twin brother, Ya’akov). “It is a prophecy and, therefore, must be fulfilled.” Trump is fulfilling it as the foremost figure in the world representing Edom, the nation Esav spawned and which became Western Civilization. Trump is the messiah of Edom.
Trump has four jobs in the “messianic program”:
- assist the Jews in restoring the Land of Israel to the Jewish people which he’s done in moving the embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the Golan Heights, etc.
- defend the Jewish people i.e. against Iran, the U.N., terrorist leaders who’ve been assassinated, etc.
- make America “great”: A strong and forthright America attracts those who seek its favor compelling their benevolence, at least, and beneficence, at best, toward Israel. Since Trump is “in Israel’s court,” these nations will need to “court Israel.”
- remove the defilement of America i.e. appointing over 300 young, conservative judges and three conservative Supreme Court Judges
So how is it possible that Trump doesn’t seem to have won? What would be the logic of G-d’s wanting to uphold the evil of Esav? What are the possibilities? To answer these questions, the rabbi first reviews fundamental principles.
Two Basic Actions of the Tikkun—actions incumbent upon Jews to rectify the flaws in Creation: Magnification of Flow of Divine Energy, Removing “Blockages”
In creating the physical universe, G-d doesn’t want this olam ha’shofel— lower world to remain physical. He intends there to be several stages. Due to primordial Adam’s sin, the physical world became toxic with satanic impurity which is the Jews’ job to remove. This zoamah is responsible for death, disease, decomposition, entropy. G-d wills that the Jews render the universe devoid of this denigrating impurity, the “satanic control…projection of tumah—defilement responsible for many physical laws.” Such removal renders the world physical but without “satanic involvement. That is the messianic era.” Beyond the messianic era—which ends in Gregorian year 2240 (Hebrew calendar year: 6000)–Creation becomes spiritual rather than physical. This existence is referred to as olam ha’ba, the Future World.
How is this done?
The Jew must “magnify the shefa—the flow of Divine energies of the sephiros.” As explained in previous lectures, the sephiros are Divine emanations, energies that ultimately create physical realities. When such flow is magnified, greater spiritual energy can be realized in Creation. Such growth is called “hispashtus l’kedusha.”
The second way is to remove the “blockages” to this flow. Such blockages cause the transmission of shefa to be diverted to satanic endeavors leaving less for the sustenance of goodness.
For the messiah to come, all blockages have to have been removed and the holiness that’s been diverted to the side of evil must be restored to the side of good. The restoration of the energy, coupled with the augmented flow, will enable the messianic era to commence. “This is what concerns G-d.” The Jews accomplish these tasks through their observance of mitzvot—commandments, or, failing that, repenting or suffering. These principles hold for all human beings, but primarily for Jews.
The systems G-d employs to enable rectification to be accomplished are: midas ha’din—interactions governing judgement and midas ha’rachamim—interactions governing mercy. These are two “character traits” of G-d, so to speak.
Justice concerns itself with two questions: to what extent has this holy energy been enabled to flow, and to what extent have the blockages been removed? G-d’s behavior toward Jews (and mankind in general) depends on these criteria as they suggest the extent to which the process is proceeding.
To assist mankind, G-d employs midas ha’rachamim which withholds judgement, suspends or delays it, in the hope that repentance will be forthcoming to overturn the blockage.
Who is assigned to institute these systems? G-d created an angel, the Satan. His job is to uphold and execute justice. The Satan has three “jobs”:
He tempts you to sin. He involves you in a test to which, if you do not succumb, you have not blocked the flow of Divine energy and will have “brought it down.” If you do succumb, Satan acts in his capacity as, as his name says, “the adversary” who prosecutes you in the Heavenly Court. If found guilty, his third role as malach ha’maves—Angel of Death, is to carry out the judgement though the verdict may not necessarily result in the actual cessation of life. He’s like the “sheriff.” The Satan’s enterprise is good, surprisingly, because he is doing the Will of G-d to enable each human being to earn exactly what he deserves, his right to the Future World.
