THE CHILD’S PROPHECY

THE BOOK ‘THE CHILD’S PROPHECY’ WAS WRITTEN AROUND 1500 YEARS’ AGO, AND CONTAINS THE PROPHECIES OF A CHILD WHO LIVED IN ISRAEL, CALLED NACHMAN CHATUFA [http://www.zissil.com/topics/Nachman-Chatufa]. NACHMAN CHATUFA WAS BORN TO A SAINTLY COUPLE WHO HAD NO OTHER CHILDREN, AND FROM THE DAY HE WAS BORN HE WAS ALREADY SPEAKING WORDS OF TORAH. THE CHILD’S FATHER WAS VERY SCARED BY THESE HAPPENINGS, AND TRIED TO STOP HIS CHILD FROM SPEAKING. AS A RESULT, THE CHILD FELL SILENT AND DIDN’T SAY ANOTHER WORD UNTIL THE DAY OF HIS TWEVLTH BIRTHDAY.

On that day, he began to speak again, and he described all the things that would happen in the world in the future, at the time of the coming of the Moshiach. As soon as he finished giving over his prophecy, the child fainted and died, as his parents looked on. That’s why he was called Nachman Chatufa, or Nachman the ‘plucked’ one, because he was plucked from this world while he was still a youth.

Subsequently, his parents wrote down their son’s prophecy and his words were later published in the Aramean language in alphabetic order, with rhyming verses that resembled a piyut. The language the prophesies were written in was very obscure, and gave over the information by way of hints and riddles.

In his last shiur of the year 5775, on כה Elul, Rav Berland opened ‘The Child’s Prophecy’ and started to reveal all of the events that were meant to happen when the King Moshiach would be revealed. He talked about how the wars would be, what would be with the nations of the world, when the revival of the dead (techiyat hametim) would happen, etc.

The Rav said that at the moment that Moshiach would be revealed, Armilus HaRasha [the head of the mixed multitude, or Erev Rav] would come, together with all of the nations of the world, and he would try to fight against the Moshiach. So then the Moshiach would escape to the desert, together with some simple, pure-minded people, and there they would hide-out for nine months, the same amount of time as it takes to bring a pregnancy to term.

After nine months, the Moshiach would return and would reveal himself openly to everyone, and then everyone would reconcile with him, and make peace with him. The Rav said that the moment that Moshiach received his [spiritual] crown on the day of hakhel, soldiers will come from all over the world, with warships from all the nations of the world, against Eretz Yisrael.

Then the Rav said something terrifying: “Then there will be a terrible accusation made against Israel, because the Chessed L'Avraham [a medieval commentator] said that ‘only 7,000 people will remain, only the simple ones and the truthful ones will remain’ - and they will be with him [the Moshiach], in the desert.”

The Rav continued: “It’s written on Daf 98 of Tractate Sanhedrin that there is no clearer indication of the end than this. As it is stated: And you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and bear your fruit for my people of Israel. Rabbi Eliezer says: ‘Even from here, [i.e. no more clearer indication than this] that it says because before those days, there was no wage for man and no wage for animals. And to him that leaves or enters, there was no peace from the adversary.” Even Talmidei Chachamim will need to flee to the wilderness.

“The son of David can’t come until after 9 months of being in the wilderness, where they will do true, real Teshuva. There is nothing like pressing some ‘Moshiach’ button and then Moshiach will arrive. In all of the year of the motzae shivit {5776] Moshiach will be arriving. In motzae shivit, Moshiach will stand on the stage and the stage will come down from shemayim, and Noah’s dove will come and will place a crown on him, and the sefer Torah will shine from one end of the world to the other.

“Every letter will shine like sapphires, from one end of the world to the other. But the nations of the world, and the wicked of the nations, and the wicked of Am Yisrael, will not agree to such a thing [happening]. They will go out to war face-to-face, like the people of the generation of the dispersal who made a tower 70 amot tall, to fight against Hashem. How is it possible to fight against Hashem?! Either way you look at it, if Hashem created the world, and created you, can you fight against Him? Man is so foolish, that he thinks he’s able to fight against Hashem.

