Given: September 6th, 2016
Disclaimers:
I want first to issue a disclaimer. First of all, I am not a prophet. I would like to be a prophet but I haven't reached that level. Therefore, what I' m going to say, clearly, is not the prophecy of G-d, obviously not. I'm certainly in no way privy to His thoughts or to His communications. So, that's an important thing to remember.
The second disclaimer is that I am neither for Trump or Hillary. I do not work for either of them and, as far as I am concerned, I have my own ideas as to who I think would be a better president. But at the end of the day, it has nothing to do with what I think.
As a Torah-observant Jew, I look at the political scenarios in a different, if not unique, way. The question is: how does this election make sense according to the Divine Plan? That's really the way we have to look at it. That doesn't mean that we know the Divine Plan totally – of course not! But Jews have an obligation to try to understand the Divine Plan and to try to make sense of events in light of that plan. Moreover, the RaMCHaL posits that it is also obligatory for Jews to try to justify what happens based on the Torah. Can one make sense of all this? I think, yes. I believe that I can make sense of what is happening and why.
I'm going to present to you two scenarios, two plotlines, if you wish: “A” or “B.” I am going to speculate as to the repercussions regarding each one. Yes, this discussion will be based on the Divine Agenda, what G-d wants to accomplish in this world and which, ultimately, includes Redemption. That's really what it's about. G-d’s agenda is to bring this world to its end – and that's called the geula---Redemption. The one who brings this about is, of course, the mashiach. Can we understand how these world events fit G-d’s agenda? I believe the answer is yes.
However, what I do not know, but which I suspect, I will share as pure speculation. We don't know which path G-d is going to take toward that ultimate outcome, but it is possible to have an understanding of both paths. The focus of the class tonight is how we can understand this election based on the Divine agenda. I also happen to think that one scenario would be much better than the other but, as I have declared, I am not wedded to one or the other nor am I emotionally invested in the election. It is ultimately a matter of sharing with you the insights, and you can either agree or disagree. To me, it doesn't really make a difference, but at least you will be able to see that there is a way to make sense of what's happening. It is important to tell you these disclaimers.
You’d be mistaken to think when this lecture is done, you're for Trump or you're for Hillary. I'm for neither. I'm for G-d and the messiah. Period. I'm rooting for them. The question is which way does G-d want to go?. To understand what is happening clearly, there is certain amount of prerequisite information to know. By the end of this talk, I hope you will walk away with an understanding, even if there is no way of knowing which way it's going to go.
Recap: The Divine Agenda
First, we have to know something about the notion of the Divine Agenda in order to make sense of this. I’ve covered this before, but it is best to review a few basics: G-d wanted the Creation, obviously. How does He do that? I’m not going into this in any depth, but enough to give you a basis.
What G-d does is he sends forth certain forces called sefirot. Kabbalah recognizes that there are certain primary forces that G-d emits (without getting into the ‘how and why’). In all, there are ten of them. The interesting thing about these sefirot is that they create realities. It is not that they just create things; they create dimensions or realities – and they create five of them.
The first reality is called olam ha’ba---Future World or World-to-Come. The sefirot also create olam ha’zeh---this world as we know it. These worlds have four dimensions, or levels, and the lowest of them is our world. It is important to know that the sefirot degrade as the dimensions go from higher to lower. At least it looks that way, because they put forth a certain amount of Divine energy. Therefore, the first dimension that they create is a superior one. As their forces diminish, so to speak, the realities they create obviously degrade in terms of the extent to which G-d can be perceived in them, becoming consistently inferior until they create the physical world that is the reality in which we live and function. In this reality, the presence of G-d is almost totally concealed. But what does G-d want us to do with this physical reality of a world?
Zikuch---refinement and Tikkun---rectification: The Basics
Following Adam’s primordial sin and its consequences, G-d essentially wants us to transform the physical world back into one that’s spiritual, to dematerialize it, so to speak. How do we do that? We need to get the sefirot to “open up,” to emit greater force. Then, automatically, the physical world will change. G-d wants the Jewish people to retransform the physical universe into one with greater spiritual levels, until you get to the top, the Future World. This very important concept is known in Hebrew as zikuch-–-purification. This is done by removing materiality. It's a simple idea but it's very important. If somebody asks you where the Future World is, what would you answer? You would answer, “It's here, but right now the spiritual world, the Future World, is in a physical form.” We are to purify the physical universe transforming it into a totally spiritual entity. That's the basic job of the Jew---zikuch.
