Practical Messianism

Now that Tisha B'av has passed, we start to focus on nechama, or comfort. Natually, we expect that the full nechama will come when Mashiach comes.

So, I think this is a good time to talk about a central Kumah philosophy, which is what I call, "Practical Messianism." In a few words, here is what I mean.

A central tenet of our faith is eager anticipation of Mashiach. Mashiach will be the one to gather in the exiles to Israel, re-establish the Kingdom of David, and build the Third Temple (Rambam Hilchot Melachim 11:1). However, there is a great divide about how this will come about, and what form our anticipation should take. Some argue that we can only pray and do mitzvot, and when God feels that we have merited the redemption, then it will come. Others believe that the Messianic age will come gradually, and that, in addition to praying and doing mitzvot, we must all take practical actions, when possible, to bring the redemption closer.

I will make a simple argument for the latter: A major part of the redemption is kibutz galuyot, ingathering of the exiles. Does this mean every Jew will live in Israel? Does it mean the majority? I think it is a safe assumption that we don't need every Jew in Israel at the same time, but rather, when a majority of Jews live in Israel, this will be the major milestone of kibutz galuyot. It is predicted that the majority of Jews will live in Israel in about 20 years. (For more details, please see Yishai's article, Biat Kulchem.)

How does the ingathering happen? Already, millions of Jews have been gathered in from the four corners of the earth to Israel. This process continues today. Even while a descendant of David is not declared to be Mashiach, this process will continue. And every one of us who makes Aliyah is bringing kibutz galuyot one step closer. It is as if each of us has the potential to be a little bit of Mashiach.

We don't know exactly how the actual Mashiach will be revealed. The Rambam argues that it will be a natural process, without any miracles occuring (Rambam Hilchot Melachim 12:1). But however it happens, we are laying the groundwork for a smoother redemption by working towards the goals which define the redemption.

We each have the potential, through personal efforts, small and large, to bring the redemption closer. If you want to be active in this process, think about what the redemption will be like, and think what you can do to make that a reality.