Do We Really Want Mashiach Now?

ByJoshua Appelbaum

עמוס ה׳:י״ח

(יח) ה֥וֹי הַמִּתְאַוִּ֖ים אֶת־י֣וֹם ה׳ לָמָּה־זֶּ֥ה לָכֶ֛ם י֥וֹם ה׳ הוּא־חֹ֥שֶׁךְ וְלֹא־אֽוֹר׃

Amos 5:18

(18) Ah, you who wish For the day of GOD! Why should you want The day of GOD? It shall be darkness, not light!

What are your initial thoughts on this pasuk?
Who is Amos rebuking?

אברבנאל על עמוס ה׳:י״ח

...ואינו נכון בפשט הכתוב, אבל הנראה לי בזה הוא שהפרשה הזאת נאמרה על בני יהודה וירושלים שמפני השנאה שהיו שונאים את בית ישראל היו מתאוים שיבא היום שייעד הש"י עליהם לראות במפלתם, ולכן הוכיחם הנביא ע"ז באמרו הוי לכם המתאוים את יום ה׳ ר"ל שיבוא הרע על ישראל כאשר יעדתי כי מה תרויחו אתם בני יהודה בבא יום צרה ותוכחה היום הזה עליהם כי הוא חושך ולא אור כלומר חושך יהיה לבית ישראל ולא יהיה אור לכם, (יט-כ) אבל תהיו...

Abarbanel on Amos 5:18

It appears to me that this verse is talking about the people of Yehuda and Yerushalaim who because of their hatred of the Kingdom of Israel were deeply hoping that the day of Hashem would come so that they would witness the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel by His hand, and therefore the prophet (Amos) was rebuking them for it when he said "Woe {to you} who deeply hope for the day of Hashem", for [the people of Yehuda] were saying that evil should befall the Kingdom of Israel, but [Amos said] 'What gain is it of to you, people of Yehuda if troubles and rebukes befall them? For the day is dark and not light", meaning to say that although there will be darkness (bad) for them, there will neither be light (good) for you.

According to the Abravanel, who is wishing for the day of Hashem?
Based on what you know about Amos, does it make sense for him to indeed be rebuking these people here?

רש"י על עמוס ה׳:י״ח

לָמָּה זֶּה לָכֶם וְגוֹ'. מָשָׁל לְתַרְנְגוֹל וְעֲטַלֵּף שֶׁהָיוּ מְצַפִּין לְאוֹרָה, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּחֵלֶק:

Rashi on Amos 5:18

Why would you have etc.—There is a parable concerning a rooster and a bat that were awaiting the dawn, as appears in the chapter entitled “Chelek.”

סנהדרין צ״ח ב:י״ז

דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי שִׂמְלַאי: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״הוֹי הַמִּתְאַוִּים אֶת יוֹם ה׳ לָמָּה זֶּה לָכֶם יוֹם ה׳ הוּא חֹשֶׁךְ וְלֹא אוֹר״? מָשָׁל לְתַרְנְגוֹל וַעֲטַלֵּף שֶׁהָיוּ מְצַפִּין לָאוֹר. אֲמַר לֵיהּ תַּרְנְגוֹל לַעֲטַלֵּף: אֲנִי מְצַפֶּה לָאוֹרָה שֶׁאוֹרָה שֶׁלִּי הִיא, וְאַתָּה לָמָּה לְךָ אוֹרָה?

Sanhedrin 98b:17

§ Rabbi Simlai taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. Why would you have this day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light” (Amos 5:18)? It is comparable to a rooster and a bat who were looking forward to the light of day. The rooster said to the bat: I look forward to light, as light is an indication of my time to be active. But as for you, why do you need light? Nighttime for you is like daytime for me.

Without looking at Rashi, what do you think the rooster and the bat represent?

