QUESTION
It has been told to me in the name of the Rav shlit”a that until now we have been experiencing the birth contractions of the birth pains (chevlei Mashiach) preceding Mashiach’s arrival and now “the head of the baby is in middle of coming out.” Can the Rav elaborate on this? Does this mean that the Geulah has actually started and that there can’t be a “stillborn” now that the birth of Mashiach has started? Does the Rav mean that the Geulah is imminent and not in a long time from now, now that the birth has started? The Rav wrote a few weeks ago that the war can drag on for a few more decades chas v’shalom if we are not zocheh now to the Geulah – is the Rav now saying that the Geulah is definitely imminent?
Also, can the Rav please explain the role of “Mashiach ben Don”?
ANSWER
PART 1 – THE BIRTH OF MASHIACH’S ARRIVAL
A human pregnancy lasts 9 months which climaxes in birth contractions that can take a few hours or a few days. The pregnancy of the Divine clock of the 6000 year era we are in climaxes in a birth that is able to last several years – but the birth has begun!
The time of birth is a time of danger which can either usher in another life, or it can bring about a death, chas v’shalom. The wars taking place now as well are a time of danger, and it can either usher in more life, or it can bring death, chas v’shalom.
PART 2 – MASHIACH BEN DON
The beginning of the war is waged through Mashiach ben Don, and this is the depth of the words of Chazal that “In the seventh (Shemitah) year there are wars” – it is a Redemption brought about through Mashiach ben Don. This began with Chushim the son of Don who killed Esav, and it continued with Shimshon who came from the tribe of Don, and it will be completed by Sherayah (from the tribe of Don), as stated in the Zohar (Balak 194b). Refer also to the words of the Ramchal in Otzros Ramchal (Yeshayah 9, 5) and Kinas Hashem Tzevaos (98a). See also Beraishis Rabbah 91:10 where Chazal said that Yaakov thought that Shimshon (who comes from Don) will be the Mashiach.
In Yaakov’s blessing to Don, Don is compared to a lion. Chazal (Yalkut Shimoni Beraishis 49, 160) said that this refers to Mashiach ben Dovid, who will come from two different tribes – the father of Mashiach comes from Yehudah, and the mother of Mashiach comes from Don. Both Don and Yehudah are compared to a lion in Yaakov’s blessing.
The root of Mashiach’s maternal roots in Don is Chushim the son of Don. The word Chushim, without the letter Vov, is the same letters as the word Mashiach. (See the commentary of Ben Yehoyada to Talmud Bavli Sotah 13a, sefer Koheles Yaakov on Mashiach, cited in Yalkut Reuveini parshas Mikeitz, and see Pardes Yosef on Beraishis 46:23. Rav Yehudah HaChassid says that the verse “Dan is a serpent lying on the road” is equal in gematria to the word Mashiach.
The mission of Mashiach ben Don is described in the Zohar (194b) [following is a summary of the Zohar not a translation]: Mashiach ben Don has the role to assist Mashiach ben Yosef in the final war. Don is compared to a serpent which bites the horse at the heel and causes the horse and its rider to fall backwards. This is what Mashiach ben Don will do in order to aid Mashiach ben Yosef in the war. His name is Sherayah, and he comes from the tribe of Don, and he will come together with Mashiach ben Yosef, and he will take revenge on the nations of the world.
He is compared to a snake because he is a spark of the soul of the Mashiach that was concealed within the Serpent. The word “Nachash” (Serpent) equals “Mashiach”. He is the Serpent on the side of holiness to counter the Serpent on the side of evil. See Heichal Beracha (Kamarna) to parshas Vayigash.
The Arizal (Sefer Likutim, Vayakhel 35) says that Mashiach will come from the tribe of Yehudah, and Sherayah will come from Don. Sherayah will have a special connection to Mashiach ben Dovid who comes from Yehudah, since both Don and Yehudah are compared to a serpent. There is also a special connection that Mashiach ben Don will have with Mashiach ben Yosef. Moshe Rabbeinu said “And this song will answer me forever”, and this is the power of Don who gathers together all the camps. Mosheh is the unification of the two redeemers – he is the middle line between them. Don (Sherayah who comes from Don) is also a unifying point between the two redeemers by being a vessel, or the Malchus, through his role of gathering together all the camps. Malchus is connected both with Hod and Netzach, and the Malchus within Hod is where Mashiach ben Yosef is found, and that is also where Sherayah, the Mashiach ben Don, is found. See Pri Tzaddik (Chanukah 25) and sefer Koheles Yaakov (on the topic of Mashiach ben Dovid and the topic Zaisim).
Sherayah, the Mashiach who comes from Don, is equal in gematria to 515. This is the amount of tefillos which Moshe davened in order to enter Eretz Yisrael. On a deeper level, he was really davening to become connected with Sherayah, the Mashiach ben Don. This is because Moshe is the secret of the upper Daas on the masculine side, while Moshiach Ben Don is the secret of the lower Daas on the feminine side. Thus, Mashiach ben Don is connected to Yehudah, Yosef, and Moshe.
It is through Mashiach ben Don that the Beis HaMikdash will be rebuilt. Mashiach Don is equal in gematria to Bayis, “home” (referring to the Beis HaMikdash). Now that we are found in a degree of a war that is the beginning of the Geulah, this is all through the power of Mashiach ben Don, and the beginning of the war is started through him, as Rav Tzadok HaKohen teaches.
We should become connected to the concept of Sherayah in our avodas Hashem by way of accessing the power of Sherarah [princely status of being the chosen people of G-d] and Shirah [song – singing to Hashem as a strong expression of emunah].
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