The progression of history is the progression of divergent prerogatives: G-d wishes to move history in a particular direction, one that mankind, and particularly the Jews, don’t deserve. This too falls under the heading of “justice.” The satanic prosecutor in the Heavenly Tribunal declares, “But they don’t deserve this! Look what they’ve caused, what they’ve blocked!” This system that G-d Himself devised, would be too exacting without its coordinate system of mercy wherein judgement is temporarily mitigated, but which also has its temporal limitation. With only strict justice, “the world cannot survive.”
The other procedure G-d uses to bring Creation to its intended conclusion is to conceal from the satanic prosecutor the obvious benefit to be conferred. The Satan, the rabbi points out, is not omniscient; “He doesn’t know everything.” Furthermore, the Satan’s task to ensure justice must be stymied to some extent because of the G-d’s “time-table” which includes conferring a benefit in the present because G-d knows the Jews will have earned it. This too falls under the heading of chesed–compassion, G-d’s awesome kindness to the Jews. But Divine benevolence aside, the Jews, in the end, “must earn everything they get” which means their task on behalf of all mankind must adhere to the attribute of justice.
Historically, some examples of the way G-d “concealed” his ultimate aims from the Satan are many. For example, In ancient Egypt, Pharoah decreed that all Jewish males must be killed because he was told that a Jewish leader would arise and overthrow his sovereignty. Just then, Moses is born, the “greatest candidate for the messiah,” and the Satan is so busy prosecuting the death of every Jewish male (“every death requires a prosecution”), while G-d “slips down” a messiah.
Another way G-d conceals His motives lies in the fact that many “messianic possibilities” have their root, or basis, in defilement, immorality. We know that an ancestor of King David, the messianic forerunner, was Ruth. She was born centuries after the destruction of Sodom when Lot, Abraham’s nephew, engaged in an incestuous relationship with his own daughters. Even David’s rightful stature as king and messianic forerunner was not recognized due to erroneous assumptions about his being the product of a forbidden union, a stigma kept secret by his family. It wasn’t until the prophet, Samuel, identified him that his true destiny was revealed.
There is a third “incredible strategy” G-d uses: bribery. Angels, devoid of self-interest, are immune to bribery, so G-d imbued the Satan with this characteristic to distract and fool him. Ultimately, he must be destroyed. Before the Adamic sin, it would have been enough to defy or ignore the snake, as G-d commanded. But afterward, man’s Future World cannot be earned without the Satan’s utter annihilation.
How to annihilate the Satan? When Adam sinned, that which sustains everything in existence, kedusha—holiness, that Divine flow, no longer went only to a unified Creation intended for ever greater spiritual grandeur. Post-sin, it divided itself between mankind and Satan. One side or the other was the recipient of Divine flow based on every decision mankind, and later the Jew, would make. But strict adherence to the the demands of justice would ensure failure of the intended outcome. So, bribery, concealment, and G-d’s loving-kindness was embedded to prevents failure. A surprising, if not shocking, truth to this system post-sin, is that every Jew is connected to the Satan. Every decision a Jew makes either empowers evil or removes a blockage to retrieve holiness via repentance and/or suffering.
Given this new post-sin adjustment, Satan’s role is not simply concerned with justice being meted out. He must now concern himself with his own survival. Now, so near the end, he is consumed with his survival, prone to distraction, being misled, and accepting bribes. This enables G-d to carry on with “His program.”
What ensures the Satan’s continuance of getting that Divine flow? — getting Jews to sin. That accomplished, he is yoneg—nourished. He is prone to m’vater—forego the strict regimen to his prosecutorial task in favor of his survival.
Examples of this Divine strategy in practice are:
The prospect of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was, by Satan’s insistence, an event the Jews didn’t deserve. This truth was offset by G-d’s compromise that, in establishing the state, it will be founded by atheists (Herzl) and governed by secular Zionism, by people and policies that would encourage Jews to sin. The Satan says, “Wow! What an opportunity! You can do it.”
