I have a bright yellow flag on my house. And not just on my house, but on my car and on my pocketbook and on my jacket. It is a bright yellow Moshiach flag. It brings me tremendous joy because of what it represents. Amidst the bright yellow, the word Moshiach is emblazoned. As explained on this site, the word Moshiach is hebrew for Messiah, and it carries with it the Jewish prophecy of the time of Geula (Redemption): “when this world will become a place where suffering, war and jealousy cease to exist, a world of physical and spiritual peace and prosperity, permeated with the awareness and knowledge of G-d” (Mishneh Torah, “Law of Kings,” 12:5).

Recently, I put out finch feeders to attract the bright yellow birds. Until this morning, there have only been brown sparrows feeding and, as cute as they are, their plumage just does not scream joy like the finches. (Yes, I know, only the male finch has the bright yellow feathers, but if you have an issue with this — take it up with G-d. If it had been up to me, I definitely would have distributed that beautiful color equally among the sexes.) As I sat at my desk with my fingers in midair, contemplating the content of my first Moshiach blog post, a bright flash of  yellow caught my eye. My first sighting of a finch! Yes, it is definitely Spring in Chicago! I felt such a surge of joy race through my body. How fitting that the color of the flag, a flag that carries the prophetic message of individual and global peace, is one of illumination. Let us continue to bring the light of awareness to our inner lives and our outer lives by doing as the Rebbe, MHM, told a CNN reporter in 1991, “It was printed in all the press in all the countries. Moshiach is ready to come now, it is only on our part to do something additional in the realm of goodness and kindness. At least a little more, then Moshiach will come immediately.”

An act of kindness can be a kind word to a child, or a dollar to a person in need — whichever act you choose today may be just the one to usher in the full revelation of G-dliness into this world.