As the Malbim (who himself predicted the Geulah would happen in 1928!) says, the golus has gone of for so long, and the populace become so inured to the concept of Moshiach, that there is no longer a prohibition for a talmid chochom to give a reasoned calculation based on Daniel's numbers 1290 and 1335 etc.
And if you actually bothered to listen to Katz, he talks far from "childish lies".
As the Malbim (who himself calculated that the Geulah would happen in 1928!) says, the golus has gone of for so long, and the populace become so inured to the concept of Moshiach, that there is no longer a prohibition for a talmid chochom to give a reasoned calculation based on Daniel's numbers 1290 and 1335 etc.
And if you actually bothered to listen carefully to Katz, he talks far from "childish lies".
Rabbi Kahane, without any calculations, himself stated in the months before he was slain that Saddam's invasion of Kuwait was the beginning of Gog and Magog.
In his 1971 book "Proof of the Accuracy of the Bible", Kahanist Rabbi Elihu Shatz gave his calculation on Daniel that the war of Gog & Magog would break out in 1973. One can imagine his excitement when the Yom Kippur war started on 6 October 1973. Rabbis at the time actually said that it was the start of Gog and Magog.
Rabbi Kahane, without any calculations, himself stated in the months before he was slain that Saddam's invasion of Kuwait was the beginning of Gog and Magog.
Ramabam in Iggeres l'Teiman gave his messianic year as 1210.
We don't say that these rabbis were "wrong" or "erred".
We say that either the generation wasn't worthy, or that Hashem had other plans.
"In your letter you have adverted to the computations of the date of the Redemption and R. Saadia's opinion on the subject. First of all, it devolves upon you to know that no human being will ever be able to determine it precisely as Daniel has already intimated, "For the words are shut up and sealed." (Daniel 12:9). Indeed many hypotheses were advanced by scholars, who fancied that they have discovered the date, as was anticipated in Scripture, "Many will run to and fro, and opinions shall be increased." (Daniel 12:9). That is, there shall be numerous views concerning it. Furthermore we have a Divine communication through the medium of the prophets that many persons will calculate the time of the advent of the Messiah but will fail to ascertain its true date. We are cautioned against giving way to doubt and distrust because of these miscalculations. The longer the delay, the more fervently shall you hope, as it is written, "And it declareth of the end and doth not lie, though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:3)."
"Now, if so much uncertainty prevailed in regard to the date of the emancipation from Egyptian bondage, the term of which was fixed, how much more would it be the case in respect to the date of the final redemption, the prolonged and protracted duration of which appalled and dismayed our inspired seers, so that one of them was moved to exclaim, "Wilt Thou be angry with us forever? Wilt Thou draw out Thine anger to all generations?" (Psalms 85:6). Isaiah, too, alluding to the long drawn out exile, declared: "And they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, and shall be shut up in prison, and after many days shall they be released" (24:22). Inasmuch as Daniel has proclaimed the matter a deep secret, our sages have interdicted the calculation of the time of the future redemption, or the reckoning of the period of the advent of the Messiah, because the masses might be mystified and bewildered should the Messiah fail to appear as forecast. The rabbis invoked G-d to frustrate and destroy those who seek to determine prescisely the advent of the Messiah, because the masses might be mystified and bewildered should the Messiah fail to appear as forecast. The rabbis invoked G-d to frustrate and destroy those who seek to determine precisely the advent ofthe Messianic era, because they are a stumbling block to the people, and that is why they uttered the imprecation "May the calculators of the final redemption come to grief" (Sanhedrin 97b)."
"As for R. Saadia's Messianic calculations, there are extenuating circumstances for them though he knew they were disallowed. For the Jews of his time were perplexed and misguided. The Divine religion might well nigh have disappeared had he not encouraged the pusillanimous, and diffused, disseminated and propagated by word of mouth and pen a knowledge of its underlying principles. He believed, in all earnestness, that by means of the Messianic calculations, he would inspire the masses with hope for the truth. Verily all his deeds were for the sake of heaven. Consequently, in view of the probity of his motives, which we have disclosed, one must not decry him for his Messianic computations."
