Everything that happens in this world is orchestrated by Hashem. All events ultimately prepare us for the arrival of Moshiach. Although our Prophets and sages have described for us changes in the world that will herald the coming of Moshiach, the actual timing is hidden from us.

Recently we witnessed the Convoy of truckers, protesting vaccine mandates, that started in Canada becoming a movement spread over the entire world. What does this have to do with the coming of Moshiach?

There is a famous Gemara in Sotah 49b which describes the times heralding the approach of Moshiach.

One of these famous signs is פְּנֵי הַדּוֹר כִּפְנֵי הַכֶּלֶב “the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog”.

As Rabbi Yisrael Salanter ztz”l explained: A dog by nature runs ahead of its master, always turning around to see where he is heading; and whatever that direction maybe, the dog arrives there first. The phrase pnei hador (“the face of the generation”) often signifies those who are [supposed to be] the leaders of the generation. These days, we see how our leaders are leaders only in name. They spend their time looking around to see where their people would like to head, and they run there first…

The whole world can see how our so-called leaders are fulfilling this prophecy פְּנֵי הַדּוֹר כִּפְנֵי הַכֶּלֶב. They are removing the mandate gradually, because of the truckers, and hopefully, they will eventually succeed because these superficial leaders merely look back like a כֶּלֶב to see where their people would like to head, and they run there first…

In the second part of עָלֵֽינוּ לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ we recite: וְכָל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁ֒מֶֽךָ, לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶֽיךָ כָּל רִשְׁ֒עֵי אָֽרֶץ, יַכִּֽירוּ וְיֵדְ֒עוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁ֒בֵי תֵבֵל כִּי לְךָ תִכְרַע כָּל בֶּֽרֶךְ תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן:

And all mankind will invoke Your Name, to turn back to You, all the wicked of the earth. They will realize and know, all the inhabitants of the world, that to You, every knee must bend, every tongue must swear [allegiance to You].

I always wondered how it would happen that all mankind would turn towards Hashem. It doesn’t say in the prayer that we Jews would cause it to happen but rather it just will happen as Hashem told us in Beshalach 14:14

ה’ יִלָּחֵ֣ם לָכֶ֑ם וְאַתֶּ֖ם תַּֽחֲרִשֽׁוּן: “Hashem will fight for you, but you shall remain silent.”

We are assured that there will be a unity amongst different countries, peoples, and cultures that כָל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר “a unified mankind” יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁ֒מֶֽךָ “will invoke Your name”.

How will it happen?

Where will it start?

Maybe this invoking of Hashem’s name is starting in Ottawa Canada. I went down there with my family to see the true story of the truckers with my own eyes. The media and the government here in Canada call them Nazis and terrorists. What I witnessed first hand however was a united group of peace-loving people. One speaker took the stage. Addressing the crowds, he said “we are all immigrants from different backgrounds, but we are all Canadian citizens. We have a constitution: God-given rights and freedom in this country. Let us unite and take away this evilness and bring back our freedom”. On the side of a truck stationed in front of Parliament, I saw verses in English from Isaiah chapter 55:6

Seek the Lord when He is found, call Him when He is near.
The wicked shall give up his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts, and he shall return to the Lord, Who shall have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

We recite these verses in the Amidah of Neilah on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year Yom Kippur. Where? In אתה הבדלת “You set man apart” – the climax of the Amidah. I was humbled by this call to repentance in the midst of the awesome sight of the demonstrations.

The Canadian founder of Adopt-a-Trucker, Chris Garral said in an interview with Fox News “I feel God’s behind us” When asked about his attitude towards prime minister Trudeau he replied “I’m very sorry for him. I pray for him that he turns his heart and repents…” Surprising sentiments from this so-called “terrorist”. Remarkably the words echo the prophecies of Ezekiel (18:23)

Do I desire the death of the wicked? says the Lord God. Is it not rather in his repenting of his ways that he may live? (This verse is also in אתה הבדלת)

הֶֽחָפֹ֚ץ אֶחְפֹּץ֙ מ֣וֹת רָשָׁ֔ע נְאֻ֖ם ה’ אלקים הֲל֛וֹא בְּשׁוּב֥וֹ מִדְּרָכָ֖יו (כתיב מִדְּרָכָ֖ו) וְחָיָֽה:

The Gentiles are turning their hearts to Hashem as our sages predicted in the gemara וְעַל מָה יֵשׁ לָנוּ לְהִשָּׁעֵן עַל אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם And upon what is there for us to rely? Only upon our Father in heaven. And on that day וְהָיָה ה’ לְמֶֽלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָֽרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה ה’ אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד on that day, Hashem will be One and His Name One.

We should follow in the footsteps of the peace-loving Canadian Convoy 2022 and rectify the sin of שנאת חינם “baseless hatred” – hatred of others for no real reason that caused our בית המקדש to be destroyed, and the Jewish people to be in exile for close to 2,000 years.

Amazingly this Convoy started in the month of Adar I- a time of eradicating evil as it states clearly in the prayer following the megillah reading.פּיהם פּתחו כּל יושב תבל כּי פור המן נהפּך לפורנו All the people in the world open their mouth to praise Hashem because Haman’s chosen day to destroy us was turned upside-down and became our cause for celebration.

The convoy took place around the time of Purim, a time of eradicating evil from the world. At the same time, protesters were invoking pesukim from Yom Kippur about universal repentance. The Vilna Gaon points out that the word “purim” is found in the biblical name for Yom KippYom haki-PURIM – which means “a day like Purim.” That which we accomplish on Yom Kippur with spiritual pursuits, we accomplish on Purim with physical pursuits.

We might assume Yom Kippur is the greater of the two days. But in one sense, Purim is even greater. It is easier to achieve spiritual elevation on a day like Yom Kippur when we pray and have no time for forbidden activities like gossip or getting angry. By fasting, the soul achieves dominance over the body. But on Purim, in our state of rambunctious inebriation, it is much harder to maintain our human dignity. In this way, the challenge of Purim is greater. That’s why, by comparison, Yom hakiPurim is only “a day like Purim.”

I would like to end off with a blessing that the convoys should go from strength to strength in eradicating the evilness of the governments around the world who are limiting freedoms.

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Rabbi Dovid Abenson can be contacted at: Tel. 15147393629 Cell/Whatsapp 15149935300
Email: [email protected]

Rabbi Abenson is the founder and director of ShaarHatalmud, a unique yeshivah-based online program, which incorporates learning all Kodesh subjects, from Kriah up to learning Gemara, Rishonim, and Shulchan Aruch. He also conducts evaluations, remediation, and training, and consults with school principals to improve students’ underdeveloped skills