1948 Years Without a Mikdash

1) See here where I explain how 1948 gematrias connect to Geula.

Note there that one of the verses with a gematria of 1948 is:

שׁוּבָה, יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַד, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ: כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ, בַּעֲו‍ֹנֶךָ

which is the first verse of the Haftara read on Tish'a Be'av Minha in Sephardic synagogues.  Tish'a Be'av Minha is when the consolation from our mourning begins.  And it connotes a repentance from the sin that caused the destruction.

2) See how Rav Fish explains the 1948-year exile:

It says in Midrash (Yalkut Devarim 873): "It is written in a hidden scroll: 'אִם יוֹם תַּעַזְבֵנִי יוֹמַיִם אֶעֶזְבֶךָּ' "If you leave me one day, I will leave you 2 days." This phrase has the same gematria [842] as the date of the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash: ט' באב תתכ"ח [the 9th of Av, 3828]. So, just as the sin of Adam Harishon caused Hashem's face to be hidden for 1948 years until Avraham was born, similarly, the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash caused Hashem's face to be hidden for 1948 years, which will end at the end of the year 5775 [YY - should be 5776], which will then be the completion of the Geula process, as explained elsewhere. And the reason why 1948 is considered 2 days of HKB"H is because every 1000 years is considered to be 1 day, and you subtract 26 years from each millennium, corresponding to Hashem's name which sweetens it [the judgement of the decree], which then comes to 1948.

3) See more here from Rav Fish about the Berit Bein Habetarim and 1948.


4) See more here from Rav Fish about Avraham Avinu and 1948.

If Motza'ei Shevi'it in Tish'a Be'av 5776 is the end of the days of exile, then the days of exile are exactly 1948 years - the same amount of years from Creation until Avraham was born. And just as Avraham Avinu came and took the reward for all the generations that preceded him, similarly, the generation of the Redemption will come and take the reward for all the days of exile. It's also brought down in Sha'ar Hakavanot of the Ariza"l (introduction to Birkat Hashahar) that the filtration of the souls from Creation until Avraham Avinu is the same Sod of the filtration of souls that were filtered during the exile. And, as was brought down previously, the Ariza"l holds that all the filtrations will cease in the year 5775.

May Tish'a Be'av speedily turn into a day of joy for all of Kelal Yisrael.