Rabbi Yaakov Astor, Soul Searching, pp. 93-95
The word eschatology is defined in the dictionary as a branch of theology concerned with the final events of the history of the world. The truth is that eschatology is not exclusively the domain of religion. The most striking example of a secular eschatology would be Marxism: the convulsions and agonies of the class war, its evils resolving themselves into the classless society, the withering of the state and the blissful existence ever after.
Jewish eschatology is made up of three basic pieces:
1) “The Era of the Messiah.”
2) “The Afterlife.”
3) “The World of Resurrection.”
The Messiah, according to traditional Jewish sources, will be a human being born of a flesh and blood mother and father, unlike the Christian idea that has him as the son of God conceived immaculately. In fact, Maimonides (Rambam) writes that the Messiah will complete his job and then die like everyone else.
What’s his job? To end the agony of history and usher in a new era of bliss for humanity at large. The time period in which he emerges and completes his task is called the Messianic Era …
The Afterlife proper is called in the traditional sources Olam Haba, or the World to Come. However, the same term, “Olam Haba,” is also used to refer to the renewed utopian world of the future – the World of Resurrection, Olam HaT’chiah (as explained in the next paragraph). The former is the place righteous souls go to after death – and they have been going there since the first death. That place is also sometimes called the World of Souls. It’s a place where souls exist in a disembodied state, enjoying the pleasures of closeness to God …
The World of Resurrection, by contrast, “no eye has seen,” the Talmud remarks. It’s a world, according to most authorities, where the body and soul are reunited to live eternally in a truly perfected state. That world will only first come into being after the Messiah and will be initiated by an event known as the “Great Day of Judgment,” (Yom HaDin HaGadol). The World of Resurrection is thus the ultimate reward, a place where the body becomes eternal and spiritual, while the soul becomes even more so.
The word eschatology is defined in the dictionary as a branch of theology concerned with the final events of the history of the world. The truth is that eschatology is not exclusively the domain of religion. The most striking example of a secular eschatology would be Marxism: the convulsions and agonies of the class war, its evils resolving themselves into the classless society, the withering of the state and the blissful existence ever after.
Jewish eschatology is made up of three basic pieces:
1) “The Era of the Messiah.”
2) “The Afterlife.”
3) “The World of Resurrection.”
The Messiah, according to traditional Jewish sources, will be a human being born of a flesh and blood mother and father, unlike the Christian idea that has him as the son of God conceived immaculately. In fact, Maimonides (Rambam) writes that the Messiah will complete his job and then die like everyone else.
What’s his job? To end the agony of history and usher in a new era of bliss for humanity at large. The time period in which he emerges and completes his task is called the Messianic Era …
The Afterlife proper is called in the traditional sources Olam Haba, or the World to Come. However, the same term, “Olam Haba,” is also used to refer to the renewed utopian world of the future – the World of Resurrection, Olam HaT’chiah (as explained in the next paragraph). The former is the place righteous souls go to after death – and they have been going there since the first death. That place is also sometimes called the World of Souls. It’s a place where souls exist in a disembodied state, enjoying the pleasures of closeness to God …
The World of Resurrection, by contrast, “no eye has seen,” the Talmud remarks. It’s a world, according to most authorities, where the body and soul are reunited to live eternally in a truly perfected state. That world will only first come into being after the Messiah and will be initiated by an event known as the “Great Day of Judgment,” (Yom HaDin HaGadol). The World of Resurrection is thus the ultimate reward, a place where the body becomes eternal and spiritual, while the soul becomes even more so.
Ramchal (Luzzatto), Derech Hashem 1:2:1-1:3:2
God’s purpose in Creation was to bestow of His good to another … His wisdom therefore decreed that the nature of this true benefaction be His giving created things the opportunity to attach themselves to Him to the greatest degree possible for them.
God’s wisdom, however, decreed that for such good to be perfect, the one enjoying it must be its master. That is, he must earn it for himself … man must earn his perfection through his own free will and desire … It was necessary, therefore, for man to be given free will, to be balanced between good and evil and not compelled toward either.
In order that God’s goal best be achieved, the Highest Wisdom decreed that man should consist of two opposites. These are his pure spiritual soul and his unenlightened physical body. Each one is drawn toward its nature, so that the body inclines toward the material, while the soul leans toward the spiritual.
The two are then in constant battle. If the soul prevails, it not only elevates itself but the body as well, and the individual thereby attains his destined perfection.
God’s purpose in Creation was to bestow of His good to another … His wisdom therefore decreed that the nature of this true benefaction be His giving created things the opportunity to attach themselves to Him to the greatest degree possible for them.
God’s wisdom, however, decreed that for such good to be perfect, the one enjoying it must be its master. That is, he must earn it for himself … man must earn his perfection through his own free will and desire … It was necessary, therefore, for man to be given free will, to be balanced between good and evil and not compelled toward either.
