What is Moshiach?
http://www.moshiach.com/questions/topten/what_is_moshiach.php

A. Moshiach is the phrase “Messiah” comes from—it’s a Hebrew word meaning “the anointed one.” Moshiach is the number-one belief in Judaism, next to Torah and G-d Himself. It is Belief #12 of Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles of Faith.

B. We were there, and now we’re here. Then, we had sovereignty and our own country, and now we are governed by others, in others’ countries. Then, we had a king anointed by a prophet of G-d, and when we get back there, we’ll have an anointed king again. Two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire exiled us from our land, Israel. We’ve been all over since—we’ve even forgotten where we came from and where we’re headed. We’ve been persecuted in a thousand different ways by a thousand different cultures. But we never gave up hope that G-d would send a descendant of King David to lead us out of exile. This is the classic, essential Jewish understanding of Moshiach.

C. However, you don’t have to be Jewish to eat bagels and lox, and neither need you be Jewish for Moshiach to touch your life. For when Moshiach comes, the world will rise to perfection. Moshiach is not the relocation of Jews from many places to one place; Moshiach is not the eternal domination of one people and the eternal dam/nation of all others: Moshiach is the concept to end all concepts. Moshiach is Utopia. Moshiach is the answer to “Why are we here?” Moshiach will not just redeem the Jewish people from exile—he will redeem mankind from meaninglessness, and teach the purpose of life to the universe. No more school shootings, no more pain, no more war, no more rat race.

1. The Messiah within

Some things never change: animals, vegetables, minerals. But people do. Change is part of life. People change. Countries change. Societies change. The world changes. Why? Because people reject the status quo. People try to change themselves, things, life. Why? Because people want a better world—don’t you? If we knew there was nothing we could do about this mad world, we couldn’t get up in the morning. But something drives us on. This trait, this will, is the belief in Moshiach—the belief that the world will be better one day. Ultimately, the belief in Moshiach is the belief in ourselves, and in the eternal triumph of good.

2. What can/should I do to help bring Moshiach?

Good is like water collecting in a cup—drop by drop, deed by deed. When the cup is full, it overflows its sides. When we fill this world with enough good, G-d sends Moshiach. G-d gave mankind tools for good—the Torah for Jews, and the Noahide Code for non-Jews. Whatever your spiritual configuration, G-d is waiting for your move—our move. Let’s work together to bring Moshiach, now. Let’s do good.

Essay

A Home: The Reason for Creation

by Rabbi Yoel Kahan

Why did G-d create the world? Why we exist and what purpose we serve are questions that perplex every individual, not just philosophers. Only the Creator Himself could identify why He called the world into existence.

In the Tanya the central text of Habad Hasidism Rabbi Shneur Zalman quotes the midrash that gives as the reason for the creation of the world: "The Almighty desired to have a dwelling place in the lowest of worlds." Although G-d created a great multitude of worlds, most being spiritual and one physical, it was His profound desire to reside specifically in the lowest of worlds, our physical domain. And He desired that this world be transformed from a mundane, and often profane, physical abode into a dwelling that would fit the residence of the supreme King of kings and Creator of the universe.

What is a residence? Consider an earthly king. A king always has a beautiful palace, and in the palace itself he has a great number of rooms and halls. But these rooms and halls are not set aside primarily for the king's use. Rather, they are used for the king to appear in public and entertain guests, visitors, and dignitaries, While technically these rooms constitute the king's home, for all practical purposes the king is never at home in them. But there is a section of the palace set aside for the monarch's private residence, his private apartment. No public meetings ever take place in this section of the palace. It is cordoned off for the exclusive use of the king and his immediate family.

The difference between the private section of the palace and the public ballrooms is this: when the king appears in the public section of the palace, he cannot appear the way he would like or the way in which he is most comfortable, but rather in the manner befitting a king. He must appear in royal garb, in the dress of the head of state. And garb refers not only to physical garments, but also to spiritual garments. Not only must the king dress in the proper way, but he must also behave in a desirable fashion. All his actions and speech must bring about the desired effect of impressing upon his subjects the grandeur and majesty of the king. Thus the king is virtually a prisoner of protocol and this in his own house!