"The precise date of the messianic advent cannot be known. But I am in possession of an extraordinary tradition which I received from my father, who in turn received it from his father, going back to our early ancestors who were exiled from Jerusalem, and who were mentioned by the prophet in the verse, "And the exiles of Jerusalem that are in Spain" (Obadiah 20). According to this tradition there is a covert indication in the prediction of Balaam to the future restoration of prophecy in Israel... the verse "After the lapse of time, one will tell Jacob and Israel what G-d hath wrought," (Numbers 23:23), contains a veiled allusion to the date of the restoration of prophecy to Israel. The statement means that after the lapse of an interval equal to the time that passed from the Six Days of Creation to Balaam's day, seers will again tell Israel what G-d hath wrought. Now Balaam uttered his prediction in the thirty-eighth year after the Exodus which corresponds to the year 2485 after the Creation of the World, for the Exodus took place in the beginning of the year 2448. According to the interpretation of this chronology, prophecy would be restored to Israel in the year 4970 after the creation of the world. It is doubtless true that the reappearance of prophecy in Israel is one of the signs betokening the approach of the Messianic era as is intimated in Scripture "And your sons and your daughters shall prophecy ... And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth ... Before the great and terrible day of the Lord come" (Joel 3:1, 3, 4). This is the most genuine tradition concerning the Messianic advent. We were admonished against, and strictly prohibited from blazening it abroad, lest some folk deem it unduly postponed. We have already apprised you concerning it, but G-d knows best what is true.
"You mention that a certain man in one of the cities of Yemen pretends that he is the Messiah.17 As I live, I am not surprised at him or at his followers, for I have no doubt that he is mad and a sick person should not be rebuked or reproved for an illness brought on by no fault of his own. Neither am I surprised at his votaries, for they were persuaded by him because of their sorry plight, their ignorance of the importance and high rank of the Messiah, and their mistaken comparison of the Messiah with the son of the Mahdi [the belief in] whose rise they are witnessing. But I am astonished that you, a scholar who has studied carefully the doctrines of the rabbis, are inclined to repose faith in him."
That the startling and incredible events in the Middle East are yet one more giant leap in this, the era of “atchalta d'geula” and "ikvot d'mshicha", the beginning of the redemption and the footsteps of the Messiah, is too painfully clear for all but the most blinded to see. The gathering together of armies and nations to the doorstep of Israel, the terrible threat of awesome weapons, the raging and pandemonium of economies and politics and nations, all testify to the escalation by the Almighty of the final era, the inexorable progression toward the battle of Gog, coming up against the Land of Israel.
And that is what Kuwait and Iraq and the entire incredible and stupefying spectacle of the nations of the world moving their armies but a stone's throw from the Land of Israel means. The final war of Gog and the nations going up against Israel moves a giant step forward - and we still see and understand nothing.
Notes:
69. (Back to text) See above, note 29.
70. (Back to text) Zohar Chadash, Tikunim, 95b. Cf. Shemot Rabba 25:12 (cited below, note 81).
71. (Back to text) Sanhedrin 98a. Yerushalmi, Ta'anit 1:1.
72. (Back to text) Cf. Zohar Chadash, Tikunim 95b, that every generation has its own special ketz, subject to Israel's merit (cf. Even Shelemah 11:9). Abarbanel notes that the history of the world is divisible into three periods of premature, contingent, and mature: the first stage is premature for the redemption; the second is one of continuous potential for the redemption, subject to Israel's merits; while the third and final stage is the one of the final ketz, the definite date of the actual redemption. Yeshu'ot Meshicho, Part I, p. 11b; and ibid., Iyun Harishon, ch. 1, end of p. 18b. Cf. Sanhedrin 97b, "Before that do not expect him; afterwards you may await him;" and cf. below, note 122. This serves also as one explanation why the redemption did not yet occur, in spite of the infinitely greater piety and saintliness of our ancestors; see Chida, Petach Einayim on Sanhedrin 98a; and below, ch. VIII.
73. (Back to text) See above, ch. IV-B.
74. (Back to text) See Sanhedrin 98a "he unties and rebandages each bandage separately, saying, 'Should I be wanted, I must not be delayed;' " Rashi: he does not treat two sores together, thinking 'if I need to go and redeem Israel, I will not delay because of bandaging two sores.'
