Messiah (Mashiach)

Question

I’ve heard that it’s in the Scriptures that the people of Israel are waiting for the day when they’ll abide with God Who’ll be in the personage of the Messiah.

1. Is this true?

2. If so, where in Scripture can this be found?

 

Thank you,

Eddie

 

 

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Good questions. To answer them both:

    Not exactly, if I understand your words “when they’ll abide with God Who’ll be in the personage of the Messiah.”
    The Messiah (called Mashiach in Hebrew) will be a person who will end the wars (defeating the enemies of Israel) and will teach all the nations of the world to know the existence of the One true God, and how to live according His will.

    The Rambam (Maimonides) writes much about this in his work called Mishneh Torah, in the “Laws of Kings”. For example. he writes:

    The Messianic King will arise in the future and restore the Davidic Kingdom to its former state and original sovereignty. He will build the Sanctuary and gather the dispersed of Israel. All the laws will be re-instituted in his days as they had been before; sacrifices will be offered, and the Sabbatical years and Jubilee years will be observed fully as ordained by the Torah.

    He also writes: If a king arises from the House of David who meditates on the Torah and occupies himself with the commandments like his ancestor David, in accordance with the written and oral Torah, and he will prevail upon all of Israel to walk in the ways of the Torah and strengthen its breaches, and he will fight the battles of God, it may be assumed that he is Mashiach.

    And: If he did these things successfully and defeated all the nations around him, built the Sanctuary on its site and gathered the dispersed of Israel, he is definitely Mashiach. He will then correct the entire world to serve God in unity, as it is said, “For then I will turn to the peoples a pure tongue that all shall call upon the Name of God and serve Him with one consent.”

    The Torah sources are cited by the Rambam, in particular Deut. ch. 30 and Tzefania ch. 3.

    I suggest you study chapters 11 and 12 of the Rambam’s writings in that source on this topic (and the Torah verses he mentions) for more information and a better understanding. I hope that you find this answer helpful.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team