IS THE MESSIAH A JEWISH CONCEPT?

For many people, the very mention of Moshiach (messiah, resurrection, Moshiach appearing after disappearing for awhile) is an automatic turnoff. They say, that it sounds too similar to Christianity.

We therefore have to start with a disclaimer. It is not our fault that there are similar imitations to our name brand. Being that Christianity was created by Jews - and to recruit Jews - it should not be shocking that they have adopted some of our basic beliefs. For one to discount an idea as a "Christian-non Jewish concept" without checking Jewish sources, is like giving credit to a new company, without seeing if they stole patents from an older company.

[ To put things into perspective: The Rambam (Maimonides) wirtes (Hilchos M'lachim chapter 12) that the reason the Hashem allowed the idea of a "Christian Messiah" in the forst place, is so that the idea of redemption should not be a foreign idea in this world. when the true Jewish redeemer will come, the nations of the world will say " Right idea, Wrong man".]

What does Judaism have to say about "Moshiach"?

I will start with a few quotes:

" The entire world was created for the era of Moshiach" (Talmud, Sahedrin 98a)

  On the verse in Bereishis (Chapter 1 verse 2) " Before the creation, the spirit of Hashem was hovering over the water", the commentaries (Baal Haturim and others)  explain that this is referring to the spirit of Moshiach.

 When the Rambam (in his commentary for Mishnayos Sanhedrin, Perek Chelek) enumerates the 13 principles of Jewish faith,  he lists - number 12 and 13 - the Belief in Moshiach and the resurrection.
 
The Rambam (in Hilchos Melachim chapter 11)  writes " One that does not believe in Moshiach, or await his arrival is a denier of the books of prophets and the five books of Moshe , for they are full with references about Moshiach".

[ A perspective: The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains the above passage of the Rambam in a revolutionary way ( Sicha Acharei 5751): It is not only that there are many passages in the Torah that speak about Moshiach, rather EVERY passage in Torah speaks about Moshiach. The differences in the passages are only whether that speak openly about Moshiach, or does one have to look in the commentaries and find the connection.

One Chassid, Rabbi Dubov of NJ, took it upon himself to prove the above and has printed over 30 books - Yalkut Moshiach U'Geulah Al HaTorah, Kehot publications, showing how literally every verse is  connected  with Moshiach.

The above leads to another perspective: Our sages say (Zohar,Part 2, page 161) " Hashem looked into the Torah and created the world". If every verse in Torah is conncted with Moshiach, then every part of creation is connected with moshiach! ]

From the above we see clearly, the belief in Moshiach is a central Jewish belief. Next week, we will address the question:
Why is Moshiach a central Jewish belief?


Rabbi Gershon Avtzon
Menahel - Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati