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Moshiach in the Parsha
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THE SPEAKING IDOLS
Exodus 20:3
Sources: Midrash Shocher Tov, Psalms 31 Rabbi Yochanan said: At Mount Sinai, G-d gave strength to the idols, and they stood up and actually bowed down to G-d! We speak of this in Psalms (97:7) and in the Friday night prayers: "All the gods (idols) bowed to Him (to G-d)." Rabbi Yudan said: The same thing will happen in the days of Moshiach. The idols will bow down to G-d, and all the people who served them will be ashamed. Rabbi Pinchas said: When Moshiach comes, G-d will even make the idols speak! They will reprimand the people who served them and say, "You left G-d and eternal life and bowed down to idols that can't even speak!"
BROUGHT TO LIFE BY DEW
Exodus 20:16
Sources: Shabbos 88b Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When G-d spoke to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai and said the first of the 10 Commandments, their souls left their bodies. If so, how were they able to hear the second commandment, and to live afterwards? The answer is that there is a special kind of dew that G-d is going to use at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead to bring all the dead back to life. He brought down some of this dew on Mount Sinai and it brought all the Jewish people back to life!
THE BIG SHOFAR
Exodus 19:19
Sources: Pirkei D'R. Elezer 31
On Mount Sinai, the Jewish people heard the sound of a shofar. Where did this shofar come from? It came from the ram which Abraham sacrificed at the binding of Isaac. The ram's left horn was used for the shofar blowing on Mount Sinai. Its sound became louder and louder, to prepare them for the great revelation from G-d. But the right horn is even bigger than the left one. It will be blown at the time of redemption, when we will return to Eretz Yisroel. This shofar is the one spoken about in the verse, "On that day the big shofar will be blown" (Isaiah 27:13).
NO MORE FORGETTING
Exodus 20:16
Sources: Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:15 quoted in Torah Shleimah 20:455 Rabbi Yehudah said: When the Jewish people heard the first of the 10 Commandments, the Torah became deeply implanted in their hearts. Anything they learned in Torah, they would never forget. The yetzer hara (evil impulse) was also taken away from them. But then they asked Moses to receive the Torah for them and then afterwards to tell them what G-d said. After that, they began to forget what they learned just like regular people. They said to themselves, "When we heard the Torah from G-d, who lives forever, we remembered forever. Now that we hear it from Moses, who won't live forever, we forget!" The yetzer hara also returned to them They went back to Moses, and asked to once again receive the Torah directly from G-d. But he answered, "It will once again happen, but not now. It will in the days of Moshiach." And only at that time will the yetzer hara be removed, as said by Ezekiel (34: ), "And I will remove the heart of stone from within you."
ALL WILL BE HEALTHY
Exodus 19:11. 20:15. Rashi
Sources: Bereishis Rabah 95:1 At Mount Sinai, G-d made all the sick people healthy. Those who were blind became able to see. Those who were deaf became able to hear. When there will be the Resurrection of the Dead, G-d will bring everyone back to life the same way they were when they passed away. If they were blind or deaf, He will bring them to life also blind or deaf. But then He will make them all healthy. Why doesn't G-d just bring them back to life already healthy? Because even after the Resurrection of the Dead there will be wicked people who will try to deny that it was a Resurrection. "If the person passed away deaf and came to life able to hear," they would claim, "It must be a different person!" Therefore G-d will bring such a person to life still deaf, and only then make him hear again.
"SEEING" G-D EYE TO EYE
Isaiah 52:8
Sources: Radak When the Jewish people were at Mount Sinai, they were all on the level of prophets and were able to "see" G-d. When the redemption comes, the level of prophecy will be higher than it ever was before, as it is written, "They will see eye to eye when G-d returns to Tzion."
THE GREATEST THING IN CREATION
Exodus 20:11
Sources: Mechilta D'Rashbi 20:11 quoted in Torah Shleimah 276* In the commandment regarding Shabbos, G-d said, "In 6 days G-d created the heavens and the earth, the ocean and everything within it." Since the posuk already says, "the heavens and the earth," the ocean is already included. Why does the posuk have to say, "the ocean." This teaches us that the good things of the ocean are even greater than the entire heavens and earth. But if the posuk already says, "the ocean," why does it have to say, "and everything from within it"?! It comes to tell us that there is something within the ocean which is greater even than all the other good things of the ocean. What is it? It is the livyoson fish, which we will eat when the redemption comes.
* * *
"Thus you shall say to the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel."
(Yisro 19:3)
Our sages state that "House of Jacob" refers to the women of Israel, and "Children of Israel" to the men; for when G-d gave the Torah to Israel, He told Moses to approach first the women and the men only thereafter. The purpose of the exodus from Egypt was for the Jewish people to receive the Torah at Sinai, as it is written: "When you will have brought out the people from Egypt, you shall serve G-d upon this mountain." (Exodus 3:12) Of the exodus itself it is said that it occurred by virtue of the pious women of that generation. Thus when it came to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, the women were given precedence, before the men. The Messianic redemption, too, will be by virtue of the righteous women of Israel, as stated in the Midrash: "All generations are redeemed by virtue of the pious women of their generation." Thus the women will again be first to receive the wondrous teachings to be heard from Moshiach.
* * *
"Remember the Shabbat-day to keep it holy."
(Yisro 20:8)
Rashi explains this verse: Take heed to remember the Shabbat-day constantly, so that if you happen to find something special - set it aside for Shabbat. Likewise, our sages state that we are not to give special names to the weekdays but to refer to them in context of the Shabbat ("first day to the Shabbat, second day to the Shabbat," and so forth). Thus we remember, and are constantly conscious of, the Shabbat-day, and in effect preparing every day of the week for the upcoming Shabbat. The same applies to the era of the Messianic redemption.
It is referred to as "the Day that is entirely Shabbat and repose for life everlasting." Throughout the present "week-days" of the galut we must constantly remember and remain conscious of that "Shabbat-Day. We must now already prepare ourselves, and everyone and everything around us, for the upcoming Shabbat of the Messianic era.
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