How does a Jew re-transform a physical world into a spiritual one?---by doing mitzvahs, observing G-d’s laws as stated in the Torah and the Oral Law and by doing good deeds in the spirit of those laws. According to the kabbalistic tradition, if a person does a mitzvah, he draws down a certain amount of energy of the sefirot. If and when that spiritual energy is released, it dematerializes some aspect of the physical world. Essentially, a mitzvah is a “device” that rectifies the deficiency of the world, the deficiency being that the world is physical, not spiritual. That's the whole name of the game. In reality, the world doesn't become spiritual right away but, eventually, it will become a hyper-physical world, a utopia called the “Messianic Era.”
The Messianic Era as an Expression of Tikkun: The ‘Big Eight’
The Messianic Era is the expression of the rectification that has been accomplished by all the Jews doing mitzvahs throughout the millennia. I have explained already how the Messianic Light comes in at this time and what it does. I have also described that transformation that is not achieved by the performance of mitzvahs was alternatively realized through the suffering of the Jewish people throughout history. And we have discussed who are the agents who inflict the suffering to dematerialize and rectify Creation. As a quick recap, who are they?
The Subjugation that Rectifies
Egypt was the first, though this subjugation happened before we became a nation, before the covenant at Sinai. Babylon was the second, Persia. the third, and Greece was the fourth. Rome was the fifth. The four nations, subsequent to Egypt, have been responsible to subjugate the Jews and to make them suffer. The sixth is Ishmael, the Arabs, the Moslems. The seventh is Amalek who assumes different forms. Of Amalek, G-d expressed, “My chair, My throne is not full until they (Amalek) are destroyed.” The eighth is not a nation, per se, but their existence is predicted in the book of the Prophets. If you look in the book of Eikev, the prophet says that our enemies will come from within. They are the Eirev Rav---Mixed Multitude, identified in the Torah as those people that induced the Jews to sin by making the Golden Calf. They are Jews who, because they are Jews, undermine the Jewish mission without it being apparent; thus, they elude detection. In a nutshell, they are Jews who rob Judaism of its allegiance to Torah. They turn it into a culture rather than a relationship with G-d based on the Torah. Judaism, for them, is about kugel. They are the purveyors of Reform Judaism and other diluted variations of Judaism that I discussed at great length in previous classes.
If a Jew does a mitzvah, he draws down the energy, a tremendous shefa---Divine flow. If a Jew sins and then repents, he takes back the energy that the Satan took from the Jews. The Jew takes it back to the side of the Jews because, remember, there are two tasks that Jews have: they bring down the Divine energy and take back all the kedusha---holiness that nourished the Satan because of their misdeeds. If Jews will continue in that mode for a long period of time, then the Satan goes bankrupt. Since the time of Abraham, for the past four thousand years, the Jews have been doing mitzvahs, repenting, and suffering. That means that they have been bringing down the energy or taking it back that long! That holy energy has been accumulating in their favor over the centuries.
The Demise of the Satan: Strategies and Acts of Desperation
Satan’s Desperation. It is now 2017, 5777. Ninety-eight percent of what the Satan has taken from the Jews is now restored to the Jewish people. He only has 2% left and, therefore, he’s dying. It's hard to believe, but the Satan is dying – and that's why you begin to see all the crazy things going on, as I will now show you.