The only location where the king can be his own person, and not a sovereign, is in his own private residence. In his private apartment the king dresses as he pleases, not as the public expects him to appear. To be sure, there are times in the king's private apartment when he does not wear anything at all! Of course, in public this could never be. The guidelines for the king's behavior are seen as so significant in Judaism that there is a whole body of laws outlining how the king must behave, for example, "It is forbidden to see a king of Israel when he is naked" (Maimonides, Laws of Kings, chap. 2). Again the reference to "naked" here means not only being void of physical garb, but spiritual garb as well. A king dare not behave as an ordinary person naked of royalty. Therefore, the implication of a residence is the ability for one's inner self to be revealed unhindered. A private dwelling gives one the ability to express one's true nature without it being measured and tempered to suit a specific receptor.

This point is born out most aptly by the Talmud: "Every person who does not have a home is not a person" (Yevamot 63a). What makes having a home so central to the definition of one's humanity? When one lacks a home, one can never "be oneself." One is constantly acting, speaking, and behaving in a tailored fashion. Without a home, one is always somebody else's person. But in the privacy of one's home, one becomes a person, his own person, not a robot or servant of society, but a self-expressive and creative individual.

This is the desire of the Almighty in His creation of our physical world. G-d desires a residence. Even in the higher, more spiritual worlds, G-d cannot be Himself, as it were. He cannot radiate His true light or reveal His true essence. Even the lofty spiritual worlds are shallow and minuscule in comparison to G-d's infinite Being. He's simply too large for those worlds to contain Him. Thus, He must contract and condense his infinite Self when He radiates His light in the higher worlds so as to suit their consumption. G-d must be careful to "tailor" and limit Himself to suit the capacity of receptacles much lower than He. Thus the worlds cannot serve as a home or residence to the Almighty. He cannot reveal His true self within them. It is impossible for the infinite G-d to radiate his full intensity in a finite domain. It would overwhelm the worlds. Although the spiritual worlds are indeed lofty and transcendental in nature compared to the physical world, and they enjoy a far higher and greater manifestation of G-dliness than the physical world, they are nonetheless limited and of finite character.

The severe limitation of the spiritual worlds can be compared to the king when he is in the company of his inner circle of advisers and friends. While it is true that the king may dress in more ordinary clothing and act more like himself around his advisers than he does in public, since they are much closer to him, nevertheless, even amidst his confidants he is still a king and must dress and behave somewhat accordingly. For instance, even in the company of his closest confidants, the king would never appear without clothing. So long as he is in the company of even one subject, he is still a ruler. When in the company of anyone besides himself, the king is doomed to be somewhat of a hostage to another party.

The more glorified and famous the individual, the more is expected of him in terms of morality and behavior and the more he is required to comply with the constraints of greatness. If this be true of a mortal king of flesh and blood, who must conform to the expectations of his subjects, how much more so when we speak of the King of kings, the Creator of the universe. As can be readily appreciated, G-d, Who is infinite, bears no relationship whatsoever to even the highest spiritual worlds, which are finite. Thus it is clear that the Almighty cannot reveal Himself even in the spiritual worlds the way He is in His essence, but rather He must contract and limit Himself. Jewish mysticism teaches that G-d must "adorn himself in a garb that conceals his true nature." What is truly amazing is that G-d desires, somehow, to have the full intensity of His infinite essence manifest in our physical world. G-d wishes to dwell in our world without any garb or attire that would alter His infinite presence.

This desire of the Almighty will come to fruition only in the messianic age, when G-d will reveal Himself and radiate His true essence without any curtain or obstruction. Commenting on the verse "And your teacher will hide no more" (Isaiah 30:20), the Tanya explains, "This means that G-d will no longer conceal Himself in any garment or veil. For in that time G-d will reveal himself the way He existed even before the Creation of the world" (Tanya, chap. 36).

This dramatic event cannot transpire on its own. It is through service to the Creator and the fulfillment of His commandments that this desire of the Almighty will be brought to fruition. This is why the Torah and its commandments were given to earthly inhabitants rather than to the ministering angels (the Talmud relates that the angels requested the Torah but were not granted it). The purpose of our study of Torah and fulfillment of commandments is to bring this world to a state where it is conducive to the full revelation of G-d in all His glory. This can be accomplished only through human beings here in this physical realm. Through every moment of Torah study and every commandment we fulfill, we bring more of G-d's Essence into our world and hasten the time when G-d will be revealed in the messianic epoch.

