What message did Yaakov seek to convey to his sons at the final moments of his life? Would the knowledge that 3,600 years later the Moshiach would arrive have alleviated the anguish of the Egyptian exile? Daniel was one of the prophets who all apparently knew The End. Why were the Shevatim unworthy of knowing it? Is the disclosure of the End a matter of spiritual importance, or is it, perhaps, of limited significance? Why is this subject intrinsically bound up with the unity of G-d? What is Yichud Hashem, and what does it mean for us today?
These and other related questions are explored in this week’s article.
Revealing The End – The First Attempt
In this week’s parasha we read (Bereshis 49:1-2): “And Yaakov called his sons and said, ‘Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you in the End of Days.’ Then he said, ‘Assemble and listen, sons of Yaakov, and listen to Yisrael your father.’”
Why does Yaakov summon his sons through two distinct calls? And why, having announced that he will reveal what awaits them in the End of Days, does he refrain from mentioning Moshiach or the final redemption, choosing instead to bless them, articulating their strengths and weaknesses, defining their individual missions, and charting their destinies? Finally, why is it precisely at this moment that his identity shifts, and he speaks not as Yaakov, but as Yisrael?
The Gemara (Pesachim 56a) explains that these psukim describe a multi-stage process. At first, Yaakov Avinu gathered his sons with the intention of revealing to them the End of Days. However, at the very moment that he sought to disclose this hidden knowledge, the Divine Presence departed from him.
Yaakov feared that the withdrawal of the Shechinah indicated a spiritual flaw among his children. Just as Avraham Avinu had Yishmael, and Yitzchak Avinu had Eisav, perhaps one of his sons was unworthy, and it was for this reason that Heaven withheld the revelation of the End?
His sons responded by proclaiming, “Shema Yisrael: Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.” With this declaration they affirmed that just as there was absolute unity in their father’s heart, so too was there complete unity in theirs — no division from their forefather’s path, no hidden fault. At that moment, Yaakov Avinu replied, “Baruch Sheim Kevod Malchuso l’Olam va’ed,” affirming that the sovereignty and glory of Hashem are fully revealed through such unity.
In other words, Yaakov initially summoned his sons with the intention of revealing the concealed secret of the End of Days — the culmination of the world’s history. When the Divine Presence withdrew from him, he called them together once more, questioning whether there might be anyone among them whose heart was not fully aligned with Hashem, thus preventing him from revealing what he had intended.
At this stage, he addresses them as “sons of Yaakov,” a name that reflects a lower spiritual status — one in which the possibility of imperfection or spiritual deficiency can still exist within his children. However, after they responded, “Shema Yisrael: Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One,” affirming their complete and undivided faith, he again speaks as “Yisrael your father.” This name signifies the highest level a human being can attain: absolute recognition of, and attachment to, the perfect unity of Hashem.
Setting a Date for the End
This week we will discuss the End of Days — an important topic in Jewish thought. Despite its centrality, it is often described in vague or inaccurate ways, leading to serious misunderstandings. For that reason, it is important to approach this subject carefully.
The question of revealing the End raises several key questions: What does Knowing The End actually mean? Is calculating when it will occur permitted? Are we permitted to take steps to hasten it? Is there one End, or more? And how should we understand the idea of an End that seems not to have come, or of multiple “Ends” mentioned throughout history?
The End that Yaakov Wished to Reveal
The Sefas Emes (Vayechi 5635) asks: Why did Yaakov Avinu wish to reveal the End to his sons? What benefit would there be in informing the tribes that their exile in Egypt was just beginning, and the Moshiach would arrive thousands of years later? What value was there in knowing at 2255 (the year of Yaakov’s passing) that Moshiach would arrive more than 3,530 years later? And what value is there in knowing a precise date for it?
And further: What, exactly, is the “hidden secret” here? While it may be hidden from us, the End was revealed to the prophets, and Daniel records it explicitly, albeit in cryptic form. Those worthy of understanding it have, in fact, grasped its meaning. Moreover, many of the great sages throughout the generations alluded to the precise End in veiled terms. How, then, can we understand that a secret that was known to later generations was withheld from the holy Shevatim?
The Rambam’s statement on the matter makes the questions even more perplexing. In Hilchos Melachim (12:2) he writes: “One should never occupy himself with aggadic matters, nor should he dwell at length on the midrashim regarding these matters and the like, nor make them a central focus, for they bring neither fear nor love [of G-d]. Likewise, one should not calculate the End. Chazal say: ‘May the spirit of those who calculate the End expire.’ Rather, one should wait and believe in the matter in general.”
