Week 4
In which Daniel learns when the Moshiach will arrive — sort of
RABBI COHEN: Are you ready with your next question?
DANIEL: Absolutely. When exactly is the Moshiach coming?
RABBI COHEN: I was beginning to wonder when you would get around to asking that. And you might be surprised when I tell you that I can actually answer that question.
DANIEL: You can?
RABBI COHEN: Sort of.
DANIEL: Huh, I knew it.
RABBI COHEN: But before we discuss the question of when the Moshiach will arrive, let’s make sure we’ve got a firm grasp on the concept of awaiting the Moshiach.
There are many verses that refer explicitly to a person who will arrive someday to redeem the Jewish nation from the present exile. A descendant of King David, he will ultimately rule over the Jewish people as king and teacher. Although the word Moshiach, which literally means “anointed one,” is never actually used in Tanach in connection with this future redeemer, the Sages refer to this person as the Moshiach.
“Behold, days are coming,” says God, “when I will establish a righteous sprout from David; a king will reign and prosper, and he will execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days, Yehudah will be safe, and Jerusalem will dwell securely.” (Yirmeyah 23:5)
I will establish over them a single shepherd, and he will tend them — My servant David.… I will seal a covenant of peace with them and remove evil beasts from the land, and they will dwell securely in the wilderness.... (Yechezkel 34:23–31)
A staff will shoot from the stem of Yishai, and a branch will grow from his roots.... (Yeshayah
11:1–16)
According to the Rambam, belief in the coming of the Moshiach is one of the thirteen basic tenets of Judaism.
Any person who does not believe in or does not await his arrival does not deny the [words of] the prophets alone, but even the Torah and Moshe Rabbeinu. (Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 11:1)
There are two distinct facets to this belief. One is the obligation to believe the Moshiach will arrive. Second is the obligation to await the Moshiach and to fervently hope for his arrival.
Though he may tarry, await him, for he will surely arrive; he will not delay. (Chavakuk 2:3)
Rava said: When they bring a person to his [final] judgment, they ask him... “Did you await redemption?” (Shabbos 31a)
The twelfth principle [deals with] the days of the Moshiach, that [a person is obligated] to believe and affirm that he will come.... (Rambam, Peirush HaMishnayos, Sanhedrin, Chelek)
The belief in the coming of the Moshiach is incumbent on every person who observes the Torah of Moshe.… This is because the Torah explicitly mentions the obligation to believe the words of the prophets, as it says, “[A prophet from your midst...Hashem, your God, shall establish for you;] to him shall you listen” (Devarim 18:15), and the prophets prophesied the coming of the Moshiach. It is clear that any person who does not believe in the coming of the Moshiach denies the words of the prophets and transgresses a positive commandment. (Sefer HaIkarim 4:42)
DANIEL: Isn’t it remotely possible that God will change His mind? I don’t mean that literally, but what if the Jewish people have fallen so low that we no longer deserve the Moshiach and redemption? I mean, have you taken a look at the state of the Jewish nation lately?
RABBI COHEN: I could argue with your assessment of the Jewish people, but it has no bearing on the answer. Regardless of our spiritual level, God will never forsake the Jewish people.
It was taught in a braisa, “I will not have been revolted by them” (Vayikra 26:44). [This verse is referring to] the time of the Chaldeans, for I appointed Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to [save] them.
“And I have not rejected them” — in the time of the Greeks, for I appointed Shimon HaTzaddik, the Chashmonai and his sons, and Mattisyahu Kohen Gadol to [save] them.
“To destroy them” — in the times of Haman, for I appointed Mordechai and Esther to [save] them.
“To break my covenant with them” — in the time of the Persians, for I appointed the [sages] of the house of Rebbi and the sages of the various generations to [save] them.