When the Messiah comes, no new dimension will be incorporated into the creation; the true, fundamental character of the world will not change. The time for changing and enhancing the world is not in the messianic era, but now. The Torah states, concerning the performance of mitzvot (commandments), "Ha-yom Laasotam they must be done today [and not in the world to come]" (Deuteronomy 7:11). The change that the Messiah will bring about is the revelation of all the G-dliness that man has brought into the world from the time the Torah was given over three thousand years ago. The transformation accomplished through the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvot cannot be seen; man lacks the instruments to observe this radical, spiritual upheaval. However, when the Jew fulfills a mitzvah today, he draws into this physical world G-d's essence, even though he cannot see the effects of his action. In the time of the Messiah, this obstruction, which blocks our eyes from seeing the true effects of our actions, will be removed, and G-d will be seen by all of the world's inhabitants. It will be then that G-d will be seen to take up His residence in His private chambers, which is our world.

Originally posted by monotheism
..., you don’t have to be Jewish to eat bagels and lox, ...


OK, now we're talking. Same with Hebrew National hotdogs. Hebrew National makes some of the tastiest hotdogs and are THE hotdogs of choice in the Wanderer/Moonchild household.



Originally posted by monotheism

Moshiach is the answer to “Why are we here?” Moshiach will not just redeem the Jewish people from exile—he will redeem mankind from meaninglessness, and teach the purpose of life to the universe.

It's been, what, 2100 years? How long will you wait for your Messiah to come ?

Christians too, await a Messiah. Will you share one or will we have the two battle it out in some sort of pay-per-view grudge match ?


Originally posted by monotheism

No more school shootings, no more pain, no more war, no more rat race.

What about the e-mail spam - that painful backside boil of the internet ?

posted elsewhere:
What are the Jews waiting for, how will they recognize the Messiah?

Following a long-standing Jewish tradition, they will write down the specifics after He has arrived.

by which you MEAN: "will INVENT the specifics after He has arrived"--which is an utterly unsubstantiated allegation

especially since, in this case, the specific conditions by which we may identify the Moshiach have been codified long ago by Maimonides: http://kesser.org/moshiach/rambam.html

It's been, what, 2100 years? How long will you wait for your Messiah to come?

Well, I'd say he's our Moshiach, because he will come to redeem the entire world.

One of the 13 Principles of Faith formulated by Maimonides, which non-Jews are encouraged to adopt, is the belief that: "I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, and even if he may be delayed, I will wait daily for his arrival."

Christians too, await a Messiah.

Their claims have been refuted. See:

http://outreachjudaism.org
http://jewsforjudaism.org/

What about the e-mail spam - that painful backside boil of the internet ?

nope, not even spam!:)

Originally posted by monotheism

by which you MEAN: "will INVENT the specifics after He has arrived"--which is an utterly unsubstantiated allegation

especially since, in this case, the specific conditions by which we may identify the Moshiach have been codified long ago by Maimonides:

Apparently the Sages have been wrong before. From your cited link:

"Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest Sages of the Mishnah, was one of the supporters of King Ben Koziva, and would describe him as the King Moshiach. He and all the Sages of his generation considered him to be the King Moshiach until he was killed because of [his] sins. Once he was killed, they realized that he was not [the Moshiach]. "

The "he was killed" part was the clue !

Oy gevald ! It appears even your Sages get things wrong. I'm guessing that they'll wait a little longer in the next Knaker's ascention before declaring him the Moshiach.

And don't forget Simon Bar Kochba's brief run at being the Moshiach.


Originally posted by monotheism

Their [Christian] claims have been refuted.

None-the-less, they too await. They just haven't been waiting as long.


Now I found this footnote from your source to be very interesting:

"Can there be a greater stumbling block than [Christianity]? All the prophets spoke of Moshiach as the redeemer of Israel and their savior, who would gather their dispersed ones and strengthen their [observance of] the mitzvos. In contrast [the founder of Christianity] caused the Jews to be slain by the sword, their remnants to be scattered and humiliated, the Torah to be altered, and the majority of the world to err and serve a god other than the L-rd."

Do you believe this to be historically accurate ? Was Jesus and/or the early Christian followers responsible for what happened to the Jews in the first century CE ?


I thought it due to friction between Jews and their Roman overlords.

re Bar Kochba: Rabbi Akiva wasn't "wrong."

at the time Bar Kochba was worthy and righteous, and would have finished the job

but then he went sour, behaving arrogantly and cruelly

And don't forget Simon Bar Kochba's brief run at being the Moshiach.

Simon Bar Kochba is the same person as Bar Koziva.

Do you believe this to be historically accurate? Was Jesus and/or the early Christian followers responsible for what happened to the Jews in the first century CE ?

