The Anticipation for Geulah

The anticipation for redemption is the yearning for the fulfillment of the true and complete redemption through the Melech HaMashiach (King Messiah). This yearning is created in a person's soul as a result of not accepting the state of galus (exile). This yearning is expressed through requests and demands for complete redemption and the coming of Moshiach. These requests are woven into and present at every stage and moment of Jewish life.

The virtue of requesting and anticipating the redemption is the easing of the troubles of exile and hastening the arrival of the true and complete redemption.

Origin

The anticipation for redemption is a fundamental and important concept in Judaism. Chazal (our Sages) in their words give this anticipation great importance. Some of their statements appear in the Talmud:

"Rava said: When a person is brought to judgment, they are asked... Did you anticipate salvation...?" — Talmud Bavli, Tractate Shabbos 31a.

The importance of anticipating redemption is so great that Chazal cursed those who calculate the end (of exile), which weakens the hearts of the people from anticipating and believing in redemption:

"Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rav Yonatan: May the spirit of those who calculate the end be blown away, for they would say once the time for the end has arrived and it has not come, it will never come. Rather, wait for it, as it is said: 'Though it may tarry, wait for it.' Perhaps you will say we are waiting but He is not waiting? The verse teaches (Isaiah 30:18) 'Therefore Hashem waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He is exalted to have compassion on you.' Now, given that we are waiting and He is waiting, what is delaying it? The attribute of justice is delaying it. And since the attribute of justice is delaying it, why are we waiting? To receive reward, as it is stated (Isaiah 30:18): 'Fortunate are all who wait for Him.'" — Talmud Bavli, Tractate Sanhedrin 97b.

Anticipation as Part of the Fundamentals of Faith

The Rambam in his halachic work views anticipation for redemption as an inseparable part of belief in the redemption itself. A person who does not anticipate the coming of Moshiach is considered a denier of his very existence. In his words:

"And anyone who does not believe in him, or does not await his coming - not only does he deny the other prophets, but he denies the Torah and Moshe Rabbeinu." — Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, Chapter 11, Halacha 1.

In this perspective of the Rambam, there is a significant innovation, since the fundamentals of faith are primarily opinions and beliefs and not matters dependent on feelings of the heart, while anticipation and yearning are feelings and heartfelt wishes. Some explain his approach that his intention is not anticipation in the actual feeling of the heart but knowledge and faith that no time limit has been set and he can come at any moment (and as he states in his Commentary on the Mishnah, "and one should not think that he will be delayed") and this is because since no time was set for his coming, his arrival is appropriate whether in the near or distant future. The source of the Rambam for this approach is in the words of the Gemara: "May the spirit of those who calculate the end be blown away," because these calculations set a time for his coming and one no longer believes he will come before this time. Some add to this that anticipation according to the Rambam means confidence in Hashem that Moshiach will come at this moment. Others interpret that the obligation is the actual feeling of the heart - and as an explanation for the Rambam's source, they explain that anticipation is a "test" for the authenticity of faith, for if one truly believes in redemption and its details, he will certainly wait for it. And there are those who explained that the obligation of anticipation is the obligation to contemplate and study about the details of redemption and its virtues.

Character and Root

The nature of the requested anticipation is a feeling that penetrates and fills the entire personality of the person and every detail of their life. Therefore, one is not satisfied with a one-time request in one of the daily prayers, but rather repeats it in every prayer - "May our eyes behold Your return to Zion in mercy," and on weekdays we also add in the middle blessings about the ingathering of exiles and the building of Jerusalem, etc., to the request that "the offspring of David Your servant may You speedily cause to flourish... for we hope for Your salvation all day long" - that there is not a moment in the day when one does not hope and anticipate salvation.

This restlessness stems from non-acceptance of the state of exile. It is because one feels the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) at every moment, as the well-known saying of Chazal: "Anyone in whose days the Temple was not rebuilt, it is as if it was destroyed in his days," meaning, that the destruction of the Temple is something that is renewed at every moment, not that it was destroyed hundreds of years ago, but that at every moment it is not rebuilt, at that moment it is destroyed anew.

Similarly, one does not accept it because one is not willing to understand and accept any explanation about the virtues of being in exile, since Hashem is "all-powerful" and is not compelled by anything, therefore no explanation that necessitates exile will be accepted, since Hashem could "manage" without it. This leads one to cry out "for Your salvation we hope all day long."

The anticipation for redemption is based on the fact that a person recognizes the concealment and its purpose, that it is not that Hashem has abandoned us, but that the matter of exile is to bring a person to a deeper service, and therefore while in exile, one does not give up and is always in a soul movement of anticipation and searching for the light. (As the Mitteler Rebbe's parable that the exile of the Shechinah is like a father who hides from his children so that they will search with energy and effort, and the children, feeling that the father is not truly hiding from them, increases their energy and search for the father).

