Geula Updates from Rav Fish and Rav Berger - Hayei Sarah 5776

Sorry, a bit late on these.  Just a summary of each - not a translation.

Rav Fish:

• Da'esh (דעא"ש - ISIS) is hinted to by Yishmael's first wife - עדישה (Adisha) and Putin is hinted to by his second wife, פטימא, as recorded by Pirkei deRibbi Eliezer (who uses a different name for Adisha than Targum Yonatan and the Yalkut).  Adisha came from Mo'av, who didn't greet the Children of Israel with bread and water - as also the Ishmaelites at the time of the Hurban didn't.  Putin, however, treats Jews relatively well.
• According to the Pesikta, HKB"H calls the generation of Mashiah: "Beloved, beautiful, I'm happy with it, I want it, and I will support it."
• Re: the Intifada: 
• R' Dan Mehaber adds that:
• מחבלים [terrorists] hint to חבלי משיח.
• סכינים is the gematria of קץ
• R' Mas'oud Abuhatzeira adds that:
• מחבלת [female terrorist] is the gematria of ל-י-ל-י-ת [female destructive angel]
• מחבלים [terrorists] is the gematria of ס-מ-א-ל [male destructive angel]
• "Knife" in Yiddish is "Messer", hinting that there is a message [Hebrew: מסר] for Israel with the knives.
• Re: the Russian plane that went down in Sinai:
• In the verse דרך כוכב מיעקב, which talks about Mashiah, דרך is gematria 224, which is the years until the year 6000, and also the number of people who died in the plane crash.  כוכב is gematria 48, and this occurred on the 48th day of the Jewish year (18 Heshvan).  All this is so that וקם שבט מישראל.
• R' Reuven Frankel adds that מר from מרחשון could hint to מצרים רוסיה, and they could be the King of the North and King of the South mentioned in Daniel 11.
• R' Aharon Shpitzer adds that there is a hint to Yishmael's downfall with a verse that connects Russia to Egypt from the end of Hayei Sarah:  וַיִּשְׁכְּנוּ מֵחֲוִילָה עַד-שׁוּר, אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי מִצְרַיִם, בֹּאֲכָה, אַשּׁוּרָה; עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-אֶחָיו, נָפָל and Ashur is similar to Russia's former name "USSR" and is still similar to its current name.  We see from this verse that Yishmael will only fall to its own brethren.
• The Malbim on Yehezkel notes that when Egypt falls, Ashur and Persia will come to avenge them and both sides will fall.
• Nevu'at Hayeled hints that 2 nations whose names are similar [YY - I didn't understand where Rav Fish gets this idea from] - i.e. סוריה and רוסיה - when you see them fighting each other, you know the time of Geula is close.

Rav Berger:

Rav Berger asked one of the Gedolei Hador (unnamed) how to pass through this difficult period.  This Gadol told him to only look at books to see about this year.  He added that Torah study is how to protect oneself since  אם בחקתי תלכו...וחרב לא תעבור בארצכם.  He added that King Hizkiya (according to Sanhedrin 94b) stuck his sword in the doorway of the Beit Midrash and exclaimed, "Whoever does not busy himself with Torah study will be stabbed by this sword!"  This proves that this is what we need to do at this time - learn Torah.

Rav Berger asked if everything that's going on in Eretz Yisrael is connected to the Redemption.  The Gadol answered, "Definitely!  The gematria of ביאת המשיח is 776."  He added that that which King Hizkiya did could protect us nowadays.

Rav Berger wants to add that there is a definite connection between King Hizkiya and the Final Redemption.  As the gemara says there, Hashem wanted to make Sanheriv into Gog Umagog and King Hizkiya into Mashiah.  Also, the Midrash talks about the fact that the same number of soldiers that were with Sanheriv will be with Gog.  In other words, history will repeat itself and the way to win is by Torah study like King Hizkiya did.