Question
If a day is as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day then what would be your take as the time line of the return of isreal.
Answer
Shalom Gordon,
In fact, what you mention is actually the key, according to the Vilna Gaon, of understanding the redemption process (Kol HaTor, p. 465). If you divide 1,000 (years) by 24 (hours), each “hour” of creation corresponds to 41.67 years of history.
Accordingly, the 6th day of creation corresponds to the years 5,000-6,000 of history. Animals were created on Thurs. night, and Man’s creation began on Fri. morning (corresponding to the year 5,500, because the halachic day begins at nightfall). The Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b) recounts the hour by hour process of Adam’s creation (in the 1st hour (years 5,500-5,541) G-d piled the dust; in the 2nd hour (5,541-5,583) he formed Adams body, etc.)… In the 5th hour (about 11:00 a.m. of that first Fri. morning of creation), “Man stood on his feet” which corresponds to the year 5,708 (=1948 c.e.) the year of the founding of the State of Israel- when the Nation of Israel once again stood on her feet!
Accordingly, Shabbat (corresponding to the redemption, “yom shekulo Shabbat”) is supposed to come in maximum, by the year 6,000 (2,240 c.e.) but we are supposed to accept Shabbat and bring her in early! Why wait? Let’s do as many mitzvot as possible, return to the Land of Israel, and bring the mashiach/Shabbat in as early as possible!
With Love of Israel,
Rav Ari Shvat