In order that God’s goal best be achieved, the Highest Wisdom decreed that man should consist of two opposites. These are his pure spiritual soul and his unenlightened physical body. Each one is drawn toward its nature, so that the body inclines toward the material, while the soul leans toward the spiritual.
The two are then in constant battle. If the soul prevails, it not only elevates itself but the body as well, and the individual thereby attains his destined perfection.
Ramban, Devarim 30:6
In the days of the Mashiach a person will not have a desire [for evil]; rather, he will naturally do what is right. And therefore there will be no merit and no demerit [for his actions], because merit and demerit are a function of desire.
In the days of the Mashiach a person will not have a desire [for evil]; rather, he will naturally do what is right. And therefore there will be no merit and no demerit [for his actions], because merit and demerit are a function of desire.
Shem MiShmuel (Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein,Parshat Eikev 5666 (Devarim 7:12)
This raises a fundamental question: since there will be no opportunity to earn reward once the Messianic Era begins, and yet the time for receiving reward for the mitzvot we do today will also not have arrived [since the World to Come is another stage after the Messianic Era] … what then is the point of the era of Mashiach, since it is neither a time to earn nor a time to receive reward?
This raises a fundamental question: since there will be no opportunity to earn reward once the Messianic Era begins, and yet the time for receiving reward for the mitzvot we do today will also not have arrived [since the World to Come is another stage after the Messianic Era] … what then is the point of the era of Mashiach, since it is neither a time to earn nor a time to receive reward?
Rabbi Nosson Weisz, Do We Want Mashiach Now? Aish.com
We need a little background to fully appreciate the oddity of considering the coming of Mashiach fundamental to Jewish faith. Judaism does not subscribe to the belief that man can be redeemed or “saved” by anyone, including God. God put us in this world to redeem ourselves by exercising our own free will and choosing the good and rejecting the evil. The whole point of our existence in this world is that the conditions prevailing here make it a suitable environment for human independence. God’s Presence is not manifest here; consequently, we are able to choose freely without being overwhelmed by its oppressive weight and earn our reward in the World to Come by perfecting ourselves through our own efforts.
By the way, according to Jewish thought the arrival of the Mashiach has nothing to do with the World to Come or with the concept of reward. The maxim “Mitzvot cannot be rewarded in this world” (Kiddushin 39b) applies to the days of the Mashiach as it applies to any other historical era in this world. For the post-Messianic world as described in the prophets and in Jewish literature seems ill-suited to the exercise of free will that is the sole point of living in this world.
But if the historic period ushered in by the Mashiach does not provide a suitable environment for the continuing struggle between good and evil, which is the purpose of life in this world, why is it tacked on to human history at all? When the task of exercising human free will has been performed to a sufficient degree to meet God’s purpose, why doesn’t He simply usher in the World to Come instead of prolonging earthly existence for the duration of the Messianic era when the possibility of free choice is at least diminished and there is no potential for profit?
We need a little background to fully appreciate the oddity of considering the coming of Mashiach fundamental to Jewish faith. Judaism does not subscribe to the belief that man can be redeemed or “saved” by anyone, including God. God put us in this world to redeem ourselves by exercising our own free will and choosing the good and rejecting the evil. The whole point of our existence in this world is that the conditions prevailing here make it a suitable environment for human independence. God’s Presence is not manifest here; consequently, we are able to choose freely without being overwhelmed by its oppressive weight and earn our reward in the World to Come by perfecting ourselves through our own efforts.
By the way, according to Jewish thought the arrival of the Mashiach has nothing to do with the World to Come or with the concept of reward. The maxim “Mitzvot cannot be rewarded in this world” (Kiddushin 39b) applies to the days of the Mashiach as it applies to any other historical era in this world. For the post-Messianic world as described in the prophets and in Jewish literature seems ill-suited to the exercise of free will that is the sole point of living in this world.
But if the historic period ushered in by the Mashiach does not provide a suitable environment for the continuing struggle between good and evil, which is the purpose of life in this world, why is it tacked on to human history at all? When the task of exercising human free will has been performed to a sufficient degree to meet God’s purpose, why doesn’t He simply usher in the World to Come instead of prolonging earthly existence for the duration of the Messianic era when the possibility of free choice is at least diminished and there is no potential for profit?
Ramchal, Derech Hashem 1:3:6-8
When Adam was first created … he was composed of two equal opposites, the body and the soul. His environment contained both good and evil, and he was balanced between the two to choose whichever he wished.
The appropriate thing for him to have done would have been to choose the good. Had he done so, his soul would have overcome his body, and the spiritual would have dominated the physical. He would then have immediately attained perfection and it would have remained with him forever …
When Adam sinned, however, things were changed greatly … By virtue of his sin, he caused evil to increase, both in himself and in all of Creation. It subsequently became harder for him to reach perfection than it had been before.
