Sunday, January 14, 2007
Time to Ditch the Messiah
At the end of the daily tephilla in school, we would always sing the twelfth Ani Mamin: "I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the messiah, and even though he delays, I will nevertheless wait every day for him to come".
It's a beautiful statement and I loved the tune, but educationally, I thought we were teaching a bad message and I made my displeasure about the policy known.
According to Maimonides, Judaism has thirteen principles of faith. Only one of them is about the coming of the messiah. I can understand that in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the faith of future salvation for the Jewish people was very appealing, and possibly even crucial, for the re-building of our people. However, I believe that in focusing on the mashiach, we have re-ignited messianism. Our history teaches us that messianism, whether it was from the biryonim at the time of the destruction of the second temple, Bar Kochba 70 years later or Shabbatai Zvi in the middle-ages, has been disastrous for Judaism.
I remember very well my teachers telling me that we have to do mitzvot to help bring mashiach. Nonsense! That is not why we must keep the mitzvoth. We keep the mitzvot because so we are commanded. It has nothing to do with mashiach.
While Israel's Chief Rabbinate was cautious in ascribing the establishment of the State of Israel in messianic terms (it was not the redemption or even the beginning of the redemption, but only the early shoots of redemption), the event itself gave many Jews, the impression that the complete redemption was imminent.
Many secular Jews have even been affected by this phenomenon, with those believing that a peaceful utopia is imminent.
Unfortunately, mashiach will not come tomorrow, neither will there be peace tomorrow and needless to say, we will not experience the rebbe's second coming tomorrow*.
This sad fact is causing much disillusionment in religious Zionist circles, many secular Jews are despairing of Israel and Chabad are on the verge of creating a new religion.
Yes one day the mashiach, will come, but that should not be the focus of our lives. Our focus should be on giving our children the tools to live each day as a Jew and of creating a better future for the Jewish people that is based on the fruit of our labors rather than reliance on messianic intervention.
*In response to one of the posts below, I would like to add the following statement: I pray and hope that mashiach will come tomorrow and I really want him to, but I have much doubt that he actually will. Certainly, we should not be teaching that he will.
It's a beautiful statement and I loved the tune, but educationally, I thought we were teaching a bad message and I made my displeasure about the policy known.
According to Maimonides, Judaism has thirteen principles of faith. Only one of them is about the coming of the messiah. I can understand that in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the faith of future salvation for the Jewish people was very appealing, and possibly even crucial, for the re-building of our people. However, I believe that in focusing on the mashiach, we have re-ignited messianism. Our history teaches us that messianism, whether it was from the biryonim at the time of the destruction of the second temple, Bar Kochba 70 years later or Shabbatai Zvi in the middle-ages, has been disastrous for Judaism.
I remember very well my teachers telling me that we have to do mitzvot to help bring mashiach. Nonsense! That is not why we must keep the mitzvoth. We keep the mitzvot because so we are commanded. It has nothing to do with mashiach.
While Israel's Chief Rabbinate was cautious in ascribing the establishment of the State of Israel in messianic terms (it was not the redemption or even the beginning of the redemption, but only the early shoots of redemption), the event itself gave many Jews, the impression that the complete redemption was imminent.
Many secular Jews have even been affected by this phenomenon, with those believing that a peaceful utopia is imminent.
Unfortunately, mashiach will not come tomorrow, neither will there be peace tomorrow and needless to say, we will not experience the rebbe's second coming tomorrow*.
This sad fact is causing much disillusionment in religious Zionist circles, many secular Jews are despairing of Israel and Chabad are on the verge of creating a new religion.
Yes one day the mashiach, will come, but that should not be the focus of our lives. Our focus should be on giving our children the tools to live each day as a Jew and of creating a better future for the Jewish people that is based on the fruit of our labors rather than reliance on messianic intervention.
*In response to one of the posts below, I would like to add the following statement: I pray and hope that mashiach will come tomorrow and I really want him to, but I have much doubt that he actually will. Certainly, we should not be teaching that he will.
Labels: messiah, religious convictions
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I will respond using my real name, and I will refrain from hurling insults such as "Apikoros".
However, I must express a fundamental objection to the author's assertion that "Mashiach will not come tommorow."
Although there are in fact 12 other principles of faith and one can legitimately debate the wisdom of emphasizing or de-emphasizing this particular one (I personally see the logic in both sides of the argument), it does appear that to claim "Mashiach will not come tommorow" contradicts this principle. (And although I agreed not to hurl insults, the description above is functionally similar to the one Rambam himself uses for those who deny any aspect of these fundamental principles.)
