"And these are the generations of Yitzchak"... (Breishis 25:19)
A Wildness
When R' Shmaya Dichovsky, z"l, author of Neos Deshe, was travelling to Eretz Yisroel in 5693, he stopped in Radin to meet with the Chafeitz Chaim.
During their conversation, R' Shmaya asked the Chafeitz Chaim's opinion about the debate taking place in America regarding its future relations with the Arab community in Eretz Yisroel . On one hand, there was a palpable fear following the massacre in Chevron, where the Arabs brutally and savagely attacked a yeshiva. On the other hand, there was an optimistic hope that the nations of the world would be able to educate and guide the Arab community towards more civil society.
The Chafeitz Chaim responded and said: "The Torah describes Yishmael as (Breishis 16:12), "And he will be a wild donkey of a man". Our Torah is eternal and everlasting. If the Torah describes this way the family of Yishmael, then they are forever considered a wild donkey of a man. Even if every nation in the world combined their efforts to educate and civilize them, they would not succeed. Even if one of them becomes learned and becomes a lawyer for example. Then he will be a lawyer that is the wild donkey of a man. If he becomes a professor at a prestigious university, he will remain a professor that is a wild donkey of a man. There is wildness within them. And, you will never be able to remove it."
Then, the Chafeitz Chaim sighed and said: "Oy! Who knows what kind of savagery this animal will inflict upon the Jews in the final days before Moshiach arrives."
These prophetic words of the Chafeitz Chaim, which are unfolding before our eyes today, have their roots in ancient sources, specifically in the teachings of Chazal and the Pirkei D'Reb Eliezer. These sources describe that at end of the galus of Edom, a new era of exile will begin called the Galus Yishmael.
A New Phase of Exile
In Daniel (Chapter 7), Daniel has a dream where he sees four animals. The Angel explained that these animals represent the four different kingdoms that would rule during each of the four exiles. The animal that represented the fourth exile, the Galus of Edom, was strange. It had 10 different horns on its head. And, then, a smaller horn started to emerge. The Malbim explains that that smaller horn represented the stage of that Galus Yishmael before Moshiach would arrive.
This is a very difficult galus. The Zohar teaches that this time of Galus Yishmael, is more challenging than any other galus that occurred throughout history (Volume II, 17a).
Rabbeinu B'Chai (Devarim 30:7) notes that the word אויבך-your enemy is used to describe Yishmael and Eisav is described as שונאיך-your despised.. An "ememy" is far worse than someone that you "despise" because, unlike someone who is despised, an enemy will never show mercy.
R' Yehoshua Leib Diskin, zt"l, the Rav of Jerusalem, comments on this pasuk that says והוא יהיה פרא אדם- "And he will be a wild donkey of a man". In Hebrew, we mention the essence of something before the adjective that describes it. Therefore, a good person in Hebrew is called a אדם טוב and not a טוב אדם. Here, it says פרא אדם. Because, the animal within Yishmael is their essence. They are only described as a man.
Prayer is Our Weapon
When suffering from such people, you cannot believe that you can be saved from their savagery through natural means. Therefore, we need to rely on what Chazal taught at the end of Sotah where they are discussing the last days before Moshiach's arrival. They repeatedly said, "Who can save us but for our Father in Heaven?!" During this era, we need to remember that we must trust and rely only on Hashem to redeem us and to deliver the true salvation. We cannot depend on our strength or might.
Therefore, during the Galus of Yishmael, it is critical to daven and lean into the power of tefilah. In chapter 24 of Eitz HaDaas Tov, R' Chaim Vital, zt"l, writes about this at length. He describes that the last days of the galus are going to be extremely challenging as we suffer from Arabs; savagery. All we can do, R' Chaim explains, is daven and scream out to Hashem to save us from them.
The Klauzenberger Rebbe, zt"l, would say in the name of the Belzer Rebbe, zt"l, that generally the murderous Arabs are worse and crueler than the Germans, and therefore, in our times, we need to daven for all Jews around the world to be saved and protected from them.
The Fall of the Arabs and the Rise of Moshiach
The Baal HaTurim (Breishis 25:18) taught that this explains the proximity of the pasuk at the end of Chayei Sarah to the beginning of this parsha. The pasuk discusses Yishmael and says על פני כל אחיו נפל- before all his brothers he dwelt (fell). The first pasuk in our Parsha says, וְאֵ֛לֶּה תּֽוֹלְדֹ֥ת יִצְחָ֖ק - And these are the generations of Yitzchak. Meaning, when the Arabs fall at the end of the galus, the redemption will begin and we will see the arriving of Moshiach who is a descendant of Yitzchak.
Perhaps we can explain that Moshiach is alluded to in the generations of Yitzchak because he had a unique approach to davening: he would pour his heart out. As Chazal taught in Brachos (26b) that Yitzchak established Mincha prayers as it says (Breishis 24:63) 'ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה לפנות ערב'-And Yitzchak went forth to speak in the field towards evening. The word "speak" means prayer as it says (Tehilim 102:1), תפלה לעני כי יעטוף ולפני ה' ישפוך שיחו-"A prayer for a poor man when he enwraps himself and pours out his speech before the Lord".
It is also taught in Shabbos (89b) that during the birth pangs of Moshiach, Hashem will go to each of the Avos and say, "Your children have sinned." And only Yitzchak will pour out his pleas through tefilah and daven for the final redemption on behalf of the Jewish people.
Therefore, Moshiach is alluded to when discussing the offspring of Yitzchak. He uniquely davened by pouring every ounce of his heart into the tefilla. Yitzchak had a passion and intensity about his prayers. And, it is through that dedication to tefilah that will bring an end to the Galus Yishmael and usher in Moshiach and the final redemption.
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