When Adam was first created … he was composed of two equal opposites, the body and the soul. His environment contained both good and evil, and he was balanced between the two to choose whichever he wished.
The appropriate thing for him to have done would have been to choose the good. Had he done so, his soul would have overcome his body, and the spiritual would have dominated the physical. He would then have immediately attained perfection and it would have remained with him forever …
When Adam sinned, however, things were changed greatly … By virtue of his sin, he caused evil to increase, both in himself and in all of Creation. It subsequently became harder for him to reach perfection than it had been before.
Michtav M’Eliyahu (Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler) Vol. III, pp. 210-11
Before his transgression, Adam was on the level of living in Gan Eden, which was, as we have explained elsewhere, a state of awareness of the reality that Creation is spiritual and that physicality is a mere clothing that hides the true nature of reality. He literally received his life’s sustenance from the spiritual world without any of the obfuscation of physicality, as the Sages say, “Angels would roast meat and pour wine for him” (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 1:8).
But when Adam sinned, he brought the Evil Inclination into his being … and brought the world down into a state of spiritual obscurity wherein it appears as if physicality is the true nature of existence. Such is the curse he received, “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread.” That is, he entered a world that hides behind nature – cause and effect – a world that hides the hand of God beneath the veil of physicality.
Before his transgression, Adam was on the level of living in Gan Eden, which was, as we have explained elsewhere, a state of awareness of the reality that Creation is spiritual and that physicality is a mere clothing that hides the true nature of reality. He literally received his life’s sustenance from the spiritual world without any of the obfuscation of physicality, as the Sages say, “Angels would roast meat and pour wine for him” (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 1:8).
But when Adam sinned, he brought the Evil Inclination into his being … and brought the world down into a state of spiritual obscurity wherein it appears as if physicality is the true nature of existence. Such is the curse he received, “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread.” That is, he entered a world that hides behind nature – cause and effect – a world that hides the hand of God beneath the veil of physicality.
Rabbi Nosson Weisz, Do We Want Mashiach Now? Aish.com
The sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge testifies to a belief that physical creations have the power to increase the human life force. Man can become more intelligent by imbibing the fruit of a physical entity such as a tree. If physicality is merely the outermost layer of reality this is clearly an absurd proposition. There can be no potential in physical things that does not flow into them through the spiritual medium of the soul. The soul can never increase its spiritual powers through the medium of a physical input.
Eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge with the expectation of increasing some capacity of human intelligence thereby amounts to a redefinition of man’s essential self-awareness. Obviously man must be primarily a physical being. His physical self must be the source of his life force and of his intelligence if he can increase his capacity by simply ingesting a part of the physical world. Only if reality is physically based can it be conceivable that there may be hidden potentials in plants and herbs that have the capacity of improving human intelligence.
The sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge testifies to a belief that physical creations have the power to increase the human life force. Man can become more intelligent by imbibing the fruit of a physical entity such as a tree. If physicality is merely the outermost layer of reality this is clearly an absurd proposition. There can be no potential in physical things that does not flow into them through the spiritual medium of the soul. The soul can never increase its spiritual powers through the medium of a physical input.
Eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge with the expectation of increasing some capacity of human intelligence thereby amounts to a redefinition of man’s essential self-awareness. Obviously man must be primarily a physical being. His physical self must be the source of his life force and of his intelligence if he can increase his capacity by simply ingesting a part of the physical world. Only if reality is physically based can it be conceivable that there may be hidden potentials in plants and herbs that have the capacity of improving human intelligence.
Ramchal, Derech Hashem 1:3:8
The effort required to earn perfection is twofold: first man must bring himself and the world back to the state in which they existed before the first sin. Only then can he raise himself from that state to his destined level of perfection.
The effort required to earn perfection is twofold: first man must bring himself and the world back to the state in which they existed before the first sin. Only then can he raise himself from that state to his destined level of perfection.
Michtav M’Eliyahu (Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler) Vol. III, pp. 210-11
The way to fix the sin of Adam HaRishon is for man to exert effort to rise above the concealment of nature, the “my power and strength of my hand” attitude by which man sees himself as ruling over nature. He must come to the clear and internal recognition that the real nature of existence is spiritual, that without it physicality has no true existence of its own, that it was only created as a test.
The way to fix the sin of Adam HaRishon is for man to exert effort to rise above the concealment of nature, the “my power and strength of my hand” attitude by which man sees himself as ruling over nature. He must come to the clear and internal recognition that the real nature of existence is spiritual, that without it physicality has no true existence of its own, that it was only created as a test.
