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What did the Chafetz Chaim say about time somehow gettihg "shorter" in our generation?

Asked on October 14, 2026

Answer

The Chafetz Chaim didn't say that time itself is getting shorter, meaning we still have 24 hours in a day. What he taught is that time is speeding up in a different way - that things which used to take centuries to develop are now happening in years, months, or even days. He explained that before Mashiach comes, Hashem is expediting everything. Innovations that would have required hundreds of years in previous generations are now happening at lightning speed. The Chafetz Chaim brought this from the Zohar HaKadosh in Parashat Vayera, which says that close to the year 5600 - about 180 years ago - the gates of wisdom from heaven and earth would open to prepare the world for the year 6000, for the days of Mashiach. And we see this clearly. From the Wright Brothers' first plane to the 777 took less than a century. Things that Aristotle would have said take 2000 years happened in decades. Why is this happening? The Chafetz Chaim explained that Hashem is closing the books. Before Mashiach comes, every single account must be settled. All the neshamot that need to come down, all the tikkunim that need to be done - everything is being expedited. That's why disasters happen faster, wars erupt faster, financial collapses happen overnight. Hashem is speeding everything up to finish the accounts before Mashiach arrives and the yetzer hara is eliminated. This isn't just about technology. It's about everything - people are quicker to sin, quicker to destroy lives with lashon hara, quicker to go bankrupt. The wheel of time is revolving with lightning speed because we're running out of time.

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