Deed & Creed - Class #16

Transcription

1 Deed & Creed - Class #16 This world has a warranty, destined to expire. By Rabbi Benjamin Blech with Rochelle Lev 2007 JewishPathways.com 1

2 Are We Close to the Messianic Era? (13-min. video) Understanding Judaism p Understanding Judaism p Source 1: Maimonides 13 Principles of Faith (The Complete ArtScroll Siddur, p ) 1. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His Name, creates and guides all creatures, and that He alone made, makes and will make everything. 2. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His Name, is unique, and there is no uniqueness like His in any way, and that He alone is our God, Who was, Who is, and Who always will be. 3. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His Name, is not physical and is not affected by physical phenomena, and that there is no comparison whatsoever to Him. 4. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His Name, is the very first and the very last. 5. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His Name to Him alone is it proper to pray, and it is not proper to pray to any other. 6. I believe with complete faith that that all the words of the prophets are true. 2

3 7. I believe with complete faith that the prophecy of Moses our teacher was true, and that he was the father of the prophets both those who preceded him and those who followed him. 8. I believe with complete faith that the entire Torah now in our hands is the same one that was given to Moses, our teacher. 9. I believe with complete faith that this Torah will not be exchanged, nor will there be another Torah from the Creator, blessed is His Name. 10. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His Name, knows all the deeds of human beings and their thoughts, as it is said, He fashions their hearts all together, He comprehends all their deeds. 11. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His Name, rewards with good those who observe His commandments, and punishes those who violate His commandments. 12. I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come. 13. I believe with complete faith that there will be a resuscitation of the dead whenever the wish emanates from the Creator, blessed is His Name and exalted is His mention, forever and for all eternity. Source 2: Length of the World s Existence (Talmud - Sanhedrin 97a, Rosh Hashana 31a, Avoda Zara 9a) Six thousand years shall the world exist 3

4 (1) In source-1, which of the 13 Principles of Faith refers to the coming of the Messiah? (2) When do we begin counting the Jewish calendar? What does Rosh Hashana commemorate? (3) Read Source-2. We are taught that each day of creation represents 1,000 years. What will happen after we reach the year 6000? (4) Why is the belief in the imminent arrival of the Messiah more relevant to us today than in previous generations? (5) What are the three views of history? What is the Jewish view? 4

5 (1) Q: In source-1, which of the 13 Principles of Faith refers to the coming of the Messiah? A: The 12 th principle of faith states: I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come. (2) Q: When do we begin counting the Jewish calendar? What does Rosh Hashana commemorate? A: It is universally accepted among Jewish scholars that we begin counting the Jewish calendar on the day that Man was created the sixth day of creation. Rosh Hashanah does not commemorate the beginning of creation; rather it marks the creation of mankind. (3) Q: Read Source-2. We are taught that each day of creation represents 1,000 years. What will happen after we reach the year 6000? A: The Talmud teaches us that this world is destined to last 6,000 years. After this, the earth will no longer be as it is now. We will live a totally different life. After 6,000 years we will live the ultimate Sabbath and our existence will become more spiritual than physical. (4) Q: Why is the belief in the imminent arrival of the Messiah more relevant to us today than in previous generations? A: The messiah must come before the year 6000, because after the year 6000 the world as we know it will cease to exist. We learn that 5

6 the Messianic era will begin before this time and it must last for a significant period of time. As we are now living less than 250 years before the year 6000, the arrival of the Messiah is imminent. (5) Q: What are the three views of history? What is the Jewish view? A: There are three views of history: a. The Chinese view of history is a line going down, representing the progressive decline of knowledge and wisdom. The Chinese believe that the ancients knew far more than those who are alive today. b. The Western view of history is a line rising upward, from a primitive, ape-like beginning to the progress of today s technological world and advanced mind. c. The Jewish view of history is that of a circle. The initial days of Creation saw us living in the perfect paradise, the Garden of Eden. We were cast out because of transgression, but eventually we will complete the circle and return to the Garden. That return is called the Messianic era. 6

7 We are privileged to be part of a unique generation in a unique time. Many generations have recited the 12th principle of faith with great longing over the centuries, saying, I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah. Today, we find ourselves at a point in history where the coming of the Messiah is imminent. The Talmud (Source-2) states that this world is pre-programmed to last only 6,000 years in its entirety. In order to understand how we count this number, Rabbi Blech explains the source of the Jewish calendar and its numbering system. Rosh Hashana does not commemorate the creation of the world; it commemorates the creation of mankind, and that is when the Jewish calendar begins. After the completion of 6,000 years, we will enter a Sabbath to history. In this period, the world will no longer be as it is; we will live a completely different life a spiritual, rather than a physical existence. The Messiah cannot come as late as the year 6000 because when we enter the Sabbath period, the world will cease to exist as we know it. It follows that if human history can last at most 6,000 years, the Messianic era that precedes the Sabbath period must start earlier than that, and it must last for a significant period time. Indeed, says Rabbi Blech, if it were to begin now, the messianic era would last only 250 years! It is clear, he says, that we are living in a privileged time, where the messianic era is truly imminent. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. There they lived as we are meant to live. Due to transgression, they and all of mankind were cast out of the Garden of Eden. The initial Creation and life in the Garden of Eden represents the ideal existence that God intended for us. That ideal is what we will return to, and our return cannot be thwarted forever. There will be a time when we will reach a level at which we are worthy to enjoy the world as God intended. Our return to the Garden of Eden and the Messianic era is dawning. 7