Waiting

Did you know that when you die—hopefully not until the age of 120—and you get to HaOlam Habah, the Next World, you are asked six questions? Not five. Not seven. Six questions about how you lived your life. And your six answers will determine if you are worthy to enter. 

I’m not going to go through all six because…that’s a series of sermons for another day, stay tuned! But I will share one key question — “Did you eagerly await the Mashiach every day?” 

How many of us would be able to say yes? Not me. While I do anticipate the coming of Mashiach at some point in history, I don’t wake up every morning, have my coffee, and start looking out the window for him. The Amazon delivery, FedEx, sure. But not him. 

Most of us in the liberal streams of Judaism just…don’t. The yearning and centrality of the coming of Mashiach was effectively wiped out by the German and American Reformers of the 19th century. They rejected the idea of a Mashiach in the form of a person and transformed it into a more “acceptable” Enlightened idea of a “Messianic Era” of peace and brotherhood. Try as they might—and they did—but they couldn’t erase it all.

This week we read parsha Balak. The powerful and wicked gentile prophet, Bilaam, is sent by Balak, the King of Moav, to curse the encamped Israelites. And of course, hijinks ensue. You might remember the talking donkey who was able to see an angel of the Lord when the prophet was not. You may be familiar with the words, “Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov,” “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob.” We start our morning services with Bilaam’s curses turned blessings. But this week we also read one of the most powerful prophecies about Mashiach — and it came from this despicable and detestable man, Bilaam. 

In Numbers 24:17 we read these cryptic words:

The rabbis understood this to be a direct description of the power and glory of the Mashiach. He would gather the people like a star, and with his sceptre, he would rule. Further, according to the 16th century commentator, Sforno, at that time God would destroy all the enemies of Israel, but the Kingdom of Moab would be destroyed by Israel personally. 

Through the millennia these words of Bilaam have come to inspire hope and faith in the power of Mashiach. Understanding the complexities is far beyond the time we have tonight, so I’d like to share just three qualities the Mashiach will possess and three ways that we can help bring Mashiach so that we’re prepared to answer that question at the gates of Olam Habah.

#1  Mashiach will be a regular, human man. He will be born from a biological man and woman in the regular way of childbirth. He has bodily functions. He is not a god, or a demi-god or an angel. He will likely be married and have children himself. We do not know his age. We do know he will be male because all of the prophecies describe him as a king. He’s just flesh and blood. He drinks coffee, maybe tea, he eats ice cream. He’ll be walking around living a normal life until God touches him on the shoulder and says, “Hey, guess what? It’s you!” He’s literally a messianic sleeper cell. 

#2 He is going to build the Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. For Maimonides, this was the main and greatest proof of being the Mashiach. Many false messiahs came and went, and Maimonides was so worried that the Yemenites were getting suckered that he wrote an entire chapter on what to look for in the Mashiach so they wouldn’t go down the wrong path. The thing is, we don’t know the order. Are there wars first and then rebuilding? Does he reveal himself and then build or vice versa? We simply don’t know. But one thing we can know for certain…if he doesn’t build the Temple? It ain’t him. 

#3 He will be the ultimate arbiter of justice. According to the Talmud interpreting a verse in Isaiah, through a sense of smell, he will be able to determine who is telling the truth and who a falsehood. All schemes and nefarious plots will be revealed to him. The Sanhedrin tested Bar Kochba—literally, Son of a Star referring back to Bilaam’s prophecy—who claimed the messianic mantel. Even the famous Rabbi Akiva believed in him. He did not pass the smell test, literally. Then, he died.

Many devout and scholarly Jews believe that we are in the time which is called the Birthpangs of the Mashiach. They believe he is close. We can hear his footsteps. Come to parsha tomorrow to learn more about why this is the mainstream view. Before Mashiach comes there will be terrible wars in Israel. Many will die. There will be rampant drug and alcohol abuse. Children will turn against parents. There will be a complete societal breakdown. Many feel the signs are here. Are they wrong? 

Despite the challenges ahead, many want to hasten his coming. We are not supposed to be completely passive. We have active roles to play to make sure that the negative prophecies are not fulfilled due to our teshuvah — and a role to play to quicken his arrival. Here are three:

#1 Acts of love and kindness towards everyone, but especially to fellow Jews. The Second Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred between Jews — therefore in an equal and opposite reaction, baseless LOVE will build the third temple. Love simply for the sake of love. In this case, love really does win.

#2 Giving Tzedaka. In Jewish tradition we learn that tzedakah hastens redemption. Every time you give and give generously, you are not only supporting a cause or a person in need but building a world that will see the ultimate redemption of humanity. Just as our generosity can transform the world for someone in dire straits, so too can God transform our world. 

#3 Shabbat Observance. Shabbat is the portal into the future where every day, every second is Shabbat. The peace and love that we feel on Shabbat is multiplied once Mashiach comes. In addition, the light engendered by the Shabbat candles have a special power to hasten the day when the entire world will be illuminated with Godly light. In the words of the Midrash: “If you observe the kindling of the Shabbat candles, I will show you the lights of Zion.”

Ok. I see you shaking your heads. Come on rabbi, why should I believe in Mashiach? This is a fantasy. A bubbe meise. You don’t have to. You really don’t. But Judaism does. It is one of Maimonides’ 13 Principles of Faith. Prayers for Mashiach take up half the weekday Amidah. But think about this—every story since the dawn of humanity, heck every joke, has had a beginning, a middle, and an end.

We know the beginning, we’re living in the middle — and there has to be an end. What’s the punchline? How will the world end? Judaism says neither with bang nor a whimper. The end of humanity cannot be hate and murder. For a people told to choose life, it can’t be nuclear annihilation. For Jews, the end is one humanity worshipping one God, living in peace. 

In a few moments we will recite in the Aleinu — Bayom Hahu, “And on that day Adonai will be One and His Name will be One.” You may be skeptical about the Mashiach, but you’re already praying for him! 

May we all love more, give more, and continue to embrace Shabbat in our own ways in order that speedily and in our day, Mashiach will bring everlasting light, hope, and joy.