Rabbi Nosson Weisz, Do We Want Mashiach Now? Aish.com
The fact that man failed the test did not alter the definition of his task. Reaching the World to Come still involves passing this same original test and reconciling himself to an eternity as God’s dependant. But Adam’s sin created a major obstacle. In order to face this test, man must first return to the sort of self-awareness he had in the Garden of Eden before his sin.
It is the achievement of this sort of self-awareness that is the function of the Messianic age. The awareness of God that was the hallmark of human consciousness in the Garden of Eden before Adam’s sin is precisely equivalent to the clarity of man’s vision of God in the post-Messianic era.
The fact that man failed the test did not alter the definition of his task. Reaching the World to Come still involves passing this same original test and reconciling himself to an eternity as God’s dependant. But Adam’s sin created a major obstacle. In order to face this test, man must first return to the sort of self-awareness he had in the Garden of Eden before his sin.
It is the achievement of this sort of self-awareness that is the function of the Messianic age. The awareness of God that was the hallmark of human consciousness in the Garden of Eden before Adam’s sin is precisely equivalent to the clarity of man’s vision of God in the post-Messianic era.
Ibid. (based on Maharal, Ner Mitzvah, Section 1)
To fix the world we must somehow manage to free ourselves of the notion that there is any sort of reality in which we are fully independent of God and in full control of our own destiny. We must recognize that the choice to define ourselves as physical creatures failed in its objective. The historic process of the Four Diasporas, also referred to in the prophetic vision of Bilaam (Bamidbar/Numbers 24:17-24), was designed to accomplish this.
The first Diaspora, Babylon, was about the power of conquest. Babylon conquered the civilized world through force of arms. When this power simply rotted away, it became clear that simple military strength cannot suffice to make man independent.
The next Diaspora was Persia. The Persians attempted to achieve world hegemony through the power of wealth. Ever increasing the size of the social pie would make man independent. When this empire fell to Greek conquest, the power of wealth was exposed as insufficient. When the Greek empire collapsed in turn, the power of culture was also recognized as limited.
Finally we come to our present Diaspora, the Roman Empire and its offshoots. This Diaspora is about the power of technology and ingenuity. Man the problem solver is endlessly creative. There is no problem that is beyond his capacity to solve. If we combine the strengths of every portion of the human race, the advances we will attain through ever increasing development in the areas of the humanities and the sciences cannot fail to bring us to full independence and thus to Utopia. Our job is to set up a world environment that allows for the free flow and interchange of ideas. The exposure of the fallacy of this final hope for human independence will usher in the Mashiach.
To fix the world we must somehow manage to free ourselves of the notion that there is any sort of reality in which we are fully independent of God and in full control of our own destiny. We must recognize that the choice to define ourselves as physical creatures failed in its objective. The historic process of the Four Diasporas, also referred to in the prophetic vision of Bilaam (Bamidbar/Numbers 24:17-24), was designed to accomplish this.
The first Diaspora, Babylon, was about the power of conquest. Babylon conquered the civilized world through force of arms. When this power simply rotted away, it became clear that simple military strength cannot suffice to make man independent.
The next Diaspora was Persia. The Persians attempted to achieve world hegemony through the power of wealth. Ever increasing the size of the social pie would make man independent. When this empire fell to Greek conquest, the power of wealth was exposed as insufficient. When the Greek empire collapsed in turn, the power of culture was also recognized as limited.
Finally we come to our present Diaspora, the Roman Empire and its offshoots. This Diaspora is about the power of technology and ingenuity. Man the problem solver is endlessly creative. There is no problem that is beyond his capacity to solve. If we combine the strengths of every portion of the human race, the advances we will attain through ever increasing development in the areas of the humanities and the sciences cannot fail to bring us to full independence and thus to Utopia. Our job is to set up a world environment that allows for the free flow and interchange of ideas. The exposure of the fallacy of this final hope for human independence will usher in the Mashiach.
Ramchal, Da’as Tevunos 44
As is proven from Scripture and the words of our Sages, there will come a time when man is divested of his free will and there will no longer be evil in the world … If so, it is not reward and punishment that is the goal of Creation, but rather the universal perfection of existence.
As is proven from Scripture and the words of our Sages, there will come a time when man is divested of his free will and there will no longer be evil in the world … If so, it is not reward and punishment that is the goal of Creation, but rather the universal perfection of existence.
Maharal, Netzach Yisrael, Ch. 27
“The last 2,000 years [of the 6,000 years of history] are the days of the Mashiach” [Avodah Zarah 9a] – This means that toward the end of time is the most appropriate time for the [the arrival of the Mashiach] and for the Messianic Era to take place, because the end is the completion.
[In other words] anything which happens at the end of a process is the completion and perfection of that process. Therefore, the end of time is designated for the arrival of the King Mashiach, for he will bring the entire world to completion. The entire world will be united to the point where the whole world will be complete and perfect. Therefore, it is fitting that the King Mashiach, who will complete and perfect everything, will come at the end of time, which is the most appropriate time for completion and perfection.
