This Ongoing War of Good vs Evil

Soldier reciting שבת Kiddush

As we live concurrently with the Chumash weekly portion of Torah, where this week covers the portion of Vo'eschanan, we cannot forget the last verse (3:22) in the previous portion, Devarim, that left us off with:
"Do not fear them! 
For Hashem, your G-d - it is He Who fights for you!"

לא תיראום כי ה' אלהיכם הוא הנלחם לכם

Hashem, we know, transmits by proxy messengers on Earth to do His bidding, be the messenger an angel, a person, or a set of circumstances. Now, because the bidding is for war, and the period is Redemption, the messenger is a general. With the enemy frightfully close and venomous, the fight must be waged taken to the foe. (Although this general is hard at work, to most Jews he remains anonymous. As for his identity, we'll leave that for another time.)

The more prevalent perspective is a diaspora-conceived one. Here too, in its theatre of play, you have a "leader", where, say Bibi, runs the show.

Simultaneously two worlds function, each on its own level, where one's operation does not interfere with the other's. In fact, the higher world's orchestration also steers the lower world's circumstances unsuspectingly.

Vo'eschanan begins with Moshe telling us he wanted very much to take the Jews into the Era of Ultimate Redemption (for had Moshe stepped into the Holy Land, the  Era of Redemption would have immediately blossomed).  Moshe begged G-d for this favor, to be the redeemer of the redeemed.

He was turned down. Jews would have to wait over 3 millennia for Redemption to finally happen. In our present generation (and we are lucky therefore to be part of it), a Moses of our generation is fighting the Jews' battles. He's doing it on his own. He operates behind the scenes, by himself. Unlike the first Moses, this chief has been granted the privilege to be the redeemer of the redeemed.

Single-handedly he beat back Iraq's 39 Scud missiles during the Persian Gulf War.  He needs no helpers. Nay, he does not want any help. He certainly doesn't want to leave the impression that brains and strength won the day; He wants only that Divine Providence be credited for the victories.

These days we see a wider plan of action coming into play, one that has the world tuned in again, this time with even more diverse appeal and with the most menacing scenarios.

This war has the whole world focused in! No matter what hell breaks loose elsewhere, all eyes remain riveted on that small piece of property hugging the Eastern Mediterranean. Nothing can steal the spotlight from this show called "What's Going On in Israel?"

This war has got to be the final one, the last duel of Good versus Evil.

Iran may become another flashpoint, or some other foe, but focus on Israel will always capture universal appeal, will always remain center stage from now on - for one simple reason: Moshiach touches the lives of everyone, so everyone will have to know of him! Divine Providence will see to that. Everyone is almost forced to tune in or weigh in!

Moshe's overwhelming desire to enter Eretz Yisrael pivoted on his wish to see Jerusalem and the Place of the Holy Temple (Rashi 3:25).

Watch therefore, in our present day, in our present ongoing war, how Jerusalem and Temple Mount issues will be revved up, for Moshiach too, the Moses of our generation, has his eyes set on these two holy entities, which belong to the Jews only.

The war of Hamas is the ultimate fight against Jewish existence. Moshe reminds us in our Torah portion, therefore, who we Jews are and what privileges we have:
"You are a people bonded with Hashem, your G-d, as you are alive today!" (4:4)

ואתם הדבקים בה' אלהיכם חיים כלכם היום

The Jews (and their supporters) will therefore triumph in ultimate victory.

The Bottom Line

Imaginatively, take a huge funnel, huge enough to contain all the sand that would fill the oceans, plus all the sand that would fill the earth's atmosphere. This funnel tapers to a tip that allows only one grain to fall out at a time. How long do you think it will take to empty that funnel of all that sand?

Well, the time it would take is merely a microscopic fraction of the time you yourself, as a Jew or Noahide, will live on this earth - in the Era of Redemption.

What does it take to get a ticket of entry into that world of paradise? The conditions are specific.

A Jew automatically gains entry, no matter who he is (barring a few exceptions perhaps).

For a Jew, if he receives punishment for misdeeds, gets punished in this world. The few sins he commits in this world "cost him" in this world. That's to ensure his free ticket to the eternal world-to-come.

A righteous Gentile, or one who follows the "7 Noahide Laws", also receives remuneration as does the righteous Jew. The same accounting procedure is used. He too has a present account settled here, so as to receive a future credit.

The Gentile who misbehaves is reckoned with differently. For every deed of goodness or kindness he did he is "paid for" - in this world. Paradoxically, a villain's success may give the impression he's a person of "goodness".

But G-d, Who is fair, knows better. The non-righteous Gentile is not cheated out of his merits. God "pays" this person in this world because - for this person there is no other world to go to. This world for him is a dead-end.

This is the meaning of the verse in Deuteronomy 7, 10, "And he pays his hated one the face value [in this world] in order that they forfeit [the world-to-come]."

ומשלם לשנאיו אל פניו להאבידו לא יאחר לשנאו אל פניו ישלם לו

This is also the meaning of another verse in Deuteronomy (32, 4), "He is a faithful G-d [Who will grant the righteous their due portion in the future] and He does not cheat [those criminially-behaving Gentiles from their due recompense in this world]."

הצור תמים פעלו כי כל דרכיו משפט

The world-to-be is reserved only for the dispensation of good to the righteous - who earned their destiny in the brief trial period they spent in this world.