We have never been promised that the mashiach will come tommorow or at any other pre-determined date. But we have been promised that he could come any day, if conditions are ripe. Stating with certainty that he will not is something that, I believe, would be classified as heresy.
And perhaps more to the point - such statements indicate a fundamental lack of vision. While the coming of the Mashiach may seem quite improbable any time in the near future, an independent Jewish State with its capital in Jerusalem must have seemed at least as improbable in 1945....
While the desire to suppress uncontrolled and potentially dangerous messianism is understandable, doing so at the price of snuffing out the "Tikva Bat Shnot Alpayim" that has kept our people alive is quite short-sighted.
Rabbi Alan Haber
Director
Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim
However, I must express a fundamental objection to the author's assertion that "Mashiach will not come tommorow."
Although there are in fact 12 other principles of faith and one can legitimately debate the wisdom of emphasizing or de-emphasizing this particular one (I personally see the logic in both sides of the argument), it does appear that to claim "Mashiach will not come tommorow" contradicts this principle. (And although I agreed not to hurl insults, the description above is functionally similar to the one Rambam himself uses for those who deny any aspect of these fundamental principles.)
We have never been promised that the mashiach will come tommorow or at any other pre-determined date. But we have been promised that he could come any day, if conditions are ripe. Stating with certainty that he will not is something that, I believe, would be classified as heresy.
And perhaps more to the point - such statements indicate a fundamental lack of vision. While the coming of the Mashiach may seem quite improbable any time in the near future, an independent Jewish State with its capital in Jerusalem must have seemed at least as improbable in 1945....
While the desire to suppress uncontrolled and potentially dangerous messianism is understandable, doing so at the price of snuffing out the "Tikva Bat Shnot Alpayim" that has kept our people alive is quite short-sighted.
Rabbi Alan Haber
Director
Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim
The funny thing is that while you disagree vehemently with me, I agree with almost everything you posted (apart from me being an apikoros!!).
I do believe that mashiach will come one day, and I pray and hope that he will come even tomorrow, but sadly (very sadly) I was right; he didn’t come on Monday January 15 2007.
The point I’m trying to make is that my teachers and youth group leaders taught me and my contemporaries, that his arrival was imminent. We were on the verge of something big. He had to come by the year 6,000 and Chazal had deliberately hidden 200 years, so mashiach was literally on the way. I was shattered and so disillusioned when I realized that I might not be around to see that day.
It was only when I was able to take a historical view of our history that I was able to fully appreciate the great strides our people have recently made and to really understand that even though we are on the verge of something even bigger, it still might take millennia. All I needed was for one teacher to tell me that in a thousand years from now we might still be waiting. Is this a message you teach your students?
Of course, we still have to teach mashiach, but we mustn't let that article of faith take over our commonsense and allow us to take unrealistic and even dangerous decisions that might compromise our nation’s future.
On a separate note, apikoros is a very strong word and should be used very sparingly. Some rishonim, such as Rav Yosef Albo, don't even include it in their principles of faith. Rather than just refraining from using it in the future, I ask that you retract it.
I do believe that mashiach will come one day, and I pray and hope that he will come even tomorrow, but sadly (very sadly) I was right; he didn’t come on Monday January 15 2007.
The point I’m trying to make is that my teachers and youth group leaders taught me and my contemporaries, that his arrival was imminent. We were on the verge of something big. He had to come by the year 6,000 and Chazal had deliberately hidden 200 years, so mashiach was literally on the way. I was shattered and so disillusioned when I realized that I might not be around to see that day.
It was only when I was able to take a historical view of our history that I was able to fully appreciate the great strides our people have recently made and to really understand that even though we are on the verge of something even bigger, it still might take millennia. All I needed was for one teacher to tell me that in a thousand years from now we might still be waiting. Is this a message you teach your students?
Of course, we still have to teach mashiach, but we mustn't let that article of faith take over our commonsense and allow us to take unrealistic and even dangerous decisions that might compromise our nation’s future.
On a separate note, apikoros is a very strong word and should be used very sparingly. Some rishonim, such as Rav Yosef Albo, don't even include it in their principles of faith. Rather than just refraining from using it in the future, I ask that you retract it.
