In this week’s parsha, as Yaakov approaches the end of his life, he gathers his sons around him one final time. He tells them that he will reveal to them what will transpire at the end of days. (Bereishit 49:1). But he then proceeds to bless them instead. According to many commentators, Ramban notable among them, Yaakov indeed embedded prophetic insights into the brachot he bestowed on his sons. Nevertheless, there is no explicit revelation of secrets of the future redemption. Rashi, following the Gemara in Pesachim (56a), says that Yaakov intended to reveal the conclusion but it became hidden from him.
Over the intervening millennia, many have communicated insights and predictions about the timing and the circumstances of the final redemption. Some of these have indeed been derived from close reading of Yaakov’s blessings in our parsha, and others come from different sources. This is a key point of focus in Kol HaTor, the book by the students of the Vilna Gaon that we began to look at last week. The second half of the fifth chapter of that book offers very specific insights into the final years of history, as the Moshiach ben Yosef completes his designated tasks. The students of the Gra saw these events approaching in the near future, and in particular understood many of them to be direct consequences of their efforts to restore the Jewish presence in the Land and rebuild its cities. To us this description will seem familiar because of how closely it parallels the world we are now living in.
The author of Kol HaTor uses the language from the aforementioned passage from our parsha which we translated as “conclusion” (ketz) to refer to the end of the reign of the forces of corruption in the world. He personifies this power, in the manner favored by the mystics of previous centuries, as “the other side” (i.e., the side of darkness) and the Prince of Esav (whom we met in midrashim on the parsha a few weeks ago). Because the Jewish people will have begun the process of ingathering the exiles and restoring the Land, it is evident that the end time is approaching and that the power of darkness and evil are soon to be curtailed – eventually cut off entirely. The “Other Side” seeks to deploy its most powerful weapons in order to prevent or to delay this outcome for as long as possible.
These most powerful weapons are falsehood and haughtiness. The Gemara says, for example, “Sons will be impudent to their fathers and the youth will humiliate the old.” (Sota 49b). Lies will proliferate in the world until it becomes difficult to distinguish between truth and fiction, and even the wise and those who seek to become wise in Torah will be confused and “blinded” to the real state of affairs. All of this, sadly, is the inevitable outcome of beginning the process of redeeming the Land and returning the exiles, so we who engage in that work must anticipate these events and be ready to face the challenge.
We must remember that the “seal” of Hashem from Heaven to Earth is emet, truth. We must never fight falsehood with more falsehood or misinformation; our dedication to the truth is our most powerful weapon in the face of this onslaught. By wielding truth we will elicit divine intervention into our world when we most need it, because Hashem is at war with Amalek in every generation (Shemot 17:16) and because this seal of the divine name has the power to overthrow our enemies.
As our enemies seek to defy Hashem and expose Him as being without power in the world, or to demonstrate that we are not His chosen or protected by Him, we have a sacred duty to bring Him honor by our actions and by our unflappable dedication to the good and the true even in the face of unspeakable horrors. This is the meaning of the pasuk we just read in the haftara for Shabbat Chanukah: “Hashem rebukes you, o Satan; Hashem, the One who chooses Yerushalayim, rebukes you” (Zechariah 3:2). Hashem chooses Yerushalayim, and in doing so rebukes those who defy Him and accuse us. But we can only bring glory to Hashem and be His partners in this war against evil and corruption when we demonstrate our unwavering dedication to truth and to dignity.
May we find the strength in ourselves to be true sons of Yaakov, fulfilling his prophetic blessings, and overpower the descendants of Esav through Amalek who seek our destruction.