רש"י על סנהדרין צ״ח ב:י״ז:ב׳

שאורה שלי הוא - שיש לי עינים לראות ונמצאתי נהנית בה כך ישראל מצפין לגאולה שיום ה׳ יהיה להם אור אבל העובדי כוכבים למה מקוים אותו הרי הוא להם חשך ולא אור:

Rashi on Sanhedrin 98b:17:2

For the light is my [best time] - That I have eyes to see and I get benefit from it (the light), so too Israel await the redemption since the day of Hashem will be light for them, but as for the gentiles, why do they hope for it? It is darkness for you and not light.

According to the Gemara in Sanhedrin and Rashi's explanation of it, who is Amos rebuking for wishing for the day of Hashem?
Does Rashi or Abravanel make more sense to you?

עמוס ה׳:י״ט-כ״א

(יט) כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָנ֥וּס אִישׁ֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י הָאֲרִ֔י וּפְגָע֖וֹ הַדֹּ֑ב וּבָ֣א הַבַּ֔יִת וְסָמַ֤ךְ יָדוֹ֙ עַל־הַקִּ֔יר וּנְשָׁכ֖וֹ הַנָּחָֽשׁ׃ (כ) הֲלֹא־חֹ֛שֶׁךְ י֥וֹם ה׳ וְלֹא־א֑וֹר וְאָפֵ֖ל וְלֹא־נֹ֥גַֽהּ לֽוֹ׃ (כא) שָׂנֵ֥אתִי מָאַ֖סְתִּי חַגֵּיכֶ֑ם וְלֹ֥א אָרִ֖יחַ בְּעַצְּרֹתֵיכֶֽם׃

Amos 5:19-21

(19) —As if someone were to run from a lion And get attacked by a bear; Or, upon making it indoors, Were to lean their hand on the wall And get bitten by a snake! (20) Surely the day of GOD shall be Not light, but darkness, Blackest night without a glimmer. (21) I loathe, I spurn your festivals, I am not appeased by your solemn assemblies.

The first pasuk is interesting and will be important later, but for now, what does the third one suggest about Rashi's claim?

Before we move on, does anyone have a third opinion?
Given that this interpretation seems reasonable, I want to explain clearly why I won't use it.
Would someone be willing to interpret the last pasuk and identify what the specific thing is that Hashem is mad about? (there's a hint in the word choice of the Hebrew)
Targum Yonatan explains the Hebrew to answer the question:

תרגום יונתן על עמוס ה׳:כ״א

סְגֵיתִי רְחִיקֵת חֲגֵיכוֹן וְלָא אֲקַבֵּל בְּרַעֲוָא קוּרְבַּןכְּנִשַׁתְכוֹן:

Targum Jonathan on Amos 5:21

Sacrifice/Offering

With this in mind, can anyone bring evidence from somewhere else in Tanakh to prove that this pasuk about festivals is directed to Yehuda? (there are many answers to this question)

While many answers work, an especially strong one can be found a perek earlier:

עמוס ד׳:ד׳-ה׳

(ד) בֹּ֤אוּ בֵֽית־אֵל֙ וּפִשְׁע֔וּ הַגִּלְגָּ֖ל הַרְבּ֣וּ לִפְשֹׁ֑עַ וְהָבִ֤יאוּ לַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ זִבְחֵיכֶ֔ם לִשְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת יָמִ֖ים מַעְשְׂרֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ (ה) וְקַטֵּ֤ר מֵֽחָמֵץ֙ תּוֹדָ֔ה וְקִרְא֥וּ נְדָב֖וֹת הַשְׁמִ֑יעוּ כִּ֣י כֵ֤ן אֲהַבְתֶּם֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל נְאֻ֖ם אדושם ה׳׃

Amos 4:4-5

(4) Come to Bethel and transgress; To Gilgal, and transgress even more: Present your sacrifices the next morning And your tithes on the third day; (5) And burn a thank offering of leavened bread; And proclaim freewill offerings loudly. For you love that sort of thing, O Israelites —declares the Sovereign GOD.

According to the psukim, how many transgression are being performed in Beit El and Gilgal and of what nature are they?
Comparing them to the pasuk in the next perek, what is the most notable contrast?
So if Amos is talking to the Kingdom of Israel in the second prophecy as well, what use does the repetition have?
So what is the only way for the second prophecy to be adding anything?