In other words, the Rambam emphasizes that although Chazal included midrashim in the Gemara on this matter, one should not elaborate on them or make them his primary focus. These matters are to be studied briefly, without devoting extensive time to them, because they do not cultivate love or fear of G‑d, nor do they elevate a person or draw him closer to the Creator.
This raises a striking question: if such matters are, according to the Rambam, essentially unnecessary, why did Yaakov Avinu devote the final moments of his life –- time he could have spent transmitting what was most essential — to revealing this very secret to his sons?
These questions all lead the Sefas Emes to explain that in his final moments, Yaakov did not attempt to reveal a date; it was a secret that he wished to reveal. The secret of The End. To understand this concept, we must first define several terms: The End of Days; The Redemption; and The Ultimate Future (Achris Hayomim).
The End
The Rambam (Hilchos Kerias Shema 1:4) presents the Gemara’s account of what took place in Yaakov Avinu’s final movement, albeit in a slightly different way.
He begins with the question why, when reciting Shema, we add the words “Baruch Shem”. These words do not appear in the Torah. So why do we say them? He explains, based on the tradition cited in the Gemara, that at the time of Yaakov’s passing he gathered his sons, instructed them, and urged them to uphold the unity of G‑d and to follow in the ways of Avraham and Yitzchak, his fathers. He then asked whether perhaps there was among them anyone whose heart had not fully embraced this understanding of G‑d’s unity — similar to how Moshe addressed Am Yisrael at the time of his passing (Devarim 29:17): “Lest there be among you a man or a woman, or a family or a tribe, whose heart turns today away from the Lord our G‑d to go and serve the gods of those nations… lest there be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood.”
The Twelve Tribes responded (Devarim 6:4): “Shema Yisrael: Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.”
Since the source of the Shema Yisrael is the declaration of the tribes, and Yaakov responded with the praise “Baruch Shem”, we, too, add this praise each time we recite the Shema.
Commentators on the Rambam explain that according to the Rambam, the “revelation of the End of Days” actually refers to this very instruction: directing and encouraging his descendants regarding the unity of Hashem and following the path passed down by his holy ancestors. Thus, when the Rambam presents the matter in his own terminology, he does not mention Yaakov’s attempt to reveal the End of Days or the Divine withdrawal that prevented it. The point was never to provide technical details of when and how the End would occur because this knowledge offers no real benefit. Rather, it was to convey Yaakov’s intention to command and urge his sons toward recognition of Hashem’s unity.
The Unity of G-d
To understand these matters, we must clarify what Unity of G-d actually means.
Our senses present the world as complex and fragmented: it seems to contain many forces, many goals, many plans. Each person appears to live by his own truth, his own purpose, his own belief system.
The reality, however, is profoundly different. The entire world was created for a single, unified purpose, and all of existence moves inexorably toward that goal. No detail in creation, no matter how small, exists apart from this objective. Every force, from the celestial constellations to the tiniest worm, from pure mathematics to the simplest rule of physics, are all directed toward one ultimate end: the moment when it will be fully and unmistakably revealed that Hashem is One, and His Name is One, as Zechariah 14:9 declares: “The Lord shall be King over all the earth; on that day the Lord shall be One and His Name One.”
Every action of every nation and every individual serves this purpose. Some wicked individuals demonstrate the futility of everything, revealing G-d’s kingship through Heaven’s judgment and retribution. The righteous reveal the glory of Heaven through their good deeds and the reward they receive. No one exists outside this Divine plan. Human free choice lies not in stepping outside the plan, but in choosing the role to play within it.
Similarly, there is no living creature — animal, plant, or inanimate object — whose existence is unnecessary to the Divine design. Our limited intellect cannot grasp why the absence of a single insect in a distant corner of the world would render the plan less perfect. Yet the One who created this magnificent and wondrous universe knows the significance of every element, every detail, every cog in the grand mechanism of creation.
We are in the midst of the process described as “removing idols from the land, and idols shall be utterly cut off.” In every era, new idols are born and grab the center stage of the world — different systems, ideologies, and worldviews. All will eventually collapse, revealing the unity of Hashem. We’ve seen the collapse of Egyptian idols and its sorcerers, the idols of Babylonia, Persia, and Media. Even today we witness the gradual disintegration of the Greek worldview and other ideologies, each crumbling to demonstrate its emptiness. This process will eventually reach completion when it becomes unmistakably clear that every force that appears independent is, in truth, nothingness.
