'The Messiah will come first to the land of Russia’: Chabad Lubavitch of Israel
And a shoot shall come forth from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall come forth from his roots, and shall bear fruit… (Isaiah 11:1). Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign, and shall be wise, and shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In his days shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his name whereby they shall be called – The Lord our Righteous One (Jeremiah 23:5-6). And as the Rambam says: And if a king ariseth from the house of David, who meditateth on the Torah, and dealeth with the commandments, as David his father did, according to the Torah, both written and oral, and compeleth all Israel to walk therein, and to be strong in the moment, and to fight the battles of the Lord, then this is by the assumption that he is the Messiah (Rambam, Laws of Kings 11:4).
- The flesh-and-blood Messiah – King from the House of David
- The Rebbe Rayatz also speaks sharply about the foundation and main point of the Jewish faith in the Messiah as the only living and existing Redeemer of flesh and blood who has no substitute:
- Messiah himself will inform us that he is the Messiah before his coming.
- Does the Messiah need to perform signs and wonders?
- Where will the Messiah come from?
- The dimensions of Messiah and his powers
- Possessor of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge
- Good-natured
- A humble man
- Merciful
- Love every Jew
- Suffering
- Indeed, he bore our sicknesses and endured our sorrows.
- And we considered him afflicted, smitten of God, and tormented.
- And he is the one who is responsible for our transgressions, oppressed by our iniquities.
- Our peace is upon him, and in his company we are healed.
- We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each one has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
- (Isaiah 53:4-6)
- Brave man
- Good deeds
- Fear the Lord.
- Love God
- A man of faith and justice
- Possessing a special sense of smell – "and smelling in the fear of the Lord"
- The Holy Spirit
- Great prophet
- The middle Rebbe explains the advantage of Moses over the other prophets, who was a vessel for receiving the divine light in his body as well as in his soul, and thus the King Messiah will prevail even over Moses:
- In the prophecy of Moses, "I will speak to him face to face," etc., there was no difference at all between his body and his soul, just as the Divine Presence speaks from within his throat, etc., and there is no need to prepare the material, therefore he did not fall to the earth. And this will be even more so in the Messiah... since he will be a vessel to receive everything without having to ascend above ("The Writings of the Middle Rebbe" - Wedding Sermons, p. 155).
- Shepherd and Prince Adam
- Balance against all of Israel – the general unit
- Living above nature
- Our concern – God
- He is completely intellectual and his concern is God (Maharal, Netzach Yisrael 1911 and 1922).
- Messiah corrects the nations of the world
- In conclusion – the image of Messiah according to the Abarbanel
The flesh-and-blood Messiah – King from the House of David
According to Maimonides, who is the sole arbiter in matters of redemption and the Messiah, the Messiah is flesh and blood, a king from the house of David, as is explicitly stated in many places in the Bible, such as: And there shall come forth a shoot from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall bear fruit from his roots … (Isaiah 11:1). Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a king shall reign, and shall be wise, and shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In his days shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his name whereby they shall be called – the Lord our Righteous One (Jeremiah 23:5-6).
And as the Rambam says: If a king from the house of David arises, pondering the Torah and engaging in the commandments like his father David, according to the Torah, both written and oral, and compels all Israel to walk in it and to be strong in the moment and to fight the battles of the Lord, then this is on the assumption that he is the Messiah (Rambam, Laws of Kings 11:4).
And this is one of the thirteen articles of faith: I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah …
The Rebbe of Shiloh bases his argument on the words of the Rambam and clarifies that the opinion of Rabbi Hillel – the sole opinion that “there is no Messiah for Israel” – was firmly rejected by the Gemara, and there is no halakha like it. And this is the sacred language of the Rebbe of Shiloh:
Among the thirteen articles of faith that appear in the "I Believe" text is also belief in the coming of the Messiah... that is, we believe in the appearance of a man, flesh and blood, who will lead the people of Israel out of exile to true and complete redemption.
It is true that in the Talmud: Hillel's opinion also appears, who said: "There is no Messiah for Israel," God Himself will reign over them and redeem them. However, the G-d firmly rejected his words, and ruled: Redemption will come through a flesh-and-blood Messiah, as explained in the prophecy of Zechariah, "Behold, your king will come to you, a righteous and savior," meaning that a righteous king will come, and he will save the people. As for Rabbi Hillel's words, the G-d adds and says, God will forgive him for his words.
