Siyum Navi closing words:

MAZEL TOV! YOU FINISHED!

This is the last perek in the entire Navi, and with this we are mesayaim Neviim! We learned about Yehoshua taking the mantle of leadership after Moshe’s death and leading Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. We learned about the shoftim, when there was no king in the land. When the nation would sin in the eyes of Hashem Yisrael would be punished, they would then do teshuvah, and Hashem would send a shofet to save them. We learned about Shaul Hamelech, from the tribe of Binyamin, the first king of Yisrael, who just “happened” to come across Shmuel Hanavi, after looking for his father Kish’s lost sheep.

Then we learned about Dovid, the young boy, who would regularly tear lions apart with his bare hands while watching his father Yishai’s sheep. We saw Dovid defeat Golias with his slingshot and five rocks, and marry Shaul Hamelech’s daughter, Michal. Dovid had been ridiculed by many, had to run for his life when chased by his father-in-law, Shaul, and was rebelled against by his own son, Avshalom.

It was Dovid who became the next king of Yisrael, and from whom Mashiach will come. The gemarah in many places calls him “Bar-Nafli”, the fallen one, because it was precisely from him, the one who had fallen so many times, and had experienced so many struggles in his life, that Mashiach will come.

We learned about Shlomo Hamelech’s great wisdom and how knowledge of Hashem’s name, His nation and His home, the Beis Hamikdash,had spread throughout the entire world, where the upper worlds and lower world were at peace with each other, and Hashem finally had a resting place in this world, where the Divine ideal was fully expressed and realized.

We learned about the splitting of the kingship between Yerav’am ben Nevat and Rechav’am, the son of Shlomo, which ultimately led to dissension between Klal Yisrael, resulting in the ten tribes of Yisrael being exiled from their land, and the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash

We learned about the great prophets Eliyahu Hanavi and his successor Elisha Hanavi. It was Eliyahu who had become so elevated that a fiery chariot was sent from Heaven to bring him up to heaven. And it was Elisha who performed twice the number of miracles that his rebbe, Eliyahu, had performed, including bringing a young boy back to life, sweetening the poisoned water, and miraculously providing oil for a woman to pay back the debt of her husband.

We learned about Yeshaya Hanavi, the great prophet of comfort, who was the foremost prophet to prophesy about the time of the final redemption, the rebuilding and resettling of Eretz Yisrael, the ingathering of the exiles when Jews from all across the world would return to Eretz Yisrael, and the revelation of Mashiach ben Dovid, when a new world order would be ushered in. He spoke words of encouragement to uplift Klal Yisrael in their time of need by telling the nation that God is with them and they should not fear, because ultimately God will come for each and every one of them!

Then we moved on to Yirmiya Hanavi, the prophet of doom, who, out of his great love for the nation, warned them harshly about the impending destruction of the Beis Hamikdash by Nevuchadnetzar, and the exile of the ten tribes of Yisrael by the king of Ashur. Yirmiya was ridiculed by the people of his generation and many attempts were made on his life. But Yirimiya unwaveringly persevered and delivered God’s word.

Up next was Yechezkel ben Buzi, whose name means “Chozek El” -giving strength to Hashem. Yechezkel was considered the prophet in galus because since Yechezkel had started to received prophecy in Eretz Yisrael he was allowed to continue receiving prophecy outside of Eretz Yisrael. He gave strength to Am Yisrael that one day God would return the atsamos yevashos, the dry bones of Yisrael, back to Eretz Yisrael after the end of the exile. Yechezkel shared the vision Hashem showed him of the third Beis Hamikdash, its exact dimensions, and placement on Har Habayis, the Temple Mount. He also shared the exact measurements of the vessels that would be used in the third Beis Hamikdash, and the stream that would emanate from the Temple Mount that would provide healing and purification to all of mankind.

Next came the Trey Asar prophets: Hoshea, Yoel, Amos, Ovadiah, Yonah, Micha, Nachum, Chabakuk, Tzefania, Chaggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

Keep in mind that only the prophets needed to learn from for future generations were recorded. The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah, perek 8:7, explains אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים כָּל הַנְּבִיאִים כֻּלָּן לֹא נִבְּאוּ אֶלָּא לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ אֲבָל הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא עַיִן לֹא רָאָתָה אֱלֹהִים זוּלָתְךָ all the prophets only prophesied about the events of the time of Mashiach. But in regard to Olam Habah, the naked eye has yet see.

Hashem had lifted the great prophets above time and space and showed them a vision of the future of what will happen at the end of days. Let us open our eyes to the amazing times in which we are currently living, as predicted by the great prophets over 2,000 years ago, as Jews from all over the world have begun, in significant numbers, to return to Eretz Yisrael. There are currently approximately six million Jews living in Eretz Yisrael, something that was only a dream in the minds and hearts of previous generations.

As the Rambam’s last principle of faith states: Ani ma’amin b’emuna shelema b’viat hamashiach, V’af al pi sheyitmahme’ah im kol zeh achakeh lo b’chol yom sheyavo – I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may delay, I will await him every day.

Again, mazel tov to all of our listeners and readers on this great day of completing the entire Navi. Hashem is smiling down upon you!

We will be starting Tehilim next.