“For Hashem is their God” — in the time to come, when no nation or people will be able to dominate them. (Megillah 11a)
Because there is a set time for the redemption, even if Israel is completely wicked, Heaven forbid. (Ohr HaChaim, Vayikra 25:28)
The Ramban mentions an exceedingly strong proof for this concept. If you read through the Torah, you will find mention of many punishments that the Jewish people will receive if they do not serve God — famine, drought, falling into the hands of our enemies, to name a few. However, there is not one single mention in the entire Tanach of God forsaking the Jewish people entirely or replacing them with another nation. It is clear that although they will be punished if they transgress God’s commandments, God will never replace them.
Nevertheless, our redemption is in our hands if we return to God. We did not lose [the potential for redemption] because of our many transgressions, and its time has not passed during our long years of rebellion. For Moshe, our master, alav hashalom, admonished us with many types of ultimatums and warnings, which frightened us with all manner of dread and fear about what would happen to us [if we transgress the mitzvos]. Yet God never went beyond those warnings to say that if we continue to transgress He will exchange us for another nation or forget us entirely. (Ramban, Sefer HaGeulah 1)
DANIEL: I think I’ve got the basics. We have an obligation to await the Moshiach and to hope for his imminent arrival. We also know that God will never forsake the Jewish people. Is this where we get to discuss when the Moshiach will arrive?
RABBI COHEN: We’re coming to that now. You want to know when the Moshiach will arrive. If you’re asking me to give you a precise date, unfortunately I can’t help you. In fact, it’s impossible to calculate the exact date.
The first thing you must know is that it is impossible for a person to ever know the definite date [of the arrival of the Moshiach], as Daniel explained and said, “Because the matters are obscured and sealed [until the time of the end]” (Daniel 12:9). (Rambam, Iggeres Teiman 3)
The fact that a person cannot know the definite date of redemption was also true of previous exiles. The Egyptian exile, for example, was known by the Jewish people to be four hundred years long. Nevertheless, because they were uncertain as to when the exile began, they did not know precisely when it was supposed to end. Even more so, it is impossible to calculate the redemption from the current exile, which will last for an unknown duration.
Know that even when God revealed the length [of the exile], meaning the Egyptian exile, as it says, “And they will serve them and oppress them for four hundred years” (Bereishis 15:13), they did not know the true [date of the redemption], and the matter fell into doubt. Some people thought that [God’s words] meant four hundred years from the time Yaakov descended to Egypt, and some people thought they meant four hundred years from the beginning of servitude. (Rambam, Iggeres Teiman 3)
Even Daniel, a prophet, reckoned the date of the redemption from the Babylonian exile incorrectly.
Rava said: Even Daniel erred in this calculation, as it says, “In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, contemplated the calculation” (Daniel 9:2). Since he said, “I contemplated,” we can infer that he [originally] erred. (Megillah 12a)
DANIEL: But doesn’t it say in the end of sefer Daniel that an angel revealed the date of the Moshiach’s arrival to him? Granted, the answer was in code, but couldn’t we puzzle out the meaning if we examine the angel’s words carefully enough?
RABBI COHEN: It’s certainly true that the prophecy you’re referring to contains the date.
Rabbi Yirmeyah said, and some say Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said: The Targum [translation] of the Torah was composed by Onkelus HaGer [who learned it] from Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. The Targum of the Prophets was composed by Yonasan ben Uziel, [who learned it] from Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Eretz Yisrael shook over an area of four hundred parsah by four hundred parsah [when the Targum of the Prophets was composed]. A Heavenly voice called out, saying, “Who is this who has revealed My secrets to mortal beings?” Yonasan ben Uziel rose to his feet and said, “I am the one who revealed Your secrets to mortal beings. It is revealed and known to You that I did not act for my own glory or for the glory of my father’s house, but rather for Your glory, that disagreement should not spread in Israel.” Yonasan ben Uziel also wished to reveal the Targum of Writings. A Heavenly voice called out and said to him, “Enough!” Why [was he not granted permission to compose the Targum of Writings]? Because [Writings] contains the date of [the arrival of] the Moshiach. (Megillah 3a)
In fact, it’s probable that there are many references to the date hidden in the words of the Torah and Prophets. But there are two major problems with attempting any calculations. The first problem is that the Sages explicitly prohibited such an attempt.
