Leading Up to Moshiach

 

Leading Up to Moshiach – The Factors That Lead to the Moshiach Epoch of the End of Days: Adapted from the Torah of Rav Yitzchok Hutner, zt”l (Ma’amarei Pachad Yitzchok, Sukkos, Maamar 114)

Adapted By Eliakim Willner

Eliakim Willner is author of “Nesivos Olam – Nesiv HaTorah: An Appreciation of Torah Study”, a translation with commentary of a work by the Maharal of Prague, published by Artscroll/Mesorah. He is currently working on a continuation of the Nesivos Olam series, “Nesivos Olam – Nesiv HaAvodah: The Philosophy and Practice of Prayer”.

Section 1 – Missing the Point?

At the beginning of Moshe’s brachos, his blessings to the nation Yisroel before he passed on, the verse states,[1] “Hashem came from Sinai and shone forth from Seir to them; He appeared from Mount Paran…”. Rashi explains that Moshe initiated his bracha by praising Hashem, and then he mentions the merit of Yisroel.

However, this begs the question, if the intent was to make Yisroel look good in contrast to Seir and Paran – that is, to highlight the fact that both Esav and Yishmael declined the Torah and only Yisroel accepted it – it would seem that the verses overlook the main point, since they mention only the visit of Hashem to those nations, and the offer of the Torah to them, but do not mention their refusal to accept it. We will come back to this question in section 11.

Section 2 – The Uniqueness of Our Present Time

We now discuss two new phenomena that characterize our present day and age. The first is that, while in the past, oppression of Yisroel emanated from Esav acting independently or from Yishmael acting independently – and in fact they were often at odds with each other – our present time is characterized by an oppression that emerges from an alliance between Esav and Yishmael.

The second phenomenon will emerge from our subsequent discussion.[2]

Section 3 – The Superfluous Details?

After Moshe concluded his personalized brachos to each individual tribe, each shevet in Yisroel, he closed by saying,[3] “Fortunate are you, Yisroel! Who is like you, oh people whose salvation is through Hashem”. Rashi explains that, “After Moshe specified the blessings to Yisroel, he said to them, ‘Why do I have to spell out all the details? In general: Everything is yours!’”[4]

Well, then, why did Moshe spell out all the details? We will answer this question in Section 12.

Section 4 – Tents Like Streams

“They extend like streams, like gardens by the river”.[5] Rashi explains that the word “they” is a reference back to the tents mentioned in the previous verse,[6] “How goodly are your tents, Yaakov, your dwelling places, Yisroel!”, and the comparison of the tents to extending streams means that the tents “extend and are drawn out for a distance”. We will explain what this apparently obscure statement means in section 7.[7]

Section 5 – Oneness in the Future

“Listen Yisroel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is one”.[8] Rashi explains[9] that “Hashem, who is now our G-d and not the G-d of the other nations will in the future be declared “the one G-d,” as it is said,[10] ‘For then I will convert the nations to a clear language that all of them call in the name of Hashem’”.

It is astounding that Rashi makes no mention of how our Sages explained a similar point,[11] with respect to the verse,[12] “on that day shall Hashem be one…”. The Gemara asks, “Is his name not one today?” And the Gemara answers, “This world is not like the future world. In this world, for good news we recite the bracha, hatov v’hameitiv, ‘He is good, and He does good’, while for bad news we recite the bracha, dayan emes, ‘Blessed be the true Judge’; whereas in the future world we will only recite the bracha ‘He is good and He does good’.”[13]

Rashi, however, seems to be taking a different tack when he explains that that the oneness attribute is reserved for the future because only then will all the nations recognize Hashem. (Not that Rashi’s explanation contradicts the Gemara because the fact is that the “all good and does good” epoch requires that opposition to Hashem on the part of the nations, which emanates from the side of evil, disappear.)

It appears that Rashi felt compelled to take this path because he wanted to establish, for reasons that are off-subject for our present discussion, that the nations ultimately coming to recognize Hashem – a necessary condition to establish the oneness of Hashem –  has a biblical, rather than just a traditional source.