Do you know what precedes the death of a star? It swells and then it blows. It gathers in all its energy and it explodes in one unbelievable burst. It is so powerful that many such explosions outshine an entire galaxy. That's how much energy is exhibited by a dying star. Now, the death of the Satan is the exact same thing. He's dying because the Jews have done enough tikkun to take back the kedusha---holiness the Satan had accumulated from their sins. Therefore, like a dying star, he’s emitting great energy. In previous lectures, I discussed the Satan’s strategies to try to survive. In short: There’s the “Big Bluff,” “Sending in the Dissidents,” and “Finding Allies.” The “Big Bluff” was the Holocaust. The “Sending in of Dissidents” was Satan’s use of the Eirev Rav to undermine from within. “Finding Allies” is the strategy of using the Ishmaelites (the Arabs and the Moslems) to dominate the world and replenish his energy.
Ishmael and Obama
To be clear about Ishmael’s role, and since it is the current strategy that the Satan is using, this can be mentioned here, even though I have touched on it before. The Arabs, we recall, are the only nation, other than the Jewish nation, that can draw down Divine energy. That in itself explains a great deal about the Arab nation. That's why the Satan has to go to Ishmael in his desperation. Until now, the Satan’s major agent was Edom (which became Rome, then Christianity, then Western Civilization). But now the Satan has to turn to a new source of help, that angel that is Ishmael’s defending attorney in the heavenly court of law. The Satan urges the Arabs to take over the world, to become the major nation. That's why you see this rise of the Arabs, their spreading out over the whole world. It's incredible to watch. Wherever you look, you see somebody in a “bed-sheet,” walking around. Thirty years ago, you didn’t see this. Now they're in your face. They are dominating Western Europe. There are 1.7 billion Moslems and there are only 2 billion Christians. It is true, as we have observed, that many parts of the Arab world are crumbling, but their dominance in Europe and their power in America is formidable. A clash of civilizations is bound to escalate.
Obama is a Moslem---really---even if a closeted Moslem. He learned in Moslem schools and has great respect for Islam and that is why when he met the Saudi Arabian king, he bowed before him. What's an American President doing bowing before a Saudi king? One should recall, of course, that Saudi Arabia is the seat of Islam because Mohammed lived there. So, Obama took over. And you can see the hand of G-d in Obama's election: It was miraculous, as we reviewed in a previous class. He had so many scandals beforehand and no experience whatsoever. He hung out with terrorists and he had a pastor that condemned and cursed the United States. His entire résumé consisted of one job--- community organizer. How does a guy that's a community organizer and a single-term senator become president of the United States? This was an open miracle. That's the deal that was made between the angel of Ishmael and the Satan.
Now, as a concealed Moslem who is the president of a Christian country, Obama had three jobs. And if you understand this, you begin to understand what's going on today. And you have enough data about the Divine plan to begin to understand what's happening.
Obama’s Three Tasks
Obama’s first job was to do what was done in the olden days as soon as a Roman Emperor ascended the throne, to kill off everybody who posed a threat to his power. Nero did that, for example. Since Obama represents Ishmael, his job (although he did not know it consciously) was to weaken America because America is Edom. He is not interested in America assuming the mantle of leadership anymore. Why?--- because he wants to give that honor to the Moslems, the Arabs, and that's exactly what he's been doing. In fact, Obama should get an A+ for destroying America.
Obama’s second task was to enable the Arabs to gain momentum in their clash with the Jews in the Middle East. He's their champion. That included Operation “Protective Edge.” Hamas was bombing Israeli cities and Obama is blaming Israel. It's beyond belief! The corruption of justice that this man has perpetrated is beyond belief. The Arabs started the war with 20,000 missiles and he's blaming Israel for defending itself. Why?---ecause his job is to defend Islam.
Obama executed those first jobs admirably. Don't be fooled by the fact that he just made a great deal with Israel worth 3.8 billion dollars. We all know that that is because he wants to wind up his presidency looking good, but it has nothing to do with the truth. This man really can't stand Israel or else he would never have done what he did.
I will preface telling you about Obama’s third job by referring once again to the sources in the Midrash and Talmud, written two thousand years ago. It records that in the “year” that Mashiach ben David comes (meaning in that approximate time period), Persia will incite a war against Arabia. Arabia will then seek council with Edom, and then Persia will destroy the world. This represents a climax, as you may recall. At this climactic point, a bas kol---Divine voice declares, ”The time of your redemption has arrived.” Therefore, that war by Persia signals the End. So, Obama has actually designated the End of Time, for he has given Iran fifteen years in that ludicrous Iran “deal.” Yes, designating the End of Time has been Obama’s major task. And it is only because he is essentially a Moslem that he can empower other Moslems to destroy the world. What I have just said is based on the midrash---exegetical commentary.