DANIEL: But why?
RABBI COHEN: Imagine that a great, modern-day rabbi predicted that the Moshiach would arrive exactly ten years into the future. Every Jewish person heard and accepted the prediction. But for some reason, the date passes with nary a messianic stir. What do you suppose would happen?
DANIEL: Nothing good, I guess. The more they believed, the worse it would be.
RABBI COHEN: At the very least, there would be great disappointment and depression. Worse, people would lose faith in God and the coming of the Moshiach. The Rishonim relate many incidents virtually identical to my example. In extreme cases, the Jews even went so far as to threaten their gentile neighbors with Heavenly retribution for past faults or to sell their land for pennies on the dollar, assuming the land would be worthless once the Moshiach arrived and they left for Eretz Yisrael. Unfortunately, when the Moshiach failed to appear, it was their gentile neighbors who sought retribution.
Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonasan: May the bones of those who calculate dates [of the end of the exile] suffer agony! For [people] say, “Since the date has arrived and [the Moshiach] did not come, he will never come.” (Sanhedrin 87b)
For this reason Chazal warned against calculating dates or appointing times for the coming of the Moshiach, because it will cause the public to stumble and cause doubt to enter their hearts when the time arrives and the Moshiach does not arrive. This [is what they meant when] they said, “May the bones of those who calculate dates [of the end of the exile] suffer agony!” — because they are a stumbling block for people. (Rambam, Iggeres Teiman 3)
There is a second, more subtle reason the Sages prohibited calculating the date. As we said before, we are obligated to fervently hope for the arrival of the Moshiach. Now let’s suppose you manage to decipher the conversation between Daniel and the angel and figure out that, beyond a doubt, the Moshiach will arrive in exactly ten years. For the next ten years, you would have a difficult time, to say the least, believing that the Moshiach might arrive at any moment. Therefore, the Sages prohibited the calculations in the first place.
Also, if he specifies a time, he will not believe that [the Moshiach might] arrive before that time. (Mabit, Beis Elokim, Sha’ar HaYesodos 50)
Besides the prohibition of the Sages, there is a second problem inherent in attempting to calculate the date. Simply, God desires that the date remain hidden.
However, I think their mistake was [caused by] the will of God to conceal the date [of the arrival of the Moshiach], as Daniel said, “Let many muse and let knowledge increase” (Daniel 12:4), and not because the date is intrinsically hidden in that book. (Ramban, Sefer HaGeulah 4)
DANIEL: Hmmm...that would tend to thwart any attempts. It also explains why the Rambam said it is impossible to calculate the date and the historical difficulty that the Jewish people have had in their calculations. But it still doesn’t explain why God conceals the date. Why does God mind if I figure out when the Moshiach will arrive?
RABBI COHEN: As we’ve already said, we can never presume to explain all of God’s intentions in any matter. Yet this is what we know: It is an intrinsic facet of an exile that its exact ending be unknown. If a person knew exactly when the redemption would come, it would greatly mitigate the burden of the exile. He would think, Sure, life is difficult now, but on such-and-such date I’ll be free. If not him, his children or even grandchildren would go free. Exile is such a painful state precisely because of its uncertainty. God has clearly decided that, for the time being, we still belong in exile.
Because when the date is revealed, there is already, in essence, a redemption, for if someone knows the time he will leave, it is as if he is already redeemed. (Maharal, Netzach Yisrael 24)
Alternatively, if a person really did know that the redemption would occur only in the very distant future — even hundreds of years — he might lose faith entirely.
It was hidden to them, lest it be a stumbling block if it became known to successive generations and they despaired of the exile if [the date of the arrival of the Moshiach] were very distant. (Yefeh To’ar, Midrash Rabbah, Bereishis 98:2,
s.v. “l’galos lahem hakeitz”)
DANIEL: Now I’m confused. First you answer that you can “sort of” tell me when the Moshiach will arrive, and now you prove that it’s impossible to even know.
