The Light of Moshiach | Rabbi Zev Smith

I was talking with someone who was struggling with a very difficult challenge, and he blurted out, But why does it have to be so hard? And I certainly empathize with him, because I heard from a great man, who said, The Nisyonos that we face today in Kedushah are unparalleled in history. Perhaps to pose an old question that needs a new answer, Why is this night different? Night always symbolizes exile, darkness. Was there ever an exile that it's so easy to learn and to serve Hashem, when the government protects our lives and our rights to practice religion? Every exile was a different form of “standing up against us to destroy us.” What's the mission of our exile, this final generation? But anybody who has open eyes and an open heart realizes the answer is so simple. We all have perhaps the most challenging Nisayon, to live “and you shall be holy”, to live as holy people, menschlech, heilig, in a world that's gone insane. We have to be the little bit of light that pushes away a lot of darkness. Or maybe, to put it more specifically, we have to be that light that is igniting the light of the Melech Hamoshiach. The Derech Eretz Rabbah says, When a person sees something inappropriate and he doesn't look, he merits to greet the Shechinah, as it says, If he closes his eyes and he doesn't look when he's not supposed to, what does it say after that? Your eyes will behold the King in His glory. He'll merit to see the splendor of “May our eyes behold Your return to Tzion with mercy.” The Chofetz Chaim writes in Nidchei Yisroel that when a person overcomes a temptation in Kedushah, there is a visible light on his head that in previous generations, people were able to see. And he quotes the Rashi in Sanhedrin 31, about Mar Ukva, that had an overwhelming temptation and succeeded and he went around with an Ohr Haganuz on his head. Every Vayimaen moment is adding light to the light of the Melech Hamoshiach. Every Vayimaen moment is a golden brick in the building of the third Beis Hamikdash. That's the purpose, that's the mission of our final generation. There’s a famous Medrash, the Yalkut, When Moshiach comes, he will cry out, You humble people, it's time for the redemption. And if you don't believe it, look at the light that's radiating, that's illuminating. And the question that always bothered me is If a person doesn't believe the Moshiach, he’s a heretic. He's lacking one of the 13 Principles [of Faith]. Why do you call him a humble person? But I believe the answer is You ask the average person: Nu, do you believe in Moshiach? Of course. Do you believe Moshiach will come today? He might say, What? Come on, smell the coffee. Are we better than the previous generations? How can we expect Moshiach in our times? But we don't know one thing. We have that Hidden Light, we have that ability that's bringing the light of the Melech Hamoshiach, because only we have this intense light that's able to create that Hidden Light. And Moshiach will say: Humble ones, you underestimated your potential, your contribution, your struggle in a world of such darkness. See My light as it shines. And when we have a challenging moment, let's close our eyes and open our soul and hopefully, we can hear Moshiach crying out to us with joy, See My light as it shines.