75. (Back to text) This may explain why many sages calculated specific dates for the Messianic redemption. They did so in spite of the Talmudic disapproval of such practice lest disillusionment lead to despair: people may say, "since the calculated time has arrived but Mashiach has not come, he will never come." (Sanhedrin 97b; and see Or Hatorah-Na"ch, vol. I, p. 183f.) Yet those who calculated dates for the ketz included the greatest sages and saints throughout the ages, like R. Saadiah Gaon, Rashi, Ba'alei Tossafot, Ramban, Abarbanel, R. Isaac Luria etc. (see Mayanei Hayeshu'ah I:ch. 1-2; and R. Reuven Margolius' glosses on Teshuvot Min Hashamayim, sect. 72, pp. 80-83). Rambam, after citing the Talmudic injunction in his code and elaborating on it in his Igeret Teyman, himself offers in the latter (ch. 3) a date passed on to him by his ancestors! Ramban confronts the problem by stating that the Talmudic prohibition was but for a limited time only and no longer applies to the present era of ikvot Meshicha. (See his Sefer Hage'ulah, ed. Chavel, p. 289f., and see there also pp. 262 and 263). Cf. below, note 122. Various sources explain that all these were in fact true predictions, reflecting especially auspicious times. Mystics state that these dates were in fact actualized, though so far, unfortunately, only in spiritual dimensions not perceived on the manifest level of our reality. (Kuntres Perush Hamilot, ch. 27 (p. 15b). See also Maamarei Admur Hazaken - Haketzarim, p. 212; Bnei Yisas'char, Sivan V:19; Ateret Tzvi on Zohar II:10a. Cf. Bet Elokim, Sha'ar Hatefilah, ch. 17.)
Don't come down too hard on Rabbi David Katz!
http://www.israel613.com/GEULA1.htm
CALCULATING THE DATE OF MASHIACH'S COMING
"Making calculations is perfectly acceptable according to many great rabbis of the past, and many did exactly that. For example, according to the Abarbanel, it is only forbidden to make the calculation based upon astrology; however, it is permissible to calculate a date based upon Tanach (Ma’ayeni HaYeshuah 1:2). The Ramban held that the prohibition of the Talmud only applied to earlier generations; now that we are on the eve of redemption, there is no prohibition (Sefer HaGeulah, Ma’amer 4). The Malbim concurs, and provides the following analogy to explain his opinion: The situation is like that of a father and son traveling a long distance. As they start out, the son begins to ask when they will arrive, and of course the father does not answer. However, as they near the town, the son asks the same question, and this time the father readily answers that it is only a short while before they reach their destination. So too it is with us: now that the time is clearly approaching, we cannot help but notice and interpret the signs all around us that tell of the impending geulah ... As the time of the keitz grows nearer, the doubts will become smaller, and at the keitz, all doubts will be removed ... As the time grows closer, the uncertainty recedes in the wake of the increasingly “abounding wisdom” (Introduction to Daniel). The Maggid of Dubno used a similar analogy as well. The Zohar even states that it is not G-d’s will to reveal the arrival date of the Moshiach, but when the date draws near, even children will be able to make the calculation "
i am rabbi katz
i am rabbi katz
source of halacha in some instances, as it is even quoted by the mishna brura. the last time i checked, the mishna brura, ie chofetz chaim, and the other meforshim, were talmidei chachamim, and quite reliable, and knowledgeable in terms of authenticity of mesora issuesThe Mishna Brura ruled, siman 25 comment 42: "the Knesset Hagdola wrote as a principle of the Poskim that whenever the Kabbalists and the Zohar argue against the Gemara and the Poskim go after the Gemara and the Poskim", {end of quote}.
I have no interest in listening to the shiur (no offense). = listening would be an obvious choice based on trhe fact we are discussing it, and would answer obvious questions due to obvious missing information.
What is the point of all this? to show depth to rishonim, chazal, and that they can be shown is agreement, in a scenario, that we havent even finished yet, showing maybe , maybe they knew more than we give them credit for..and there ability to give over sodot amongst the divrei pushut...maybe they actually had ruach ha kodesh like we are told to believe....and maybe we can actually see their gadlus....through learning b'iyun, even the words of rashi, ramban.
Why bother with this kind of speculation? i dont, they did...
Does it help people? depends on who you are...if you want to love the rishonim, the mesora, the torah, Gods wisdom and sages...then yesWhat?
...and if they were wrong, to me 5771 sounds better than 1405 and certainly fits what we know to be true much better.
its the same help to people that rashi speaks of the sugia in shas, when you didnt realize that he even was...i thought rashi was simple they say, then you realize and learn he was the greatest rishon with ruach hakodesh...that helps people to see divinity, yes.
