Jonathan Pollard’s Mashiach Marvel
Like Jonathan Pollard, after days, months, years, and decades of exile, Redemption can happen at any time. His fate will be ours…
An Example of Redemption
Jonathan Pollard landing in Israel tells us everything about Mashiach’s arrival here.
Mr. Pollard and his wife Esther landed in Ben Gurion airport during parshat Vayechi, where Yaakov describes the End of Days.
Yaakov can tell us about what will happen, but he cannot tell us when it will happen.
The full redemption of the Jewish People mirrors the redemption of Jonathan Pollard.
On March 4, 1987 a judge sentenced him to life in prison. Once the doors slammed on him, what would happen if he knew for sure that his next breath of free air would be in 2015?
It’s like being locked inside a bathroom knowing that you couldn’t come out of that rancid, mice infested hole until 2055.
Could anyone survive the mental horror?
To survive, there has to be rays of hope, people to support you in times of despair, and a faith in Hashem that everything will be for the good.
We Know for Sure
For decades, it looked like Jonathan Pollard would never leave prison.
At times there was hope. Every major concession America demanded from Israel came with a carrot dangling above us of the promise of Pollard’s release.
There must have been moments where he could smell the hummus.
Only to be let down when word got back to him that the “bargaining chip” of his freedom was still in the pockets of State Department Diplomats.
There were really close moments, like the Wye Accords in 1998 where Bill Clinton was ready to send Binyamin Netanyahu back home with Jonathan on board.
In his cell, he must have been dancing.
Only to hear that the CIA personally threatened the American president if he were to do such a thing.
After four presidential lame duck periods came and went without a pardon, he might have thought he was going to die in an orange jump suit.
If Pollard knew it would be more than 30 years, he might have given up hope. He might have gone into a manic depression, looking for things like drugs, television, anything to escape his reality until the day arrived.
Did you see him when he came? He is a full-on Jew. Beard and all, he looks ready to rebuild Jerusalem with his own two hands.
The uncertainty of his fate emboldened his faith.
Day after day he prayed. As did many of us for his freedom. He learned Torah. He got married. He grew into being a better man.
Every day he petitioned Hashem with his deeds for the sea to part so he could leave Egypt.
When the day did arrive, he was ready. A new man.
The same is true for us.
If we knew that Mashiach would be here only in 5781 (2021), how much hope could we have during the Crusades? How hard could a starving prisoner of Auschwitz hang on if he knew if there were 80 more years to his suffering?
In not knowing the date of our redemption, we all pray. We all learn. We all work as hard as we can to petition Hashem for Mashiach with our merits. As a result of working with the energy that it could happen tomorrow, when that time comes – we will be ready.
At the end of our life, the Sages say that when we get Upstairs, the Heavenly Court will ask us if we anticipated Mashiach every day. We learn from Mr. Pollard that they want to know how hard we worked to be ready for this day?
No matter how many days, none of us realistically thought Mr. Pollard would ever see the light of day, the moment arrived.
Even after leaving jail and waiting another five years trapped under house arrest. After waiting another month as his wife undergoes treatment for cancer. The day came.
One morning he was in his cell in Egypt, the next he was in Israel.
His life is forever changed. There is no going back from this huge leap forward.
For us, the day will arrive. One morning we will be still facing down the utter darkness of exile which keeps enveloping us more and more, and the next we will be rebuilding our Temple.
Our lives will be forever changed. There will be no going back from our huge leap forward.
A Kiddush Hashem
Emerging from his El Al plane, breathing his first breath of true freedom, Jonathan Pollard is greeted by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Pollard first kisses the Land of Israel. His wife Esther, battling cancer, still bends down to kiss the Land, fighting her own body to do so.
Then they recite Shecheyanu, acknowledging our King and His compassion for keeping them both alive to this blessed day.
The Prime Minster, who lobbied three presidents over the course of 25 years to bring him home, also recites Shecheinu, praising Hashem for keeping him alive to see this day come.
First Prayer, then Principle.
This is the Jewish People.
This is the Land of Israel.
Protocol comes later.
Israel’s newest citizen is off to a great start.
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David Ben Horin lives in Afula with his wife and children. Since moving to Israel in 2002, David has discovered Torah, writing hi-tech, hiking, coding ReactJS Apps, and hearing stories about the Land of Israel from anyone excited to tell them. Check him out on Highway 60 or email him your favorite Israel story at:
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