And in the book "Chatam Sofer" he adds that whoever says, like Rabbi Hillel, that "there is no Messiah for Israel" is a heretic in the whole of the Torah! Because Rabbi Hillel's opinion is completely null and void compared to the opinion of the vast majority of the sages who believe that a Messiah will come in the flesh, and does not "the one and the many rule as the many."
Therefore, the final and absolute Halacha is that "a king will arise from the house of David, and he will save us" (Meshchat of the Rebbe of the “Mahmoud Shiloh”, Devar Malchut, booklet 12, 2nd – this booklet was distributed by the Rebbe on the 15th of Iyar 5, 1991).
The Rebbe Rayatz also speaks sharply about the foundation and main point of the Jewish faith in the Messiah as the only living and existing Redeemer of flesh and blood who has no substitute:
Many of our Jewish people, who consider themselves believers and even go to synagogue to pray, believe that the redemption of Israel will come through some global ideal and not through a single redeemer. In other words, they believe in messiahship, but not in a man who will be the Messiah of Israel.
No belief is further from the truth than that of messianism, and no Jewish false illusion was so clearly heretical as the illusion of the messianic idea under a living and existing Messiah.
The Torah, the prophets, and the sages often speak of the Messiah as the only Redeemer, as our Lord Moses was; they speak of the King Messiah, not of messianism. And so we say every day in the Articles of Faith, “I believe… in the coming of the Messiah, and even though He delays with all this, I will wait for Him.” The words “may delay” and “for Him” refer to a living person, not a dead idea.
The Messiah will be a Jewish savior, a man who will be a great leader, and will come from the seed of King David. According to the Gemara, his creation arose in the Creator's mind before the world was created, because he constitutes the purpose of the Rav Sha'a's intention in creation (from "The Call and the Holiness" by the Rebbe of Moshe Ha-Ra'itz).
Messiah himself will inform us that he is the Messiah before his coming.
Before the Messiah comes, he will say that he will be the one who will redeem the people of Israel – “May the Messiah reign!” Ostensibly, how will we know who the true Messiah is? After all, anyone can say: “May the Messiah reign”? The excuse is that when we look at that person who says this, and see on his face that he says this with intense longing for redemption – we will know that this is the Messiah (Collection of Proverbs of the Sheraf from Kotzk 154).
Does the Messiah need to perform signs and wonders?
There are two periods in the days of the Messiah. In the period leading up to the coming of the Messiah, at the beginning of the days of the Messiah, nothing will be abolished from the customs of the world, but the world will continue as it has always been (Rambam, Hilchot Malachim Rafi'b). In a later period – in the days of the Messiah itself – things and customs that the Holy One, the Blessed One, will do will be added, including matters that involve a change in the customs of the world (Meshiahat HaRabbi, Likutei Sichot, vol. 27, p. 198).
Therefore, regarding the first period, Maimonides says: And do not let it occur to you that the King Messiah must perform signs and wonders and renew things in the world or raise the dead and the like – this is not the case. After all, Rabbi Akiva was a great sage among the sages of the Mishnah, and he was the armor-bearer of King Ben Koziva and he would say of him that he was the King Messiah, until he was killed for his sins. Since he was killed – they knew that he was not, and the sages did not ask him for a sign or a miracle (Maimonides, Laws of Kings 11:3).
But in the Epistle to the Yemenite, Maimonides writes that the Messiah performs signs and wonders, referring to the second period of the days of the Messiah, after the period of "the world follows its own custom . "
Where will the Messiah come from?
Chazal say: Messiah sits at the entrance of Rome (Sanhedrin 28:2). Rome is the fourth kingdom – the kingdom of Edom (Netzah Yisrael 19:26 and 19:28). And in our day it is America – that is, the United States, which is the greatest power of our generation. Similar to the first redeemer – Moses our Lord, who sat in Pharaoh’s house in Egypt – the greatest power of his generation.
The Sages said: Even the Messianic King, who is to be redeemed from Edom, will dwell with them in the land , as it is said: There the calf will graze and there it will lie down (Isaiah 27:10) (Shemot Rabbah 1:31).
