15 Moshiach Facts Every Jew Should Know By Levi Avtzon

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15 Moshiach Facts Every Jew Should Know By Levi Avtzon

1. Moshiach Will Be a Human Being Moshiach (also known as Messiah) won’t be an angel or a spirit. Moshiach (literally translated as “the Anointed One”) will be a scion from the house of David, from the tribe of Judah. He will be a pious, visionary and kind king who will teach Torah and offer guidance to all. Read: Who Needs a Human Moshiach?

2. The Torah is Rife With References to Moshiach There is a misconception that the concept of Moshiach is relatively new to Judaism. Nothing could be further from the truth. Maimonides cites numerous Scriptural references to the redemption and the redeemer. Read: Source Texts

3. We Pray for His Arrival Every Day Art by Michelle Gaynor We refer to the redemption many times throughout our prayers—in fact, one-third of the requests in the Amidah (“Silent Prayer,” said thrice daily) are about Moshiach. We speak of the redemption in the blessings said under the chuppah (wedding canopy), where we break a glass to remember that we are not complete until the Holy Temple will be rebuilt once Moshiach comes. When we say Grace after Meals, we beg for his arrival. Read: Where Is It Written That We Must Yearn for Moshiach?

4. There Will Be No More War “Nation shall not lift a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore,”predicts Micah about this era.1 Isaiah writes poignantly that “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” 2 Read: Is the World Really Getting Better?

5. It Is the Purpose and Goal of Creation In Tanya, we read: “It is known that the messianic era, especially the period after the Resurrection of the Dead, is indeed the ultimate purpose and the fulfillment of this world. It is for this [purpose] that [this world] was originally created.”3 Having G‑d reveal Himself in our physical and mundane world is the achievement of creation’s purpose. Every act that we do makes this world a little more ready for G‑d’s revelation. Read: What Is the Purpose of Existence?

6. We Will Be Occupied By Discovering G‑d In the last law in his magnum opus Mishneh Torah, Maimonides concludes: “The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G‑d. Therefore, the Jews will be great sages and know the hidden matters, grasping the knowledge of their Creator according to the full extent of human potential, as Isaiah states: 'The world will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the ocean bed.’4”5 Read: Will We Have Free Choice When Moshiach Comes?

7. The Third and Final Temple Will Be Built The First Temple in Jerusalem was built by King Solomon and destroyed 410 years later by the Babylonians. The Second Temple was built by the Jewish community under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah and was destroyed 420 years later by the Romans. The third and final Temple will be built by either G‑d or the Moshiach himself (or both) and will never be destroyed. A vision of this Temple was shown to Ezekiel while in the Babylonian exile. Read: Why Haven't the Jews Built the Third Temple Yet?

8. The Dead Will Be Resurrected The 13th principle in Maimonides’ 13 Principles of Faith states: “I believe with complete faith that there will be Resurrection of the Dead at the time when it will be the will of the Creator, blessed be His Name and exalted be His remembrance forever and ever.”6 Read: Who Will Be Resurrected?

9. All the Jews Will live in the Holy Land At the end of the Passover Seder we all declare “Next Year in Jerusalem!” just as we do at the conclusion of the Yom Kippur services. One of the most important aspects of the Redemption is the promise of the ingathering of the exiles from the Diaspora, with all Jews settling in their tribal portion of the Holy Land. We are assured that no Jew will be left behind—including the “10 Lost Tribes." Read: Will the 10 Lost Tribes Really Return?

10. One Deed, Word or Thought Can Bring Moshiach According to Maimonides, we should view the world as a balanced scale. On one side are all our collective merits, and on the other side are our collective failings. “If one performs one mitzvah, he tips his balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit and brings deliverance and salvation to himself and others. This is implied by [Proverbs 10:25], ‘A righteous man is the foundation of the world,’ i.e., he who acted righteously, tipped the balance of the entire world to merit and saved it.”7 All it takes is one action, one good word or one positive thought that can tip the scale and bring salvation to us all. Join the Effort!

11. There Will Be a Perfect World In the messianic age, Jews and gentiles will live in peace and harmony. All Jews will adhere to the 613 commandments and the non-Jews will follow the 7 Noahide laws for all humanity. Read: How Do Torah and Mitzvahs Contribute to World Peace?