“The last 2,000 years [of the 6,000 years of history] are the days of the Mashiach” [Avodah Zarah 9a] – This means that toward the end of time is the most appropriate time for the [the arrival of the Mashiach] and for the Messianic Era to take place, because the end is the completion.
[In other words] anything which happens at the end of a process is the completion and perfection of that process. Therefore, the end of time is designated for the arrival of the King Mashiach, for he will bring the entire world to completion. The entire world will be united to the point where the whole world will be complete and perfect. Therefore, it is fitting that the King Mashiach, who will complete and perfect everything, will come at the end of time, which is the most appropriate time for completion and perfection.
Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits, Jerusalem
After redemption, there will be no challenge since the clarity will be so great. It seems that asking for redemption is the opposite to the purpose of life. It seems a complete cop-out, as if we’re saying: “Enough of this business of making these hard choices!”
We’re not asking for Messiah to cover our overdraft, or to settle all of our dilemmas. The answer is that when we ask for redemption, we ask for “redemption for the sake of Your Name, גאולה למען שמך” (as we say in the Rosh HaShanah prayers). So that everyone will recognize You, and get rid of the greatest desecration of Godliness there is: man’s lack of awareness of his Creator.
In fact, asking for the Mashiach has an element of sacrifice for us: we will be giving up all the joy of choice, challenge, and self-growth for the sake that the redemption should reveal Him.
After redemption, there will be no challenge since the clarity will be so great. It seems that asking for redemption is the opposite to the purpose of life. It seems a complete cop-out, as if we’re saying: “Enough of this business of making these hard choices!”
We’re not asking for Messiah to cover our overdraft, or to settle all of our dilemmas. The answer is that when we ask for redemption, we ask for “redemption for the sake of Your Name, גאולה למען שמך” (as we say in the Rosh HaShanah prayers). So that everyone will recognize You, and get rid of the greatest desecration of Godliness there is: man’s lack of awareness of his Creator.
In fact, asking for the Mashiach has an element of sacrifice for us: we will be giving up all the joy of choice, challenge, and self-growth for the sake that the redemption should reveal Him.
Rambam, Thirteen Principles of Faith, Principle 12
I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Mashiach, and even though he may delay, nonetheless I anticipate every day that he will come.
I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Mashiach, and even though he may delay, nonetheless I anticipate every day that he will come.
Rambam, Commentary on the Mishnah, Introduction to Sanhedrin, Ch. 10
One must believe that the Mashiach will be better and greater and more honorable than all the kings who have ever been, based on the prophecies of all the prophets from Moshe (Moses) until Malachi. One who doubts this, or does not appreciate his greatness, denies [what is written in] the Torah. The Torah testifies about Mashiach explicitly in the prophecy of Bilaam [Bamidbar 25:17, with Ramban] and in Parshat Netzavim [Devarim 30:1-10, with Ramban].
One must believe that the Mashiach will be better and greater and more honorable than all the kings who have ever been, based on the prophecies of all the prophets from Moshe (Moses) until Malachi. One who doubts this, or does not appreciate his greatness, denies [what is written in] the Torah. The Torah testifies about Mashiach explicitly in the prophecy of Bilaam [Bamidbar 25:17, with Ramban] and in Parshat Netzavim [Devarim 30:1-10, with Ramban].
Rambam, Hilchot Melachim (The Laws of Kings) 11:1
Anyone who does not believe in the Mashiach, or anyone who does not wait for his arrival is denying the validity of the Torah and the Prophets (Nevi’im).
Anyone who does not believe in the Mashiach, or anyone who does not wait for his arrival is denying the validity of the Torah and the Prophets (Nevi’im).
Rabbi Yisroel Miller, What’s Wrong with Being Happy? Mesorah Publications, p. 70
The Chasam Sofer asks: Mashiach will certainly come, as the prophets and the Gemara tell us, and denying Mashiach’s coming is as great a transgression as denying the existence of Shabbat. But Shabbat, or any other specific commandment, is not on Rambam’s list! If Rambam’s thirteen principles are those beliefs without which Judaism cannot stand, why include Mashiach as one of them? In theory, if there were no Mashiach, no ultimate redemption, chas veshalom, and if we would remain among the nations, serving God and fulfilling His mitzvot forever – if someone mistakenly believes that to be true, has he left the core of Judaism? Mashiach is a truth, and an important part of Torah (like Shabbat) and so many other parts of Torah which Rambam omitted from his list; but what makes it an ikkar, a fundamental principle?