And the Maharal of Prague says:
Messiah is in Rome until the moment of redemption
(Netzah Yisrael Pl"b)
The Abarbanel also says that the Messiah will come to redeem Israel from outside the Land of Israel. For example (Malachi 3:1): And suddenly he will come to his temple. And for example (Zech. 9:9): Behold, your king will come to you (Abarbanel, Yeshuat Mashiachu, 1:3).
According to the Rebbe of Rozhin: The Messiah will come first to the land of Russia(cited in the Book of Divrei David).
According to the Holy Rabbi of Sanz: The Holy Rabbi of Sanz, during the seventh meal of Passover, tilted his head back and remained like that for a long time. He appeared to be asleep, when the summer came and he said: It seems to me that the Messiah will appear in America (Eretz HaChaim, Letters 6).
Although the "place of his desire" is Jerusalem (Or Chaim 15:7). Even if he was not born in it, he will be called by its name as if he was born in it, as he expects to see it(Maharsha, Chiddussio 3. Ketubot 85:1).
The Rebbe emphasizes that it is impossible for the Messiah to be in the Land of Israel before the redemption and before he brings the people of Israel to the Land, for this is the reason why Moses our Lord did not come to the Land. As the first redeemer, so will the last redeemer. And in his holy words:
And just as then "the righteousness of the Lord he performed and his judgments with Israel," and it is written in the Midrash that Moses could indeed enter the land of Israel, except that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Why should they say that you yourself entered the land of Israel and left the Jews whom you brought out of Egypt in the wilderness?
Thus it is with Moses in every generation and especially with Moses in our generation, the Messiah. He remained in exile for the sheep of his flock in order to take them with him, and it is not at all appropriate for Moses himself to come out of exile and leave the Jews, since a spark of him is found in every Jew, and he will bring them all out (Meshchat HaRabbi, Sh. P. "Vara" 5567).
The dimensions of Messiah and his powers
Possessor of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge
The king who will arise from the seed of David will be wiser than Solomon.
(Rambam, Laws of Repentance 9:2).
And the Spirit of the Lord rested upon him.
A wise and understanding spirit
A spirit of advice and courage
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of God
(Isaiah 11:2)
Good-natured
May the Messiah the King be blessed with good qualities.
(26 Ya'avetz. Quoted in Yalkut from Lo'az, Tehillim 31, p. 233)
A humble man
The King Messiah will especially excel in the virtue of humility, which is the best of all virtues, as the Ramban says in his well-known letter.
The greatness of the Messiah is his great humility. Although he will be utterly exalted, and as it is written (Isaiah 11:2), and the Spirit of God will rest upon him. And he will study Torah with the patriarchs and with Moses our Lord, he will be utterly humble and insignificant in his own eyes, and he will also study with the common people(Rebbe Rayetz, Sefer Ma'amarim 5:39, p. 194).
Merciful
The Messianic King will not be cruel to his people nor will he be arrogant toward them, as (Psalms 45:5) : And righteousness will humble you… the terrors of your right hand (26 Chayon, quoted in Yalkut from Loaz, Psalms 51, p. 15).
When the Messianic King sees a needy person, begging the poor to return the money they lent him, and the poor person has no source of help – the Messiah will have mercy on him and give him his share, as it is written (Psalms 22:14) : Out of the hand of the wicked he will redeem their souls, and their blood will be precious in his eyes(Ner Mitzvah, quoted in Yalkut Me'am Lo'ez, Psalms 22:147).
Love every Jew
It is narrated in the Midrash that when Moses our Rabbi, peace be upon him, saw a sheep that had escaped from the flock, he left the entire flock and ran to return it to the flock. From this we learn how important every soul of Israel is to Moses our Rabbi, even when it comes to a sheep that has escaped from the flock, and since the first redeemer is the last redeemer (see Exodus 2:4), also with regard to our righteous Messiah, every Jew is precious and important wherever he is, even if he escapes from the flock (Meshchat Ha-Rebbe, Ta'adadhoot 5783, p. 1314).
Suffering
The torment was divided into three parts – one was taken by the fathers of the world; one by the generation of the destroyer, and one by the King Messiah (Midrash Tehillim, Parsha 16:4).