At the outset, I would like to clarify that I am not the author of the anonymous post above calling you an Apikoros. (I realize in retrospect that it may have appeared that way from my first post - I apologize for the ambiguity.)
I did not and would not call you an Apikoros, and I agree with you that "civilized debate" is far better than name-calling. At the same time, I did assert above that your initial statement that "Mashiach will not come tommorow" would be termed "heresy" by the Rambam - which is admittedly a more polite way of saying something very similar.
Now that you have clarified that you "pray and hope the Mashiach will come tommorow" but have much doubt that he will, I certainly agree that your opinion is not heretical. At the same time, I still do not agree with it.
Let me make my own position clear. I never said that Mashiach will come on any given day; I am quite aware that it may be a very long time until he comes. That's why, although you were unfortunately right that Mashiach didn't come on January 15, I was not wrong either. For the same reason, I would also object to a teacher telling his students (as you say your teachers and youth leaders told you) that the Mashiach's arrival is imminent.
But by the same token, I DO teach my students that there is a possibility of him coming at any moment. And I believe it's essential that we teach that and cultivate a sincere desire for Redemption, even as we caution that it may take a very long time (even 1000 years, chalila) and that we must be careful not to prematurely jump to conclusions.
The Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 11:1 and 12:2) says that we are obligated to believe in the coming of the Mashiach, and also to wait for him. I often ask my students what is the difference between believing and waiting. My answer is that it can be compared to waiting for a bus. If someone were to ask me right now whether I believe that a #15 bus will come down the Jerusalem street outside my office sometime in the next hour, the answer is yes. If you ask me whether I am waiting for that bus right now, the answer is clearly no - evidenced by the fact that I am sitting here typing on my computer and not standing outside at the bus stop.
I believe the bus will come, but I have no intention of getting on it - so I'm not waiting. Even if I wanted to get on it, but didn't expect it to come for several weeks, I also wouldn't be at the bus stop right now - I wouldn't be waiting. The obligation to wait for the Mashiach presupposes at least the possibility of his imminent arrival. The text of the Ani Ma'amin also makes that clear: "af al pi sheyitmame'ah im kol zeh achakeh lo BCHOL YOM sheyavo." (See Sukkah 41a and Rashi there - it appears that the possibility of an imminent redemption is something that even the halacha recognizes.)
I also disagree with your idea that we should not be doing the mitzvot in order to bring Mashiach. Certainly, we do mitzvot because we were commanded to. But the purpose of those commandments is at least in part to perfect the world - to bring the Mashiach. And many Rabbinic sources make clear that the question of whether the Mashiach's will come now or later is primarily up to us (see, for example, Sanhedrin 98a).
Like most things in life, it's all about reaching the proper balance.
I did not and would not call you an Apikoros, and I agree with you that "civilized debate" is far better than name-calling. At the same time, I did assert above that your initial statement that "Mashiach will not come tommorow" would be termed "heresy" by the Rambam - which is admittedly a more polite way of saying something very similar.
Now that you have clarified that you "pray and hope the Mashiach will come tommorow" but have much doubt that he will, I certainly agree that your opinion is not heretical. At the same time, I still do not agree with it.
Let me make my own position clear. I never said that Mashiach will come on any given day; I am quite aware that it may be a very long time until he comes. That's why, although you were unfortunately right that Mashiach didn't come on January 15, I was not wrong either. For the same reason, I would also object to a teacher telling his students (as you say your teachers and youth leaders told you) that the Mashiach's arrival is imminent.
But by the same token, I DO teach my students that there is a possibility of him coming at any moment. And I believe it's essential that we teach that and cultivate a sincere desire for Redemption, even as we caution that it may take a very long time (even 1000 years, chalila) and that we must be careful not to prematurely jump to conclusions.
The Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 11:1 and 12:2) says that we are obligated to believe in the coming of the Mashiach, and also to wait for him. I often ask my students what is the difference between believing and waiting. My answer is that it can be compared to waiting for a bus. If someone were to ask me right now whether I believe that a #15 bus will come down the Jerusalem street outside my office sometime in the next hour, the answer is yes. If you ask me whether I am waiting for that bus right now, the answer is clearly no - evidenced by the fact that I am sitting here typing on my computer and not standing outside at the bus stop.