Can anyone think of another possibility?
Granted, it isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind, but I want to address every plausible option so that we can move forward with Abravanel's interpretation without any doubts. The last interpretation to consider is that the audience were the genuinely righteous people who this pasuk may not apply to, there is a pasuk which says:

ישעיהו ט׳:ט״ז

(טז) עַל־כֵּ֨ן עַל־בַּחוּרָ֜יו לֹא־יִשְׂמַ֣ח ׀ אדושם וְאֶת־יְתֹמָ֤יו וְאֶת־אַלְמְנוֹתָיו֙ לֹ֣א יְרַחֵ֔ם כִּ֤י כֻלּוֹ֙ חָנֵ֣ף וּמֵרַ֔ע וְכׇל־פֶּ֖ה דֹּבֵ֣ר נְבָלָ֑ה בְּכׇל־זֹאת֙ לֹא־שָׁ֣ב אַפּ֔וֹ וְע֖וֹד יָד֥וֹ נְטוּיָֽה׃

Isaiah 9:16

(16) That is why the Sovereign Will not spare their youths, Nor show compassion To their orphans and widows; For all are ungodly and wicked, And every mouth speaks impiety. Despite all of this his anger has not abated and his hand is still outstretched.

Many commentators focus on the word נבלה; how would you translate that word?
So how does this show that the pasuk in Amos can't be talking about righteous people?

Does anyone have any other challenges on the Abravanel's interpretation?
If then we are to accept the Abravanel's opinion, the question must be asked of why would Yehuda be punished along with Israel?

This question can be answered with the third pasuk

אבן עזרא על עמוס ה׳:כ״א:א׳

שנאתי - אם תאמרו כל הימים שאנחנו מקריבים עולות, לא נראה רע, על כן אמר: שנאתי.

Ibn Ezra on Amos 5:21:1

I hate - If you say that as long as we bring offerings nothing bad will happen to us, because of this [statement] I say: I hate.

What does this imply about the actions of Yehuda?

Now that we have an idea about Hashem's feelings towards Yehuda, let's revisit the first of the three psukim

עמוס ה׳:י״ט

(יט) כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָנ֥וּס אִישׁ֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י הָאֲרִ֔י וּפְגָע֖וֹ הַדֹּ֑ב וּבָ֣א הַבַּ֔יִת וְסָמַ֤ךְ יָדוֹ֙ עַל־הַקִּ֔יר וּנְשָׁכ֖וֹ הַנָּחָֽשׁ׃

Amos 5:19

(19) —As if someone were to run from a lion And get attacked by a bear; Or, upon making it indoors, Were to lean their hand on the wall And get bitten by a snake!

This is a hard question, but does anyone here who hasn't already looked ahead out of boredom know of any parallels to this pasuk? Specifically, another pasuk which involves three consecutive bad things happening to a group?

The background to this pasuk is that after a complicated and confusing scene at Chorev/Sinai of a conversation between Eliyahu and Hashem which could easily be discussed for the entire night without coming close to an understanding, Eliyahu is told to appoint Hazael as king of Aram, Yehu as king of Israel, and Elisha as prophet in his place.

מלכים א י״ט:י״ז

(יז) וְהָיָ֗ה הַנִּמְלָ֛ט מֵחֶ֥רֶב חֲזָאֵ֖ל יָמִ֣ית יֵה֑וּא וְהַנִּמְלָ֛ט מֵחֶ֥רֶב יֵה֖וּא יָמִ֥ית אֱלִישָֽׁע׃

I Kings 19:17

(17) Whoever escapes the sword of Hazael shall be slain by Jehu, and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu shall be slain by Elisha.

Hazael is the lion, Yehu is the bear, and Elisha is the snake.

To anyone who is familiar with Melachim Alef, who are these three supposed to kill, or more specifically who do they not kill, and how does it tie back to Amos's description of the day of Hashem?

