The war of Gog and Magog is said to take place just before the final redemption and it will be a war in which Yishmael and Esav will get the best of each other. Yishmael is the representation of Ta'ava in the world, which means desires and lust. While Esav is the representation of Ga'ava , which means conceit & haughtiness. What can a Jew do to be protected from harm during such times of war? Our Sages teach us that the way is through our actions, specifically through that of Talmud Torah (Torah study) and Gemilut Hassadim (Bestowing kindness to another).
Torah Study to counter attack lusts and desires
and bestowing kindness to counter attack conceit & haughtiness.
An action which is also said to be a protective measure for the war of Gog and Magog is making sure to eat a "Seudah Shelishit" (3rd meal) on Shabbat.
Now here is another practical application of the above concept: if you notice yourself falling into the depths of any of those negative character traits (i.e., lusts, desires, conceit and/or haughtiness) then try to work on on the corresponding "counter attack" to lift yourself back up.
Always remember: Only Hashem can watch over us and protect us. Ain Od Milvado!
Ketiva, Vechatima Tova.
Thanks for reminding us to do what is so easy and obvious. When I saw the picture I got nervous because we no longer have gas masks in Israel. They gave them out when America bombed Iraq, on Purim in 2003, and thank G-d we did not have to use them. Anyway, most people did not carry them around, only us newbies to Israel.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the next challenge is all about emuna so gas masks or whatever will be useless.
I wish all of Klal Israel a meaningful Rosh Hashanah filled with teshuva from the bottom of our hearts so Mosiach will finally come now!