Hong Kong

This is not necessarily based on anything is Rebbe Nachman's writings, however it is based on the Baal Shem Tov's teaching that everything that happens in the world has a message for avodat Hashem (service/worship of God). So, in an effort to enhance that skill I decided to put the following observations into writing.

It's finally here! The event we laughed about when they taught us about it in world geography and social studies, in grade school and high school. Hong Kong is becoming part of China. July 1, 1997 is upon us!

For those of you, like myself, who have forgotten the details, here is the relevant historical information that I cut and posted from the government of Hong Kong's web site. (Sorry, but I didn't save the URL.)

The Nineteenth Century Treaties

The British flag was first raised on Hong Kong Island on 26 January 1841, but it was
not until 29 August 1842, that the island was ceded to Britain by China under the
Treaty of Nanking.

In 1860, the Kowloon Peninsula was ceded to Britain under the Convention of
Peking. On 1 July 1898 a 99-year lease on a much bigger tract of land -- the New
Territories -- was signed by the British and Chinese Governments.

All right, all right, I'm getting to the point. Which is, that for all those years, the termination of the lease was considered a cute fact, something worthy of Trivial Pursuit, totally irrelevant to life and something that would never take place, or if it did, not in our lifetime.

Sort of like the coming of Mashiach.

Even though the Malkhut d'Kedushah (Kingdom of Holiness) ceded control of this world to the Sitra Achra (The Other [Unholy] Side) with the destruction of the Second Beit HaMikdash (Temple) it only "leased" it, it didn't sell it or give it away permanently. True, we don't know when the "lease" is up, but we have it on good authority that the"lease" is finite. For example, when Yaakov Avinu (our Patriarch Jacob) dreamt his Temple Mount dream (Genesis 28:12) and saw the angel of Esav go higher and higher he grew quite concerned. Hashem (God) told him not to worry (Midrash Tanchuma, VaYetze 2). He Himself will put Esav in his place when the time is right.

Which is really the difference between Biat HaMashiach (the coming of the Mashiach) and the return of Hong Kong to the Chinese. In the latter case a specific date was agreed upon and publicized, so that anybody who thought it made a difference to him could do something about it. We, on the other hand, haven't been informed of the date. But it will come, as surely as July 1, 1997.

And when it does, what's going to happen? Let's take a quick look at what the government of Hong Kong writes about their changeover:

What's going to happen after 1997?

Many people have asked: What will change on 1 July?

The answer is very little. China will resume sovereignty but the institutions and way of
life in Hong Kong will remain the same.

I certainly don't know what life will be like after Mashiach comes, but Rambam (Maimonides) writes that "There's no difference between the era of Mashiach and our present world, except for the [end of Jewish] subjugation to the kingdoms/governments of the nations."

May we all be blessed to see the coming of the biat goel tzedek, b'karov, bimheirah viyameinu, Amen (righteous redeemer, soon, speedily, in our days)!