The Chasam Sofer asks: Mashiach will certainly come, as the prophets and the Gemara tell us, and denying Mashiach’s coming is as great a transgression as denying the existence of Shabbat. But Shabbat, or any other specific commandment, is not on Rambam’s list! If Rambam’s thirteen principles are those beliefs without which Judaism cannot stand, why include Mashiach as one of them? In theory, if there were no Mashiach, no ultimate redemption, chas veshalom, and if we would remain among the nations, serving God and fulfilling His mitzvot forever – if someone mistakenly believes that to be true, has he left the core of Judaism? Mashiach is a truth, and an important part of Torah (like Shabbat) and so many other parts of Torah which Rambam omitted from his list; but what makes it an ikkar, a fundamental principle?
Ibid. p. 72
The general principle is that all of us live life on two different levels. We are tested each day to see if we choose to do what is right, and we each pass or fail the tests to a greater or lesser extent. And each day, regardless of what we do, God takes what we have created, and what we’ve done and what we are, and He finds a way to use it all to further His plan of goodness for the world. We don’t know all the details. But we do know that no human life is totally wasted, no suffering is meaningless, and everything that happens is somehow fitted into God’s plan.
The general principle is that all of us live life on two different levels. We are tested each day to see if we choose to do what is right, and we each pass or fail the tests to a greater or lesser extent. And each day, regardless of what we do, God takes what we have created, and what we’ve done and what we are, and He finds a way to use it all to further His plan of goodness for the world. We don’t know all the details. But we do know that no human life is totally wasted, no suffering is meaningless, and everything that happens is somehow fitted into God’s plan.
Ibid. p. 74
Even if you recognize that you are here on earth to perform mitzvot and pass tests, if you mistakenly believe that life in itself has no ultimate purpose, that it’s only a game and there is no other reason for suffering and death, no plan or purpose in all that occurs, then you may be performing mitzvot, but what you are doing is not Judaism. Consider the enormity of the Holocaust, followed by the emergence of the State of Israel.
Contemplate the resurgence of anti-Semitism even in countries without Jews, like Poland and Japan. Follow the amazing career of Yasser Arafat, who came to power and lost power a half a dozen times, each time miraculously making a comeback. Look at all the ups and downs of the past generation, like Vietnam, Watergate, Iran, Soviet collapse, intifada, hippies, race riots, energy crisis, and a million other changes. Do you believe all that has no purpose, that God just lets it happen without any reason? If so, Rambam tells us, you missed the boat. “I believe – I know – it is all part of the plan; and though I know not the details, and it has taken longer than I anticipated, I know it is all but a series of steps leading to the coming of Mashiach.”
Even if you recognize that you are here on earth to perform mitzvot and pass tests, if you mistakenly believe that life in itself has no ultimate purpose, that it’s only a game and there is no other reason for suffering and death, no plan or purpose in all that occurs, then you may be performing mitzvot, but what you are doing is not Judaism. Consider the enormity of the Holocaust, followed by the emergence of the State of Israel.
Contemplate the resurgence of anti-Semitism even in countries without Jews, like Poland and Japan. Follow the amazing career of Yasser Arafat, who came to power and lost power a half a dozen times, each time miraculously making a comeback. Look at all the ups and downs of the past generation, like Vietnam, Watergate, Iran, Soviet collapse, intifada, hippies, race riots, energy crisis, and a million other changes. Do you believe all that has no purpose, that God just lets it happen without any reason? If so, Rambam tells us, you missed the boat. “I believe – I know – it is all part of the plan; and though I know not the details, and it has taken longer than I anticipated, I know it is all but a series of steps leading to the coming of Mashiach.”
Rav Sa’adiah Gaon, Emunot V'Deot 8:1
The fact of our redemption [by the Mashiach] is undeniable for various reasons.
One such reason is that it was confirmed by the miracles performed by Moshe, who informed us [of the Mashiach’s future arrival], as well as by the miracles later performed by Yeshayahu [who also informed us of the Mashiach’s future arrival], and by the many other prophets who announced [the future arrival of the Mashiach.] God, Who sent these prophets to perform these miracles in the first place, will surely fulfill the message He sent with them as well, as it is said, “He confirms the word of His servant and performs the council of his messengers” (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 44:26).
Also, we believe that God is “just and will do no wrong.” Yet, having inflicted upon our people heavy and prolonged suffering – some as punishment and some as a test – each one in its kind must have a limit. It cannot be fathomed that it will go on like this ad infinitum...
The fact of our redemption [by the Mashiach] is undeniable for various reasons.
One such reason is that it was confirmed by the miracles performed by Moshe, who informed us [of the Mashiach’s future arrival], as well as by the miracles later performed by Yeshayahu [who also informed us of the Mashiach’s future arrival], and by the many other prophets who announced [the future arrival of the Mashiach.] God, Who sent these prophets to perform these miracles in the first place, will surely fulfill the message He sent with them as well, as it is said, “He confirms the word of His servant and performs the council of his messengers” (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 44:26).