I believe the bus will come, but I have no intention of getting on it - so I'm not waiting. Even if I wanted to get on it, but didn't expect it to come for several weeks, I also wouldn't be at the bus stop right now - I wouldn't be waiting. The obligation to wait for the Mashiach presupposes at least the possibility of his imminent arrival. The text of the Ani Ma'amin also makes that clear: "af al pi sheyitmame'ah im kol zeh achakeh lo BCHOL YOM sheyavo." (See Sukkah 41a and Rashi there - it appears that the possibility of an imminent redemption is something that even the halacha recognizes.)
I also disagree with your idea that we should not be doing the mitzvot in order to bring Mashiach. Certainly, we do mitzvot because we were commanded to. But the purpose of those commandments is at least in part to perfect the world - to bring the Mashiach. And many Rabbinic sources make clear that the question of whether the Mashiach's will come now or later is primarily up to us (see, for example, Sanhedrin 98a).
Like most things in life, it's all about reaching the proper balance.
While I respectfully disagree with some of the statements made by Moshe, I want to react to the anonymous writer. Firstly, Calling names is not a legitimate avenue of disagreement. Secondly, hiding behind anonymity demonstrates cowardice rather than standing up for the ideas and principles that you believe in.. Thirdly, not only is Moshe a great Ma'amin and not an Apikores, but I suspect that far greater scholars than the anonymous writer have disagreed regarding Mashiach and not being called an Apikores. In fact, the use of the term Apikores today is highly questionable. Finally, I would strongly recommend that one be far more circumspect prier to employing such an insulting slur. Yonah Fuld
Dear Moshe;
A long time ago, I sold a customer a service, and he promised to pay me. A few weeks went by and I still had not been paid. I called this customer and asked whether he had sent me a check. He told me that he had forgotten about it and he would immediately write me a check and send it. Another month went by and I still had not received my money, so I called him again. He assured me that he had sent the check, and that the envelope is probably still in the post office being delivered. So I waited another month, and called him again. He expressed surprise that I had not received the check. I told him that if he did not mind, to cancel the sent check and to send me another one. He huffed and puffed as if I was asking him to do a great favor and finally said that he would.
Another month went by and I had yet to receive the check. So I called the customer once again, and asked him where my check was. He told me he had sent it to me and again suggested that the check might be in the mail. I told him that I had waited several months and it was unlikely that he had sent the check to me. He became angry and indignantly said “are you calling me a liar?” I told him that I was not calling him a liar but that I had been waiting for the money for over six months and had not received it. He replied that the inadequacies of the mail system in the United States are not his problem. I suggested then that I come in person to get the check. He said that would be fine, but he had to go on a trip and would not be back for another 3 months. Like a fool, I waited another 3 months and called him again. He said that he would send the check to me by mail. When I said that we had tried that already and the check never arrived, he became angry with me, saying ‘if you do not trust me, I do not want to do business with you. Do not call again!’
It is now 22 years since that incident. In a wedding recently, I saw the gentleman who swindled me out of the money. I did not want to cross paths with him since I had long forgotten about the account and did not wish to start unpleasant conversations. Instead he came to me and said that if I had only treated him a little bit better he would have paid me my money! He blamed me for the whole affair, saying that he is a righteous man but that business is business.
Now, I realize this blog is not the forum to air bad business deals, and this is not the purpose for this. But it strikes me that our dealings as Jews with our rabbis are somewhat similar.
When the Holy temple, the Beth Hamighdash, was destroyed approximately 2000 years ago, we were told that our savior, our Messiah, would shortly arrive to rescue us. Rabbi Akiva, arguably one of the greatest sages of all time, promised that the Messiah is just around the corner. In fact, he mistakenly identified Bar Kokhba, a Jewish military leader, as the Messiah, with disastrous consequences.
Following the disastrous invasion of the Romans into Judea, and following the slaughter of over 1 million Jews, we were told once again, that the Messiah is coming soon. It seems that Hashem took us out of Egypt and into more peril. Yet, we were promised Messiah. Any minute we should expect his coming.
We were then subjugated by the Romans, only to be persecuted by the Muslims. The Spaniards then rescued us only to torment us with the Spanish Inquisition. We then suffered at the hand of the Russians in Pogroms, and at the hand of western Europeans in the form of Purges. Time and time again, we suffered and our blood was shed. Again and again we were told that Messiah is around the corner. Then we experienced the Holocaust, and over half of our population was killed in firing squads and in gas chambers.