The End of Time as Configured in the Zohar
There's another idea, which is very interesting, and it finds its source in the Zohar. It is written that the resurrection of the dead, which starts right after Mashiach ben David arrives, requires 210 years. The End of Time, the messianic era of Mashiach ben David’s reign ends in the Creation year 6000 which, as we know, corresponds to the Gregorian year 2240. So, ben David has to come before that and end his reign in 2240. Therefore, according to this Zohar, it can be configured that the process of the resurrection has to begin by 2030. That’s about fourteen years from now. It's simply amazing! So, we are given a fifteen-year time span based on this Zohar and we actually see the actualization of Iran’s timeline, because Iran is going nuclear. They can destroy the world and they certainly will try.
There's no question that Iran will try to destroy Israel. They have to destroy Israel because they see Israel as the greatest enemy of Islam, Shi’ite Islam. They believe that the world has to be destroyed before their messiah, their 12th Imam, can come. Therefore, we see that we are headed for a cataclysmic event which will be interrupted by G-d’s salvation.
America’s Role
What does this have to do with the American elections? I have more or less brought you up to speed, but what does this have to do with Trump, Hillary, and America? Do you remember what I said about Esav and Edom’s role in the tikkun process? Remember what I told you, that Esav can do his tikkun either through ya'aveid---to persecute or ya'avod---to serve? Esav/Edom either subjugates and persecutes his brother (Ya’akov/Yisrael) or he assists him. Either way, Esav-Edom is part of the process.
America is a very interesting country. America has been good to Jews. Think about that. America, which is the better part of Esav, has saved Jews and sponsored Torah. It still does. In 1492, when Columbus set sail for the New World, he did so on the same day that the decree to expel the Jews was issued. The same day! Columbus would “discover” the land which was to be the beginning of Jews’ salvation from suffering at Esav’s hand so, the very day that Spain threw out Jews, Columbus set sail for America. That day marks the beginning of the end of Europe's ability to persecute the Jews to the extent that they had.
When Nazis were killing the Jews, Japan decided to bomb America which, of course, was suicidal for them. Even their chief naval officer, Yamamoto, said it was madness. “If you bomb Pearl Harbor," he said, “I fear that you’ll have awakened a sleeping giant and that you will fill him with a terrible resolve.” That’s a famous statement. So, they did it anyway and dragged America into the war and, because America was dragged into the war, America saved Jews. Without American participation, the Nazis would have been all over the place.
What else has America done? Yes, the ‘positive side of Esav’ contributed to the saving of the Jewish people after the World Trade Center because, among other things, the attack inflamed America with an avid resolve to kill the Jihadis. Osama bin Laden had no choice in masterminding the attack, even though what he did was actually impractical from his own vantage point. His situation mirrored that of Japan in the Second World War. Just as G-d made Japan enter the war so that the “good side” of Esav could save the Jews (and the world, actually), so G-d compelled Osama bin Laden to destroy the Towers.
Why?---to alert the world to the concept of jihad, terrorism. The entirety of America was alerted; it was a very important notification, necessary to save the Jews in the future. What we realize is that America does save the Jews; moreover, the U.S. gives much foreign aid and generally does good things in the world, matters of which we have spoken. Now, concerning Donald Trump, I want to repeat that his miraculous rise tells you that there's something happening here. It tells you that G-d wanted him to win; He is endowing him with merit. Trump will defy his adversaries and the Washington establishment and, as I have said, he will purify America. Moreover, he will continue that tradition of supporting the Jews.
The Jewish People Need Trump. More specifically, looking forward, Trump’s defiance will serve the Jewish people well when war breaks out between Iran and Israel. Iran is theologically commanded to war with Israel. When Israel defends itself, as it will, what do you think the world will do? They’ll condemn Israel, as usual; we anticipate that. Even though Israel is right according to international law, world opinion is predictable. Therefore, what is needed to save Israel? You need Trump. Why?---because Trump could not care less what Europe and the UN think. And as I’ve said already, Trump cannot be bought. He will do what he believes is right.
