The last of the Elders (z'keinim) who were contemporaries of Joshua and outlived him, passed away in the year 2533 after creation. They were part of the chain of Torah transmission as listed at the beginning of Ethics of the Fathers: "Moses received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua. Joshua gave it over to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets..."
In ancient times, this day was marked as a fast day.
[Some are of the opinion that this occurred on the 5th of Shevat].
There is a story that tells it all. On the awesome day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, of the year 5507 (1746), the Baal Shem Tov lay in deep meditation and ascended to the holy chamber of
“Master,” he asked, “when will you come?”
The answer: “When your wellsprings shall spread to the outside.”
The wellsprings are the wellsprings of the deepest inner wisdom.
Not only the water of the wellsprings, but the wellsprings themselves, must spread forth. When the furthest reaches of the material world become wellsprings of the innermost wisdom, then Moshiach will come.
This is our mandate now. We are all to become wellsprings.