Also, we believe that God is “just and will do no wrong.” Yet, having inflicted upon our people heavy and prolonged suffering – some as punishment and some as a test – each one in its kind must have a limit. It cannot be fathomed that it will go on like this ad infinitum...
Rashi Isaiah 61:1
The word mashiach refers to leadership and greatness.
The word mashiach refers to leadership and greatness.
Rambam, Sanhedrin 10:1
During the Messianic Era, kingship will return to the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The Messiah, who will be a king, will establish his place of leadership in Tzion [Jerusalem]. His fame will spread and reach the ends of the earth, even more so than during King Shlomo’s (Solomon) reign. Additionally, the nations of the world will establish a peace pact with him.
Hilchot Teshuvah 9:2
The Messiah, who will be a king descended from King David, will be even wiser than King Shlomo. His level of prophecy will approach that of Moshe’s. Therefore, he will instruct the entire Jewish people in the way of God. Furthermore, the world’s nations will come to hear him speak, as predicted by the prophet: “At the End of Days the mountain of God’s house [the Temple in Jerusalem] shall be set over all other mountains and lifted high above the hills [and all nations will come streaming to it. Many shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to God’s mountain, to the house of Israel’s God. He, the Messiah, will teach us his way, and we will walk in His paths]…’” [Yeshayahu 2:2-3].
During the Messianic Era, kingship will return to the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The Messiah, who will be a king, will establish his place of leadership in Tzion [Jerusalem]. His fame will spread and reach the ends of the earth, even more so than during King Shlomo’s (Solomon) reign. Additionally, the nations of the world will establish a peace pact with him.
Hilchot Teshuvah 9:2
The Messiah, who will be a king descended from King David, will be even wiser than King Shlomo. His level of prophecy will approach that of Moshe’s. Therefore, he will instruct the entire Jewish people in the way of God. Furthermore, the world’s nations will come to hear him speak, as predicted by the prophet: “At the End of Days the mountain of God’s house [the Temple in Jerusalem] shall be set over all other mountains and lifted high above the hills [and all nations will come streaming to it. Many shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to God’s mountain, to the house of Israel’s God. He, the Messiah, will teach us his way, and we will walk in His paths]…’” [Yeshayahu 2:2-3].
(י) לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר שֵׁ֙בֶט֙ מִֽיהוּדָ֔ה וּמְחֹקֵ֖ק מִבֵּ֣ין רַגְלָ֑יו עַ֚ד כִּֽי־יָבֹ֣א שילה [שִׁיל֔וֹ] וְל֖וֹ יִקְּהַ֥ת עַמִּֽים׃
(10) The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, As long as men come to Shiloh; And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.
Targum Yonasan
There will never cease to be kings and rulers from the house of Yehudah, and teachers of Torah to thousands from his children until the King Mashiach comes [who will also be one of his descendants].
There will never cease to be kings and rulers from the house of Yehudah, and teachers of Torah to thousands from his children until the King Mashiach comes [who will also be one of his descendants].
Abarbanel, Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 34:24
“My servant David” – The Mashiach will be a descendant of David … However, the Kabbalists regard reincarnation as a fundamental principle of Judaism. They therefore say that the Mashiach will be a reincarnation of King David himself.
“My servant David” – The Mashiach will be a descendant of David … However, the Kabbalists regard reincarnation as a fundamental principle of Judaism. They therefore say that the Mashiach will be a reincarnation of King David himself.
Rabbi Reuven Leuchter, Mashivat Nefesh on Nefesh HaChaim 1:20
What is being explained here is that Mashiach is the embodiment of the ideal creation of man. This is not something that can be said about just any individual. Even though every person was created in line with the original ideal, nevertheless that ideal is not actualized (remains in a stage of “root”) in them. As such, there is no one who so much resembles the ideal creation of man that one would be able to recognize it by studying him. But David HaMelech completed and sanctified himself in actual practice to such an extent that one could look at him and understand God’s purpose in the creation of man. As such, one could say that he brought to the fore the ideal of “Adam.” Our righteous Mashiach will actualize the root of this soul to the fullest extent …
What is being explained here is that Mashiach is the embodiment of the ideal creation of man. This is not something that can be said about just any individual. Even though every person was created in line with the original ideal, nevertheless that ideal is not actualized (remains in a stage of “root”) in them. As such, there is no one who so much resembles the ideal creation of man that one would be able to recognize it by studying him. But David HaMelech completed and sanctified himself in actual practice to such an extent that one could look at him and understand God’s purpose in the creation of man. As such, one could say that he brought to the fore the ideal of “Adam.” Our righteous Mashiach will actualize the root of this soul to the fullest extent …
Isaiah 11:2-4
God’s spirit will rest upon him, (1) the spirit of wisdom and (2) understanding, (3) the spirit of counsel and (4) might, (5) the spirit of knowledge and (6) fear of God.