We are still waiting for this Messiah. When we say to our rabbis that it has been 2000 years since we were promised this Savior - where is he? – they reply that we have to ‘deserve’ his coming. The rabbis tell us that we are too wicked for the Messiah to come. They tell us that we don’t keep Shabbat else he would come. It is our fault that he is not coming.
And in the wait for the Messiah, I realize that his coming is no different than the check I have been waiting for. The Messiah is the proverbial check in the mail, perpetually being sent by the one who owes you money, and yet it never seems to arrive. The Rabbi is your debtor, always promising that the check is going to arrive any minute; if we can only squeeze a little more Halacha and a slight Tzadakah that Messiah will sooner arrive.
Dear Moshe, my check never came and Messiah is never coming. The astute businessman would know to put that account receivable in the ‘bad debt’ column and move on!
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A long time ago, I sold a customer a service, and he promised to pay me. A few weeks went by and I still had not been paid. I called this customer and asked whether he had sent me a check. He told me that he had forgotten about it and he would immediately write me a check and send it. Another month went by and I still had not received my money, so I called him again. He assured me that he had sent the check, and that the envelope is probably still in the post office being delivered. So I waited another month, and called him again. He expressed surprise that I had not received the check. I told him that if he did not mind, to cancel the sent check and to send me another one. He huffed and puffed as if I was asking him to do a great favor and finally said that he would.
Another month went by and I had yet to receive the check. So I called the customer once again, and asked him where my check was. He told me he had sent it to me and again suggested that the check might be in the mail. I told him that I had waited several months and it was unlikely that he had sent the check to me. He became angry and indignantly said “are you calling me a liar?” I told him that I was not calling him a liar but that I had been waiting for the money for over six months and had not received it. He replied that the inadequacies of the mail system in the United States are not his problem. I suggested then that I come in person to get the check. He said that would be fine, but he had to go on a trip and would not be back for another 3 months. Like a fool, I waited another 3 months and called him again. He said that he would send the check to me by mail. When I said that we had tried that already and the check never arrived, he became angry with me, saying ‘if you do not trust me, I do not want to do business with you. Do not call again!’
It is now 22 years since that incident. In a wedding recently, I saw the gentleman who swindled me out of the money. I did not want to cross paths with him since I had long forgotten about the account and did not wish to start unpleasant conversations. Instead he came to me and said that if I had only treated him a little bit better he would have paid me my money! He blamed me for the whole affair, saying that he is a righteous man but that business is business.
Now, I realize this blog is not the forum to air bad business deals, and this is not the purpose for this. But it strikes me that our dealings as Jews with our rabbis are somewhat similar.
When the Holy temple, the Beth Hamighdash, was destroyed approximately 2000 years ago, we were told that our savior, our Messiah, would shortly arrive to rescue us. Rabbi Akiva, arguably one of the greatest sages of all time, promised that the Messiah is just around the corner. In fact, he mistakenly identified Bar Kokhba, a Jewish military leader, as the Messiah, with disastrous consequences.
Following the disastrous invasion of the Romans into Judea, and following the slaughter of over 1 million Jews, we were told once again, that the Messiah is coming soon. It seems that Hashem took us out of Egypt and into more peril. Yet, we were promised Messiah. Any minute we should expect his coming.
We were then subjugated by the Romans, only to be persecuted by the Muslims. The Spaniards then rescued us only to torment us with the Spanish Inquisition. We then suffered at the hand of the Russians in Pogroms, and at the hand of western Europeans in the form of Purges. Time and time again, we suffered and our blood was shed. Again and again we were told that Messiah is around the corner. Then we experienced the Holocaust, and over half of our population was killed in firing squads and in gas chambers.
We are still waiting for this Messiah. When we say to our rabbis that it has been 2000 years since we were promised this Savior - where is he? – they reply that we have to ‘deserve’ his coming. The rabbis tell us that we are too wicked for the Messiah to come. They tell us that we don’t keep Shabbat else he would come. It is our fault that he is not coming.
And in the wait for the Messiah, I realize that his coming is no different than the check I have been waiting for. The Messiah is the proverbial check in the mail, perpetually being sent by the one who owes you money, and yet it never seems to arrive. The Rabbi is your debtor, always promising that the check is going to arrive any minute; if we can only squeeze a little more Halacha and a slight Tzadakah that Messiah will sooner arrive.
Dear Moshe, my check never came and Messiah is never coming. The astute businessman would know to put that account receivable in the ‘bad debt’ column and move on!
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