Section 6 – Unwitting Accomplices to Oneness

Implicit in the verse,[14] “For then I will convert the nations to a clear language that all of them call in the name of Hashem” is the implication that at that future time, the nations will not arrive at that state on their own. Yisroel will have a role in bringing about this change. This is clear from the words, “For then I will convert the nations”.[15]

To understand why this is so we turn to the actual words of the Rambam – words that were excised out of the text by censors in most extant Rambam editions. In discussing Esav and Yishmael and the religions they initiated[16] the Rambam writes,[17]

“Ultimately, all the deeds…[18] will only serve to prepare the way for Moshiach’s coming and the improvement of the entire world, motivating the nations to serve Hashem together as Tzephania 3:9 states: ‘I will transform the peoples to a clear language that they all will call upon the name of Hashem and serve Him with one purpose.’

“How will this come about? The entire world will have already become filled with conversations about Moshiach, Torah…”.

Esav and Yishmael clear the way for the coming of Moshiach! Imagine, our cast-offs will achieve such incredible accomplishments![19] These drop-outs,[20] with all their falsifications and distortions of sacred concepts, will, in the end, be the only nations of the nations of the world who speak of a Creator, of Messiahs and of a Bible – concepts they imbibed in the home of our patriarch, Avrohom. Because they touched the doorknob of that home,[21] Moshiach concepts continued to linger with them, and the road leading to Moshiach is built on their backs.[22]

Certainly, this will only become clear in retrospect, after they are defeated. Only then will it become manifest that the Messiah banner they waved was, unbeknownst to them, for the purpose of laying the groundwork for the universal acceptance of the true Moshiach.

And certainly, this is not the intent of their focus on Messiah, and they have no idea that this is its covert purpose. As the verse states,[23] “And their light shall be withheld from the wicked…”; light passes over the wicked but they are completely oblivious to it. It is “withheld” from them; it bypasses them without making the slightest impression.

These are our drop-outs. We suffered mightily at their hand yet they carry the path to Moshiach on their shoulders. In fact, it is that word, “Moshiach” that provoked the most vicious hatred against us.[24] Yet, ironically, it is Esav and Yishmael who ready the world for “that day” when “His name will be one”.[25]

Section 7 – There is Nothing Without the Walled-In House

One of our great Torah Sages commented that embedded in the words of the evil Bilam,[26] “How goodly are you tents, Yaakov, your worshiping places, Yisroel!” is an acknowledgement of a unique distinction of Yaakov.[27] How so? A “tent” is a form of house. The Gemara teaches us[28] that Avrohom referred to the Bais HaMikdash as a “mountain”, Yitzchok referred to it as a “field”, and Yaakov referred to it as a “house”.

The difference between a mountain and field on the one hand, and a house on the other, is that while the former are unenclosed and can be abandoned at any time (as indeed, did Esav and Yishmael, who took their leave from Avrohom and Yitzchok), the latter is walled in on all sides.[29]

Bilam’s conception of “tents” and “worshiping places” included an acknowledgement of this important feature, unique to Yaakov, of a “house” as an enclosed place. This is what he had in mind when he prophesized, about the tents and worshiping places,[30] “They extend like streams, like gardens by the river”, which Rashi explains means that the tents, “extend and are drawn out for a distance”.[31] In other words, the “house” of Yaakov, as represented by the tents, is so entrenched and enduring that its scope extends far into the future, and this teaches us an important lesson about the course history must take in order to bring us to the Messianic era, as follows.

It might be thought that the road leading to Moshiach is exclusively via Yishmael and Esav and is rooted in the approaches of Avrohom and Yitzchok, which are characterized by “mountain” and “field”; in other words, by the apparent lack of boundaries that enabled the breaches of Yishmael and Esav.[32] It might be thought that they and only they share common ground with the other nations of the world and that the walled-in Yaakov (“house”) would not play a role in “I will transform the peoples to a clear language”.

This, however, is simply not so, and Rashi is teaching us, when he speaks of tents extending and drawn out for a distance, that it is not so. The tents of Yaakov extend, in fact, as far as the Messianic era; to the time of “For then I will convert the nations to a clear language that all of them call in the name of Hashem”. The critical message is that without Yaakov’s stalwart “house” even Esav and Yishmael[33] would not be able to sway the other nations into a belief in Moshiach.