God’s spirit will rest upon him, (1) the spirit of wisdom and (2) understanding, (3) the spirit of counsel and (4) might, (5) the spirit of knowledge and (6) fear of God.
Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 12:3
In the days of the King Mashiach, when his kingdom will be established and all of Israel will gather to him, he will determine the lineage of each one by virtue of the Divine Inspiration that shall rest upon him …
He will determine to which tribe each person belongs, proclaiming: “This one to that tribe,” etc.
In the days of the King Mashiach, when his kingdom will be established and all of Israel will gather to him, he will determine the lineage of each one by virtue of the Divine Inspiration that shall rest upon him …
He will determine to which tribe each person belongs, proclaiming: “This one to that tribe,” etc.
Isaiah 11:3; Sanhedrin 93b
And he shall be animated [va’haricho] by the awe of God, and neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor with the hearing of his ears shall he chastise.
Sanhedrin 93b
[The Talmud identifies the linguistic anomaly of the word for “animated,” va’haricho, noticing its similarity to the Hebrew word meriach, smell.] Rava said: He will smell a person and judge him, as it is written [immediately afterward], “Neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge [nor with the hearing of his ears shall he chastise].”
And he shall be animated [va’haricho] by the awe of God, and neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor with the hearing of his ears shall he chastise.
Sanhedrin 93b
[The Talmud identifies the linguistic anomaly of the word for “animated,” va’haricho, noticing its similarity to the Hebrew word meriach, smell.] Rava said: He will smell a person and judge him, as it is written [immediately afterward], “Neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge [nor with the hearing of his ears shall he chastise].”
Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 11:4
If a king arises from:
1. the house of David who is
2. learned in Torah; and
3. is involved with mitzvot like David his ancestor, according to both the Written and Oral Torah; and
4. if he persuades all of Israel to follow the path [of Torah and mitzvot] and strengthens their observance; and
5. if he fights the wars of God – then he is presumed to be Mashiach.
6. If he continues and is successful and defeats all the surrounding non-Jewish nations; and
7. builds the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) at its location; and
8. gathers all the Jews exiled around the world to the Land of Israel – then he is certainly Mashiach.
If a king arises from:
1. the house of David who is
2. learned in Torah; and
3. is involved with mitzvot like David his ancestor, according to both the Written and Oral Torah; and
4. if he persuades all of Israel to follow the path [of Torah and mitzvot] and strengthens their observance; and
5. if he fights the wars of God – then he is presumed to be Mashiach.
6. If he continues and is successful and defeats all the surrounding non-Jewish nations; and
7. builds the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) at its location; and
8. gathers all the Jews exiled around the world to the Land of Israel – then he is certainly Mashiach.
Isaiah 11:12
And it shall come to pass on that day, that the descendant of Yishai [i.e. the Mashiach] who stands as a banner for the peoples, to him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass that on that day, the Lord shall continue to apply His hand a second time to acquire the rest of His people, that will remain from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Sumeria, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He shall raise a banner to the nations, and He shall gather the lost of Israel, and the scattered ones of Judah He shall gather from the four corners of the earth.
And it shall come to pass on that day, that the descendant of Yishai [i.e. the Mashiach] who stands as a banner for the peoples, to him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass that on that day, the Lord shall continue to apply His hand a second time to acquire the rest of His people, that will remain from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Sumeria, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He shall raise a banner to the nations, and He shall gather the lost of Israel, and the scattered ones of Judah He shall gather from the four corners of the earth.
Ramban, Bamidbar 24:17
Because Mashiach will gather all the lost of Israel from the ends of the earth, he is therefore compared to a star flashing across the heavens, from one end of the sky to the other [visible to the whole world, as it were, to gather in Jews from their dispersion]. As the verse states “[I was watching night visions] and with clouds of heaven one like a man came” (Daniel 7:13).
Because Mashiach will gather all the lost of Israel from the ends of the earth, he is therefore compared to a star flashing across the heavens, from one end of the sky to the other [visible to the whole world, as it were, to gather in Jews from their dispersion]. As the verse states “[I was watching night visions] and with clouds of heaven one like a man came” (Daniel 7:13).
Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 11:4
When the true King Mashiach arises and succeeds, and will become elevated and exalted – immediately all of them [the non-Jewish nations] will return to the truth, and know that their ancestors gave them falsehood [a false Mashiach], and that their prophets and leaders misled them.
When the true King Mashiach arises and succeeds, and will become elevated and exalted – immediately all of them [the non-Jewish nations] will return to the truth, and know that their ancestors gave them falsehood [a false Mashiach], and that their prophets and leaders misled them.