A message for Chanukah from Daniel  17.12.2009

Many of us are saying, "Nothing has happened yet; we're still in the same situation." Chanukah is a time so capable of Redemption [because of the redemption from the Greeks and Chanukas HaMizbeach] but until today nothing has happened. All is quiet. Aside from the sounds of the strong winds blowing outside and the sand flying wildly in all directions, everything is normal and quiet. When is Moshiach Ben David coming already?!

How much patience we need to have; we waited for Moshiach to come on Purim and he didn't come, we waited for him on Pesach (Passover) and he didn't come. We were sure he would come on Rosh Hashanah, then on Yom Kippur, Succos, Hoshanah Raba, but he still did not come. We waited last year for him to come since it was "motzei shvi'it" (the end of the seventh year - i.e. the Shmittah year), as it says (in the Gemara Sanhedrin 97) that "Motzei Shvi'it, the son of David will come". We dragged out motzei shvi'it till Hoshanah Raba and he still did not come. Here, we are approaching "Zos Chanukah" and still Moshiach ben David has not revealed himself to us.

What despair, what agony, how can we go on any longer? Yet the delay of the Geula is because of us and the only ones we can complain to are ourselves! The world has turned into a frightening and dangerous place. Anti-Semitism is spreading like wildfire in every country and here in Israel we have a terrible situation of anti-Semitism from the Erev Rav in the government against the true Jews. Their hatred of Jews surpasses that of even the most wicked goy ["Greater is the hatred of the amei haaretz towards the talmidei chachamim than the hatred of the goyim towards Am Yisrael." (Tana devei Eliyahu, Zuta 16)].

The world is full of war threats; there are thousands of rockets aimed at Israel by our enemies, the Arabs, as well as nuclear war threats between countries. The economy situation is terrible all over the world (see chapter 95 on the site) and we are also suffering from the attacks of nature.

Nevertheless there is great confusion; on the one hand there are the constant threats, the difficult situations, natural disasters, etc., yet on the other hand we don't feel a thing. We are not living in fear of the thousands of rockets aimed in our direction. We haven't yet experienced bombs exploding and we don't live our lives with the feeling that the banks and financial bodies in the state are about to collapse with all our savings and pension plans.

We live life as if all those things were distant from our reality. Although occasionally a ship is captured or a plane or a convoy of trucks carrying tons of weapons to our enemies, but all this captures the headlines of the newspapers for a day or two and then life goes on. Factories and businesses going bankrupt with hundreds of laid-off employees, (a phenomenon that has been occurring quite often lately), also make the headlines very briefly.

And yet, contrary to the difficult economy situation, the stock market has been flourishing and the weather is wintery. Baruch Hashem it has been raining off and on, perhaps there will not be a drought, and it seems like the world is going on in the most normal way.

However, deep down we know that this is not so. The truth is that the world is very dangerous now and is about to blow in the very near future and the dangers are real to every person in the world. They are greater than all the dangers that have ever existed throughout history. The fear should be immense, but we don't always see - or want to see - things the way they are. The will to forget about all the dangers and just live in peace and quiet controls most of the world.

That's why most people bury themselves in all sorts of materialistic toys [Egel Hazahav and the vanities of the Olam Hazeh - this world which is the Greek culture]. The pleasure they get out of these toys makes them forget about the harsh reality.

The Maccabim were great heroes in the battlefield.  They sacrificed themselves for Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Leshem Shamayim ["Therefore the miracle happened... because they chose to die to serve Hashem." (Ba"Ch Orach Chayim 670)]. They sacrificed themselves for Am Yisrael, so that the Torah would not disappear, Chas Veshalom, and that was their [main] heroism.

If we want to bring Moshiach faster [which is dependant upon us as written above] we too must sacrifice ourselves and take action. We must do things that will guarantee the future of the believing Jews so that they will continue learning Torah properly [as clarified in the book "Derech Hashem" as well as Ba"ch Shulchan Aruch that the way people learn Torah today pushes away the Shechina and destroys the world, Rachmana Litzlan] and living the life of a true Jew [without the Egel Hazahav and vanities of this world].

