Q:
The gemara says לעולם ירוץ אדם לקראת מלכי ישראל ולקראת מלכי עכו״ם, that a person should go out to see the kings and even the gentile kings (Brachos 19b, 58a). So when President Clinton is going to make a visit to the local frum community is it advisable that we should go see him?
A:
The Gemara says לעולם ירוץ אדם לקראת מלכים – that even to a gentile king you should run to greet them. What’s the purpose?
Of course it is a chiyuv for darkei shalom to show honor to a gentile king too; it’s an obligation for the ‘ways of peace’ – we should make sure to have peaceful relations with our gentile neighbors. But it says ירוץ, you should run to do it. Yarutz means it is a mitzvah to run. And the gemara says the reason: שאם יזכה – if you’ll merit to be there when Moshiach will come so then you’ll see the difference.
Here’s a great king coming, a gentile king, and the band is playing music and there are uniformed soldiers. You are very much impressed, terribly impressed!
So when you will see Moshiach come, then you will see it was nothing. It is lo klum, mamash gornisht, nothing at all. Moshiach will come and it will be a tremendous grandeur and you will see that all the greatness of the goyim is lo klum compared to the greatness that will be on that day when Moshiach will come.
TAPE # E-261 (January 2001)
