The late Rav of Kfar Chabad, Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ashkanazai, once told the following anecdote that he heard from the Chassidic mentor, Rabbi Mendel Futerfas, in the name of the holy Reb Zev Volf of Zhitomer:
Once, a student of Reb Zev Volf asked his Rebbe for a description of the generation before Moshiach.
The holy Rebbe placed his head on the table and pondered the question in a trance-like state. When he came to, he said:
“You know Yossel, the one who shaves his beard using a razor? In the generation of Moshiach, someone like him will be honored to be called to the Torah for the most prestigious sections. You know Zalman, the old chossid who spends his days engrossed in the study of Torah? In the generation of Moshiach, such an individual will need to place a few coins in the charity box and pray to G-d that he be strengthened in his faith of the leaders.”
One can observe in the above statement, the expression of the low status of the time before Moshiach. However, possibly the point is, that in the time before Moshiach the external strappings will be less important than what is in the heart. In the time before Moshiach, a Jew that externally does not look “holy,” may indeed be so, and one that does look holy may really be struggling in his faith.
(Sippurim Chassidim, Vol. 1 Pg. 56)