The nations can be receptive to the proselytizing of Esav and Yishmael about a Messianic future thanks only to the durability of Yaakov’s “house – “your worshiping places, Yisroel”. (Our uncompromising adherence to Torah, to mitzvos and to our faith in the arrival of our authentic Moshiach continually fuels the Esav-Yishmael conversation about Moshiach.)[34]

Whatever contribution Esav and Yishmael make toward universal acceptance of Moshiach is built on the foundation of Yaakov’s walled-in “house”.

Section 8 – The Path to Universal Oneness is Through Open Miracles

In section 5[35] we cited the commentary of Rashi on the Shma verse: “Hashem, who is now our G-d and not the G-d of the other nations will in the future be declared “the one G-d,” as it is said, ‘For then I will convert the nations to a clear language that all of them call in the name of Hashem’”. The Ramban agrees with this explanation and adds, “This requires additional thought because the phrase ‘our G-d’ is a departure from Moshe’s usual mode of expression in Devarim, where he generally uses second-person – ‘your G-d’.[36]

“The reason Moshe uses “our G-d” here is because it was through Moshe that Hashem performed great and wonderous acts,[37] in order to bestow upon Moshe a reputation of splendor.”[38]

It is not our place to involve ourselves with the secrets of Torah that the Ramban interjects into his commentary but this much we can safely glean: Moshe’s inclusion with the rest of Yisroel in the phrase “our G-d” is related to the miracles and wonders he performed, which Hashem brought about through him to increase his reputation for splendor, and therefore it will be by Moshe’s hand that Hashem’s Havaya name will, in the future, be one.[39]

The source for this understanding of the Ramban is apparently the verse at the beginning of parshas Va’eyra,[40] “I appeared to Avrohom, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov with the name Shakai,[41] but with My name Havaya, I did not become known to them”. The implication is that the Shakai name, with which Hashem interacted with the Avos, would not have been appropriate for the miracles of Egypt and the splitting of the Red Sea.[42]

When Moshe said “Havaya is our G-d, Havaya is one” he was actually saying that because I, Moshe, interacted with Hashem through His Havaya name, I was able to perform the miracles of the exodus, and to have thereby cleared the way for Hashem, ultimately, to be one – to be universally accepted by all the nations of the world. Without Moshe, who was the conduit for the miracles of the exodus through the Havaya name, the notion of uniting the nations under the banner of Hashem would have been a non-starter.[43]

(Do not fall into the mistaken belief that Rashi’s statement that the nations will universally recognize that Hashem is one minimizes the special status of Yisroel that is implied by the first part of the verse, “Hashem is our G-d”. Heaven forbid! Rather, from the perspective of the future, we add a nuance to the first part of the verse. Whereas now, we are the only ones who recognize Hashem’s oneness, since the nations of the world do not, in the future, the nations will also come to this recognition – precisely because His name will become known through us, since “Hashem is our G-d”.)

Section 9 – A Partnership of Facilitators

It should be clear now that the contributions of both “the house of Yaakov” and of Moshe are required in order to bring about a future situation where the nations of the world recognize that Hashem is one. Without Moshe the Avos would not have produced cast-offs[44] that would have been able to bring about “For then I will convert the nations to a clear language”, because that conversion requires the Havaya name whose mode of behavior was revealed through Moshe.

Moshe’s role, in this respect, is similar to that of the “house of Yaakov”. Just as, without the “house of Yaakov”, Esav and Yishmael would not have been able to accomplish anything with respect to awakening the world to Hashem’s oneness,[45] so too without Moshe’s contribution, the “house of Yaakov” alone would not have sufficed to bring about a state of “For then I will convert the nations to a clear language”. The recognition of the oneness of Hashem on the part of the nations requires a partnership between Yisroel (the “house of Yaakov”) and Moshe.

Section 10 – The Changing World Order

We now turn to the second of the two new phenomena that characterize our present epoch, as mentioned in section 2, and that is that heretofore insignificant nations have thrust themselves onto the world stage. We refer to nations such as China, and what is commonly referred to as “the third world”. These nations seek a status equal to that of the major powers, even though they have no connection either to Esav or Yishmael.[46] What is the reason for this sea change in the relative status of the world’s nations?

