Moshiach’s White Donkey & Other Myths...

Guidelines to help distinguish between fact and fiction in the study of Moshiach.

By Alexander Zushe Kohn

How many times have we heard that Moshiach will come to town riding on a white donkey? Is it true? Well, the “donkey” part—it does say that in Zechariah, though some commentators understand it in a metaphorical sense. The “white” part, on the other hand—doesn’t say anywhere. The same is true of many other Moshiach “facts”—e.g., he will be an angel and not a human; he must perform incredible miracles;  in his days, lollypops will grow on trees, etc.

Fact vs. Fiction

What’s clear is that a lot of our so-called “information” about Moshiach is not information at all, but warm, fuzzy details that somehow got appended to some facts stated in our Torah literature, or worse, completely fabricated.

So how do we sort fact from fiction when it comes to Moshiach? The answer is quite simple. We look to Torah sources, as we do when gathering information on any Torah subject.

But it goes beyond that, for in Torah itself there may be several opinions on a given matter, as well as diverse categories of interpretation—e.g., pshat, remez, drush, sod, etc. And so, when looking to gain insight or perspective on a subject, or even perhaps to understand its philosophical and spiritual underpinnings, we may—and should—draw on works of Aggadah and Kabbalah, and so on. But when seeking to determine what actions are expected of us in relation to that subject—both as individuals and as a nation—we must turn to Halachah.

Halachah & Aggadah

And this is where many scratch their heads and say, “Halachah!? Yes, Torah abounds with tales and tidbits of Moshiach and the future Redemption, but these are descriptions, prophecies, and promises—aspects of Torah not at all connected with Halachah!? What Halachos can there possibly be concerning Moshiach!? And which halachic authorities would describe them!?”

Enter Mishneh Torah, the Rambam’s comprehensive, encyclopedic work of Halachah. Not only does the Rambam devote two entire chapters (11 and 12 of Hilchos Melachim) to the Halachos of Moshiach, he actually seals Yad ha’Chazaka with them, thus alluding—in the spirit of the Talmudic dictum “Hakol holech achar hachitum [everything follows the conclusion]”—to their primary role as the goal and purpose of all the Halachos preceding them.

To be sure, the Rambam acknowledges that certain aspects of Moshiach’s coming are shrouded in mystery and were vague even to the Talmudic Sages. The particulars of the war of Gog u’Magog are a case in point. The details of Techiyas ha’Meisim are another case in point. Nevertheless, when it comes to some other aspects of Moshiach’s coming, such as the obligation to believe in him and anticipate his coming, and the qualities by which he is identified as the presumed redeemer and later the definite redeemer, the Rambam lays down the law in a most definitive manner.

Which Poskim speak of Moshiach?

Lest one think, however, that the Rambam is a lone voice on this subject, and his opinion does not reflect that of other Poskim (halachic authorities), we have a klal—a principle in the study of halachic literature—that wherever the Poskim do not voice disagreement with the Rambam they, in fact, endorse his view. (See Mishnah L’Melech to Hilchos Kilayim 9:11; works referenced in Sdei Chemed—Klalei ha’Poskim 6:1) What that means is that most of the Rambam’s rulings on Moshiach are indeed the final Halachah. 

Contradictory Sources

Okay, so we learned something new—there are Halachos about Moshiach. There’s no denying, however, that there are numerous midrashim and maamarei Chazal ( – a term that includes authoritative statements made by sages of the mishnaic and talmudic era, considered in the Jewish tradition hallowed and binding, since they were said with Divine inspiration) that describe the coming of Moshiach quite differently from the way the Rambam describes it.

For example, from the Rambam it is clear that the Geulah begins with the arrival of Moshiach. Yet we have numerous statements of Chazal, ranging from the Talmud Yerushalmi to the Midrash to the Zohar, that seem, at first glance, to call into question this signpost for the beginning of the Geulah. By way of example, the Gemara (Sanhedrin 98a) says that the clearest sign of the impending Geulah is that the trees of the land of Israel will bear fruit. Another maamar Chazal teaches that the Geulah will come “little by little,” which may suggest that it will begin well before Moshiach’s arrival (Yerushalmi: Brachos 1:1; Yoma 3:2). How do we understand the halachic rulings of the
Rambam in light of teachings such as these?

Once again, the answer is simple and straightforward: the Rambam was surely aware of all of these teachings and rendered his halachic decisions having taken them into account. Any ideas about Moshiach, then, that we may have garnered from the teachings of Chazal, or from verses in the Prophets, cannot inform our practical behavior where there is a clear ruling of the Rambam.

So, the next time we hear that Moshiach will come to town riding on a white donkey, we may just want to slip Sefer Shoftim off the shelf, dust off the pages of Hilchos Melachim and become informed of the Rambam’s rulings on this most important of Torah subjects. ■ 

Alexander Zushe Kohn is a writer and translator, specializing in Jewish topics and Chassidic teachings in particular. He can be contacted at screenwrite@hotmail.com at, or 718-419-8757.

Summary:

• Various myths and half-truths became appended to the true concept of Moshiach.

• They are testament to the important role Moshiach plays in Jewish life, yet we must distinguish between fact and fiction by referring to Torah sources which are the only authoritative source for such information.

• Information about Moshiach is found in all categories of Torah; only Halachah, however, can address our practical behavior in Moshiach related events.

• The Rambam is the sole Posek (halachic authority) who discusses Moshiach systematically from a halachic perspective in the closing chapters of his monumental Mishneh Torah.

• A principle in halachic study has it that when other poskim don’t disagree with the Rambam, they endorse his view. In accordance with this principle, most of the Rambam’s rulings on Moshiach are final Halachah.

• The Rambam is only definitive on (a) what faith in Moshiach entails (b) what Moshiach’s function is, and, (c) how he can be identified.

• The Rambam’s primary source is the reaction of the sages to the events surrounding the rise and fall of Bar Kochva.

• On most other matters, we uphold the principle that their exact meaning will become known only when they actually come to pass.

• None of these events can therefore be a prerequisite for the arrival of Moshiach, since both their timing and meaning is unclear. This too is based on the Bar Kochva precedent.