The World On The Way To Redemption
With the two-hour workday on the horizon, what will we do with all that free time? * The conclusion: people will have more time to spend on spiritual pursuits

In our attempt to live with Moshiach, it is helpful to see signs of progress in the world at large. It is well known that when people are exposed to something in the media, it becomes alive for them. What did the Alter Rebbe say? “When Moshiach comes, they’ll write about it in the newspapers.”

Or, in the words of the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach shlita: “The famous saying of our Rebbeim about the newspaper publicity surrounding the coming of Moshiach is being fulfilled. [Articles] have recently appeared in many newspapers around the world (and more should be done to publicize this) about ‘Behold, King Moshiach is coming’ and ‘Immediately, he will have already come.’”

Many times when Rabbi Yosef Wineberg would report to the Rebbe on his numerous activities in spreading the wellsprings outward, the Rebbe would ask him, “Have they written about it yet in The New York Times?”

Have we ever really thought about this deeply? It can’t mean that the whole significance of Moshiach can be reduced to an article in the Times or the Washington Post…

So why is publicity so important to the Rebbe?

The answer lies in the very concept of Moshiach itself. As the Rebbe MH”M explained on countless occasions, the main advantage of Moshiach is that his influence will penetrate the natural order of the world. But there is another component, as well. When we read about something in the newspaper, it becomes more real and tangible to us. For some reason, the nefesh ha’bahamis (animal soul) accepts things more easily once they’ve been written in the newspapers.
 

Everyone Will Share The Same Account

On the 7th of Tishrei 5752 (1991), the Rebbe granted a yechidus with the members of the Machne Israel Development Fund, during which the Rebbe delivered a special sicha on the subject of business. The Rebbe said (in free translation):

The nature of business is such that in order for a business to succeed, a certain element of competition is necessary. At the same time, it must also be done in a Jewish manner.

This means that the desire to succeed mustn’t cause someone else a monetary loss, G-d forbid. On the contrary, instead of competing, it is preferable to form a partnership…which brings benefit to both parties. Indeed, when [both sides] become partners, they realize what a good idea it was in the literal sense – how it leads to increased profits.

…Moreover, they become so united in their joint venture that it is difficult to separate them…their time is utilized (not to divide the business between them) but to increase the success of their common enterprise…they don’t make individual accounts, as everyone belongs to the same account!

Even with all our emuna and bitachon, our first inclination is to assume that a sicha like this refers to the Days of Moshiach! Not, G-d forbid, that it’s a fantasy, but people do not feel that it reflects the present-day reality of how business is usually conducted.

But the truth is that in recent years, events have clearly shown on a global scale that we’re already heading in the direction of joint ventures. The whole world is coming together in partnership!
 

The Euro

Take, for example, the new monetary standard in Europe, the Euro. Eleven different nations, historically hostile to one another, have banded together in free trade to adopt and mint the new coin. Everyone belongs to the same account!

The plan was not devised out of a desire to become spiritually elevated. The bottom line was money. The various member nations simply realized that it made sense. The human mind is beginning to grasp that working together leads to greater profits for everyone involved.

This wasn’t just written about in a sicha; it was written about in the newspapers!

Virtual Commerce: Transcending the Boundaries of Time and Place

Another example is virtual commerce, the ability to buy and sell all kinds of merchandise online. Nowadays it is so commonplace that we don’t even raise an eyebrow.

The world of business has made unprecedented strides because of the Internet. No matter where you live on earth, you can buy or sell virtually any product. And the bigger the pool of potential customers, the bigger and more successful the business grows.

When the business day is winding down in Israel, when offices and factories are getting ready to close, they’re just waking up in America. A whole new business day, a whole new batch of customers! And let’s not forget about Australia… The very nature of doing business has undergone a radical change in recent years.

At this very moment a computer program is being perfected that will buy and sell goods without any human intervention, looking for the best deals and ordering the right quantity as soon as it’s available. The difference between time zones will be completely irrelevant.

What better expresses the concept of transcending time and place, and even more important, the positive benefits of mankind working together towards a common goal? The whole world will soon belong to the same account!

The Rebbe’s words are crystalizing before our eyes. Every day that passes brings more and more examples.

Technology is enabling us to reach a level of joint venture that is unprecedented in history. And it’s all leading in one direction: to the Days of Moshiach.

The following sentence may have originated in a holy sicha, but the subject matter appeared in a recent article in the Israeli weekly, Globus:

“We can already see the beginning of King Moshiach’s effect on the nations…in our times, the whole world is getting ready for King Moshiach to start working.”

Lots of Free Time

Several weeks ago HaAretz ran an investigative series about what our daily lives are going to be like in the near future. Based on the latest statistical research, the newspaper concluded that the typical workday will consist of only two hours! Two hours a day, five times a week, will be enough to support an entire family in style!

The journalist ended on the following note: There will be so much extra time on our hands that the only thing left to do will be to turn to spiritual pursuits. What did the Prophet Isaiah say (61:5)? “And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks” – “so that [the Jews] will be free to devote themselves to the Torah and its wisdom.”

Or, in the Rebbe’s words: “We have now reached the point at which the physical nature of the world has already been completely purified and refined…the only thing lacking is for a Jew to open his eyes and see how the whole world is ready for the Redemption!”

***

The world is ready and the media are ready. But are we ready? “The only service left is to actually greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu.” Any second now, the Rebbe will be revealed. Let us, therefore, live our lives in an appropriate manner, in anticipation of the great event.

(Based on the sichos of Shabbos Parshas Haazinu 5751 (unedited); Nitzavim 5751; VaYeitzei 5752 and Mishpatim 5752)