Seven Ways to Bring Moshiach

This week’s Maayanei Hayeshua shabbat pamphlet published an interview with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu’s wife, Rabbanit Tova. Amidst stories of other patients healed following a blessing from Rav Eliyahu, she recalled a conversation in which she asked why he was not praying for himself. Rav Eliyahu answered that he was accepting the suffering upon himself in order to annul evil decrees against the Jewish people, saying that ultimately this would culminate in the coming of Moshiach. When asked what needs to be done to bring Moshiach, Rav Eliayhu said that everyone should do teshuva in the area of “veachavta lereyecha kamocha”  (loving our fellow Jews).

I realize that this is nothing new. Any kid can tell you that since the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed due to sinat chinam, so the geula will come through ahavat chinam. Still, Rav Eliyahu’s statement gives this idea a new urgency.

After reading the interview, I started thinking of practical ways we could enhance ahavat chinam. Here is my list:

1. Get to know other ideas – learn a hashkafic work or a parsha commentary written by someone outside your ideological camp (examples: Sefer Hataya, Chazon Ish’s Emuna VeBetachon, Rav Kook’s Orot, Rabbi Nachman’s Likutei Mohara, Ben Ish Chai, Rabbi Soloveichik’s The Lonely Man of Faith, Sfat Emet). Learning something different really help realize that a) what unites us  (Torah and mitzvot) is much broader than what separates us (ideological battles) b)”the other side” thinks and does what it does not out of malice or ignorance, but out of conviction that this is the best way to serve Hashem.  We don’t have to agree, but at least it will create some perspective.
2. Commit to a daily act of chesed – we all try to be nice, but conscious commitment helps raise awareness throughout the day. For ideas and inspiration, subscribe to A Tradition of Kindness for their daily stories, submitted by other subscribers.
3. Learn Chofetz Chaim – if you could get the daily lesson (2 minutes) delivered directly to your email box each day, would you do it? If yes, subscribe at dcompanion@chofetzchaimusa.org (write “subscribe” in the subject line).
4. Create a zechut for a met mitzva – unfortunately, some people die without leaving anyone behind to think or pray for them. It takes only a minute to do a mitzvah for the soul of such a person (learn Torah, say a chapter of Tehillim, Kaddish, give Tzdakah, etc). You can get a name by visiting Chaye Nezach or emailing them at  chayenetzach@gmail.com.
5. Pray for a sick person – it only takes 30 seconds to say a perek of Tehillim for a sick person whenever you pass a Magen David/Hatzoloh ambulance on the street (source: Rav Meir Goldwicht).
6. Shalom at home – even good-natured kids are not immune to sibling rivalry, so here is an idea for creating more opportunities for love at home. Hang up a large sticker chart for the entire family (parents included). Whenever someone performs an act of kindness or refrains from an act of unkindness,  s/he can place a sticker on the chart. Once the family reaches the preset number of stickers, all of you get to a enjoy a  treat (a trip to the zoo, a movie, or whatever suits your family fancy).
7. Start an Ahavat Yisrael group –

or visit the home of the Ahavas Yisroel project

More ideas? Share them with us.

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