And why does the Messianic King suffer so much? It has to do with his love for Israel.
Messiah will agree to give his life for the mission of redemption
(Writings of the Ramban, 1911, p. 24)
The Holy One, Blessed be He, asks the Messiah: These whose sins are hidden with you, will put you in an iron yoke, and make you like this calf whose eyes are closed and who suffocates your spirit with a yoke, and because of their sins your tongue will stick to your cheek, do you want this?... The Messiah said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Lord of the universe, in the joy of my heart and in the joy of my heart I accept it upon myself, so that not one of Israel will perish (Yalkut Shimoni Yesha' Ram"7 539).
Indeed, he bore our sicknesses and endured our sorrows.
And we considered him afflicted, smitten of God, and tormented.
And he is the one who is responsible for our transgressions, oppressed by our iniquities.
Our peace is upon him, and in his company we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each one has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:4-6)
Brave man
The Messianic King will be a hero like Jephthah the Gileadite – in a time of war. For example (1 Kings 45:4) : Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, your majesty and your way” – although not every king can boast when he is girded with a sword; For example (1 Kings 21:11) : Let not one gird himself like a key – the Messianic King, with his sword girded, can boast as if he has already come from war, and has already defeated his enemies (20 Ya'av'etz, quoted in Yalkut from Lo'az, Tehillim 31, p. 44).
Heroism is an essential need for a king, since it is his duty to fight God's wars and win. However, in order to defeat his enemies, the Messianic King will not need to use heroism, but rather advice, meaning that the Messianic King will have special resourcefulness and wisdom, according to which he will give advice to defeat his enemies:
And although kings need to be heroes like David, as it is written about him (2 Sam. 17:8) : And your father was a man of war – the King Messiah will not need heroism, because heroism will come from counsel, as it is written (Isaiah 11:2) : “And the spirit of counsel and might will rest upon him” (Mishakana Yaakov, quoted in Yalkut, from Loaz, Isaiah, p. 144).
The weapons of the righteous and their strength are wisdom, prayer and supplication, as our forefather Jacob says: With my sword and my supplication (Yachaiah 42:22), and Rashi interprets: It is my wisdom and my prayer , and Onkelos translates: In my shadow and in my supplication . That is, in my prayer and supplication.
And as the Mishnah says in Pirkei Avot: What kind of hero is he? – He who conquers his instincts.
And indeed, this is the greatness of the Messiah, and his special virtue:
True heroism is to overcome the inclination, and this is the virtue of the Messiah and the glory and the glory that overcomes his inclination, and this is what is said (Psalm 45:4) : "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, your glory and the way" (26 Titzak. Quoted in Yalkut from Loaz, Psalm 41, p. 44).
Good deeds
The Messiah the King boasts of good deeds and actions, which are not just ordinary good deeds, which many righteous people are conditioned to do, but his deeds and actions are especially beautiful and noble, and infinitely superior to the good deeds of other people:
The actions of the Messiah the King are more beautiful than the actions of other people, and when he speaks his words they are words of grace, as if grace were poured upon his lips, as it is written (55:3) : "You are more beautiful than men, grace is poured upon your lips" (Mts. 44:11).
Fear the Lord.
The thoughts, speech, and actions of the Messianic King will be in the fear of God, and fear of God precedes all else, for fear of God is his treasure , and if there is no fear, there is no wisdom :
All the words and sayings of the Messiah King will be in the fear of the Lord, as it is written (Isaiah 11:3) : And they will smell in the fear of the Lord – ‘and they will smell’ from the word “dib ” (Yalkut Me’am Lo’ez Isaiah, p. 148).
And as Rashi explains the verse: Everything that the Messiah the King will do – he will not do according to physical sight or physical hearing; but with his special sense of fear of God. It says (Isaiah 11:3) : And he will smell in the fear of God – ‘And he will smell’, meaning his spirit. That is, his spirituality will be the fear of God (Rashi, quoted in Yalkut Me’am Loaz, Isaiah, p. 148).
Love God
All of Messiah's actions will be for the sake of Heaven, because he loves God, a love that surpasses "worldly love" and "great love," a love out of complete selflessness.