The answer is that we are living in a time where the alliance between Esav and Yishmael is becoming solidified, as discussed in section 2, and that is the time where the influence of Esav and Yishmael on the other nations as “Moshiach mediators” begins – it is a precursor to the ultimate recognition of “that day”. The role of mediators is theirs because, despite the way Esav and Yishmael ended up, their cradles were parked in the homes of Avrohom and Yitzchok.[47]

Section 11 – Piggybacking on the Merit of Yisroel

Some commentators say that the source for the Rambam’s statement that Esav and Yishmael clear the way for the coming of the Moshiach[48] are the words of the verse itself,[49] “…and shone forth from Seir to them; He appeared from Mount Paran…”. They understand וְזָרַ֤ח, v’zarach, “shone forth”, as an expression of enlightenment, and similarly they understand הוֹפִ֨יעַ֙, hofiah, “appeared”, as an expression of “revelation”[50]

We return to our question of section 1. In truth, embedded in this “shining forth” and “revelation” is the merit of Yisroel, since the only reason Esav and Yishmael merited these appellations was by virtue of their being the cast-offs of Yisroel;[51] the fact that their cradles were parked in the homes of our Patriarchs. That being the case there is no need for these verses, which speak of Yisroel’s receiving the Torah through Moshe, to be explicit about the refusal of Esav and Yishmael to accept the Torah, in order to highlight the merit of Yisroel. The very fact that Esav and Yishmael were granted the ability to “shine forth” and “reveal” the concepts of Moshiach to the nations of the world, speaks to Yisroel’s merit!

Section 12 – The Meaning of “It is All Yours!”

We return to our question of section 3. After Moshe enumerated the qualities of Yisroel in terms of their appropriateness for leading to the epoch of the end of days he concluded with the remark, “what is the point of enumerating specifics, in the end, it is all yours!” That is, even the roles of Esav and Yishmael in popularizing Moshiach among the nations; even that is yours!

There is no basis for bringing this up without first enumerating the many intrinsic qualities of Yisroel.[52] Once that is done it is appropriate and indeed necessary to make it clear that aside from their intrinsic qualities, everything – everything – originates from and belongs to Yisroel.[53]

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[1] Devarim 33:2. ה' מִסִּינַ֥י בָּא֙ וְזָרַ֤ח מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ לָ֔מוֹ הוֹפִ֨יעַ֙ מֵהַ֣ר פָּארָ֔ן.... Rashi explains that Hashem “shone forth from Seir”, the land of the descendants of Yitzchak’s errant son Esav, because He had gone there to offer the Torah to them. Similarly, “Hashem appeared from Mount Paran”, the land of the descendants of Avraham’s errant son Yishmael, because he had gone there to offer the Torah to them as well.

The descendants of Esav are associated with Rome – that is, with the Christian world. The descendants of Yishmael are associated with Arabia – that is, with the Moslem world.

[2] And will be discussed explicitly in section 10.

[3] Devarim 33:29. אַשְׁרֶ֨יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל מִ֣י כָמ֗וֹךָ עַ֚ם נוֹשַׁ֣ע ה'.

[4] There is an implicit assumption here that the brachos of Moshe will take full effect at the end of days, in the time of Moshiach. See section 12, where this question is answered.

[5] Bamidbar 24:6. כִּנְחָלִ֣ים נִטָּ֔יוּ כְּגַנֹּ֖ת עֲלֵ֣י נָהָ֑ר. The context is Bilam’s attempted cursing of Yisroel, at the instigation of the nations of Moav and Midian, as Yisroel traveled through the desert after the Egyptian exodus. Hashem forced Bilam to utter words of blessing rather than curses.

[6] Bamidbar 24:5. מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹֽהָלֶ֖יךָ יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל.

[7] The “extend and drawn out…” explanation will be used in section 7 to explain the role of Yaakov in keeping the concept of Moshiach alive, throughout history, even among the gentile nations, but first the Maamar must establish, in sections 5 and 6, that the “front end” of keeping the concept of Moshiach alive among the gentile nations is carried out by Esav and Yishmael.