It was easier for the Maccabees [to bring salvation to Am Yisrael]; the truth could be seen more clearly. For us, the truth is hazier ["The truth shall be missing..." Yishayahu 59] because even in the closed world of the most charedi Jews, the Greek / Hellenistic culture [Egel Hazahav - ‘The Golden Calf"] has found its way into the heart of many Charedim.

And these Hellenistic Charedim are nevertheless walking around with peyos, beards and tzitzis, black, long coats and sometimes even stripes (the Yerushalmi style), so you can't tell that they have becomes Hellenistic. That is the difference between now and the time of the Maccabees; back then, one could clearly tell who the Hellenistic Jews were.

Nowadays, however, this is not always expressed externally, according to the way people dress; a person can look completely Charedi on the outside but in his mind and his heart he may be interested in things like psychology and all sorts of materialistic toys like DVD players, computers, internet, all sorts of cell phones with cameras, movies and so on.

Even those that are not into that kind of stuff, perhaps they have wives who do not dress modestly, who are busy with all sorts of foolish and superficial things, and these people are still considered the most Charedi.  

In the times of the Macabim, the Jews sacrificed themselves, ran away to the caves with their families and fought against the Olam Hazeh (this world), a war against the wicked Greek culture.

However, today the bilbul (confusion) is so great that man cannot find the truth [see Sanhedrin 91, it's a sign that Moshiach is coming].

When Matisyahu, the Kohen Gadol, father of the Chashmona'im, killed a Jew who sacrificed a pig on the "Mizbeach" (altar) before the eyes of all - this action made the situation very clear to every believing Jew. It became clear, without any doubt, what was good and what was bad, something we lack in our generation.

We don't have a ‘Kohen Gadol' to take action as Matisyahu the Kohen Gadol did and therefore most of us are left very confused [about what is good and what is bad]. However, in the very near future there will be terrible wars and all will become clear.

The spiritual war began a long time ago and we can now sense the beginning of the final world war without any doubts.

In America and Europe the anti-Semitism is spreading like wildfire. The Jews who have always been so comfortable in their homes [in the Diaspora] are starting to feel the ground burning beneath their feet. Anti-Semitism has grown throughout the world and every Jew that forgot that he is a Jew is now being reminded of this fact whether he likes it or not.

Hashem is going to bring great destruction upon the world and it will become clear that only Ribbono Shel Olam rules [revelation of Hashem's singularity is the purpose of creation "and this thing is mentioned uncountably by the prophets a"h" (Daas Tevunos 34)] and He will fight the wars for the sake of the very few real Jews so that all the people of the world will see how Hashem Himself will wipe out all the evil in the world. 

Then there will be no doubt to the Jews and to the few righteous goyim of the world that we have a Ribbono Shel Olam who created everything and there is none other than Him. Moshiach will be revealed and Beis Hamikdash will come down from Shamayim (Heaven) [see Tikunei Zohar 27] and we will once again sacrifice korbanos [Rambam, Melachim 11].  

Everything will be clear without a doubt and Hakadosh Baruch Hu will return us to the situation that was at the time of Adam Harishon before he sinned and we will receive the Shabbos [the seven-thousandth year] with purity and shleimus (completeness) be'ezras Hashem.

Erev Shabbos of a time that will always be Shabbos

Message from Binaymin Golden  Kislev 5770

We are facing most difficult times ["If the people do not do teshuva... Hakadosh Baruch Hu will have a king rule over them whose decrees will be as harsh as Haman and then Israel will do teshuva" (Sanhedrin 97)] and these times have already begun and are affecting the entire world.

[Rabbi Saadia Gaon gave an explanation to the general rule regarding troubles in our times: "It is not possible that salvation will come whilst we are sinning. As He (Hashem) exiled us because of our sins... (if) he brings us back before we have rectified (our sins), it (the exile) will have been in vain. Thus, the wise men before us z"l stated that many terrible troubles will befall us so that we will do teshuva to end the troubles and we will then be worthy of being redeemed" (Emunos VeDeos passage 8 chapter 5)].