Although it is the way of kings to benefit themselves and refine themselves in material matters with food and drink, the Messianic King will not be like that, but all his prosperity and refinement will be in the love of God, in the observance of the Torah and the commandments, and not in the vanities of the world. For example(Isaiah 11:3) : And they smelled in the fear of God – ‘and they smelled’ from the word ‘revah’ (Abarbanel, quoted in Yalkut Me’am Loaz, Isaiah p. 148).
A man of faith and justice
Faith in Messiah will overcome everything, even his wisdom:
The Messiah will have very strong faith. And although he will also have great wisdom – faith will prevail over wisdom, and thus he will achieve the greatest achievements(Chasidic Commentaries, Lachish, p. 299).
The righteousness and faith that will be in the Messianic King will not be an external possession for him, but rather like a belt attached to the loins, which is something that belongs to his body. And the righteousness that is between a man and his fellow man will be visible as a belt on the loins, from the outside; and the faith that is between a man and the place will be like a belt of loins that is not visible except to the person who wears it (Isaiah 11:5) : "And righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, and faith the belt of his loins" (Malbim, quoted in Yalkut Me'am Lo'az, Isaiah, p. 148).
Possessing a special sense of smell – "and smelling in the fear of the Lord"
The greatness of the Messiah will be his sense of smell, meaning that he will "smell" each one and know the degree of his fear of God, to the extent that he can reach, and even if he declines in his behavior. Just as perfume that is placed in a vessel, even after the perfume is removed, the smell remains in the vessel, so too does the "vessel" - the body, the smell of the degree of fear of God of that person remain. As it is written (Isaiah 11:2) : And he will smell with fear of God (Explanations of the Hasidic Chronicles, p. 299).
And the Rebbe explains that the smell has its roots in ancient internalities and continues also in matters of law in the visible mind, precisely through our righteous Messiah. This means that the Messiah will see the essence of the person being judged and not his external appearance, will know the reasons that brought him to his condition and that he is actually good (according to the Rebbe's statement, and he raised his hand over the river 5711).
The Holy Spirit
And he rested upon him… the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:3). The ‘spirit of knowledge’ is the Holy Spirit, as it is said in Bezalel (Exodus 31:3) : And I will fill him with the spirit of God in wisdom and understanding and knowledge. And the fear of the Lord – is his treasure, for if there is no fear, there is no wisdom, and even more so if there is no Holy Spirit (The Woes of Jacob, quoted in Yalkut Me’am Loaz, Isaiah, p. 144).
Great prophet
The Messiah is a very great prophet, the greatest of all prophets, close to Moses our Lord (Egerat Yeman 4).
From the day of the Messiah's birth, his righteousness will grow and increase from moment to moment, and thanks to his deeds in this world, he will attain sublime degrees of spiritual perfection (Four Hundred Shekels of Silver, p. Rama, Or Hama LeZohar Hab. 7, 2).
And in Tanuchuma (Sf. Toldot) it means that he is a prophet greater than Moses : this is the Messiah, the son of David … who is greater than the fathers, as it is said, Behold, he will instruct my servants, exalt and lift them up and be very high (Isaiah 55:13). He will be exalted above Abraham, and he will lift up Isaac, and he will lift up Jacob … and he will lift up Moses (Shichat HaRabbi, Sf. Shoftim 55:1, note 91).
The Rebbe explains that according to Midrash Tanchuma, it means that the Messiah will be greater than Moses, and therefore the interpretation of the words in Rambam: close to Moses is: higher than Moses.
The middle Rebbe explains the advantage of Moses over the other prophets, who was a vessel for receiving the divine light in his body as well as in his soul, and thus the King Messiah will prevail even over Moses:
In the prophecy of Moses, “ I will speak to him face to face ,” etc., there was no difference at all between his body and his soul, just as the Divine Presence speaks from within his throat, etc., and there is no need to prepare the material, therefore he did not fall to the earth. And this will be even more so in the Messiah … since he will be a vehicle to receive everything without having to ascend to heaven (“The Writings of the Middle Rebbe” – Wedding Sermons, p. 155).
