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The Messiah
What Will the Messianic Era Be Like?In the messianic era, there will be no more war, hatred, or strife. There will be great abundance, which will enable everyone to engage in the Torah and its wisdom, and the knowledge of God will fill the earth. Nevertheless, there will be no change in the natural order of the world, and nothing new will be created.
The physical world continues as usual:
Do not think that in the messianic era any aspect of the world’s physical nature will be negated, or that there will be anything new in creation. Rather, the world will continue in its normal way. When it says in Isaiah, “Wolf will reside with sheep, and leopard will lie down with kid” (11:6), this is a metaphor. The meaning is that the Jewish people will live securely with those who are wicked, and who are likened to the wolf and the leopard…. They will all return to the true faith and will not steal or destroy, but will, together with the Jewish people, peacefully eat that which is permitted, as it is stated, “A lion, like the ox, will eat straw” (Isaiah 11:7). The same is true of all other similar matters that concern the messiah; they are metaphors, and in the days of the messiah everyone will know what the metaphors were and what they alluded to.
In the days of the messiah, people will be free to study Torah:
The Sages and prophets did not yearn for the messianic era so that they could rule over the world, subjugate the gentiles, be praised by the nations, or eat, drink, and rejoice. Rather, it was so that they would be free to engage in the Torah and its wisdom, with no one oppressing or preventing them. This in turn is so that they would merit life in the World to Come…
The world will be filled with knowledge of God:
At that time there will be no hunger, war, envy, or rivalry. Prosperity will abound, and all delights will be as commonplace as dust. The entire world will be occupied only with coming to know God. Consequently, the Jews will become exceedingly wise. They will know concealed matters and will attain an understanding of their Creator to the fullest extent that humans are able to do so; as it is stated (Isaiah 11:9), “For the earth will be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as the water covers the sea.”
The meaning of the rectification of Creation is that there will be a tremendous amount of good, for both the body and the soul. Our inclination for good will grow stronger, and there will be no forces (physical or spiritual) that cause damage or loss. All hearts will be full of wisdom and everyone will receive the divine spirit.
During his days, and under his influence, the Jewish people will undergo a tremendous rectification, and all of creation will follow them. Good will abound on all sides, and evil will depart altogether, both from matters of the soul and matters of the body. The heart of stone will become a heart of flesh; people’s inclination toward good will be heightened, and they will not be drawn after the physical at all. Rather, they will always turn toward service of God and toward the Torah, and they will be strengthened by it. At the same time, tranquility and prosperity will grow, and there will be no harm or loss…There will be no foolishness in the world; rather, all hearts will be filled with wisdom, and the divine spirit will envelop all flesh. Everyone will merit this without difficulty.
We should not fear the coming of the messiah, as the redemption does not mean leaving behind the life and activities of the exile; rather, it is the liberation and redemption of that reality. Redemption, geula, is the same word in Hebrew as exile, gola, but with an additional letter alef, representing the revelation of divine truth. Redemption illuminates the existing world with a holy light.
Redemption is the revelation of the true, spiritual reality:
Redemption does not mean that by emerging from the exile we are abandoning life, the activities and the world that existed before, during the exile. On the contrary; redemption means that reality, which was suppressed by the exile, is…liberated…. All good things from the exile will remain in the future, but their exiled status will be removed; the concealment that covered up their true, spiritual states will be abolished.
Redemption, geula, is the revelation of the divine (the letter alef ), in the exile, gola:
The idea of redemption is to elevate life in the exile by liberating all elements of the exile, and thereby creating redemption. By revealing within all the elements of exile, gola, the letter alef representing the master, aluf, of the world, we remove the concealment that covers up the reality and true purpose of the exile. We reveal the aluf [namely, the divine light] within it, such that redemption, geula, is created from gola. Geula is the revelation of the alef (aluf) in the gola. This means the revelation of the truth and spirituality of every aspect and activity of the exile, the revelation of the divine in all of the world’s concerns.
Do not fear the coming of the messiah:
Based on what we saw above, there is an answer to all those who are alarmed and confused…. They ask what will happen, if the messiah suddenly comes, with regard to all the activities and interests they have engaged in during the many years of exile, e.g., the businesses they established, the property and assets they amassed, their friends and connections? The answer is that there is nothing to fear! Redemption does not mean the negation of the way we live in this world, i.e., the removal of the good things that we acquired (in accordance with the Torah) during the exile. On the contrary, the redemption includes all the good aspects of the exile, but they are elevated to a state of redemption, to their most true and complete state.
Further reading: For more on the return of prophecy in the messianic era, see p. 210.
The followers of the Tzemaĥ Tzedek (the third Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi Menaĥem Mendel Schneerson, 1789–1866) were once sitting together at a gathering, discussing the idea of anticipating the arrival of the messiah. One hasid related that Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the author of the Tanya, was once asked how the obligation to anticipate the arrival of the messiah could be consistent with the statement of the Sages that he will come when no one expects him. If we are indeed awaiting and expecting him at all times, how could we ever be distracted?
Rabbi Shneur Zalman answered, “These two things do not contradict each other. The messiah whom we wait for, and whom we imagine, will never come. The actual messiah who does come, is one that no one is expecting; therefore, the arrival of this particular anointed one will be entirely unexpected.”
The redemption of Israel will occur like this: When the sun of redemption begins to shine on them, sorrow after sorrow will come upon them, and darkness after darkness. While they are in this state, God’s light will shine upon them.
The messiah comes to cause the righteous to repent.
Since Creation, humans have been able to do as they wished, i.e., to be righteous or wicked…but in the messianic era they will naturally choose that which is good for them. Their hearts will not desire what is not proper; they will not wish for such things at all.
[In the messianic era] gentiles will continually be arriving in Jerusalem. The gates of Jerusalem will therefore always be open, day and night; they will never close.