Volume I

12.2. Moshiach II continued

However, the attempt failed upon the ruling of the Radbaz, Rabbi Dovid ben Zimra, that the establishment of Semicha was not possible in our times.

The Temple Service

The messiah will also restore the sacrificial system to whatever degree it will apply in the Messianic era. He will also reestablish the Sabbatical and Jubilee year observances.

Establishing Peace and the End of All Wars

I will seal a covenant of peace with them; it will be an eternal covenant with them; and I will emplace them and increase them, and I will place My Sanctuary among them forever.  Ezekiel 37:26

He will judge between many peoples, and will settle the arguments of mighty nations from far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning knives; nation will not lift sword against nations, nor will they learn war anymore. Micah 4:3

He will judge among the nations, and will settle the arguments of many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift sword against nation and they will no longer study warfare.  Isaiah 2:4

The Messiah will be a great political leader who will make peace among the nations. All war will come to an end and the nations will work for the mutual benefit of the world.

He Will Bring Awareness of God

They will neither injure nor destroy in all of My sacred mountain; for the earth will be as filled with knowledge of Hashem as water covering the sea bed.  Isaiah 11:9

The glory of Hashem will be revealed, and all flesh together will see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken.  Isaiah 40:5

For then I will change the nations [to speak] a pure language, so that they all will proclaim the Name of Hashem, to worship Him with a united resolve.  Zephaniah 3:9

They will no longer teach - each man his fellow, each man his brother-saying, "Know Hashem! For all of them will know Me, from their smallest to their greatest - the word of Hashem - when I will forgive their iniquity and will no longer recall their sin.  Jeremiah  31:33

The most important mission of the Messiah will be to bring awareness of God to the world. Under his leadership all mankind will effortlessly achieve the highest levels of divine inspiration.

Free Will

Man will still have free will at this time and the potential to do evil will still exist. However, the awareness of God will be so intense and immediately apparent that there will be no incentive to do evil. Instead man will endeavor only to understand God and his Torah.

Conversion

As the messiah approaches, many non-Jews will rush to convert to Judaism. Once the Messiah ben David is revealed, however, converts will not be accepted anymore.

The Messiah’s End

The Messiah will be a human being like any other. He will have human parents and, like all men, will die a human death. However, his reign will last for a very, very long time because lifespans in Olam HaBa (the messianic world) will be greatly extended.

Summary

• There are six criteria that one must fulfill in order to be the messiah:

1. He will be a direct descendant of King David,
2. He will be anointed as king of Israel,
3. He will complete the return of the Jewish people to Israel,
4. He will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem,
5. He will bring peace to the world, ending all war,
6. He will bring knowledge of God to the world.

•  The Messiah will be human, born of human parents, and will die a human death.
•  Calculating the time at which he will arrive is forbidden and those who do so are cursed.
• While the messiah is a tenet of Torah faith, it should not be overly emphasized. Our duty is to fulfill Gods will in the here and now.