Shepherd and Prince Adam
Messiah is a "prince of men." It is written (Micah 5:4) : And He appointed over him seven shepherds and eight princes of men (Sukkah 52:2). Indeed, the Messiah the King is one of the seven shepherds who provide for and influence God's will in the Knesset of Israel internally. And one of the seven princes who are righteous and innocent, from whom also strength is drawn for the souls of Israel in a comprehensive work (see Torah Or, Parashat Makatz, Chanukah sermons).
Balance against all of Israel – the general unit
It is said of Moses that he was equal to all of Israel, but Moses was in the sense of the general soul, while the Messiah was in the sense of the general unit. As explained in Kabbalah:
Five names were given to the soul: soul, spirit, soul, animal, unit. David was granted the life of the soul. Elijah the prophet was granted the life of the spirit. Moses our Lord was granted the life of the soul, Adam the first was given the animal and the King Messiah – as a unit. And that is, the general unit of the people of Israel (Ram"7 Zohar 42:2).
Therefore, by revealing the examination of the individual unit, we awaken the redemption for all of Israel.
.
Living above nature
The Messiah's virtue is that He controls matter, is distinct from it, and is exalted above it, and this is what is meant (Zech. 9:9) : "Poor and riding on a donkey" (Givurot Ha-Ha 529).
The Messiah has no part at all in this natural world, and the world even opposes Him, because His virtues are not of nature, and He Himself is not natural and not material. And according to this, what the wise men said (Senad 28:1) is understood: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked the Messiah: When will the Messiah come? (When will the Messiah come?) And the Messiah answered him: Today. For the Messiah is above time, for with Him a day can be a long time. This is also what is written in the Gemara(ibid.) : "He sits among the poor," because the poor also have no part in this world, and the natural world opposes them (Maharal of Prague, Netzach Yisrael, 228).
"And the Spirit of the Lord rested upon him" (Isaiah 11:2) – the Lord is – was, is, and will be as one, above nature, and the Messiah is also above nature (Rabbi Rayetz, Likutei Divorim Chb, 18:36).
Our concern – God
Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch and a king … and this is his name by which he will be called, The Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6).
Moshiach is the unity of Moshiach and Ben – the man of God: Moshiach is the unity of Moshiach and Ben. That is, on the one hand, he is flesh and blood in his literal physicality (Ben) and on the other hand, he is the messenger of the Holy One, and his very likeness (Moshiach) (Shichat HaRabbi, Sefer Hasihoch 5752, Ch. 1, p. 106).
He is completely intellectual and his concern is God (Maharal, Netzach Yisrael 1911 and 1922).
The whole point of the Messiah is a non-material God, and how can the Messiah be in this world, which is a material world, except that then in the days of the Messiah the world will be ready... and the world will be God's, and man will not pursue material things, only God's things (Maharal, Netzach Yisrael, Chapter 42).
And most importantly, according to the words of the middle Rebbe, son of the old Rebbe, God Almighty says:
Please, I am destined to be revealed in the Messiah (Ner Mitzvah and Torah Or, Shaar Ha'Amunah in commentary on the words of the Zohar, Leviticus 11:1). For the Blessed One, who is the "boundless," can be revealed within the "boundary" – in the forest, in the Temple, in the angels, in the righteous who resemble their Creator, and especially in the King Messiah. After all, it is said in the well-known Midrash: And the Spirit of God hovers over the face of the waters – this is the Spirit of the Messiah (Genesis 2:4). That is, the Spirit of the Messiah is the Spirit of God.
And this, in the words of the middle Rebbe, the son of the old Rebbe, is the greatness of the Messiah over every man, even over Moses our Lord. And this is his holy language:
And it is not God, Moses, who is called King, but Moses our Lord.
And he, being a teacher of Torah to Israel in the revealed life,
As it is written: Torah commanded us Moses 25
But the Messiah will be a king in his lifetime, precisely in the example of the King of Kings.
Because in the end he will discover from the world a real AAS
(Ner Mitzvah and Torah Light, Shaar Ha'Amunah, p. 59)
Therefore, there is no problem and no contradiction in the matter of the Redeemer and the builder of the Temple – God the Redeemer of Israel and the builder of the Temple or the King Messiah the Redeemer of Israel and the builder of the Temple, just as there is no contradiction in the designation of the Torah: the Torah of God or the Torah of Moses . As the Rebbe explains:
And there is no matter that is beyond the reach of the simple – the true and complete redemption as simple and the building of the Temple as simple.
