Geula Update from Rav Fish - Pekudei 5774 - Part 3

From Rav Fish's latest:

Continued from Part 1 and Part 2.

• Final troubles against Torah scholars
• It's brought down in the Gr"a (Esther 1) that the final and hardest troubles that we will have immediately preceding the coming of Mashiah will be Hutzpa and mocking Torah scholars:

  The [near-]destruction that is in this Megillat Esther hints to the end of the [near-]destruction that takes place in the footsteps of Mashiah, as it says: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time". And the idea is [like it says at the end of Sotah] that in the footsteps of Mashiah, Hutzpa will increase, youngsters will embarrass the face of the elders, and the elders will stand up for the youngsters. ... This is the intent of [Hazal in] Hagiga [14a] that Yeshaya cursed 18 curses and his mind was not calmed... This is hard to swallow. Would we think that Yeshaya hates Israel?! Rather, every trouble that is done to Israel in exile brings the Redemption closer, as is written אגרא דכלה דוחקא, and that is why all the curses toward Israel is to their benefit - to bring the Redemption closer. And nevertheless, his mind was not calmed until he said: "the child shall behave insolently against the aged" because then, definitely Mashiah will come since in the footsteps of Mashiah, Hutzpa will increase.

• Strife vs Unity
• Strife causes tragedies
• We find in the Yerushalmi (Berachot 64a) "Eliyahu asked Ribbi Nehorai: Why do earthquakes come?  ... The rabbis say: Because of Mahloket.
• It appears that in these years, we need to be worried from earthquakes that could come as a result of Mahloket more than usual.  This is because we brought down from the Gr"a that these years have the Sod of Ateret Hayesod which connects the 2 Meshihin, and this is the Sod of the soul of Binyamin.  And regarding Binyamin, we find that Yaakov was very fearful that no tragedy should befall him, as it says: "But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said: 'Lest peradventure harm [אסון] befall him.'" And it says: "And he said: 'My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left; if harm [אסון] befall him by the way in which ye go".  And it says: "and if ye take this one also from me, and harm [אסון] befall him".  (The word "אסון" appears 5 times in the whole Torah and 3 of them are in relation to Binyamin.)  Yaakov worried about Binyamin more than all of them because in this point of Binyamin, who is the aspect of Ateret Hayesod within which all the Sefirot unite, we must be very careful with unity.  And if, G-d forbid, there will be dissension among the tribes or between Yosef and his brothers, this will bring about a tragedy on Binyamin who is the uniting force between them.  And as we see, the Mahloket between Yosef and his brothers, which almost led to tragedies, was specifically about Binyamin since Binyamin was the point that united them and there is where the danger of dissension exists, which can lead to tragedies.  And this is why the rabbis say in the Yerushalmi that Mahloket brings tragedies to the world - from that same reason that Yaakov was worried about a tragedy with Binyamin.
• Also, אסון is hinted to in the verse לֵךְ כְּנוֹס אֶת-כָּל-הַיְּהוּדִים since unity is the vaccination against tragedy.
• Also, it's brought down in the name of Rav Yitzchak Ginsburg Shlit"a that פרוד [dissension] is the same letters as רודף [pursuer].
• Unity Protects
• We find in the Bemidbar Rabba (Perasha 11): "Ribbi Elazar the son of Ribbi Eliezer Hakapar said: Even if Israel is worshiping idols, but there is peace among them, Kavyachol, HKB"H says that the Satan cannot touch them."
• We also find in the Zohar (Noah 76b): Whenever people are together with one will and one heart, even if they're rebelling against HKB"H, judgement from above cannot overpower them.
• We also find in the gemara (Pesahim 77a) that there is no Tum'a in public and a public may bring a Korban Pesah in the proper time even if the majority of the public is Tamei.  And there's a Mahloket in the gemara whether Tum'a is totally permitted in public or merely deferred in public.
• It appears to me to explain the reason: Just as with the root of Tum'a, which is sin: if the public sins, even with idol-worship, the Satan cannot harm them if they are united, meaning that the sin has no bearing on the public, so too Tum'a which is the result of sin, when the public becomes Tamei but unites, and they're coming to bring the Korban Pesah, the Mitzva unites them and the Tum'a has no bearing on them, and this is why Tum'a is either totally permitted or deferred in public.  Even though a public requires Teshuva when they sin and a public requires purification if it becomes Tamei, still the influence and harm of the sin and Tum'a doesn't exist in public since the power of the public is stronger than them, and they have no bearing upon it.
• We can infer from the wording of the Midrash (in Bereishit Rabba 38:6):  

  Ribbi says: Peace is so great that even if Israel is worshiping idols, but there is peace among them, Hashem says, "Kavyachol, I Am not able to overpower them - since peace is between them."

  We imply from here that really HKB"H wants to punish them, but Kavyachol is not able to.
• Peace and Unity have other benefits
• It's brought down in Midrash (Vayikra Rabba 9:9) 

  Ribbi Shimon Bar Yohai said: Peace is so great that all blessings are included in it. ... Peace is so great that all blessings, goodness, and consolations that HKB"H brings to Israel conclude with peace.

  This is because when there is peace, Heavenly influence comes down without barriers, and thereby all blessings, goodness, and consolations are there. [YY - also there: "The rabbis say: Peace is so great that when the King Mashiah comes, he only begins with peace as it says מה נאוו על ההרים רגלי מבשר משמיע שלום.]
• Also, it's brought down in Sanhedrin 71b "Scattering for Tzadikkim is bad for them and bad for the world."
• And it's brought down in the name of the Ozharover Rebbe ZT"L that there is a hint in the verse לֵךְ כְּנוֹס אֶת-כָּל-הַיְּהוּדִים ... וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-כַדָּת [Go, gather together all the Jews...and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law] that if there is unity, it's possible to come to the King HKB"H even if we are not worthy.
• And it's brought down in the Shela (Yoma): 1 Mahloket pushes away many Parnassot.
• And it's brought down in the book "Shevet Mussar" (37) that the one day that Manna did not fall in the desert was the day of the Mahloket of Korah.
• And it's brought down in "Torah Or" to explain the verse "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do; and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do."  He explains that really since togetherness stems from a very high place, nothing will be withholden.
• And it's brought in the book "Doreshei Reshumot" (p. 143)  in the name of the book "Magen Avraham" that מחלוקת is the letters חלק מות [a portion of death] since it is the root of all troubles.
• And it's brought down in the Hatam Sofer (Derashot p. 33) that the main power of the S"M is from Mahloket.
• And I heard from Rav Moshe Shmuel Schwartz Shlit"a on the verse "How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?" that Moshe was hinting to them that alone he wasn't able to, but joining with other Tzaddikim, he would be able to.