“People think that Moshiach can come without prayer. That a person can simply travel to Uman, press a button, and Moshiach will appear. He’ll be there at the Tzion, and just needs to press a certain secret button, and then Moshiach will appear. Moshiach can’t come until we make true Teshuva with a truly broken heart, and true shmirat einayim (guarding of the eyes)! And this is why Yosef HaTzaddik wanted the brothers to admit ‘we are guilty’.

“The brothers didn’t understand what he wanted from them, this crazy man in front of them. Yesterday, they said to themselves, we sat with him and drank some arak, wine, vodka and champagne…It’s written in the Torah that they sat and drank and become drunk with him, and they were drunk until the morning - like on Purim.

It’s time to cry out ‘we are guilty!’ and then Moshiach will really come, and Moshiach will be revealed. Moshiach wants to be revealed at every moment. Motzae shemitta - this is the time that Moshiach needs to be revealed.”

The Rav said that all the wars, the intifada and the dangers that will accompany the coming of the Moshiach are only to get people to wake up and do Teshuva, so that we’ll cry out ‘we are guilty!’ That’s it, that’s all that we need to do.

The brothers didn’t understand why Yosef gave them such suffering, but the entire situation was solely for their own good, in order for them to submit themselves [to God], because the Tzaddik could only reveal himself to someone who was lowly, and who could say: ‘we are guilty!’ Even if a person is the most wise, holy person he still needs to say ‘we are guilty, I sold the Tzaddik! I’m guilty that he went down to Egypt, to such a place of tumah, in order to fix me and redeem me. I’m guilty of it all!

The Rav said: “The Zohar Hadash, in Parshat Ki Tavo, explains that there are no curses in the Torah, it’s all blessings. As it’s written in Heichel HaBracha, there are such great lights that it can seem as though they’ve been turned over [into darkness] but really these are the biggest blessings. And therefore, the Zohar says that Hashem will split all of the waters of the world at the moment that the Moshiach is revealed. Then immediately, all the nations of the world will call for war to be made against the people of Israel, and Armilus the wicked will be revealed, and he will bring everyone against Israel, and then millions and trillions of the world’s warships will come to fight against Israel.

“And then just like at the splitting of the Red Sea, that Yehezkel prophesised about in chapter 32, saying: ‘and then Hashem will cause their waters and their rivers to sink, and then Hashem will open…’and all the waters will dry up and all the seas will split, and all the ships will sink, and no vestige of any ship will remain. But Am Yisrael will need to be in the wilderness, in the desert, in order to make true Teshuva.”

The Rav recalled the Gemara that said that even the Amoraim [the rabbis mentioned in the Gemara] would be afraid at the time of the redemption. He said: “Rav Yosef said: ‘Let it come, but let me not see it!’ If only he would come already! [But that I won’t be there]. Raba said: ‘If only I would sit in the shadow of the dung [of his donkey]!’ So we see that Raba and Rav Yosef disagree about whether it’s worthwhile to be alive in the time of Moshiach, or not. For sure it’s worthwhile! If a person makes Teshuva, then for sure it’s worthwhile!

“A person comes to this world to see the Moshiach, that’s why the person was born.” But what Teshuva does he need to make? The Rav explained: “Only true Teshuva, until the One who knows hidden things [i.e. God] can testify about him that he won’t return to his errant ways again. So, only with true Teshuva about every blemish of the eyes, about every blemish regarding the covenant [i.e. his brit mila]. If a person makes Teshuva he’s able to enter even into the lion’s den, and the lions won’t touch him. If a person makes true Teshuva then a person can enter into the lions’ den for even half an hour or an hour, and the lions won’t touch him. He can get out of his car in the safari park and stroke the lion, and the lion won’t touch him.

“The moment that a person makes true Teshuva on the blemish of the covenant, no-one is able to touch him.”