How do you see from that quote that Maimonides means specifically suffering in the first century CE? He's referring to the entire history of Christianity until his time. Which was one in which the Jews were, with only several eras of respite, constantly persecuted for their affirmation of belief in pure monotheism alone and consequent rejection of Christianity.

Originally posted by monotheism
re Bar Kochba: Rabbi Akiva wasn't "wrong."

at the time Bar Kochba was worthy and righteous, and would have finished the job

but then he went sour, behaving arrogantly and cruelly

... and suddenly he wasn't the Messiah anymore. The good Rabbi was wrong.

Originally posted by monotheism

Simon Bar Kochba is the same person as Bar Koziva.


Ah, OK, how about -

Shabbetai Zevi
Lubavithcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn

Read this one?

50 Jewish Messiahs: The Untold Life Stories of 50 Jewish Messiahs Since Jesus and How They Changed the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Worlds
by Jerry Rabow
List Price: $16.95 Amazon.com


I understand that some believe that the Book of Daniel "tells us that the Mashiach will come before the destruction of the second Temple." If so, isn't it a bit late to be waiting for him ?

source: http://www.cmy.on.ca/newletters/june2003.htm


Originally posted by monotheism

How do you see from that quote that Maimonides means specifically suffering in the first century CE? He's referring to the entire history of Christianity until his time. Which was one in which the Jews were, with only several eras of respite, constantly persecuted for their affirmation of belief in pure monotheism alone and consequent rejection of Christianity.

Non-Christian Romans ended Jewish control in Jerusalem. Masada was not besieged by Christians. Or do you disagree ?

Jews are then scattered and historically get knocked about by "Christians" and Muslims too. The Nazis were one of the worst (and most recent) persecutors. (In an admission of some sense of "superstitious" behaviour in me, Moonchild and I discussed potential spiritual implications before touring Dachau while carrying Braedon).

But your God wanted it that way, Monotheism:

Deuteronomy 28:

"64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

68 And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you. "



Blame Him and your ancestors too (through your Mother's side) you insist on this blaming Christians for the Diaspora and subsequent historical troubles .

and suddenly he wasn't the Messiah anymore. The good Rabbi was wrong.

No, he wasn't wrong. Reread the source quoted. Maimonides writes (I've changed it slightly, to make it fit more accurately with the original Hebrew):

"If a king will arise from the House of David who delves deeply into the study of the Torah and, like David his ancestor, observes its mitzvos as prescribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law; if he will compel all of Israel to walk in [the way of the Torah] and repair the breaches ; and if he will fight the wars of G-d; we may presume him to be Moshiach."

The word that I translate as "presume" is [i]bechezkas. This word in Hebrew denotes a concept of reasonable assumption, but NOT certainty. So R' Akiva did not state with certainty that Bar Kochva was the Moshiach, but only that Bar Kochva was the PRESUMED Moshiach. Unfortunately, the Jewish people did not merit, and that presumption was not fulfilled.

Ah, OK, how about -

Shabbetai Zevi
Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn

The former was a wicked impostor, a false messiah.
The latter was a great, holy righteous man whom many thought worthy to be Moshiach in his lifetime.

Read this one?

no--so?

source:

Then link you refer to is a Christian one, so it proves nothing about the position of Judaism.

I understand that some believe that the Book of Daniel "tells us that the Mashiach will come before the destruction of the second Temple." If so, isn't it a bit late to be waiting for him?

no proof-text is quoted in that Christian site, so it means nothing

Non-Christian Romans ended Jewish control in Jerusalem. Masada was not besieged by Christians. Or do you disagree ?

By "scattering" Maimonides is referring to the further scattering in later generations, and perhaps especially the forced expulsions (as took place in his time) etc.

But your God wanted it that way, Monotheism... Blame Him and your ancestors too (through your Mother's side) you insist on this blaming Christians for the Diaspora and subsequent historical troubles

yes, everything is from G-d
but man also has free choice, and they chose wickedly as they did

Originally posted by monotheism
No, he wasn't wrong. Reread the source quoted. Maimonides writes (I've changed it slightly, to make it fit more accurately with the original Hebrew):

Changing slightly to ... sure seems to come in handy. :D

Originally posted by monotheism
The word that I translate as "presume" is bechezkas. This word in Hebrew denotes a concept of reasonable assumption, but NOT certainty. So R' Akiva did not state with certainty that Bar Kochva was the Moshiach, but only that Bar Kochva was the PRESUMED Moshiach. Unfortunately, the Jewish people did not merit, and that presumption was not fulfilled.

