We are presently living in the Roman exile, as it was the Romans who destroyed Yerushalayim and dispersed the Jews of Eretz Yisrael.
In Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, an early midrashic work, it is written that before the coming of Messiah we will have to contend with a fifth source of suffering – and the source will be Yishmael. Many of our sages and kabbalists wrote that before the final curtain falls on the stage of history, Yishmael will inflict torture on a scale never before seen.
One need not be a prophet, rabbi, or kabbalist to recognize the painful veracity of these predictions. Consider last week’s synagogue attack in Yerushalayim. Can there be anything more brutal or savage than that?
Let us seriously commit ourselves – without delay – to heartfelt prayer, to Torah, to acts of chesed, and to joyous celebration of the third meal of Shabbos. If we do, we can affect the course of history and ease the pain of the Messianic birth pangs that are upon us.