Parshas Balak - Understanding the work for the set of generations before Moshiach

Parshas Balak speaks about the end of days.  Rabbi Moshe Wolfson explains in detail that Yehuda, the forefather of Dovid Hamelech and Moshiach, fell to a low level. He had a yerida with the story of Tamar.  So too, the same language refers to Rus, who is told to go down, to have a yerida, to sit by Boaz, an apparent yerida in tznius.  Yet Rus and Tamar are both considered tznua.  The purpose of going down, falling, is to rise up.  Yehuda has the courage to lift himself up.

Balak ben tzipur is king of Moab.  He foresaw that his descendant Rus would be the source of Moshiach and he could not bear it so he hires Bilaam to curse the Jews.  Balak is a kelipa over the soul of Moshiach and although he tries to conceal and imprison his seed from appearing by offering seven korbonos, those korbonos are the reason he comes to merit being in the lineage of Dovid HaMelech and Moshiach along with Yehuda.

Rus married Boaz on the 17^th of Tammuz.  Moshiach is destined to appear during the three weeks between 17^th of tammuz and 9 Av, which three weeks until then are the kelipa in time that conceals Moshiach.  Yet once we break that kelipa in time, those three weeks will become the most joyous of the entire year.

We are in or headed for shaar nun – the lowest place, even lower than the generation of the Flood because of pritzus, sinas chinum and more, says Rav Wolfson.  We need to be courageous like Yehuda, roar like a lion to break out of the kelipas that keep Moshiach imprisoned.  It is only with that courage to break out that it can happen.  It is the role of this last set of generations to comprehend deeply our essence and our kelipas and to choose to reveal tzelem elokim.

It takes courage but it is only that mesiras nefesh, that sacrifice, that provides the ingredients Hashem desires before revealing Moshiach.  He wants our hearts.  It is up to us to have the courage to break out of our egos in favor of tzelem elokim.  It may feel like death itself to do so, but if we sit quietly in a room, with a coffee on a couch, we soon realize that we are perfectly safe in giving up our hatreds. In fact, we will receive shefa and bracha for piercing the illusion that cynicism and ego-based goals have blinded us with. 

Our essence is tzelem elokim.  Our ego is our korbon, awaiting to be rectified into a transparency to reveal tzelem elokim.  The energy we expend to do so requires courage based on loving and fearing Hashem and longing for Moshiach.  That energy we transfer from the kelipas to dissolve back into the Ein Sof is the ingredient that brings about the revelation of Moshiach. 

The time of the three weeks is approaching. Rav Moshe Wolfson suggests as follows:

Balak said to Hashem let me keep 17 tammuz let me keep rus imprisoned.  So he gave korbonos instead.  Balak will give the korbonos. To his dismay they brought Moshiach, in the zechus of his korbonos Rus should come out of him.

There are big treasures in this day, we have to crack open the kelipa.  Not like those who don’t let Moshiach appear.  The day of 17 tammuz, every yid should know why did Hashem place me in this generation, like the years in which we find ourselves, it is Yimai yesarim, suffering, the end of history. We are in bais moav, the last leg of the journey.  We are commissioned to take an ax and break open the kelipa of the zman of moav and let moshaich appear, emerge from there.

We do it with torah, tefilla, good middos, good deeds, stop sinas chinam, stop sinas yisrael. Strive for ahavas yisrael, help each other, reach out to others like the neshama aof Dovid who fell down to give rise to those who cant rise with their own energy. Strive to concentrate with all our kochos, with tefilla dn good middos and to reach out and try to do all the inyanim that break the kelipa of moav on the time of moav 17 tammuz and tmoshaich should come and we should be zocheh