[8] Devarim 6:4. שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ה' אֱלֹקינוּ ה' אֶחָֽד.

[9] Rashi is explaining the connection between the first part of the verse, “Hashem is our G-d”, and the second part of the verse, “Hashem is one”.

[10] Tzephania 3:9. כִּי־אָ֛ז אֶהְפֹּ֥ךְ אֶל־עַמִּ֖ים שָׂפָ֣ה בְרוּרָ֑ה לִקְרֹ֚א כֻלָּם֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם ה'. The gentile nations of the world will be made to realize, in that epoch, that Hashem is the true and only G-d.

[11] Pesachim 50a. The point being explained here is why the oneness attribute is applied to Hashem only in the future.

[12] Zecharia 14:9. בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִֽהְיֶ֧ה ה' אֶחָ֖ד....

[13] Although we know intellectually that Hashem emanates only good, and what appears to us today to be bad must in fact ultimately be good, we are constrained by our senses and must therefore declare dayan emes, “true judge” when our senses tell us that something bad has happened. But the blinders will be removed in the future epoch and we will perceive that all is in fact good. We will then be able to dispense with the dayan emes bracha and recite the hatov v’hameitiv bracha in response to all events, and without any misgivings. We will sense the unity of Hashem’s behavior and can wholeheartedly declare “Hashem is one”.

[14] Tzephania 3:9. כִּי־אָ֛ז אֶהְפֹּ֥ךְ אֶל־עַמִּ֖ים שָׂפָ֣ה בְרוּרָ֑ה לִקְרֹ֚א כֻלָּם֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם ה'.

[15] The verse is telling us that this change-of-heart on the part of the nations will be imposed on them from the outside – that is, by Yisroel, acting on behalf of Hashem, as it were.

[16] See footnote 1.

[17] Yad HaChazaka, Hilchos Melachim 11:4.

[18] Of the false Messiahs of Esav and Yishmael.

[19] Most of the Maamorim in Pachad Yitzchok were originally delivered in Yiddish and adapted into Hebrew for the print editions. Yet some Yiddish expressions carry a flavor that is impossible to carry over in translation so these expressions appear in Pachad Yitzchok in the original Yiddish. We continue that custom here. אונזערע פסולת האט אזעלכע תיקונים!.

[20] אונזערע אוועקגעפאלענע.

[21] אנגערירט די קלאמקע. The expression implies that they only had a fleeting relationship with the home and the values of Avrohom. Nonetheless that association left enough of an impression on them to implant Moshiach indelibly in their psyches, which carries through the generations.

[22] It is important to note that a signature feature of a belief in Moshiach is acceptance of the oneness of Hashem. When we say that Esav and Yishmael play an important role in keeping the concept of Moshiach alive, we are actually saying that they play an important role in publicizing the oneness of Hashem at the end of days – as discussed in section 5; “Hashem is one” in the Shma verse is a reference to the end of days, when all the nations of the world will come to that realization.

[23] Iyuv 38:15. וְיִמָּנַ֣ע מֵרְשָׁעִ֣ים אוֹרָ֑ם.

[24] The concept of a Messiah-like savior was lifted from Judaism and transplanted into their religions and they take umbrage at any implication that theirs is not the “true” Messiah. Our insistence on the Moshiach of Judaism is, to them, a slap in the face.

[25] That is, when the true Moshiach will come and change the world order. The next section will explain that although Esav and Yishmael will carry the brunt of the proselytizing burden to the nations of the world, the substance of their message originates with Yisroel.

[26] Bamidbar 24:5. מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹֽהָלֶ֖יךָ יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל.

[27] In a footnote in the original Hebrew version of this Maamar it is explained that the following thought was implicit in the words of the Sage being quoted, and was made explicit afterwards: When Esav and Yishmael act in concert it is because when the time for Moshiach draws near, these two national forces, which are normally at odds with each other, are pulled together by their common roots – what they absorbed in the home of their parents –  to the common goal of clearing the way for the arrival of Moshiach.