RABBI COHEN: I can’t tell you the date when the Moshiach will arrive, but I can tell you the underlying principles that govern the time of his arrival. There are two possible times for the arrival of the Moshiach. First, the Moshiach will come when the Jewish nation does teshuvah voluntarily. Second, there is a set time when the redemption will arrive regardless of our actions. As soon as either event occurs, the Moshiach will come immediately.
Rabbi Alexandri said: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi noted a contradiction. It says “in its time” (Yeshayah 60:20), but it also says, “I will hasten it” (ibid.). [The answer is that] if [the Jewish people] deserve, “I will hasten it.” If they do not deserve, “[I will bring the redemption] in its time.” (Sanhedrin 98a)
Rabbi Yochanan said: God, blessed is He, said to Israel, “Even though I set a limit to the date when [the Moshiach] will arrive, whether or not you do teshuvah he will arrive at the appointed time. Nevertheless, if you do teshuvah for even one day, I will bring him before the appointed time. (Shemos Rabbah 25:16)
Therefore, God should have mercy, we believe that He set two times for [the end of] our servitude [exile]. One is the time [when the Moshiach will arrive if we do] teshuvah, and the second is the final time. Whichever occurs first will make us fitting for redemption; if we do teshuvah, [God] will [bring the Moshiach immediately and] not pay attention to the final time.... And if we do not do teshuvah, we will remain [in exile] until the final time. (Rav Sa’adyah Gaon, Emunos V’Deos 8:2)
In essence, there are two “paths” to the Moshiach, one through voluntary teshuvah and one through reaching the final date that God has established for the redemption. However, the redemption will differ according to the path we choose. If the Jewish nation repents voluntarily, the redemption will be a miraculous, wondrous event. If not, the redemption will be an extended and mundane process that will appear to be a “natural,” unfolding of historical events. This fundamental principle is vital for understanding many verses in Tanach and statements of the Sages concerning the Moshiach. Take a look, for example, at the following verses:
“I was watching in night visions and, behold, with the clouds of Heaven, one like a man came” (Daniel 7:13).
“Behold, your king will come to you; righteous and victorious is he, a humble man riding on a donkey…” (Zechariah 9:9).
On the surface, the two verses contradict one another. The verse in Daniel speaks of the Moshiach’s appearance in glowing terms, as a wonderful, miraculous spectacle. The verse in Zechariah, on the other hand, speaks of his arrival as a mundane event. Using our principle, the question is answered. If the Jewish people do teshuvah voluntarily and bring the Moshiach themselves, the arrival of the Moshiach will be miraculous. If not, the Moshiach will come at the appointed time, but in a mundane manner.
Rabbi Alexandri said: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi noted a contradiction. It says, “Behold, with the clouds of Heaven, one like a man came” (Daniel 7:13), but it also says “a humble man riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). [The answer is that] if [the Jewish people] deserve, “with the clouds of Heaven.” If they do not deserve, “a humble man, riding on a donkey.” (Sanhedrin 98a)
The repetition of the subject and the variation in language is explained by the words of Chazal, who said that if the redemption will occur by means of the merit of Israel, it will be a marvelous event, and the redeemer will be revealed from the heavens with wonders and miracles. On the other hand, if the redemption occurs on the final date, and Israel is not deserving, it will occur in another manner. On this [situation] it is said that the redeemer will come as “a humble man riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). (Ohr HaChaim, Bemidbar 24:17, s.v. “v’keifel ha’inyan”)
Using this idea, we can also finally give the second answer to a question we dealt with the first week. If you recall, we found what seemed to be a contradiction between two midrashim. One midrash states clearly that the Moshiach will rebuild the Beis HaMikdash, while another claims the future Beis HaMikdash will drop from Heaven, fully built.
DANIEL: Wait — I see it. If the Jewish nation does teshuvah voluntarily, the Beis HaMikdash will fall from Heaven. But if not, the Moshiach will arrive at the set time and rebuild the Beis HaMikdash himself.
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