And in the words of the Rambam – a jurisprudence that primarily concerns the simple principles of halacha – “A king from the house of David will arise and build a temple in its place,” meaning that the future redemption and the building of the Temple will be through our righteous Messiah.
And along with this – a scripture full of the words written, “I, I, am he who comforts you,” and also regarding the temple – “The temple of the Lord your hands have built,” “Benina Dekvah.”
And there is no contradiction in this – after all, our righteous Messiah is the essence of the oneness, the "oneness of oneness," the unique and united with the essence of the "oneness," the unity of the world, its essence and essence.
And today, the redemption is effected as a single person from Israel, "in our young men and in our old men, in our sons and in our daughters," which is because the soul as a single person from them is "a part of God from above (and as our Elder Rabbi adds (Tanya R.F.B.) ) in reality," precisely in the aspect of the unit, a created spark, in which the spark of the Creator is clothed as an individual, therefore, all are redeemed by the Messiah our Righteous, as a general unit, which is one reality with the One of the World , "I, I, am He who comforts you."
And along with this – the revelation continues all the way down, in the “part of God from above, from the word “touch,” meaning, as the “part of God from above, from the word “touch,” extends and clothes itself in the physical body, the true being is as found in the created being of the physical body, as in the “Holy Nation” of Israel, “a holy nation.”
And all this – in a single moment and in a single moment, very quickly in our days, literally, "literally" in relation to the limits of time, together with the aspect of "literally" in the soul, as above.
And in this way – souls in bodies – are granted the fulfillment of the destiny (the conclusion and seal of the Tractate of Taanit) “In the future, the Blessed One will make a dance (adj. “They will go out and dance”) for the righteous… and each one points with his finger (and says), as it is said (Isaiah 25:9): And he will say in that day, Behold, our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord, we have waited for him, a revelation, and we will rejoice in his salvation,” very soon in our own day (The Documents 5786, Part 4, pp. 230-231).
Messiah corrects the nations of the world
The Messiah will teach all nations to be wise and to know God (Ramban's Writings, 1:25).
The Messiah the King will correct the nations of the world to serve the Lord together, as it is written (Zephaniah 3:9) : For then I will turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord(Rambam, Laws of Kings 11:4).
And this is the main innovation in the Messianic King, which was not present in the presidents of the generations before him, not even in the days of King Solomon or in the days of King Hezekiah:
The main innovation in the work of the Messiah will be the correction of the world and the nations, and not in His working so that the children of Israel can observe the Torah with rest. Because observing the Torah with rest already existed in the world (such as in the days of Solomon and Hezekiah), but the correction of the nations will not be carried out in any period, only in the time of the Messiah (Meshchat Ha-Rebbe, Sefer Hasihot 5788, Ch. 2, p. 389).
Of course, the influence of the Messianic King on the nations will only be after he conquers them and rules over them physically, and only after that will spiritual control come, for this is the ultimate purpose of the supreme intention to turn the entire world into his dwelling place, and this includes the entire people of Israel and all the nations of the world:
There are two stages in the Messiah's influence on the nations. In the first stage, he will fight the nations and defeat them – in a way of dominating them, and in the second stage, God will influence the nations, meaning that the nations themselves will recognize him and all will come to call on the name of God to serve him with one shoulder (Zeph. 3:9). (Meshchat Ha-Rabbi, Likutei Sichot Chai'a, p. 283).
In conclusion – the image of Messiah according to the Abarbanel
His perfection will be miraculous, for even if he is perfect in thought, he will also be perfect in practical wisdom, and will include both wisdom in thought and understanding in action. Even if he is perfect in mental powers, he will also be perfect in physical strength, and furthermore, with his great knowledge, nothing will interfere with him in false belief, but all his thoughts will be in the fear of God.
In his prophecy, he knew what was in the secrets of the human heart, as he said(Isaiah 11:3) : "He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, nor reprove by what he hears with his ears."
He will pursue righteousness and justice.
Because of his devotion to God, blessed be He, he will perform signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth.
Not only will the Israelites be under his discipline, but also the rest of the nations, as it is written (Isaiah 11:10) : "To him the Gentiles will seek " (Habarbanel – quoted in