[28] Pesachim 88a. The Gemara is talking about the nations of the world urging each other to join the authentic worshipers of Hashem and journey to the Bais HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, and in that context these nations refer to it as “the house of the G-d of Yaakov”. The Gemara explains that this language was carefully chosen; even though Avrohom and Yitzchok worshiped there, it was only Yaakov who called it a “house”. The significance of “house” in the context of the nations of the world coming to worship Hashem in the Messianic era will be explained in this section of the Maamar.

[29] Yaakov, last of the three patriarchs, was the only one whose children, to a man, stayed in the fold, adhered to Yaakov’s faith system and maintained his manner of serving Hashem. See Pesachim 56a; also discussed in Pachad Yitzchok Yom Kippur 5.

[30] In the very next verse, Bamidbar 24:6. כִּנְחָלִ֣ים נִטָּ֔יוּ כְּגַנֹּ֖ת עֲלֵ֣י נָהָ֑ר.

[31] The simple meaning is that the tents of Yisroel that Bilam was looking at in the desert stretched out as far as the eye could see. However, the Maamar will explain that there is a deeper meaning to this verse as well.

[32] We are not, G-d forbid, entertaining the possibility that the approaches of Avrohom and Yitzchok were problematic; they were designed to encourage entry into the fold, not exit from it. Responsibility for that misuse of the openness lies squarely in the laps of Yishmael and Esav. Yet one might think, as the Maamar continues, that the silver lining in their otherwise inexcusable behavior is that it gives them entrée to the other nations, who never lived under any constraints at all, and who might be more apt to listen to them, than to Yisroel, espouse the concept of a Messiah, with a sympathetic ear.

[33] Who imbibed the concept of Moshiach with their mother’s milk, as it were.

[34] That conversation would have no credibility with the other nations of the world if not for our “walking the walk” while Esav and Yishmael just “talked the talk”. Without Yisroel visibly acting in a manner that brings glory to Hashem’s Kingship today, and making it clear that the world is gravitating toward a state of a universal recognition of Hashem, the Messianic prattling of Esav and Yishmael would be viewed as empty words with no substance.

[35] Having discussed the roles of the Avos, and of Esav and Yishmael, in bringing about a state of universal recognition of Hashem, the Maamar now turns to a discussion of Moshe’s role in achieving this goal.

[36] Rashi explains this discrepancy by contrasting “our G-d” with “Hashem is one” – that is, now He is only our G-d but in the future He will be everyone’s G-d. The Ramban agrees, but adds an additional dimension to our understanding of the discrepancy.

[37] The miracles of the Egyptian exodus as well as those that followed at Sinai and in the desert.

[38] שם תפארת. In his commentary on the Torah the Ramban frequently dips into Kabbalah, as he does here.

[39] The verse, according to this understanding, is teaching us cause-and-effect. Because Moshe performed, at Hashem’s behest, the miracles for his splendor, he thereby provides the energy that will ultimately unite the nations of the world under the banner of Hashem’s Havaya name. “Hashem [Havaya] is one”.

[40] Shmos 6:3 וָֽאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶל־יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב בְּקל שׁקי וּשְׁמִ֣י ה' לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם.

[41] Spelled shin-daled-yud; we follow the convention of replacing the letter hai with the letter kuf in the name of Hashem, so as not to spell it out, and of abbreviating the Havaya name as hai followed by an apostrophe.

The different names of Hashem describe different attributes. Hashem does not always interact with His world, or with individuals in His world, in the same way.

[42] The Ramban on Shmos 6:2 explains, in the name of the Ibn Ezra, that the Shakai name describes Hashem’s mode of behavior wherein he interacts with the world within the constraints of the laws of nature. Thus, although everything is miraculous in the sense that Hashem is controlling events “behind the scenes”, there are no deviations from natural law. Hashem interacted with the Avos primarily in this way. However the Havaya name refers to Hashem’s creative power, which supersedes the laws of nature and causes supernatural events, which are universally recognized as miraculous, to take place. The effects of this name did not come to the forefront until they were brought to bear by Moshe, for the sake of the Egyptian exodus and subsequent miraculous events.

The Ramban on Shmos 13:16 explains that the purpose of open miracles is to definitively dispel, for all time, false notions that seek to limit Hashem’s powers. A proper consideration of the open miracles that occurred at the time of the exodus, and their ramifications, the Ramban explains, makes it clear that Hashem is one, is omnipotent, is aware of every event transpiring in the world and takes an active part in running the world.