Another example is Kabballah, the “introduction to the messianic light, a description of the messianic process….the metaphysical aspect of the physical universe.” Again, the Satan interdicts and objects. The compromise? G-d offers authentic Kabballah be usurped by third-rate New Age dogma. It would be popularized by ignorant practitioners in Hollywood. It would be promoted by Madonna. Such degradation, the Satan rightfully expects, will alienate observant Jews.
Another example is the initiation of “global connectivity” for the purpose of educating, promoting and preparing mankind for the messianic era, doing it al pi teva—by natural means, rather than supernatural means. The technological revolution G-d permitted to be “discovered.” But the discovery was contravened by the Satan. How to get around it? G-d proposes to Satan saying, “I’ll give it to your guys first.” In other words, the internet will be dominated, prior to messiah’s appearance, by corrupting influences: pornography, fake news, shopping, fetishes and “absurdities” of all types. The Satan again, being able to get mankind to sin, believes he’ll prevail.
The last example is happening now, when G-d’s desire to advance the messianic process by fulfilling the prophecy given to Rivka, the mother of Jacob and Esav. It is time to advance the repentance of Esav, the tov she’b’Esav, so that his latent good aspect will, true to prophecy, emerge and serve the needs of his brother Jacob, the Jewish people. Of course, the Satan will object because so many Jews have assimilated and no longer do G-d’s will. So what compromise, what bribe, does G-d entice the Satan with to ensure his cooperation?
There is a Gemara in Sanhedrin, exemplifying what many sages have said: “Let the messiah come but I don’t want to see it.” Why? They know that when that time comes, it will be preceded by me’at ohr—diminishment of Light (spirituality) and tigbores ha’ra—proliferation of evil. Such an environment is abhorrent to a righteous individual. Here, the rabbi reminds us of a concept he has discussed at length previously, the idea of a figurative Window (looking out upon the current reality) closing just as the Gate of Redemption opens. That blackened Window comes down to the extent that only a narrow slit of light can be seen in what otherwise is total debilitating Darkness reminiscent of the penultimate plague in ancient Egypt.
Why such Darkness? There are several explanations, the first being that Satan’s arguments have merit. So, in order for justice to be satisfied, suffering must be meted out.
The second idea is that evil, due to Free Will, “has a right” to indulge itself to a point. As scripture tells us regarding the ancient Canaanites and Amorites, “their iniquity is not yet full.” That prevented Abraham from inheriting the promised land at that time. But evil has “its measure” after which it is destroyed.
The last idea has the potent ability to explain current events. The quote says, “Let the messiah come….” which tells us that the messiah himself aggravates the Darkness. The rabbi returns to this powerful idea exemplified by Moses who, upon declaring himself a messiah and demanding that Pharoah release his captive slaves, their suffering, initially, worsens. They are ordered not only to make the bricks but to gather the straw with which to make them. Their slavery intensifies.
The design to bring mashiach–messiah is presented to the Satan as yet another situation that enables him to survive, albeit temporarily. That evanescent situation is one the Satan cannot see past, obsessed as he must be with his own survival. The coming of the messiah is the intention and the bribe, both. This is why the messiah brings evil, initially, brings a slackening in faith, trust, hope.
This great leap in the messianic process has been ushered in by Trump, that good aspect of Esav. But, with his presidency comes conflict, opposition, heightened corruption and sheker—lies. And, of course, the Satan is fine with this.
It should be noted that Trump, according to the rabbi, made a mistake. His threat to “drain the swamp,” which helped him get elected and advance an awakening to the corruption of the Democratic Party, also increased the impetus of his opponents to destroy him. Jewish law, halacha, teaches that, in dealing with an enemy, one must never corner him so that he has absolutely no escape. To do so prompts desperation and energizes him. “Adrenaline will kick in.” Let him think he can escape and oppose you but he will not have the resolve of one whose destruction is imminent and inescapable. This halacha “explains the psychotic fear” of Trump’s opponents.
