By Rabbi Nissim Lagziel
A Joke to begin with…
Once upon a time, a simple Jewish farmer in an Eastern European village decided to take his eight-year-old son with him one weekday morning to shul for Shacharis. “At least he’ll learn how to daven,” the farmer thought.
During the service, the farmer’s son, who was very clever and perceptive, noticed that it took his father only a quarter of the time the village rav needed to daven Shacharis. The boy was amazed by this, and he decided to ask his father about it: “Tatty, how is it that you finish Shacharis in fifteen minutes, while the rav needs over an hour to daven?”
The father, who was careful about preserving his honor, replied confidently: “What don’t you understand? When the rav was a boy, and he learned how to read and write, he finished the first grade in cheider at the top of his class!”
“So?” the perplexed boy asked.
“In contrast,” the father continued, “I had to learn in first grade for six years!”
“Nu…after six years of training to read fluently, could you imagine that anyone could possibly compare to me?” the father explained.
The moral to the story: It all depends upon your point of view!
***
Which Parsha has the most open connection to Moshiach and the Redemption?
The answer, hands-down, is Parshas Balak. Parshas Balak foretells the future and includes the most basic foundations on the subject of faith in Moshiach and the imminent Redemption.
The only time that the existence of Melech HaMoshiach is mentioned in the Torah occurs in Bilaam’s last prophecy – recorded in this week’s parsha.
The subject of the Redemption, (the ingathering of the exiles of Israel, the abundant reward for our mitzvos and other aspects of the Geulah) does appear in numerous places throughout the Torah. However, the concept that a human being, a king of flesh and blood, is the one destined to bring the full realization of the era of Redemption, is written in Torah only once – in Parshas Balak.
The truth is, not one Moshiach is mentioned in this parsha, but two:
“I see him, but not now — I behold him, but not soon.”
“A star will go forth from Yaakov — and a staff will arise from Israel”
“He will crush the princes of Moab — and uproot all the sons of Seth.”
“Edom shall be possessed — and Seir shall become the possession of his enemies, and Israel shall triumph” (Bamidbar 24:17-19)
According to the Rambam and other commentaries, each verse consists of two phrases, the former telling of a first Moshiach, and the latter of the second, and final one. These are prophetic words, and they are not repeated for poetic purposes.
Why link the description of the “final Moshiach” to the first, his forefather Dovid HaMelech? Do they have anything in common besides both being Jewish kings?
***
There are many Jews, both religious and not-yet-religious, that see Moshiach as a superman who will fix all their problems.
However, is this Moshiach’s task in the world? Is this the main reason for his coming? To help us deal with our bank overdraft?
There’s a story about a man who complained to his rabbi: Why hasn’t Moshiach come yet? I’ve been waiting for him so long!
The rabbi replied: The Moshiach you have been waiting for will never come, and you have never waited for the real Moshiach …
While Melech HaMoshiach will indeed bring world peace and financial prosperity, this is not the true definition of his character; these are merely secondary results of something far more profound.
According to the Rambam and the Rebbe’s explanations, Moshiach’s mission is the full restoration of the fulfillment of the mitzvos of the Torah. In this manner, he is similar to his ancestor and “predecessor in this role,” the first Moshiach of which Bilaam also talks about – Dovid HaMelech.
The function of the kingdom of the House of Dovid is to bring the fulfillment of the mitzvos of the Torah to its ultimate realization by subjugating the enemies of Israel and the building of the Beis HaMikdash.
This was achieved the first time by Dovid HaMelech when he waged war against the enemies of Israel and completed the conquest of Eretz Yisrael until it was made possible to establish the kingdom and the Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim. (While his son Shlomo did the actual building, nevertheless, Dovid lay the groundwork by arranging the plans and preparations for its construction.)
The comparison made by the Rambam in Mishneh Torah (Hilchos Melachim 11:1) between Dovid HaMelech and Melech HaMoshiach, while explaining the p’sukim quoted above – the first half of each pasuk speaking about Dovid HaMelech and the second half about Melech HaMoshiach – is not just some story, a description of past and future events. There is a deeper meaning here. The Torah is describing to us the true character of the Redeemer.
When the Torah speaks — for the first and only time — about the subject of the human Moshiach, it explicitly tells us that he isn’t coming to deal with our discomfort and solve our problems. He’s not a doctor or a financial advisor, and the determining factor of his success is not how many miracles he can perform or how many dead he can resurrect. Not at all.
The only test for Melech HaMoshiach is whether he has succeeded in restoring the Torah to its fullest, if all mitzvos and halachos can be fulfilled entirely, including Korbanos, Shmitta and Yovel, the laws of purity and impurity, the laws about kohanim and the tribe of Levi — all which have been unobservable for thousands of years now.
Why is this the only test? Because this is the single mission of Moshiach – the complete fulfillment of the mitzvos of the Torah!
Therefore, the Rambam chose to place the Laws of Moshiach at the conclusion of his Mishneh Torah, after he had already explained and laid out all the 613 mitzvos of the Torah. This indicates that Melech HaMoshiach is supposed to fulfill everything that is written in the Yad HaChazaka. From the first mitzvah, the overall belief in the existence of G-d, to the last detail of a seemingly marginal mitzvah such as shiluach ha’ken.
Thus, similar to the story with the peasant farmer, we need to change our vantage point. We have to stop thinking about Moshiach according to theories that may have derived from other religions and nations of the world and start thinking about Moshiach based upon concepts in Torah and Yiddishkeit. However, this is possible only through studying the subject of Moshiach and the Redemption in the proper Torah sources!
To conclude with a story
The following anecdote brings to light how we must view Moshiach — from a purely Torah-Halacha perception.
A long time ago, there were various sectors among the Jewish People claiming that certain events in world history, including the founding of a modern Jewish State in Eretz Yisrael, had some connection to the Redemption.
On the day the state of Israel was declared, Friday night of Parshas Emor 5708 (1948), R’ Shmuel Zalmanov saw the Rebbe (known then as the Ramash) pacing feverishly back and forth in shul with a Chumash in his hand. When the Rebbe noticed him, he went over to him and pointed to the p’sukim in Parshas Nitzavim that speak about the ingathering of the exiles.
“And you will return to Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you this day … Then, Hashem, your G-d, will bring back your exiles … He will once again gather you from all the nations, where Hashem, your G-d, had dispersed you.” (Devarim 30:2-3)
The Rebbe asked in an excited voice: “Has the “V’shavta” (the return to G-d) already been fulfilled?”
“No,” R’ Shmuel replied the obvious.
“If that’s the case,” the Rebbe declared conclusively, “then the recent event has no connection whatsoever to this Divine promise (of the ingathering of the exiles),” and he then immediately turned and left.
Take-A-Way
We have to find Moshiach according to Torah, not according to what it says in the world news reports. ■
Good Shabbos!
Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 18, second sicha, Parshas Balak.