On the other hand, when one does not feel that there is any concealment at all (and sees the situation as natural), consequently one does not feel there is a need to search for a purpose in the concealment, or if as a result of the deep darkness of exile one despairs of finding (and it is as if one recognizes the concealment but does not see a purpose in it) and stops searching. This is the meaning of the verse "And I will surely hide My face on that day" (Deuteronomy 31:18), that the concealment of exile is so great that a person no longer awaits redemption because he does not even feel his distance.

Her Virtue and Influence

The lack of complacency among the Jewish people regarding the suffering of exile affects the nations of the world during the exile, preventing them from being complacent when seeing Israel's suffering in exile. (As in Zechariah's prophecy where he conveyed God's words about the exile: "I am greatly angered at the complacent nations." God's complaint against the nations is not only that they increased the suffering of exile, but about their very complacency. The root and source of this decline is in the Jewish people who are complacent about the descent of exile and do not protest against it.)

Anticipation Brings the Redemption Closer

The importance of anticipating the redemption is expressed in the reward of bringing the redemption closer and the punishment for those who do not anticipate its coming. On this, the Sages said in the Midrash:

"All those thousands who fell in war during David's time fell only because they did not demand the building of the Holy Temple... and if they... then we... how much more so... Therefore they established... that we should pray daily 'Return Your Divine Presence to Zion and the order of service to Jerusalem.'" — Midrash Tehillim (Buber edition) Psalm 17, cited by Radak at the end of Samuel II

And the Sages also said in the Midrash:

"Rabbi Shimon ben Menasia said: Israel will never see a sign of redemption until they return and seek these three things... the Kingdom of Heaven... the Kingdom of the House of David... the Holy Temple" — Yalkut Shimoni Samuel I, hint 106

This Midrash was cited as halacha by Rabbi Yosef Karo in his work Beit Yosef as the reason for mentioning these three things in the Grace After Meals. With this, the Chida explains the wording of the blessing in the Shemoneh Esreh prayer: "May You speedily cause the offspring of David Your servant to flourish, for we hope for Your salvation all day." The reason that indeed God will bring forth the redemption is "for we hope for Your salvation..." And thus the Rebbe interpreted the words of the Sages in the Talmud cited above, "What are we waiting for? To receive reward" - that the reward itself is that it brings the redemption closer.

The reason why the coming of Mashiach depends on requesting it is because it constitutes a correction for the sin that caused the exile, as explained in that Midrash that the Jewish people in their sin rejected these three things, and the request for their return is the correction of the sin. The Rebbe explains an additional reason: since "God desires the prayers of the righteous," therefore God wants the Jewish people to request the redemption. Although the Jewish people deserve redemption through their deeds, God wants a Jew to request, pray for, and demand the coming of redemption.

Therefore, although in Torah we find explanations for all matters, regarding exile - whose virtue is explained as revealing light, and the advantage of light from within darkness - nevertheless, there is no explanation for the exile itself. For God is "all-powerful" and not limited at all, so why would He need to create darkness, pain, and suffering only to later illuminate the light of redemption and show that everything was for good? He could have initially illuminated the unlimited light without the darkness. For this, we find no explanation in Torah. The reason for this - explains the Rebbe - is because God's desire is that a Jew should not feel the virtue of exile during the time of exile, but rather want to leave it. If there were an explanation for the necessity of exile, there is concern that a Jew would not feel the cry... "Until when?"

Moreover, the request and hope for redemption hastens and brings the redemption closer (by virtue of the hope itself). This is our intention in prayer: "May You speedily cause the offspring of David Your servant to flourish and increase his power through Your salvation." By what merit? - "For we hope for Your salvation all day.

External Links

Books and Collections

The Rebbe, Likutei Sichos Volume 28 - Chukat (1) - The Rambam's precision regarding the obligation to anticipate and request the redemption.
Rabbi Yoel Cohen, Is Anticipating the Redemption Really a Fundamental of Faith?, Or V'Chayut collection page 3, Jerusalem, Menachem Av 5777.
Yisrael Yosef Tzipris - Regarding "Anticipating His Coming" - Torah Essays Collection (Brooklyn 11 Nissan 5752).
Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Lipshitz - The Obligation of "Anticipating His Coming" - He'arot U'Biurim Collection - Oholei Torah (5752)
Shmuel Shmueli - Anyone Who Does Not Anticipate His Coming is a Denier - Pilpulim Collection Oholei Torah (5761)
Menachem Mendel Asulin - Anticipating the Redemption in All Times - Pilpulim Collection Oholei Torah (5761)
Rabbi Nachum Stroks - Anticipating His Coming - He'arot U'Biurim (5758 (2))
Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Wolf - Anticipating His Coming, chapter from the book "Inyano Shel Moshiach," within the Geulah and Moshiach Archive

Multimedia

The Rebbe's talk - Demanding the Redemption from the Creator of the World - on Chabad.org.
The Rebbe's talk - There is no explanation for exile, only to demand the Redemption
The Rebbe's talk - Mentioning Moshiach requires prayer "May he be revealed speedily"
The Rebbe's talk - The exile begins when we stop searching
The Rebbe's talk - Longing for Melech HaMoshiach brings the Redemption closer