Apr 8, 2014

Rav Kanievsky on mashiach's near-arrival

This blog is not a "mashiach blog", and I do not report every time a rav or mekubal mentions the word mashiach or says mashiach is ready to come... I personally don't get any chizzuk from such statements, and in the 2000 years of our galus since the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, so many people have said mashiach is coming by this or that date, and they have all been wrong, no matter how great the rav who said it was.. so I don't see a point in tracking such statements... if I am going to report a "mashiach sighting" it is because of a different aspect of what happened that I feel is noteworthy.

For example, Rav Moshe Shternbuch, "gaavad" of the Eida, recently said mashiachis coming soon and pointed to the Russian takeover of Crimea, based on the Vilna Gaon, as his indication, and added that if we strengthen ourselves in our faith at this time, mashiach will come now. OK. I hope he is right.

More interestingly, Kooker reports that a rosh yeshiva went in to Rav Chaim Kanievsky this past week for a bracha that he should be successful on the fundraising trip he was about to embark upon.

According to the reported story, Rav Kanievsky refused to bless him with a successful trip. Rather, Rav Kanievsky said that there is no need for the fundraising trip, as mashiach is coming very soon.

It seems that the rosh yeshiva actually canceled his trip because of what Rav Kanievsky said. I am impressed with his emunas chachomim, and especially for his sake, but also for all of us, I hope the summer zman opens up with the yeshiva under the auspices of Melech Hamashiach. I am also surprised Rav Kanievsky would say such a thing - saying not to do hishtadlus necessary for the upkeep of a yeshiva - I am sure he knows the history of "mashiach sightings" far better than I do and knows how many times they have turned out to be incorrect. It looks like Rav Kanievsky is really convinced that the mashiach's arriival is imminent.

We are in the month of Nissan, and we know that Nissam is the month of the redemption. Only one week of Nissam has passed, so we have 3 more to go. Hopefully Rav Kanievsky is right. I don't know any other way out of so many of our fights and internal squabbles and problems.






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15 comments:

  1. I don't believe this story at all, frankly. Even if Rav Kanievsky had certain knowledge that Moshiach was coming this month, then mimah nafshach: if he wanted it to be known, he'd make it known with full color billboards - and if he didn't, he wouldn't allow it to become public knowledge through by an "agav" comment to some fundraiser.

    Litmus test: is the Kupat Hair canceling their expensive Maos Chittin campaign bearing Rav Kanievsky's countenance, because Moshiach is coming soon? Didn't think so.

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  2. Wthout intending any offence to the esteemed Rav, how old is he now, and is he really capable of instructing his followers any more, and even if he is, are his mental capabilities fully active?

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  3. The Navi is quite clear that the best sign of Mashiach coming is the return of Jews to their land and the land bringing forth produce again.

    If so, we've been seeing the redemption arrive for well over a hundred years.

    But that's all thanks to the treyf Zionists, so the charedi world and their leaders prefer to deal in rumors and fantasies.

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  4. Another day, another gadol story. Once again, if you didn't hear it from him personally don't believe it.
    Besides, even if it's true then for all we know he couldve' meant "Moshiach will come soon to save us from the evil Zionists and their draft!"

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  5. I believe it. And it's consistent with another very recent statement of his.

    If you're like me, and you DO get Hizzuk from every time a Mekubal or Gadol reports a sign of Mashiah coming, come visit my blog. Even if you're not like me, you're still welcome to visit to get a different perspective.

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  6. Ok now I'm really confused. The glossy Kupat Ha'ir brochure I just got featured Rav Kanievsky encouraging people to give money. Should I not send in my check because of this latest statement? Which Rav Kanievsky should I be listening to?

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    1. Of couse we should give tzeddaka! don't stop - I think he meant not to go abroad out of Israel just for money. but certainly NOT that he should not accept money as needed. Yashar koach for writing the tzedaka cheque! send it with love. :)

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  7. so rav chaim said moshiach to come in nisian or during pesach

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  8. Oh well, Nisan has come and gone, and it turns out that this "moshiach sighting", like all 2,999,999 before it, was a hoax. So now we retrospectively must conclude one of the following:
    a) The original story was fabricated or exaggerated;
    b) Rav Kanievsky really was convinced Moshiach was coming - and <apikorsus alert>he was wrong</apikorsus alert> or
    c) We engage in some heavy post-rationalization to explain that really Rav Kanievsky meant that it was a propitious time for moshiach to come, not that he would vadai come... or that he wasn't really restricting it to Nisan, and moshiach still could come to make his words true... or that the yeshiva in question will anyway have enough funds until moshiach comes because they will get an unexpected windfall from some other source... which of course we'll never be able to verify because the yeshiva is anonymous...

    One way or another, the concept of moshiach gets yet another black eye from another bored shepherd-boy crying wolf, and while some people may have gotten excited about it, I would venture to say that most people who were exposed to this story will just be more jaded and cynical about prophecies of moshiach's imminent arrival.

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    1. though Rav Kanievsky was just quoted at a funeral saying that mashiach is at the door! no longer behind it, but at it!
      http://www.kikarhashabat.co.il/%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%91-%D7%A7%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%99%D7%91%D7%A1%D7%A7%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%97-%D7%9E%D7%9E%D7%A9-%D7%91%D7%A4%D7%AA%D7%97.html

      :-)

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  9. We are in August now, is there something new about this?

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    1. not that I am aware of... though "near" can mean anything!

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  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUmNZsM081Y answer once and for all

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    1. What!? I'm shocked! You mean, when he said Moshiach was coming - like now, now, NOW - he meant that it could be, but it wasn't for sure? Well, that's really going out on a limb...

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