Melitzer Rebbe: The Geula has started

The Gemorra in tractate Sota, 49b, lists a number or preconditions that indicate the imminent end of the diaspora and the coming of Moshiach. Until recently, all but two of these conditions have been fulfilled. The next to-the-last condition, namely, that residents of the borders shall roam from place to place, was fulfilled last year with the disengagement and the destruction of Gush Katif, and even more so today, as the south of Israel hosts thousands of displaced families from the Galilee. The final condition, the destruction of the Galilee, is something none of would have ever believed. Yet, it's happening before our startled eyes. Kiriat Shemona, Tzfat, and Nahariya are in shambles, and these very minutes, our beautiful Galilee continues to burn, as raging fires destroy thousands of acres of fields and forests. The earth of the Galilee cries out from the blood of her dedicated residents.

A cropduster, drafted by Galilee firefighters, attempts to combat Kiriat Shemona area forest fires from the air before sundown on Sunday. Image courtesy of AP

With Gemorra in hand, I hastened to the Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a. I asked him point blank: "Rebbe, the list is complete; has the Geula (redemption of our people) started?"

The Melitzer looked me straight in the eye and sid, "Yes!"

There you have it, folks: The Geula has started.

The Melitzer quickly clarified, "No one knows when Moshiach will come. It could be a day, a month, a year, or even more. But, the meaning of Geula is that we all must do Tshuva very fast, for once the process accelerates, at a certain stage, one no longer will be able."

"Must everyone come to Israel now?" I asked.

"No," answered the Rebbe, "but they must all make tshuva!"

The Melitzer Rebbe was the first rabbinical figure in Israel to link lewdness and licentiousness with the breach of national security, and the first of the rebbes to warn about the dangers of defiling the Holy Land.

I told the Rebbe that many people are asking me for easy commitments. "Easy commitments are effective in easy times," the Rebbe said. "But in times of a threat to our existence, one must make a dedicated commitment to Hashem and to His commandments in order to survive."

Need more proof? You don't yet take me seriously?

Achmedinejad is setting the stage for what he hopes is the annihalation of Israel. The head of the Shin-Bet is warning that Gaza will soon be another Lebanon. The IDF is pounding the Hizbolla, but the missiles are still raining on the Galilee, with the future looking worse. Here O Israel, it's time to wake up. The world is becoming more spiritual every moment. Soon, the material amenities that people chase won't be worth a hoot.

People get ready, 'cause the train's a'comin'! You can say that the Beams is bananas, but that doesn't alter the facts. Time's running out.