Thus Moshe’s contribution to bringing the nations of the world to this realization can be summed up as follows:

1)  Moshe was the first to employ the Havaya name to bring about open miracles, at the time of the exodus.

2)  The open miracles were a lasting demonstration of the oneness of Hashem and the unlimited nature of His power.

3)  Therefore, at the end of days the nations of the world will come to the realization that Hashem is one, thanks in large part to the miracles that Moshe wrought at the time of the exodus, which set the stage for such a realization.

[43] Perhaps we may add that without dipping into our tradition of Moshe-initiated open miracles, the nations would be wary of accepting the concept of a Messiah – a person who, like Moshe, is presumed to live in an environment of miracles.

[44] Esav and Yishmael.

[45] As discussed in section 7. See footnote 29.

[46] For many centuries prior to the present day the Christian and Moslem nations were the dominant world powers.

[47] See section 6.

[48] As discussed in section 6.

[49] Devarim 33:2. .. וְזָרַ֤ח מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ לָ֔מוֹ הוֹפִ֨יעַ֙ מֵהַ֣ר פָּארָ֔ן.... See footnote 1 for Rashi’s interpretation of this verse.

[50] "ערשיינונג". According to this interpretation the verse is describing not just Hashem’s appearance to these nations to offer them the Torah, but also a divine “light” that Hashem shone upon them that triggered their role as popularizers of the concept of Moshiach to the other nations.

[51] "אפפאל".

[52] Lest it be thought that Yisroel’s primary “claim to fame” is in spawning Esav and Yishmael; that they do not have merit of their own.

[53] Following is a synopsis of a major theme of this Maamar – the factors and contributors that lead to the Moshiach epoch of the end of days.

The Moshiach epoch is characterized by all the nations of the world universally accepting the unity and Kingship of Hashem under the leadership of Moshiach. (Section 5)

Islam and Christianity (Yishmael and Esav) were exposed to the concept of Moshiach in the homes of Avrohom and Yitzchok, respectively, and that concept remained with them even though they abandoned the Judaism of their fathers. It was incorporated into their own religions and thereby achieved world-wide exposure. (Section 6)

Thus, those two religions/nations are the “front end” that keeps the concept of Moshiach, albeit in distorted form, front-and-center in the world consciousness. (Section 6)

Avrohom and Yitzchok referred to the Bais HaMikdash using terms that imply openness – “mountain” and “field”; areas that are unenclosed. Yaakov, however, referred to it as a “house” – an enclosed and protected area. Bilam prophesized that Yaakov’s “house” would extend to the Messianic era. (Section 7)

It might be thought that the ability of Yishmael and Esav to keep the concept of Moshiach alive was rooted in the openness of Avrohom and Yitzchok and that it is this openness that enables Yishmael and Esav to share common ground with the other nations of the world. However, the prophecy of Bilam teaches us that this is not so; on the contrary without Yaakov’s stalwart “house” even Esav and Yishmael  would not be able to sway the other nations into a belief in Moshiach. (Section 7)

The nations can be receptive to the proselytizing of Esav and Yishmael about a Messianic future thanks only to the durability of Yaakov’s “house. Our uncompromising adherence to Torah, to mitzvos and to our faith in the arrival of our authentic Moshiach continually fuels the Esav-Yishmael conversation about Moshiach. Whatever contribution Esav and Yishmael make toward universal acceptance of Moshiach is built on the foundation of Yaakov’s walled-in “house”. (Section 7)

The final contributor driving the Yishmael/Esav conversation about Moshiach is Moshe. Moshe, at the time of the exodus, was the first to demonstrate Hashem’s mode of interacting with the world through open miracles that flout the laws of nature. These miracles provide, for all time, enduring evidence of Hashem’s omnipotence. At the end of days the nations of the world will come to the realization that Hashem is one, thanks in large part to the miracles that Moshe wrought at the time of the exodus, which set the stage for such a realization. These miracles provide vital credibility to the Messianic concepts espoused by Yishmael and Esav. (Section 8)