Hmmm, so an "incorrect reasonable assumption" is distinctly different from "wrong" in your world. I'll bet your teachers just hated your protesting when you provided an "incorrect reasonable assumption" as a test answer.


Originally posted by monotheism

The former was a wicked impostor, a false messiah.
The latter was a great, holy righteous man whom many thought worthy to be Moshiach in his lifetime.

The whole lot are false messiah's until the real one shows up, eh ?


Originally posted by monotheism
Then link you refer to is a Christian one, so it proves nothing about the position of Judaism.

no proof-text is quoted in that Christian site, so it means nothing




"Christian" in the sense that they are a group of Jews accepting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

But I agree with you, it's just another example of a group of Jews erroneously claiming someone to be their Messiah.

They're not wrong, of course. They're just making an "incorrect reasonable assumption.

Hmmm, so an "incorrect reasonable assumption" is distinctly different from "wrong" in your world.

correct

The whole lot are false messiah's until the real one shows up

when did I say that?
Someone could be a true candidate to be the Messiah, but not end up doing the job, because the Creator decided that the time had not yet arrived
Such a person is not a false Messiah

Jesus, otoh, was never a candidate in the first place

They're not wrong, of course. They're just making an "incorrect reasonable assumption

according to you, perhaps

but according to Jewish tradition, their assumption is not only incorrect, it is unreasonable, because Jesus didn't begin to qualify as a Messianic candidate

Originally posted by Wanderer
Christians too, await a Messiah. Will you share one or will we have the two battle it out in some sort of pay-per-view grudge match ?

:haha: :haha: :haha:

Originally posted by monotheism
Someone could be a true candidate to be the Messiah, but not end up doing the job, because the Creator decided that the time had not yet arrived

Such a person is not a false Messiah


Right, just ex post facto - an incorrectly but reasonably assumed Messiah. He's not the Messiah because he failed to finish what the Rabbis have decided the Messiah must accomplish.


So what makes a "false" Messiah ?

I think you understand now, Wanderer!:)

According to Judaism, there are 2 stages in the Messianic process: Before the final Redemption, and after.

The defining role of the Messiah before the final Redemption (an era characterised by his rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem and making peace among all the nations) is his personal piety, and his devotion to bringing Jews to observe the commandments of the Torah, and non-Jews to observe the Noahide Code.

Thus, a "false Messiah" before the final Redemption is someone who claims to be the Messiah, but does not actively pursue these goals.

Certainly, someone who actively promotes disobedience of Torah law is thereby disqualified as a Messianic candidate.

a great book! :)

http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=100895

more great material! :)

http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=63470

Originally posted by monotheism
Thus, a "false Messiah" before the final Redemption is someone who claims to be the Messiah, but does not actively pursue these goals.

Even if someone pursued those goals but failed to accomplish them, wouldn't he still be a "false Messiah" ?

no

"false" implies that he misled people, claiming to be something that he wasn't--that he was an impostor

But, according to Maimonides' definition, someone who qualifies as the "Presumed Messiah," due to his personal greatness and piety, his devotion to bringing Jews to observe the commandments for Jews, and non-Jews to observe the Noahide Code, is not known to be the Messiah, but merely presumed as such.

Thus, if he is not successful, i.e., he does not finish off the Messianic process by gathering the exiled Jewish people, rebuilding the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and making peace among all the nations, his righteousness not been challenged, but it has merely been established that he is not the prophesied redeemer.

I.e., the presumption that we once thought should be held, no longer applies.

see the link above: http://kesser.org/moshiach/rambam.html

"If he did not succeed to this degree or he was killed, he surely is not [the redeemer] promised by the Torah. [Rather,] he should be considered as all the other proper and legitimate kings of the Davidic dynasty who died."


A simple analogy: If someone ran for president, doing everything possible to prepare for that office, and every pundit was sure that he would be president, but he turned out to be outvoted, he wasn't a false president.

Originally posted by monotheism
A simple analogy: If someone ran for president, doing everything possible to prepare for that office, and every pundit was sure that he would be president, but he turned out to be outvoted, he wasn't a false president.

True, but in contrast we DO have elections on a predictable timetable and someone actually becomes President.

True, but in contrast, when Moshiach actually DOES come, very soon, he'll correct all the problems with the world in a way that no president ever could! :)

To finish off my analogy: if someone claimed to ACTUALLY be the president, when he is not, he would accurately be termed a false president.