We also know that the so-called “Palestinians,” the PLO and Hamas, can never make peace with the Jews. We have noted that it is theologically impossible for the same reason that Iran is compelled to war against Israel. Trump knows this. When that time comes for Iran to attack, and Hamas and the Palestinian Authority and the Arab-Israelis join the fight, Trump will defend Israel not only against all the usual detractors but also against the hostile Arabs within and outside of Israel.
Iran’s War is the War of Gog. G-d will use Trump’s America to save the Jews from the upcoming war. And you should know that the war between Iran and the Jews is the War of Gog from the Land of Magog. Iran will be the instigator but it will be bolstered by all Israel’s detractors. That’s the last war. Therefore, you need Esav in the form of ya’avod, to serve and assist. Do you remember that Midrash that says Esav will be in the Garden of Eden and that he's going to work his way to the top? How does Esav get into Gan Eden if admission is only for the pious, the righteous? And the answer, if you recall, is ya'avod, his (eventual) assistance in helping Jews do the rectification. The other verification is Esav’s head interred with Jacob in the Cave of Machpela in Hevron, of which I spoke. Add to these “clues” that the numerical value of “Donald Trump” is the same as “Mashiach ben David.” Though he is not the messiah, Trump is a messianic figure for Edom and a critical aspect of the messianic process at this crucial time.
Clues to the Divine Plan
If you think that's interesting, consider that the gematria of “Barak Obama” is also equal to the numerical value of “mashiach.” You mignt also recall that the gematria of the word “mashiach” is also equal to the value of nachash---snake. Obama is going to designate the End and be an emissary of the Satan to help him regain his strength. And Trump will be the “brother Esav” that he should have been (to Ya’akov) four thousand years ago. In my estimation, Trump is the representation of Esav’s rehabilitation and of that purification process.
We don't know what G-d will do but we do know that on Rosh HaShanah---Jewish New Year, G-d decided who He wanted to be President of the United States. Believe me, He already knows. Actually, He’s known from the beginning of Creation… but the real decision in the spiritual world has already been made and, ultimately, it has nothing to do with anybody or with what we might designate today as ‘realpolitik.’
Opposition to Trump
I want to emphasize, however, the fantastic extent of the opposition to Trump. Obama hates him; Hillary hates him. The media hates him. The Republicans hate him. No one has ever witnessed such opposition. Did you ever see this before? Why? How do you understand this opposition?
You understand what's going on because you understand that we are looking at the End of Time. Who has the most to lose?---the Satan. Who is the major agent of the Satan?---Edom and, to a lesser extent, Ishmael. If Trump becomes president, the Satan is doomed because Trump will help Israel survive and he will try to make Israel great in many ways. Who's the loser?---the Satan. He doesn't want America helping Israel. He wants Ishmael to give him the power to continue his vendetta. The Satan is trying to get all his forces to go against anybody who can destroy him. It's a massive campaign to destroy Trump because, if Trump wins, the Satan has lost his greatest agent---Edom. You should know the opposition against Trump is abnormal, completely abnormal.
The Second Debate
Tonight is the second debate. It is also a night of tremendous frenzy. And you know where you see this satanic mania? Wherever and whenever redemption is near, the Satan goes crazy. It’s similar to when the Jews left Egypt and the sea was split. The sages relate that, at that time, there was an incredible court case in the heavenly tribunal. The Satan was prosecuting:
I don't understand. You want to kill my guys, testified the angel of Egypt, and you want to save the Jews. The Jews worship idols and the Egyptians worship idols, so why do you want to save one, but not the other?
The heavenly prosecutors were desperately trying to save Egypt and to destroy the Jews because what was going to happen when the Israelites left Egypt?---the giving of the Torah to the Jews. Moses was Mashiach ben Yosef and he was going to save the Jews and give them the Messianic Light.
