I filled up my car with gas this week, and the numbers just kept rising. It used to cost $40, but now I watched it climb to $50, then $60, only coming to a stop in the $70 range.
Wow. I’d better get used to walking more!
Wherever in the world you live, this war has affected you in some way. If you’re American, you’re feeling it at the gas pump and the grocery store. Your stocks may have risen or fallen dramatically, but definitely not stayed stable.
Ukrainians, like my cousin Rabbi Shneor Vigler, are most affected by this war. He and his wife had been living in Odessa for close to 20 years. It was their home; where they raised their family. And then, in a moment, he had to make the decision to escape, fleeing across the border, traveling for days by boat, car, and foot.
Russians, too, are affected by this war. As are residents of any of the border towns close to Ukraine who have had a sudden massive influx of refugees. Add to that the fear that the war may spread to other countries and ignite World War Three … no one is untouched by this volatile situation.
It is clear we are living in the era right before the coming of Moshiach. The Talmud tells us that right before the Final Redemption there will be significant wars between nations. I have no doubt that what is happening between Russia and Ukraine right now is a sign of his imminent arrival.
In the last recorded talk that the Lubavitcher Rebbe gave, exactly 30 years to the day from the start of the current war, he spoke about the falling of the Iron Curtain, and how miraculous it was that it happened without bloodshed. The fact that Jews were allowed to immigrate to Israel freely was a taste of what is to come with the coming of Moshiach. The Rebbe continued, and said that even if there is a country or two where Jews are forced to flee, it doesn’t change the overall ability for Jews to move to Israel in peace and harmony, and even those Jews being forced to flee will arrive unharmed. It’s almost like the Rebbe was speaking prophetically about the current war in Ukraine which broke out 30 years later, to the very day of his talk!
But the real lesson for each of us is on a smaller scale.
Look how much power one individual has to affect others. One person decides to go to war, and we all feel it. One person has single-handedly unleashed a tidal wave that is sweeping through the world, sparing no one in its path.
We, too, need to go to war—but not this kind of war. Every time we do a good deed, we create an angel that can travel the globe and affect the entire planet. Every mitzvah we do creates a superweapon. Every time we give tzedakah, put on tefillin or speak kindly to someone, we create good deeds. The more we do, the stronger our army gets, and the more power we can unleash over the world and usher in the era of Moshiach when there will be no more war and bloodshed, and armies will lay down their weapons in peace.
May we witness his coming right now!