What can I tell you about what needs to be done now?
What do you think yourself needs to be done now?
We need prayer, we need tears, we need prayer, we need tehillim, we need tears, we need t'shuvah. We need to be troubled about our sins, to be sincerely sorry, and to desire doing only the will of Hashem; that is what we need.
But most people want to be told: "Say Perek Shira for 40 days", and that's all. I cannot say this. We need prayer, we need sincere regret, we need t'shuvah. I have no more to tell you.
(One of the Rabbis seated in the room
asked these questions)
Q: Should this be publicized?
A: Yes.
Q: Are we now in the time before the war of Gog and Magog?
A: What does it matter if there will be a war of Gog and Magog? It only matters that we should do t'shuvah. What matters is that we should return to where we need to be (close to our Father in Heaven). Now there is no war and see how many people are dying. We don't need a war; look how many are dying. We must be sincerely troubled, to sincerely request the redemption, to come before Hashem in subservience, to sincerely request Moshiach, this is what will save us, nothing else. Only t'shuvah.
When I say t'shuvah it sounds like nothing. But this is everything, everything. It's very difficult to do real t'shuvah. People don't understand this. The Chareidim, the Mizrachistim, the secular, all of the Nation of Israel, everyone with his transgressions, must be sincerely troubled, (about his sins) and return in t'shuvah - to return to the true will of Hashem. What is there to say? The times are about to become even more difficult.
Q: Some are saying that the war of Gog and Magog is on the way?
A: So what do you want me to tell you to do, to prepare the gas masks? I already said, only t'shuvah, real t'shuvah.
Q: What do you mean by real t"shuvah? And also, what do you mean when you say to return to the real will of Hashem? Every Jew who keeps Torah and mitzvos will ask, what do they want from me? I learn, daven, give tzedaka.
A: This is hard to explain because everyone wants to understand only what he wants to understand, and everything I say they can say back, "But…" and they can change its meaning. To return to the real will of Hashem is to really DO the will of Hashem. They will say that what they do is the will of Hashem, but we have become confused in many things.
If one can say that wearing a wig is the will of Hashem (women have a commandment to cover their hair for modesty) then there is confusion (a fabric cover is more modest than immitation hair). In this generation, the truth is very difficult, like in all generations, but in our generation falsehood is found in much greater quantities, and the truth is much less than in all previous generations. And so there are people that say that a woman who walks around with a long wig that covers her neck is a Tzadekes (pious and righteous) and she is doing a holy thing for the sake of Hashem. Someone needs to explain to her that it is totally treif (unkosher and improper).
If it is possible to say that make-up that doesn't come off is the will of Hashem and prevents desecration of Shabbos - this is confusion.
If people say that Rav Feinstein zt"l said that in America it is allowed to eat food made out of chalav stam (milk without kosher supervision), this is confusion, they didn't understand what he said, and it goes on and on. If they take a portable succah to Disney World - this is confusion.
If people think it is the will of Hashem to sail on a cruise-ship on Pesach with a mehudar Seder, kosher lemehadrin with no gebrokts - this is confusion. What else can I say?
And in general, all the hotels where they sit near the swimming pools and eat kosher lePesach hamburgers, and go on day trips, and sit all day and eat food that is glatt kosher and say that it is mehadrin-min-hamehadrin, this is treif, and not kosher lePesach, and not the will of Hashem.
Q: Just a few words about the bird flu, lo alenu.
A: Many kapparos, many kapparos, all those birds are a kapparah for the nation of Israel. Many, many kapparos. And another word or two, check the Shechita. Check in the whole world. And in general, if the money is what is leading our whole world, then we need to be very worried.
And another word - don't forget the quail. Don't forget the "slav" and that's all (referring to the biblical event when the Jewish nation were transversing the desert, eating "mahn" provided by G-d as their sustenance, yet still complained they lacked meat).
Q: Do you mean that it is a hint from Heaven that we are being led too much by our desires, like in the days of the generation of the desert and kivrot hataavah?
A: This is clear.
Q: It seems that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is closing us in from all directions in order that we will do t'shuvah?
A: Fear is one of the ways that may bring us to t'shuvah. But fear is not always enough. We spoke much about the fact that Hashem will scare us with difficult times, and this is very fearful. Somehow, however, every fearful situation becomes easier or disappears or is not so bad, and this is because Hashem is giving us time to do t'shuvah. Fear, and then calm, is sent in order to digest and internalize what is happening. But if it doesn't help, chas veshalom, then it may become even more difficult. And this is exactly what is written by Rambam.
Q: What do you say about the solar eclipse?
A: This is another sign, another fear, it's not simple. Hashem is frightening us in any way that He sees fit. It's not simple, everything is not simple.
