By: Yisrael Yitzchak Rosenfeld
Rav Morgenstern shlita explains that there are different opinions regarding the time when Mashiach will come.
Some opinions state that he will come on Erev Shabbat (Friday afternoon, before the beginning of Shabbat), while others maintain that he will appear at the time of Mincha prayer on Shabbat.
The Rama MiPano zt”l holds that the passing of Moshe Rabbeinu was a lengthy process: it began on Erev Shabbat, and Moshe departed from this world at the time of Mincha on Shabbat.
A portion of his soul had already ascended on Erev Shabbat.
According to Rav Morgenstern shlita, it may be that
Mashiach ben Yosef will initiate the Ge’ulah (Redemption) on Erev Shabbat, and Mashiach ben David will complete it at the time of Mincha on Shabbat.
The holy ARIzal teaches that Mashiach will reveal the 50th Gate.
He compares each Sefirah to a series of gates; each Sefirah contains seven gates.
The 50th Gate is the supernal root that provides life-force to all the other gates.
(A reference to Sefirat HaOmer!)
It is the Gate that contains all the other gates within itself.
However, it remains uncertain whether this refers to the all-encompassing Gate that includes all the other gates, or whether it represents the beginning and root of all the other gates.
This is connected to the passage in Sotah 14a in the Babylonian Talmud, which states that it is unclear whether Moshe’s grave on Mount Nebo is located “below” or “above.”
The Rebbe of Komarna zt”l explains that Moshe’s grave was created during the time of twilight (Bein HaShemashot) on Erev Shabbat.
This is connected with the 50th Gate.
This moment
— Erev Shabbat —
is connected with the beginning of the Ge’ulah.
Therefore, the holy ARIzal instructed his students to accompany him to Jerusalem after the Kabbalat Shabbat prayers.
This would have brought about the Ge’ulah.
For this to happen, he himself would have had to embody the true “Ani” (“I”), while his students would have had to represent the true “Ayin” (“Nothingness” / “Non-being”).
Through this union (Zivug), the Ge’ulah would have arrived.
The fact that Eliyahu HaNavi zt”l (the Prophet Elijah) came to the holy ARIzal was the result of his great efforts to uncover the hidden secrets of the Torah.
Eliyahu HaNavi zt”l appeared to him in order to confirm whether the secrets he had discovered corresponded to the complete truth.
Eliyahu HaNavi zt”l gave his Haskamah (approval) to all of his revelations.
There is a connection between the ARIzal, Rebbe Nachman zt”l, and Yitzchak Avinu zt”l.
Both the ARIzal and Rebbe Nachman passed away at the age of 38.
Yitzchak was in his 38th year of life when he was brought to the Akeidah (the Binding of Yitzchak).
The Maharsha zt”l states that from
17th of Tammuz until Tisha B’Av there are 22 days,
corresponding to the days from Rosh Hashanah until Shemini Atzeret.
The yahrzeit (anniversary of passing) of the ARIzal, on the 5th of Av, corresponds to the 18th of Tishrei, the yahrzeit of Rebbe Nachman zt”l.
The ARIzal passed away on the fifth day of the fifth month.
This alludes to Hod shebeHod.
The Sefirah associated with the Hilula (commemoration) of Rashbi is also Hod shebeHod.
It is a mitzvah to unite the great
Yechidei HaDor (the unique spiritual personalities of the generation).
Only through the connection of:
- Rashbi zt”l (the letter Yud),
- the ARIzal (the letter Heh),
- the Baal Shem Tov (Besht) (the letter Vav),
- Rebbe Nachman (the letter Heh), and
- Moshe Rabbeinu (the Kotz shel Yud — the small crown-like extension of the Yud)
will the holy Name of Hashem be revealed to us.
The reason why the ARIzal departed from this world before his time was because he revealed to Rav Chaim Vital zt”l a secret that he was not permitted to disclose, and because there was not sufficient peace (Shalom) among his students.
Had they been sufficiently united, they could have nullified the heavenly decree against him.
The work Emek HaMelech states that two years after the passing of the ARIzal, a special Ketz (a predetermined time for Redemption) arrived — as had been revealed to Daniel — which could have been the time of the Ge’ulah (Redemption).
