The Footsteps of Moshiach
Why do Chazal tell us of the anticipated troubles of ikvesa diMeshicha? The Rebbe explains that obviously this is not to dishearten us, but to urge us to counter them by increasing our good deeds.
(תו"מ תשמ"ה ח"ה ע' 2764)
The Alter Rebbe contrasts the spiritual struggles of the earlier generations with the struggles of our times. In earlier times, people were usually completely good or completely evil. Having lofty neshamos, they could attain a fear of HaShem by simply considering His greatness for a short moment. Those who did sin, did so as an outright choice, to strengthen their evil side, and thus they were really evil.
In our times, most people are mediocre: not particularly good but not particularly bad. This is so because the neshamos today – in the era of ikvesa diMeshicha – stem from the level of Elokus which is called the “heel,” and thus they have a much more difficult time overcoming evil.
(תורה אור מא, א)
Amplified Value
Reb Chayim Vital once asked his Rebbe, the AriZal: “Why do you say that I am so great, if even an ordinary person in the earlier generations was a tzaddik or a chossid, and I don’t reach his ankles?”
The AriZal replied: “The greatness of a neshama is not measured by a person’s actions alone, but in accordance with the generation in which he lives. A small deed in this generation is equivalent to many great mitzvos in earlier generations, since in this generation the kelipa musters infinitely more strength than in earlier times.”
(שער הגלגולים הקדמה לח ע' קנו)
In this maamar, the Frierdiker Rebbe clearly describes the challenge – and the privilege – of living as a Yid in our days:
The Yidden at the time of the Beis HaMikdash recognized Elokus in a revealed manner, and took it for granted. A man would make his way up to Yerushalayim and leave his door unlocked, and would return to find a snake wrapped around his door handle, protecting his home. During golus, however, the nature of one’s worldly environment is felt more intensely. Yidden are in a low state and are ridiculed for their Torah and avoda. They are crushed by parnasa and other worries that block their minds and hearts from being receptive to wisdom and inspiration. Thus they observe mitzvos without enthusiasm, and this in turn leads to a general decline in their Yiddishkeit.
Golus is geared for our benefit. When in our era we overcome these difficulties and learn Torah, fulfill mitzvos, and conduct ourselves with love towards a fellow Yid, we become much closer to HaShem than those who lived in better times. The darkness of golus makes the light of our avoda brighter. The earlier generations served HaShem with their minds and hearts – an enjoyable experience, whereas the avoda demanded of us today is the less pleasurable yoke of kabbalas ol and mesirus nefesh.
(סה"מ קונטרסים ח"א ע' 104 ואילך)
Climbing the Mountain
At a farbrengen in תרצ”ט (1939), the Frierdiker Rebbe provided us with a strategy with which to overcome the difficult challenges that accompany the final stage of golus:
“We are in the midst of a battle, and we have to climb a tall mountain. The paths leading up are unfamiliar. Many of the climbers stumble and fall, but many others clamber up as far as the final stretch, the final daled amos. However, the strength that they had at the outset is weakening. At this point, they must summon every last bit of energy. Now that they are only daled amos away from the summit, everything is precious – every stalk of grass, every twig, every pebble that they can somehow use to help them struggle ahead. Light is crucial – to enable them to see those objects that can help them progress. Especially if they are not fully equipped, they must forge ahead with mesirus nefesh.
“We are nearing the tip of the mountain. Moshiach is close. A person with a superior level of spiritual sensitivity can – spiritually – hear and catch sight of his approaching presence. We must navigate the final stretch by cherishing every positive activity, and we must illuminate the steep upward path by learning Torah and teaching it to others.
“Just as at the very end of a wakeful night weariness sets in with a vengeance and threatens to overwhelm us, today, as the dark night of golus draws to an end, the am haaratzus in even basic halacha is tremendous. Giving tzedaka is a very worthy mitzva, but in addition every individual must ensure that no day passes without at least half an hour of learning. This is the way to remain awake and not to miss out on greeting the forthcoming ‘light of the day.’”
(ע"פ סה"ש תרצ"ט ע' 316)
In this pointed letter, the Rebbe alerts Anash in Eretz Yisroel to their urgent, historic responsibility:
“Whether we like it or not, we are the successors of the Chabad chassidim of all previous generations, starting from the eminent chassidim of the Alter Rebbe. They all paved the way for us and left us to deal with only the pachim ketanim, the minor remaining tasks in avoda. On the other hand, it is our responsibility to complete the final beirurim, to enable the latent ruchniyus of the world to surface, and to draw down the revelation of Moshiach into our physical world.
“Even a brief reflection upon this should cause one to tremble with awe, realizing that all the awesome revelations in the era of Moshiach that are found in the teachings of Chazal, especially as they are illuminated in Chassidus, are dependent on our avoda now. Yet despite all that, people simply fool around and are preoccupied with their own personal matters...
“Time now is precious, every moment of time. It would be a waste of your time and of mine to devote any further correspondence to debating and discussing who did not show someone else the kind of respect that was expected, or who is greater than whom in Torah, avoda and gemilus chassadim. I don’t know if anyone can gain any benefit at all from such deliberations...”
(אג"ק ח"ה ע' רפ"א)
Consider
Whose avoda is loftier: that of the earlier generations or ours? Which is greater? Why is it so important to recognize that we live in the final moments of golus? How will this realization affect us?