Does it help G-d? no, but but if G-d was with his words, it pleases G-d to find it and share it, so that we can find G-d in all words of inspired torah, kol shacen in psukim, which we know are latent...then to find it is kiddush Hashem.
And what will happen if the year 5771 comes and passes without a complete redemption? listen to the shiur and wait for 5772, no difference..years are inclusive and non inclusive, with 2 year leeway.
What will you say then? well, at least we still have 5772.
how did all of this help anyone? if i was accurate, then its obvious, otherwise...i hope then i showed you how to darshen, realize torahs depth ...and maybe you can start to learn a little deeper, and bring more light to the world.
emes lemito is not easy to come by...does anyone ever really know pshat in something? torah is endless and infinite...a sugia in bava metzia is endless, ive been working on pshat of the first mishna there for 4 years...every day i claim to have it, and i find the support in the sources and shas etc....i to this day, have no clue what that mishna is aboutI don't believe that claim, you do not have "no idea" if you've been learning it 4 years - Don't be so modest, rabbi.
...in tachlis...its infinite...but i can show you tons of torah from my journeys through it...this is much the same, only its lamysa, and theoretical about 2 guys holding a talis saying its mine, no its mine. i dont know whos talis it is...not do i know when moshiach comes. but i can give you a great pshat showing depth of torah in both cases...in truth id rather show you my chidushim on bava metzia...
but i have yet to find someone willing to tackle 4 years worth of daas torah on one mishna that i havent been able to even finish yet....yet i could write 30 books on what i know from it...here i decided to give a 40 min shiur, much the same derech, only with this people are talking and listening. shall we discus somchos and the mishna and how rashi reveals the secrets of creation in the first rashi in bava metzia? i didnt think so...Why not? I think that beats predicting the date of moshiach any day.
rabbi ginzburg says to not sleep in the sukkah because of his understanding of kabbalistic sources...is that what you mean? btw its a devar pushut the sukkah inyan, as it is muter to not sleep in the sukkah already lechatchila..so a kabbalistic enhancement it is irrelevent and a chassidic nuance.This is not a true statement. None of the poskim hold that lechatchila that is to say ideally one is allowed to sleep outside a succa on succot. They only give leniencies, to avoid the ideal situation, when sleeping in the succa would conflict with other ideals.
http://www.aish.com/h/su/dits/48968731.html
10. Is one obligated to sleep in the Sukkah?
During the week of Sukkot, the Sukkah is to be considered as a person's home. Since the primary activities of the home are eating and sleeping, a man is obligated to sleep in the Sukkah. According to some opinions, sleeping in the Sukkah is even more important than eating there.
Some are lenient and sleep in the house because:
* In many countries, the weather is cold at this time of year, and sleeping in the Sukkah would cause much discomfort. (However, it is praiseworthy to organize a way to heat the Sukkah at night in order to be able to perform this important mitzvah.)
* Women do not usually sleep in the Sukkah, and if a married man would sleep in the Sukkah leaving his wife alone in the house, this may cause him distress.
Whoever is meticulous to sleep in the Sukkah and fulfill the mitzvah properly will merit seeing the Divine Presence.
Do I have to sleep in the sukkah?
By Menachem Posner
The Talmud tells us that during sukkot a man is obligated to sleep in the sukkah.1 This is quoted as binding in the latter Halachic works as well.2
However, it appears that that at least since the 13th century the common practice is to sleep indoors. There are a number of different suggestions why this is so. All of them are based on the fact that the obligation to dwell in the sukkah does not apply if it makes a person at all uncomfortable.3
The thirteenth-century sage, Rabbi Mordechai ben Hillel Ashkenazi, writes that most people of his time did not sleep in the sukkah and suggests that this is because the cold weather made it uncomfortable—and therefore unnecessary.4
Rabbeinu Manoach ben Yaakov (13th-14th centuries) adds the additional concern that sleeping in the sukkah puts the person and his belongings in danger of being robbed.5
Rabbi Mordechai Jaffe (1530-1612) writes that even if a person would be able to keep warm in the sukkah, if it is inconvenient to shlep bedding to and from the sukkah every night, he does not need to sleep in the sukkah.6
Rabbi Moshe Isserles (1520-1572) feels that the dispensation not to sleep in the sukkah has nothing to do with weather and writes that it is because the sukkah is not private enough for a man to sleep there with his wife.7
Rabbi David HaLevi Segal (c. 1586-1667) takes this one step further by writing that sleeping alone is not a very festive way to celebrate the holiday. Celebrating the holiday with one's wife is a mitzvah which trumps the obligation to sleep in the sukkah.8
Nevertheless, in modern times and particularly in warmer climates, it has become more common in some communities to make the effort to sleep in a sukkah.
