Birth-Pangs
Pregnancy, labor & birth and their relevance to Moshiach
ח ב ל י מ ש י ח
7 Insights
o f M o s h i a c h
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Zion has gone into Labor
- Zion is like “Ziun” which means a “mark” in Hebrew.
- When Jewishness is reduced to miniscule form (just a mark).
- And truth goes into hiding.
- And falsehood is celebrating.
- Like pregnancy, when the baby is tiny, hidden, and adverse side effects befall the mother.
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Such times are called “Gola” in Hebrew (גולה)
And like Pregnancy,
Gola worsens over time...
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There is also something new and wonderful developing during Gola –
Like the baby during pregnancy –
That’s the “Geula” (גאולה).
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Zion has given birth
Both pregnancy (Gola) and the baby (Geula) reach full maturity at the birth.
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Births have pangs...
What do we learn from this?
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Do We Need Gola?
- Why become pregnant?
- It can get very painful. It’s a commitment. And life will completely change once it’s over.
- That’s all true.
- But nevertheless people still choose to go through it.
- We want the baby and that’s the only way to get it.
- Gola is so bad – no one wants it. Even (and especially) G-d Himself.
- But it’s worth it, because that’s how we’ll ultimately achieve the Geula.
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What is Geula?
- Uneducated? First pregnancy?
- Pregnancy is a natural process. Once pregnant, no need to do anything special.
- (Except for looking after your general health, please)
- At least in the first few months.
- But further into the pregnancy, need to prepare. There’s a birth coming!
- Same thing with Geula. Ignorance here is not bliss.
- Especially toward the end of Gola, we need to know what Geula is about
- And ensure we’re ready for it.
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Gola in Geula
- First is health.
- Monitor the baby during the pregnancy.
- But focus on the mother.
- Not only for her own health, but also, everything the baby needs before the birth comes from her.
- Similarly, the Geula is fashioned during and through Gola.
- Geula is in Gola, albeit hidden.
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Birth-pangs? Get Ready!
- Easy births are great.
- If you’re ready.
- To ensure you are, birth-pangs are signs that the birth is coming up.
- So that you quickly prepare for it.
- The signs of Geula tell us to make no mistake. It’s about to happen.
- So that we get ready for it.
- “Would I [G-d] bring to the birth-stool and not cause to give birth?!”
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Before the Birth - New Context
- We said earlier to focus on the mother in the beginning of the pregnancy, not the baby.
- Come time to give birth, we’re still looking after the mother. For sure! But in the labor ward.
- What’s changed?
- The whole context changes: Hyper-care, excitement, everyone is teamed up and engaged with the birth to help make it happen.
- A healthy mother means spiritual endurance during Gola. Jewish survival. That’s what we’ve fought for all along.
- But the birth-pangs of Moshiach at the end of Gola direct our focus toward the emerging Geula.
- That becomes the context and purpose of everything we do.
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Geula in a Flash
- Labor is very hard.
- The sky could be falling.
- “What will be?!” – every laboring woman cries.
- But in a flash
- Not only the pain subsides (as if it never was),
- The baby we’ve been yearning for comes out, safe and sound.
- Wow. Amazing turnaround!
- We see lots of bad in the world. Increasing. On all levels. These are the negative/external facets of Gola.
- What will be?
- But in a flash
- Not only will it all die down,
- A new, much-awaited bonus / context will come into the picture. Geula.
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We Celebrate Revelation
- You just had a baby! – Congratulations! Mazal Tov!
- But what’s the novelty we’re getting excited about?
- You – the mother – are (slowly) getting back to your old self, and
- The new-born baby is not really new. It was there all along.
- However, the birth has revealed it all. Life is not the same now.
- All the good things (Geula) are all here during Gola also. But they are hidden.
- Moshiach will bring them out into the open.
- That’s what we’ll celebrate.
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