Messiah 3

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

The centrality of the Messiah's arrival in Judaism requires explanation. It is the fundamental basis of Jewish law. Every Jew must believe in the Messiah's coming and await his arrival. Six blessings in the Amidah prayer address the need for redemption. Why is this topic so important?
The arrival of the Messiah seemingly corresponds to a future concept. There are many prophecies in the Torah about the end times, which we believe; but despite this, the topic of the Messiah's arrival demands a deeper faith from us, a daily hope, continuous prayer, a feeling that without it, our life is not truly life. Can a Jew not attend to the Torah and the mitzvot and serve the Creator fully without this requirement of waiting so long for the Messiah's arrival?.

REAL FULFILLMENT

The answer to these questions can be found in Maimonides' words at the beginning of the Torah's laws concerning the Messiah (Chapter 11, Hilchot Melachim): "The Messiah, in the future, will establish and restore the royal dynasty of David to its origin, to the first reign, build the Great Temple, gather the dispersed of Israel, and all the laws will be restored as they were before." Here we see something surprising: when Maimonides defines the concept of the Messiah, he doesn't speak of an alteration in the natural order of things, nor of all the wonders generally associated with the Messiah. He focuses on only one point: the fullness of Jewish life restored through the Messiah.
The anticipation of this is expressed first and foremost in the Jewish desire to attain spiritual fulfillment. Jews know that in these times it is impossible to fulfill all the laws of the Torah. There are external difficulties, prevailing evil, and, moreover, large portions of the Torah and its mitzvot are impossible to observe. Of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah, we can only fulfill 207. The remaining mitzvot are linked to matters such as the king, the Sanhedrin, the Beit Hamikdash, offerings, the seventh year, the jubilee year, and so on, which are not feasible at present. It is not merely a matter of quantity; the current structure of Jewish life is partial, not as the Torah fully stipulates. The Torah is now, for the most part, theoretical and not practical.
A Jew cannot be at peace with this situation, in which it is impossible to materialize Divine knowledge in life itself. Does he not believe in the Torah and its eternity? And is it impossible that such a large and central part of it cannot be brought down into his life? Therefore, it is clear that this is a temporary situation, and soon the conditions will return that will allow the materialization of the Torah and its Mitzvot. This is the basic faith in the coming of the Messiah, the past restoration of the fullness of Jewish life, and even the attainment of a new fullness hitherto unknown.

TO BE FREE

All the wonderful things that will happen through the Messiah are intended to lead us to complete understanding and fulfillment of the Torah. The end of subjugation to the nations will remove external obstacles to this fulfillment; great material abundance will allow the people of Israel to be free to dedicate themselves to the Torah and its wisdom; the revelation of the secrets of Divine knowledge will give us a profound attachment to the Creator—all to reach the fullness of Torah and Mitzvot.
Now we understand how faith in the coming of the Messiah is a fundamental principle within our faith. A Jew who believes in the Torah and the Mitzvot and knows that in our times it is impossible to fully observe the vast portions of Judaism, also believes that the day will come when everything will return to normal. For whom Judaism is the meaning of their life, they will long for the day the Messiah comes and grants the possibility of achieving the fullness of the Torah and the Mitzvot.

(Sijat HaShavua Chabad Israel)