The escalation of wickedness preceding redemption
Evil pushing us to choose good
“May Hashem answer you on a day of distress” (Tehillim 20:2) - this can be compared to a father and son who were walking along the road. The son became tired. He said to his father, “Where is the town we are going to?”
The father answered, “My son, this is the sign that we are approaching it. When you see a cemetery, you can be sure that the town is near.”
Likewise, the Holy One, blessed is He, said, “If you see that troubles engulf you, know that soon you will be redeemed” (Midrash Tehillim 20).
This post is quoted and based on the book “The Ishmaelite Exile by Rabbi Yechiel Weitzman pages 217-224
At the time of the exodus from Egypt, Hashem told Moshe to inform the Children of Israel of the impending redemption. Afterward, Moshe was commanded to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the people leave Egypt. Pharaoh refused to listen to Hashem, hardened his heart, and made conditions harsher for them. The Jewish people complained to Moshe that his request to Pharaoh made things worse for them. Moshe returned to G-D and asked Him, “Why have you done evil to this people; why have You sent me? From the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he did evil to this people, but you did not rescue Your people” (Shemos 5:22-23). G-D answered him, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he will drive them from his land” (Shemos 6:1).
The Kli Yakar explains this dialogue between G-D and Moshe as follows: Moshe’s understanding was that if the decrees on the people became harsher, it must be a sign that the redemption was still far off. That was his complaint: Why did Hashem command him to tell the people about the redemption so far in advance? Wouldn’t this discourage them and lead them to despair? Hashem told him he was wrong. The newly increased severity of Pharaoh’s decrees was an optical illusion, so to speak. The harsh decrees were a sign of just the opposite - that redemption was near. “Now you will see,” Hashem said to Moshe, “that redemption is closer than ever. For when evil is about to complete its mission in this world, it gets more intense in an attempt to last a bit linger, in its final death throes.”
This is the way of the world. When a natural force nears it’s end, it shows stronger resistance, so to speak, in a battle to survive.
So it is in the spiritual realm. When evil gets stronger, this increased power is itself a sign that the evil is about to give way to the redemption waiting to emerge.
Our sages tell us (Midrash Daniel 12:11) that the verse “It will be a time of distress the likes of which there there had never been from when they became a nation util that time, and at that time, Your people will escape” (Daniel 12:1) refers to the birth pangs of Moshiach. Just as a woman in childbirth has no greater moment of distress than the moment of birth, which is followed by relief and reaffirmation of life, so it will be for the Jewish people at that time. They will experience relief and salvation from their enemies when Moshiach is revealed, and no longer will they suffer anguish and sorrow. In this vein, the prophet Yirmiyahu said when he foresaw the birth pangs of Moshiach, “Ask now and see is a male has ever given birth. Why [then], do I see that every man puts his hand upon his loins like a woman in childbirth, and all the faces turn pallid? Woe! For that day will be momentous, there is nothing like it; it will be a time of distress for Yaakov, but he will be saved from it” (Yirmiyahu 30:6-7)
In short, at the time of “the footsteps of Moshiach,” evil will increase in the world and be readily apparent. This is good news for the approaching redemption, for many will learn to identify it for what it is. Then they will abandon it and improve themselves in the direction of absolute good. Others, who aso search for perfection in their way, will become more evil and distance themselves completely from Judaism.
When evil intensifies and becomes clearly identifiable, it causes people to abandon it. Evil thus becomes helpful in turning people to good, and this is actually evil’s rectification at the End of Days.
We’ve seen a huge wave of Jews all over the world waking up from the current war and the atrocities of October 7th. People are so revolted by the unadulterated hatred of our enemies and their supporters that it is pushing them and us to choose a side. It makes us want to cling and get close to what is holy and pure. Tens of thousands of Jews are now committed to keeping Shabbos, to wearing Tzittzit and Teffilin, to dressing more Tzanuah, and to bring more meaning in our lives. May this all be zchut to bring Moshiach with tremendous mercy and love and may the worst already be behind us.