The 2503 Paradox

I postulated (here) that the Upper Wisdom decreed a total of 2503 years of preparation time for this world, originally to end in the year 2503, but then due to our sins, divided up in the period following 2449 as the period between Yetziat Mitzraim and Bayit Rishon, Galut Bavel, and Galut Edom.

This is a paradox. We know about 2503 based on the way history actually played out. How can we say that this is how history was meant to play out, if it is based on the length of time of Galut Mitzraim and the 40 years in the Desert, which seem to be variables based on our actions?

The answer is hinted at in Parshat BeHa'alotcha. Eldad and Meidad begin to prophesy in the camp. Rashi there brings a tradition that their prophecy was that Moshe would die in the desert, and Yehoshua would bring Am Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael.

This prophecy was made before the Sin of the Spies and before Moshe hit the rock. That is to say that there are certain matters along the course of history that are decided ahead of time. I would assert that the timeframe for entering Eretz Yisrael was pre-determined, and the fact that B'nei Yisrael finished dividing up the land in 2503 is a hint as to both the way things could have been and the Tikkun for what actually happened. Perhaps all the "what ifs" that Chazal say regarding Dor HaMidbar (if only they hadn't done this, then...) affected the quality of the time frame. Perhaps, had we done better, instead of just entering Eretz Yisrael, we would have achieved the Beit HaMikdash in Yerushalayim by the year 2503.

This too holds for our day, in lieu of having the the merit to bring the entire Geulah in an instant, we can positively affect the quality with our actions, through our personal Aliyah, supporting movements that fulfill the goals of the Keitz Meguleh in building Eretz Yisrael and bringing truth to the world.