Chapter III

G-d's loving call to repentance which follows the "birthpangs [preceding the coming] of Moshiach" will be so powerful that it will affect all Jews. It will arouse within those Jews who are already observant a superhuman devotion to Torah and mitzvos, as well as a passionate desire to progress in yiras shomayim, "fear of G-d," love of G-d and fellow Jew and development of good character traits. G-d's call will reach even those Jews who have fallen into the morass of material desires, and have been "lost in the land of Ashur and banished in the land of Mitzrayim," i.e., mired in the deepest swamps of licentiousness which leads to murderous deeds. Even these Jews will be reached by the Heavenly call to repent, and within them will awaken the desire to lead a Jewish life replete with Torah and mitzvos. Their innermost desire [will then be] to kneel before G-d in Yerushayalim.

[The passions and pleasures that lead man to] sin are divided into two general categories. They are: cool, sedate or detached, and burning, intense or passionately devoted. The source of the first is mainly intellectual, while the source of the latter is largely emotional. While it is true that both categories ultimately stem from one source, i.e., the delight received from material pleasure, there is a difference in how these delights are expressed, whether in a cool, sedate and detached manner or in a burning, intense and passionately devoted manner.

The effect of these two kinds of pleasure upon an individual are alluded to in the words, "those who were lost in the land of Ashur and those who were banished in the land of Mitzrayim." The cool, sedate and detached pleasures satiate the pleasure seeker. This satiation, in turn, draws him even further into the sea of pleasures, until he drowns in them. This is alluded to in the words "those who were lost in the land of Ashur," for the Hebrew word ashur means "pleasure" and "delight."1 He that devotes himself to pleasure is considered to be "lost in the land of Ashur."

The burning, intense and passionately devoted pleasures cause the pleasure seeker to thirst for ever-more intense delights, until he becomes mired in the nethermost pits of vice. This is alluded to in the words "banished in the land of Mitzrayim," for mitzrayim denotes the most vulgar and debased swamp of sin.2

The first step is that of the "birthpangs of Moshiach," at which time "the L-rd G-d shall sound the shofar " so as to make all Jews tremble, especially those who have become estranged from Judaism. Then comes the "sounding of the great shofar," the Divine fatherly call of love to all Jews that they repent. This will rouse the essential spark of Jewishness within all Jews, including those who were "lost and banished." All will then go with our righteous Moshiach, [may it be very speedily], and "bow down to the L-rd on the holy mountain in Yerushalayim."

In summary: After the terrifying and frightful [events during the times of the] "birthpangs of Moshiach," there will emanate a powerful G-dly call of love urging Jews to repent. This will affect all Jews, even the most estranged and those who are devoted to the basest, cool and sedate, or burning and intense corporeal pleasures. They too shall return to a life of Torah and mitzvos. Our righteous Moshiach will then speedily lead all Jews to the thoroughly cleansed Eretz Yisroel.