12. We Are Like Dwarves on Giants’ Shoulders Can we really be the last generation of exile and first generation of redemption? Are we better than our ancestors? Why us? The sages give an analogy of a child atop the shoulders of a giant. The collective deeds and sacrifices of our ancestors combined to bring this world to the doorstep of Moshiach. All we need to do is open the door! Read: Now More Than Ever

13. There Will Be No More Disease or Death During the messianic era, we will witness ultimate physical and spiritual bliss. All will be healed.8 The blind, the deaf and the dumb, the lame, anyone with any blemish or disability, shall be healed: “The eyes of the blind shall be clear-sighted, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened . . . the lame shall leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb shall sing . . .”9 Death itself shall cease, as it is written, “Death shall be swallowed up forever and G‑d shall wipe the tears from every face . . .”10 Read: The Messianic Era

14. Life Will Be Pleasurable and Easy The earth will become extraordinarily fertilite.11 The wilderness of Israel will become “like Eden, and her desert like the garden of G‑d.”12 “I will call for the grain and increase it . . . and I will increase the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field . . .”13 “The plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; and the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.”14 In the words of Maimonides: 15 “At that time there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor strife. All good things will be bestowed in abundance, and all delicacies will be accessible like dust.”16

15. Here is What We Can Do to Make It Happen Although every mitzvah has the power to usher in the redemption, there are special mitzvahs that are deeply connected to Moshiach and redemption. Here are some: Teshuvah—repentance Keeping Shabbat, the restful foretaste of the messianic era Torah study, especially the inner secrets of Torah (Chassidut), which are a sampling of the Torah that will be taught by Moshiach himself Giving tzedakah (charity) Increasing in love, peace and unity amongst us all Learning parts of the Torah where the era of Moshiach is discussed May we all merit the coming of the righteous Moshiach and the ultimate redemption speedily in our days, amen!

FOOTNOTES 1. Micah 4:3. 2. Isaiah 2:4. 3. Tanya, ch. 36. 4. 11:9. 5. Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, ch. 12. 6. The 13 Principles of Faith formulated by Maimonidies in his commentary on the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 10:1). 7. Laws of Repentance 3:4 based on the Talmud, Kiddushin 40b. 8. Bereishit Rabbah 20:56. 9. Isaiah 35:5-6. 10. Isaiah 25:8. 11. Shabbat 30b; Ketubot 111b. 12. Isaiah 51:3. 13. Ezekiel 36:29-30. 14. Amos 9:13. 15. Laws of Kings 12:5. Cf. Midrash Tehillim 87:3 (“gold and silver will be like dust”). 16. This section and the previous one were adapted from the incredible book Mashiach, by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet, which is a worthy read start to finish. By Levi Avtzon Rabbi Levi Avtzon lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with his wife Chaya and their children. He is associate rabbi and director of outreach at the Linksfield Senderwood Hebrew Congregation. More from Levi Avtzon  |  RSS © Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy. More in this section Never Stop Dreaming Who Believes in Moshiach? The Truth about Moshiach For Real I Have Come to My Garden View All » You may also be interested in... Moshiach (Messiah) and the Future Redemption 27 Comments Mashiach The Messianic Era in Jewish Law The Skeptic and the Believer A Conversation about Moshiach Moshiach: An Anthology 2 Comments Join the Discussion SORT BY: NewestOldest 4 Comments Vicky Herr Texas April 24, 2019 These words will guide my thoughts and actions today. Shalom.. Vicky Reply Anon Toronto April 24, 2019 Under #1 is it supposed to say "king king" or only "king". Reply Chaim Vogel Montreal April 23, 2019 Let's not forget what our Rebbe told us particularly in the last years. That we should study about Moshiach and prepare to receive him [certainly through an increase in Torah observance [particularly the 10 mitzvah campaigns] but having in mind that this will help us prepare for his arrival]! Reply Raizel USA April 22, 2019 BS"D Beautiful article! So perfect to circulate on Pesach and before the "Meal of Moshiach" at the end of the Yom Tov. Thank you for sharing. A Kosher un Freilechen Pesach to all, and Moshiach now! Reply Related Topics Moshiach and the Future Redemption (431) Subscribe SUBSCRIBE Subscribe to Essay More subscription options » Home | Donate | Contact Us | Ask The Rabbi Login © 1993-2019 Chabad.org View Desktop Site