The Tzaddikim, those who put their whole faith in Hashem alone, will survive ["And I will leave amongst you a humble and small nation and they will be spared for believing in Hashem" (Zephania 3)].

Jews who close themselves up inside their four amos, in ghettos, will survive ["Go my people, into your rooms, and close your doors upon yourselves, it is a moment before the anger passes over" (Yeshayahu 26)].

Jews who clearly see the sheker and run away from it (and its influences), will survive ["His shield and armor are his truth" (Psalms 91)].

Modest Jews who serve Hashem, who don't speak lashon hara [slander] (at least try) and don't besmirch people's names etc., will survive ["The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity, nor speak lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth" (Zephania 3)].

Jews who fall in their Avodas Hashem and mitzvos but nevertheless pick themselves up and try again and make every effort to do teshuva, and constantly put their faith in Hakadosh Baruch Hu, will survive ["For a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again" (Mishlei 24)].

Most of the Jews in the world today, however, don't know the difference between sheker (lies) and truth. Most of the Jews alive today are from the Erev Rav [The Ari z"l said about his generation, four hundred years ago that most of the Jews were from the Erev Rav (Likutei Torah, Parshas Vaeschanan), and the Gra z"l also said "The generations are going and lessening and the Erev Rav are going and increasing" (Even Shlomo, Chap. 11)].

Most of the Jews today are drowning in the materialistic olam hazeh, olam hasheker [which is the way of the Erev Rav].

Yet, like the story of Chanukah, where the few defated the many [see the prayer "Al Hanisim"], we, the Jews holding tightly to the rope tying us to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, we who see emes (truth) and want only emes, must close our eyes (to the sheker) and look upwards (to Heaven). Not left, not right and not down; only up to Hashem. Then, all the destruction that will come upon the world in the near future ["And it was in all the land, said Hashem, that two parts will be cut off and die" (Zecharia 13) will not affect us.

This is the present situation of the world. However, in the very near future, the world will come to an even greater bilbul [and concealment of the truth] than that of today. The money we are familiar with, will all be worthless ["Neither their money nor their gold will save them on the day of the wrath of Hashem" (Zephania 1)]. Very wicked men from all over will try to take over the world. All the evilness that has existed from the time of creation, from the snake, until this very day, is all coming back.

They will fight against each other. Each of them will want to rule the world, but they will all be killed and wiped off the face of the earth and all that will remain are the true Jews who have no connection to the Erev Rav [See Avos DeRabbi Natan chap. 30 3, and Rabbenu Yonah Avos chap. 1 47], as well as the few righteous goyim. Only them.

[This includes the Charedi Erev Rav as well, as it says: "We will see plainly that the Rabbis and Chassidim and baalei batim of that generation - most of them are from the Erev Rav" (Divrei Chaim, Hashmatos LeParshas Vayakhel)].

A relatively will receive Moshiach Tzidkenu [according to the merits of each person and it is possible that even less than the amount of Jews that merited redemption from Egypt will merit The Geula: "There is a tradition that says that the day Moshiach comes, along with the gathering from the four corners of the world, on that very day there will be (only) seven thousand Jews remaining from all of Bnei Yisrael" (Chessed LeAvraham, Maayan 3, Nahar 22)].

At the end of these terrible wars, Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself will reveal His strength to all [see Daas Tevunos 34 about how the main thing the prophets talked about was that Hashem will do things in order to bring recognition among the nations of the world of Hashem and His Oneness and Omnipotence].

And He, Yisborach, will completely wipe out all the evil of the world ["death will be gone forever" (Yeshayah 24)], and with great miracles, He will leave only the good, true Jews ["And they will no longer say ‘The G-d that took the Jews out of Egypt still lives', but they will say, ‘the G-d that took Israel out of the countries of the north and all the countries, lives' (Yirmiyahu 16)].

Then, we will completely throw away all the evil within us [and the sin of Adam Harishon will be rectified], and then we will go back to the situation of the world before the sin of Adam Harishon [See Ramban Vayikra 26, 6]. And then finally we will receive THE Shabbos [the seven-thousandth year and Olam Haba] that Adam Harishon lost.