The Messianic Revelation and Preparatory Time
Now, I have left the most important idea for the end. You have no idea what the mashiach will do. I’m not talking about an angel or any kind of spiritual entity. I'm talking about a man, a regular guy like us, and he will be the messiah. The rabbis tell us that, in the book of Isaiah (52:8) it is written that G-d will raise the consciousness of all mankind to one parallel height. As we have observed, that height of consciousness will kill everybody, as happened at Sinai when the Jews heard the first two commandments directly from G-d. Everybody died. The level of revelation or prophecy was the Messianic Light. I talked about this last time. And I have told you about ben Yosef’s suffering and his greatness. And I have told you that the understanding of Torah will be unleashed will make the Torah of Moses comparatively insubstantial.
The Two Scenarios (Revisited)
In scenario number “A” Trump wins and, like that Roman Emperor in Tiberius, Antoninus, he brings about a period of calm and the opportunity for the Jews and the world to become prepared for the advent of the messianic period. Jews will return en masse to Israel, as will the Divine Presence, as G-d says, “I will return with your captivity.” By the way, I see this happening; Jews are coming to Eretz Israel from all over the world. All of this is miraculous and I could talk about this for many hours.
Scenario “B” is Hillary becoming president. I’ve already given you my assessment of her devious, destructive criminality. Israel will find itself in dire straits because America is a very powerful country and Hillary will use that power contrary to the benefit of Israel. She would never stand up for Israel when the whole world condemns Israel. She will accommodate the world.
The only thing that really matters to G-d is ending this existence and hastening the messianic process. Everything else is irrelevant. Trump is irrelevant. Hillary is irrelevant. The only thing that matters to G-d is to end the program, the program that has endured for 6,000 years.
The Rise of Jewish Greatness and Shifting Priorities
What Jews should now internalize (especially before the holiest of days, Yom Kippur), is that we are near the End. We don't have two thousand years to go. The Satan is dying and so is Ishmael. Nearly all the Arab nations are collapsing in front of our eyes without Jews having to fight any war. Not only that, but Saudi Arabia is going to run out of oil in about six years, so what are they going to do? And America has now become the greatest oil producer in the world and doesn’t need Saudi Arabia. They don't need anybody. The whole world is changing in front of our eyes, poised to weaken the Moslems and to raise the Jewish stature in Eretz Yisrael.
Israel, the Start-up Nation
It’s the “start-up nation” as they like to call it. Israel is a phenomenal success. It doesn't make sense that a nation as big as New Jersey and with but eight million people has become a world leader in agriculture, water conservation, high tech, and biomedical research. If you think about it, there are more Taliban around and more Zulus in Africa, than there are Jews in Israel. Yet Israel is always center stage. Every day when you check the media, there is always something about Israel. How in the world could that be? Jews are less than one quarter of one percent of the world's population, yet they have 33% of the Nobel laureates. How could a nation so tiny have been the greatest nation in the history of mankind? Well, that's the bond that G-d has with Torah.
Since we are at the End of Time, everybody has to say to themselves: uh-oh. What am I doing? Is my priority spirituality, or materialism and superficial pleasure?” Jews, in particular, at this time would need to be thinking in these terms because, when the mashiach comes, one begins to realize that there is no such thing as free-will any more. At that time, at the End of Time, good deeds will no longer be translated into their appropriate rewards. By then, deserving Jews will be as angels who have no need for free-will because they will see G-d clearly. They will bask in that supernal experience. Therefore, they should be saying, before the upcoming ‘Day of Penitence’ (Yom Kippur) that now is the time to make a personal reckoning, that now is the time to reconcile with G-d and His plan for this world. The greatest repentance they could do is not so much to flagellate themselves by banging their chests and specifying each sin.
The concept is to shift, to figure out, to ask: what are the priorities? The point is to study more of G-d’s Torah. To prioritize doing more mitzvahs, to perform more acts of kindness. As I see it, that's the greatest gift Jews could give G-d on Yom Kippur. That will guarantee the Jews a tremendous year and there is no question that it will guarantee the Jewish people a tremendous success in spiritual growth. And, of course, it will give unbelievable pleasure to G-d.