Rav Chaim Kanievsky to Rav Shternbuch: Mashiah Needs to Come Already

From Kikar (my translation):

In the afternoon hours (on Wednesday), the Ra'avad of the Edah Haharedit, the Ga'on Rav Moshe Shternbuch came to visit the home of Maran Sar Hatorah, the Ga'on Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Rashbam Street in Bnei Brak.

Upon the Ra'avad's entering, Maran Sar Hatorah stood up at full height to honor him.

Kikar Hashabat was with the full conversation of the Gedolei Yisrael:

RCK:  What is new?

RMS:  Baruch Hashem.  This is a difficult generation.  There is no day whose curse is not greater than its predecessor.  When we finish with one thing, another thing immediately begins.

In the campaign about the "Bnei Yisrael" from India, I was by your father, the Steipler, who worked mightily to fence in the breach, and then, they were still talking about possible Jews.  However, today, they want to bring to Israel those who hold onto their Xtian religion totally, who are called "Jewish Xtians".

We need to fulfill מֵאֹיְבַי, תְּחַכְּמֵנִי מִצְו‍ֹתֶךָ [Thy commandments make me wiser than mine enemies] - to learn from the evildoers the ways of war.  The Hafetz Hayim said, "They work on falsehood in a true way, while we work on the truth in a false way."

RCK:  Ikveta Dimshiha [footsteps of the Mashiah].

RMS: The Ga'on Rav Hayim of Volozhin ZT"L explained what it says at the end of the Mishna in Sotah "We have nothing to rely upon except upon our Father that is in heaven," that that is a curse unto itself.  That is since in the generation of Ikveta Dimshiha, the G-d-fearing people will give up hope and feel weak-minded from fighting the war of Hashem against the sinners until there will be no one upon whom to rely except our Father in heaven.

We have to bring the Mashiah.

RCK: Motza'ei Shevi'it has not yet ended.  On Motza'ei Shevi'it, Ben David comes (Megilla 17b).

RMS: 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.' (Yirmiya 8:20)

RCK: According to the signs in the gemara in Ketubot, the Mashiah still needs to come.

The Ga'on Rav Chaim took out a Gemara Ketubot from his bookcase and started reading the words of the gemara on page 112b:

R. Zera said: R. Jeremiah b. Abba stated, 'In the generation in which the son of David⁷  will come there will be prosecution⁸  against scholars'.

RMS: In the Rambam, in one of the ancient reliable manuscripts, it is brought down that before the coming of Mashiah, the Xtians and the Ishmaelites are destined to come to Eretz Yisrael.

RCK:  [The gemara there says]:

In the time to come all the wild trees of the Land of Israel will bear fruit;

When Mashiah comes, everyone will return with Teshuva and the people who were "wild trees" will bear fruit and become Talmidei Hachamim.

RMS: According to what appears, we are already standing in the "generation of Mashiah", and with Hashem's help, we will see each other again with the coming of Mashiah Tzidkeinu, who should come quickly.  And then, the following verse will be fulfilled: בְּשׁוּב יְהוָה, אֶת-שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן-- הָיִינוּ, כְּחֹלְמִים [When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream.]  We will see that the entire world wherein we lived until the coming of Mashiah will be in the category of a dream.

A good year and a good Yom Tov.

RCK:  A good year and a good Yom Tov.  Blessings and success to your Yeshiva in Yerushalayim.