Interestingly, the Chabad custom—which is quite stringent with regards to the other sukkah-related obligations—is to not sleep in the sukkah. Read The Sukkah and Sleeplessness to find out why this is so.
FOOTNOTES
1. Mishna, Sukkah 20b
2. Code of Jewish Law 639
3. Code of Jewish Law 640:4
4. Mordechai Sukkah 741
5. Rabbeinu Manoach Commentary to Rambam 3:6
6. Levush 640:4
7. Ramo 639:2
8. Taz 639:9
Rabbi Zerachya Ha Levy, who was known for his great work, the Baal Ha Maor, was a Spanish Jew who came to Provence as a young man and achieved a reputation there for his genius and scholarship. In the great Jewish tradition of give-and-take intellectual debate, he and his contemporary, the Ravid III, wrote numerous books critiquing each other on many issues in Jewish Law and philosophy. Though he remained somewhat of an outsider among the rabbis of Provence, he brought the Spanish flavor of Torah study to the community and had a distinct and powerful influence.
Location of the Halachic Date Line
The Halachic Date Line is possibly different than the International Date Line. The reason for this, is that the current International Date Line was rather arbitrarily drawn in 1921 by the British Admiralty [1], while certain Gedolim such as the Baal Hamaor who lived in the 12th century refer to the Halachic Date Line. So, on the topic as to the location of the Kav Hataarich there is much debate amongst twentieth century Poskim, including the Chazon Ish, Rav Yechiel Michel Tukatzinsky, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, Rav Yonassan Shteif, the Sefer Haibur, Rav Dovid Shapiro, and Rav Yonah Merzbach [3].
The earliest authority to address this issue is the Baal Hamaor. He brings up the topic based on a Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 20b) regarding the topic of Kiddush Hachodesh, the sanctification of the new month. The Baal Hamaor explains that Bait Din has until noon on the day that they see the molad, new moon, to declare Rosh Chodesh on that same day. However, if it is after noon, then Rosh Chodesh is on the next day. This explanation would only make sense if the Halachic Date Line was at the Kitze Hamizrach which is 90° east of Jerusalem. This is so because the reason why the Baal Hamaor said noon is because that is the last time in Israel that somewhere else in the world that the day is just starting. In order for Rosh Chodesh to be on that day, it must be possible for Rosh Chodesh to last 24 hours somewhere in the world. Since noon is 18 hours into the day (starting from sunset on the night before), the place where the day is just starting is 18 hours to the west of Israel which is 270° west of Israel because every time zone is made up of 15°. So, the place where the new day starts, or the Halachic Date Line, must be six hours to the east of Jerusalem which is also 90° east of Jerusalem. This Line is on the 125E meridian [4].
Well, I'll say one thing, it's great to have a rabbi here in the Torah section!
This guy is not a legit "Rabbi". Sorry, what he says is kookooo. (And I'm not the type to bash rabbis, or people in general) but I just listened to his "shiur" on Gillad Shalit and he is insane (And says giving 1,000 terrorists for 1 is "Halacha Lemiseh") (besides all these calculations he makes on the "Geulah" and Moshiah.)
The most painful thing and battle in the future for the Jewish people would have to be cleaning up our own leaders. This is a war, not just with the Arabs any longer, not just with the internationals, but for the hearts and minds of (our) people. And people like Katz, is in the way and is a mental impediment to our future redemption.
Lol I was trying to be nice. I agree that what he says is not serious, however.
we must belive that the moshiach can come every day
We all know that after our Temple was destroyed nevuah was given over to children and fools. No one but Hashem knows when things will happen. It depends largely on what we do and what we merit.
Not sure if I agree or disagree, but what is that supposed to mean?we dont need to wait to some specific day we think there is a potential that the messiach can come we need to wait every moment.
some people take date and say in this date the messiach will come we must belive he can come every moment maybe there is a potential the messiach can come specific in this day
This fellow Katz has semachos from Haredi rabbis in Jerusalem and Tiberias, and has an unusual haskomo on his blog http://soulmazal.blogspot.com/ from right-wing author Rabbi Matisyahu Glazerson, so his rabbonus qualifications cannot not be "legit".