One of the basic tenants of Judaism is the belief in the coming of The Messiah, may he come speedily in our days. But it’s been thousands of years, many tears, and much blood and sweat. Signs and predictions that have come and gone. How is it that we keep up our faith and stay strong?
Within the Torah portion of Lech Licha it discusses the “Bris Bein Habesarim,” the special covenant Hashem made with Avraham. There the Torah states, “And it happened, as the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Avram; and behold- a dreadful darkness, great, fell upon him” (Breishis 15:12). The Daas Zekeinim has a lengthy piece on this pasuk and in the midst of it he writes: “And further there is to prove from here the bondage of four kingdoms. ‘A dreadful darkness’ refers to the Greek kingdom, for they darkened the eyes of the Jews from all the mitzvos in the Torah. ‘Great’ refers to the Medinite (Persian) kingdom who tried very hard to sell out the Jews, (i.e. Haman and the Purim story). ‘Fell’ refers to the Babylonian kingdom where the crown of the Jews fell through them. ‘Upon him’ refers to the Children of Yishmael (the Arabs), through them the son of Dovid (the Moshiach) will flourish and spring forth as it says, ‘His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him, his crown will shine’ (Tehillim 132:18).” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Daas Zekeinim points out that this pasuk refers to four empires that had overwhelming control over the Jews. The Greeks mission was assimilation, a spiritual destruction. Madai (or Persia) sought to eradicate us, a physical destruction, and Babylonia stripped us of our kingship and sovereignty, more of a psychological depreciation of the Jewish People. One would think the 4th country would be Rome who persecuted and exiled us until this day by the destruction of the Second Beis HaMikdash; but interestingly enough the fourth (not even referred to as a kingdom) is the children of Yishmael, the Arabs, who are definitely today at the forefront of Jewish persecution. And the Daas Zekeinim doesn’t describe how they persecute us but just says that the pasuk alludes to the fact that within their reign of power Moshiach will come forth. He bases it on a pasuk in Tehillim.
The Metzudas Dovid points out that this pasuk in Tehillim specifically uses a term ‘being dressed in shame,’ that the enemy will be completely enclosed, wrapped in shame just like clothing completely enwraps the body; whereas King Dovid will have a shining royal crown, meaning his greatness will be enhanced exceedingly. The Radak takes it a step further and says that ‘being dressed in shame’ is the complete opposite of what it says two pesukim before in pasuk 16: “I will clothe her priests with salvation,” those that serve before Hashem and pray on behalf of the king, and the enemy of the king I will dress in shame. In applying these explanations to the Daas Zekeinim that quotes this pasuk, he is saying that during the period of history when the Arabs will be the major arbiter of tyranny, Moshiach will come. And this time will be evident from the fact that the Arabs will be completely and utterly humiliated and disgraced and the King Moshiach Ben Dovid will be extremely glorified; complete opposites. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
We have to appreciate what this means and how this can be applied to our mitzva of yearning for Moshiach to arrive, which is one of the thirteen basic tenants of belief in Judaism. With all the signs and predictions of the heralding of Moshiach throughout the ages we have to realize what it really takes for Moshiach to reveal himself. Not even a generation like the Purim story, where the gemara in Shabbos 88a says the Jewish People unified together to reaccept the Torah voluntarily as they did by Har Sinai, was enough to bring Moshiach and the permanent state of bliss that the era of Moshiach entails. The Radak speaks of complete opposites in the state of the enemy vis-a-vis the Jews. Are we truly at that state; what exactly are we yearning for and expecting?
We must say that with all the predictions and signs that Moshiach is coming, this should not be used as a fuel for hope, and when he hasn’t come yet and time passes yet again, our hopes are dashed. Rather we must use our yearning for Moshiach and the signs that we are on the brink of him coming as an impetus to aspire us to be better people, to do much more than what we normally do, to deserve Moshiach to reveal himself. Because for Moshiach to come, in a positive light, we need real change, a revolution!
If the generation of Mordechai and Esther, or the generation of King Chizkiyahu (See Sanhedrin 94a), couldn’t bring Moshiach – as great of a unifying force as they were – then it must be, and it makes sense that, it is something which needs a revolutionary process of great change and commitment, in order for this new era in history to take place. So, one cannot feel their hopes being dashed if Moshiach still hasn’t come, even if the signs are here, because the signs are instead supposed to be used as inspiration to better ourselves. To inspire us to put in all our efforts to reach our potential in life; and if we all realize this and work at full capacity to fulfill our potential, then he will come.
Hashem is ready and willing for Moshiach to reveal himself; it’s up to each and every one of us to earn and deserve this new state of being, may it come speedily on our days.