The success that Trump must be granted as per his role in the messianic process would be, G-d assures Satan, palliated by the perception of his personality as being “unpresidential” and, fundamentally, “flawed.” Despite his excellent performance bolstering the economy by alleviating long-standing injustices upon American workers and small-business owners due to over-regulation and other injurious policies, many cannot see beyond those personality traits. Such prejudice is unwarranted but is part of the bribe.
The other component of the bribe is the pandemic. It destroys, to a great extent, Trump’s achievements to greatly improve the economy and augment the strata of Americans who benefit from it. It also droves his opponent, Biden, “into the basement” where he can escape the scrutiny of his crimes and obscure, to some extent, his mental and general insufficiencies which disqualify him. Furthermore, it enables Biden to blame Trump for the pandemic. Satan believes this is the best chance to destroy Trump and ensure his own survival.
G-d’s campaign, however, from the Satan’s point of view, is a campaign doomed to fail. The prospect of an agenda furthering homosexual rights, continuing infanticide through abortion (even to the point of killing babies at birth), sustaining a culture immersed in materialism and petty pursuits will sway the Satan into allowing Trump to be elected. Eventually, the Satan surmises, erroneously, that the good of Esav will be doomed.
What does G-d gain? The fraud perpetrated by Trump’s enemies, whether it be a false dossier, impeachment, or election, and the pandemic, though compromising Trump’s effectiveness, also act as a kapporah—atonement and enables evil to fulfill its measure. Most important, however, are those political acts Trump does that fulfill G-d’s objective to help the Jews reclaim the Land.
The timing of vaccines being available just now, at the time that Biden is purported to be the winner of the election (though the media haven’t the power to “anoint” the president) suggests that the pandemic is no longer necessary to hamper Trump.
There are three possibilities [or scenarious] which the rabbi proposes for the future, not as a prophet, but in light of the hashkofa he presents:
The first, which he deigns the most likely, is that Trump will “pull off” a miracle and prevail as president for another four years, continuing the repentance of Esav and acting as Edom’s messiah.
The second prospect that isn’t utterly destructive to America and the world is if the Senate has a Republican majority to mitigate the damage the Democrats would be able to incur. This could still be considered an act of rachmanus—compassion by G-d even though the suffering would continue, contributing to atonement G-d deems necessary.
The third prospect, one the rabbi deems unlikely, would be success for the Democrats, both to fill the Senate and win the presidency. This would considerably speed up the time in which the iniquity of evil would meet its measure and suffering to bring atonement. It could be that G-d has judged the U.S. as deserving of the death penalty due is normalization and legalization of homosexuality and other sexual perversions, and infanticide. This would indicate that the proverbial Window is not as low to its sill as we suppose. But even if this were to happen, there is a “trade-off.” Something else messianic will be “pushed through” because it will be “justified.”
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Credit goes to shiratdevorah.blogspot.com!
Copied from shiratdevorah.blogspot.com: “Rabbi M. Kessin: The Inner Meaning of the 2020 Election Results“:
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History Repeating…..
This week’s Haftorah tells how Dovid HaMelech’s son Adoniyahu attempted to illegitimately seize the Kingship which was not rightfully his.
Using falsehood and deception, he caused some of the most respected and influential figures in King David’s government to believe that he had been legitimately granted the Kingship.
The presence of the influential figures convinced the masses that his claim to the throne was legitimate, and he arranged a large celebration in anticipation of his ascension to be King, chanting and screaming ”Long Live our King Adoniyahu!”
Despite his brazen attempt to steal the crown – in the process convincing the masses that he was the legitimate heir to the throne – he was not successful, and David made clear who the rightful successor would be [his son Shlomo].
Adoniyahu is the same gematria as Biden [76]
אדניהו
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(Rev.7-JAN-2021)