… Jacob wished to reveal to his sons the (date of the) end
of days, but this was concealed from him. Rashi Genesis 47:28
My father explained the reason Jacob was prevented from
revealing the ends of days.
Isaiah [60:22] delivers God’s message “In its time I will
hasten it [the time of redemption].” Our Sages [Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin
98a] note the apparent contradiction: if it is at the appointed time, it is
not being hastened, and explain: “if Israel merits, God will hasten the time of
redemption, if not, the redemption will be at the appointed time.”
Had Jacob revealed the end of days to his sons, they (and
their descendants) may have chosen to wait for that day and not attempt to
hasten its arrival. It is God’s desire that His people attempt to hasten the
end of days. Even worse, some Israelites might think that it is imperative to
wait for God’s appointed time and intentionally refrain from the attempt to
hasten the end of days. Further, the verse which precedes ours, the final verse
of Parashat vaYigash tells us that Israel (plural) took hold in Egypt,
implying that they felt at home there, and did not feel the need for
redemption. Therefore, Jacob could not reveal the end of days, since the true
redemption will come when the Israelites cry out to God for their salvation.
Freedom is not to be given to a person or a nation, rather to be earned through
appreciation of its value.
No comments:
Post a Comment