I concluded my last post with an allusion to the concept of "Dochek Et HaKetz" (to push the "end"). Our sages point out that many of the great mistakes of history came about as a result of "jumping the gun". The Golden Calf, for instance, was made because Moses was late in coming down from Mt. Sinai. How late? Six hours! They supposed him dead, and made a ridiculous substitute. The consequences were disastrous. There are numerous other examples.
Beyond that, one of our central concepts is the coming of Mashiach. Yet, the Talmud records a curse for anyone trying to calculate the time of his arrival. RAMBAM even goes so far as to say not to think about it too much, as it adds neither to our love or awe of G-d, but to believe that when G-d wants, it will happen. (The current folk belief that we are required every moment to beleive he is coming instantaneously, is contradicted by all Talmudic sources).Yet, we find throughout our history, large numbers of people deciding that someone MUST be Mashiach. Disaster resulted. Sometimes entire heresies grew up around failed Messiahs. Jewish tradition is clear. "If you are planting a tree, and someone runs up to you saying Mashiach has come, finish planting, and then investigate." We find NOWHERE in scripture or Jewish tradition that someone is to be BELIEVED to be the Mashiach. If someone seems like he MIGHT be, and he fulfills certain criteria, he may be assumed to be, until proven otherwise. But nothing changes. Only when he has accomplished his task; in-gathering the exiles, building the Temple,, and ushering in an era of peace, may we BELIEVE that he IS the Mashiach. Many have lost their faith, or even their lives, in premature acceptance of a make-believe figure. I have endured much anguish over the years from people claiming that one or another political figure (!!!) is certainly Mashiach, or every time there is a border skirmish in Israel, impassioned cries go up "this is it!! The War of Gog and Magog! pack your bags!". Even the great Rabbi Akiva erred in thinking that Bar Kochba, who lead a rebellion against Rome, was Mashiach. He must be! Everything is lining up! A colleague said to him "Akiva, grass will grow from your cheeks, and Mashiach will not yet have come".
Here we get to Rabbi Ben Habib's central concern. He saw Rabbi Berav's real motivation for renewing smichah, and forming a Sanhedrin, as the first steps in preparation for the Redemption. There can be little doubt that this was, in fact, Rabbi Berav's intention. Everything is lining up! We have witnessed the destruction of Iberian Jewry. That MUST be the pre-Messianic travails spoken of in scripture. Thousands have come back to the Holy Land! Let's get everything ready! Rabbi Ben Habib also thought the Redemption is likely near. But there is nothing to do but pray, perform righteous deeds, and wait. From his perspective, the premature exultation could only lead to chaos. In fact, similar thinking led to the Sabbatian debacle a little more than a century later; a tragedy which has left terrible scars on our people to this day. (I have discussed this in an earlier post, and will elaborate on this in a coming series). We can well sympathize both with Rabbi Berav's interpretation of history, as well as Rabbi Ben Habib's fears. I titled this series "The Dispute of 1538, and its Ongoing Repercussions". What are the ongoing repercussions? That will be my next post.
Beyond that, one of our central concepts is the coming of Mashiach. Yet, the Talmud records a curse for anyone trying to calculate the time of his arrival. RAMBAM even goes so far as to say not to think about it too much, as it adds neither to our love or awe of G-d, but to believe that when G-d wants, it will happen. (The current folk belief that we are required every moment to beleive he is coming instantaneously, is contradicted by all Talmudic sources).Yet, we find throughout our history, large numbers of people deciding that someone MUST be Mashiach. Disaster resulted. Sometimes entire heresies grew up around failed Messiahs. Jewish tradition is clear. "If you are planting a tree, and someone runs up to you saying Mashiach has come, finish planting, and then investigate." We find NOWHERE in scripture or Jewish tradition that someone is to be BELIEVED to be the Mashiach. If someone seems like he MIGHT be, and he fulfills certain criteria, he may be assumed to be, until proven otherwise. But nothing changes. Only when he has accomplished his task; in-gathering the exiles, building the Temple,, and ushering in an era of peace, may we BELIEVE that he IS the Mashiach. Many have lost their faith, or even their lives, in premature acceptance of a make-believe figure. I have endured much anguish over the years from people claiming that one or another political figure (!!!) is certainly Mashiach, or every time there is a border skirmish in Israel, impassioned cries go up "this is it!! The War of Gog and Magog! pack your bags!". Even the great Rabbi Akiva erred in thinking that Bar Kochba, who lead a rebellion against Rome, was Mashiach. He must be! Everything is lining up! A colleague said to him "Akiva, grass will grow from your cheeks, and Mashiach will not yet have come".
Here we get to Rabbi Ben Habib's central concern. He saw Rabbi Berav's real motivation for renewing smichah, and forming a Sanhedrin, as the first steps in preparation for the Redemption. There can be little doubt that this was, in fact, Rabbi Berav's intention. Everything is lining up! We have witnessed the destruction of Iberian Jewry. That MUST be the pre-Messianic travails spoken of in scripture. Thousands have come back to the Holy Land! Let's get everything ready! Rabbi Ben Habib also thought the Redemption is likely near. But there is nothing to do but pray, perform righteous deeds, and wait. From his perspective, the premature exultation could only lead to chaos. In fact, similar thinking led to the Sabbatian debacle a little more than a century later; a tragedy which has left terrible scars on our people to this day. (I have discussed this in an earlier post, and will elaborate on this in a coming series). We can well sympathize both with Rabbi Berav's interpretation of history, as well as Rabbi Ben Habib's fears. I titled this series "The Dispute of 1538, and its Ongoing Repercussions". What are the ongoing repercussions? That will be my next post.
No comments:
Post a Comment