Friday, October 29, 2010

Chilean Miners Herald Moshiach




















A recent article by Rabbi Avi Shafran pointed out that one of the lessons we should learn from the Chilean Mine incident is how appreciative we should be every morning, as each of us emerges from our death-like slumber. In fact, this is the reason why we say Modeh Ani.

I once descended into the bowels of the earth, in the abandoned Lackawanna Mine, which now functions as a tourist destination. There is a certain amount of nervousness as the mine car slowly descends. One can really appreciate the daylight and warmth of the sun as one emerges several hours later. Two months of this treatment is almost unimaginable.

What awed me was the super human intervention of peoples from all over the world in the race against time to save the miners. I was amazed that there were over 1 billion people who actually watched the proceedings simultaneously. My faith in humanity was restored, as previously the only time 1 billion ever gather to watch the same event is unfortunately found in insignificant sports matches.

This figure is even more astounding, considering that there are only 2 billion people in the world that are wired to the internet. Assuming that there are approximately 7 billion humans on the planet, that means that one out of seven people were tuned in.

I’ve posted elsewhere about the advent of Moshiach. This is just one more omen that the days of Moshiach are creeping up on us. Years ago, our rabbis told us that when Moshiach arrives, his coming will be a worldwide event, with everyone knowing about it simultaneously. In my opinion, we are at least 1/7th of the way there.

14 comments:

  1. This blog continues to be a Kidush Hashem.

    ReplyDelete
  2. When you toured Lackawanna did you, by any chance, schmooze with any retired miners?

    You are even a greater optimist than i imagined because
    A. where most frum pundits see danger and the devils work in every new hi-tech IT advance that broadens information accessibility, you discern the ever louder footsteps of Moshiakh.

    B. I see a cup six sevenths empty, you see one half full.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Actually, I believe the tour guides are retired miners.

    I am not that much of an optimist, but one would be blind not to see the prophecies of yore unfolding in front of our eyes. The rebirth of a Jewish State with all it's inherent miracles, the impending reality of a Gog and Magog war, the Information Technology revolution...it's all building up to a resounding crescendo...and we the Chosen People are smack in the middle of it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. IIRC the Satmar Rebbe zy"a begged to differ.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, Bray, I knew you'd call me on that one. I did not mean it in the Zionistic sense, but on any level most would agree that the creation of the State of Israel in our times is not just happen-stance.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Of course not. Everyone agrees it helps us hear Moshiachs footsteps. The question is: is he mincing towards us or galloping away from us.

    As a matter of historical record I don't know what most mainstream Gedolim living and in oilem HaEmes, held in their hearts but in terms of public pronouncements and publishing their hashqofa they treated the creation of the State of Israel in our times precisely as happenstance and "no big deal". It was always about strategy and tactics of dealing with the fait accompli of a Medineh, never about the grander philosophical implications of it's very birth and continued existence. TTBOMK these larger issues were only dealth with by a handful of Gedolim e.g. the Minkhas Eluzer, Satmar Rebbe, Rav Kook and RYBS זכר כולם לברכה

    As Dayon Umokiakh would gladly point out, I am an arrested-development ignoramus so if what I wrote is inaccurate please inform me here or by email.

    ReplyDelete
  8. http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2005/08/religious-zionism-xi.html

    Fundy, try this link and the rest of Rabbi Gil Student's religious zionism series

    ReplyDelete
  9. that's Fundie not Fundy to you. A subtle but defining distinction ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Korach the former bloggerNovember 4, 2010 at 12:44 AM

    Funda: Can you use that contraption above to get me out of here down below?

    ReplyDelete
  11. ROTFLMHO

    אין חבוש מתיר עצמו מבית האסורים

    Dayon, you haven't lost your touch. O and BTW that's Korakh with a kh @ the end. Another subtle but defining distinction ;)

    Somehow this must be a record for comments on a post here...no?

    ReplyDelete
  12. No, we've hit 13 twice before, once on a chess post and once on one of the Jewish Observer posts. Since you've removed one of your comments here, it will take a few more comments to top that. Perhaps if you revice Dayon and Korakh, it can be done.

    If you would revive your blog, you could bring along your readers to help in that endeavor.

    ReplyDelete
  13. slim chance of revival but 50-50 chance of a guest post on Tzig soon.

    ReplyDelete
  14. BS"D

    Lovely post about how to see the advent of Moshiach coming up Bimehera Beyamenu.
    Yasher Koach!

    ReplyDelete