This fundamental idea is expressed in two forms. The first is the pasuk “Shema Yisrael” in which we affirm, “The Lord is our G-d”, acknowledging that He alone governs and sustains everything. While today He is our G-d, in the future He will be One to all the world. The hidden reality that no power or existence exists apart from G-d which is concealed today — known but not felt, will then be revealed to all.
The second expression is the praise, “Baruch Shem.” This points to the future, Hashem’s majesty and sovereignty will be visibly apparent to all. Today, we know this truth intellectually, but the physical world obscures its full clarity – therefore we recite it in a whisper. In the future, it will be openly manifest for all, and we will not only know it in our minds – we will know it in our hearts.
The End of Days – The Unity of Hashem
With this introduction, we can now return to the words of the Sefas Emes. The Sefas Emes explains that at the time of his passing, Yaakov wished to illustrate the secret of the End of Days to his sons — to reveal how all of creation moves toward one single purpose: the unity of Hashem. To make them actually know it in their hearts.
When one truly understands the purpose of evil in the world – that which appears to be evil is in fact part of a higher, wonderful plan – nothing remains inherently negative.
Consider the example of a painful needle. The sensation itself is unpleasant, yet if one knows that a dangerous epidemic is spreading and the needle is delivering a vaccine that will save him, he will willingly endure the pain, even rejoicing in it, because he clearly perceives the benefit contained within it.
Had the Shevatim attained the level of understanding that Yaakov sought to convey there would have been no exile at all. They would have perceived with utmost clarity that the entire period of exile serves a higher purpose: to bring about the ultimate revelation of Hashem’s unity in the world. Yet, for creation to reach its perfect purpose, a process of exile is necessary. Consequently, the Divine Presence departed from Yaakov, preventing him from revealing the full secret of the End of Days and vividly demonstrating how the entire world is moving inexorably toward the unity of G-d and the ultimate revelation of His glorious kingship.
The Sefas Emes (Vayechi 5631), citing the Zohar, explains that although the Divine Presence departed from Yaakov and prevented him from revealing these matters openly and explicitly to his sons, he nevertheless conveyed them in a concealed manner. Exile persisted, and their senses continued to perceive reality as fragmented, yet the burning faith of the Jewish people and their understanding of Hashem’s unity, even when this knowledge had to be internalized through effort and spiritual discipline, provided Am Yisrael with the strength to endure the exile. As the Rambam writes, at the moment of his death Yaakov was occupied with commanding and exhorting the tribes to uphold the unity of G‑d and to walk in the path of the Patriarchs.
Taking It Home – What It Means Today
We are living in turbulent times. Belief systems and pillars of reality are collapsing at astonishing speed. Processes that once unfolded over centuries now change within a decade, or even just a few short years. In the 20th century the Chafetz Chaim observed that the world is drawing closer to redemption, and that the Creator was settling accounts with great swiftness.
The puzzle of history remains complex, yet many of its pieces are coming together before our eyes. Sometimes these pieces appear like tragedies that are difficult to bear; at other times, they take the form of unprecedented abundance.
Our task at this time is to internalize that everything is moving toward one single purpose: to bring humanity to the clear perception that no reality exists apart from Hashem. Only the kingship of Hashem is truly enduring, while all else is ultimately transient and dependent.
Our responsibility is to align ourselves with this truth, to sanctify Hashem’s Name through our deeds, and to show the world that there is nothing but Him. Pain and suffering — the experience of exile — can challenge us and bring us to despair, yet through faith they can become a powerful lever for revealing the glory of Hashem’s kingship. When we draw forth refined inner strengths from these moments — the capacity to forgive, to show forbearance, or to help others — we place ourselves among those who sanctify G-d’s Name.
Abundance, too, carries its own dangers. It can tempt us to align with worldly pleasures and vanities, which often lead to chaos and destruction. Here, our task is the opposite: to use prosperity to sanctify Hashem’s Name, to demonstrate that plenty also serves the ultimate purpose. By doing so, we stand on the right side of history, participating in the rapidly unfolding process that is racing toward the long-awaited moment — may it be speedily in our days, amen.
Now we know what The End truly is: it is the final revelation that Hashem — and only Hashem — is the Ultimate Reality. Next week, we will explore the broader questions surrounding this topic: the calculation of the End, the revelation of the End, and the possibility of actions that may hasten its arrival.