מלכים א י״ט:י״ח

(יח) וְהִשְׁאַרְתִּ֥י בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שִׁבְעַ֣ת אֲלָפִ֑ים כׇּל־הַבִּרְכַּ֗יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־כָֽרְעוּ֙ לַבַּ֔עַל וְכׇ֨ל־הַפֶּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־נָשַׁ֖ק לֽוֹ׃

I Kings 19:18

(18) I will leave in Israel only seven thousand—every knee that has not knelt to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

If we are to believe in the legitimacy of the connection between this pasuk in Melachim and our pasuk in Amos (which is further supported by both Eliyahu and Amos prophesizing at the end of a wicked dynasty of rulers of Israel), then who is Amos saying will be killed by the lion, bear, and snake?

Looking back at the Abravanel, if only 7,000 or some small number similar to it (given that the 7,000 was about the downfall of the dynasty of Achav and Amos is prophesizing within a year of the downfall of the dynasty of Yehu) are worthy enough to survive Hashem's judgement of the Jewish people, what is Amos trying to tell Yehuda about their request for Mashiach?

So then are the sinners of Yehuda any better off than those of Israel?
And more importantly, what does Amos's rebuke tell us about what Mashiach is and isn't?

While we often think of Mashiach as a saving force which will deliver us from all our troubles, Tanakh makes him (though it usually uses the terminology of the day of Hashem, and even if one disagrees that that Day of Hashem is the same day that the Mashiach will come, they are undeniably linked and so will happen close together) out to be an impartial executor of justice with the potential to bring about great harm. Later in the perek in Amos, Hashem declares his true desire:

עמוס ה׳:כ״ד

(כד) וְיִגַּ֥ל כַּמַּ֖יִם מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה כְּנַ֥חַל אֵיתָֽן׃

Amos 5:24

(24) But let justice roll down like waters, Righteousness like an unfailing stream.

It starts to seem as though it is a good thing that Hashem will hold back Mashiach until the right time.
Does anyone know of a famous pasuk which heavily implies this? One which we deemphasize when we read it because we don't want to have to seriously consider its implications?

מלאכי ג׳:כ״ד

(כד) וְהֵשִׁ֤יב לֵב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִ֖ים עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם פֶּן־אָב֕וֹא וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ חֵֽרֶם׃

Malachi 3:24

(24) He shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents, so that, when I come, I do not strike the whole land with utter destruction. Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of GOD.

This idea is elaborated on by the Metzudat David:

מצודת דוד על מלאכי ג׳:כ״ד

פן אבוא. ר״ל לזה אשלח את אליהו לפני בוא יום ה׳ כי פן כשאבוא אני ביום ההוא לשלם גמול ועדיין לא שבו אכה את כל יושבי הארץ בחרם ואבדון לכן אשלח מקודם את אליהו להשיב אותם אלי להיות נכונים לקבל הגמול הטוב:

Metzudat David on Malachi 3:24

Lest I come. Meaning that for this purpose I will send you Eliyahu before the day of Hashem comes: lest I come on that day to deliver to everyone their judgement and they still have not repented, [for then] I would strike all the inhabitants of the Earth with a curse and they would perish.

Perhaps we can even reread our pasuk to better explain Amos's rebuke.

עמוס ה׳:י״ח

(יח) ה֥וֹי הַמִּתְאַוִּ֖ים אֶת־י֣וֹם ה׳ לָמָּה־זֶּ֥ה לָכֶ֛םי֥וֹם ה׳ הוּא־חֹ֥שֶׁךְ וְלֹא־אֽוֹר׃

Amos 5:18

(18) Ah, you who wish For the day of GOD! Why should you want The day of GOD? It shall be darkness for you, not light!

It is important not to fall into the trap that these men from Yehuda made in thinking that they were ready when they weren't, and unlike them we don't have a prophet to tell us if we're wrong, and so perhaps an even greater moment than the Day of Hashem itself would be the day when each one of us would feel no doubt that if that day came we would be ready.