The Age of the Messiah: A Glimpse into Our Future

The term "The Age of the Messiah" describes the anticipated time of redemption through the redeemer known as the "Messiah." During this period, exile will come to an end, the oppression of the Jewish people will cease, the kingdom of the House of David will be reinstated, and the Temple will be rebuilt. Sometimes, the Age of the Messiah is mentioned together with the resurrection of the dead and is sometimes referred to as the "World to Come"; it is also contrasted with this world or with the World to Come. In the Torah and the Prophets, the Age of the Messiah is called "the end of days" and "the end."

In the Talmud, there is a debate among the sages and the scholars about whether the Jewish people will be redeemed only if they repent, or even without repentance. The Torah promises that at the end of the exile, the Jewish people will repent and will be redeemed immediately. Regarding the great prophecies of the prophets for the future, there is a dispute about which era they were said about: According to Rabbi Yohanan, the prophets prophesied about the goodness and comfort meant only for the Age of the Messiah, but the "World to Come" – "no eye has seen, O God, besides You"; whereas according to Samuel: "There is no difference between this world and the Age of the Messiah except for the subjugation of nations" – meaning that only subjugation will not exist in the Age of the Messiah.

The Belief in the Coming of the Messiah

The Messiah will restore the kingdom of David to its former glory. Anyone who does not believe in him or does not await his arrival is denying the Torah and Moses our Teacher and is classified as an "apikoros." The seventh blessing in the eighteen blessings of the *Amidah* is "Redeemer of Israel" – for the future. Similarly, after the fourth blessing in the *Birkat Hamazon*, which is "the Good and Benefactor," we conclude with a mention of the Messiah, saying: "May the Merciful One grant us to witness the Age of the Messiah..." The coming of the Messiah can happen any day; therefore, one who says, "I will be a *nazir* on the day the son of David comes – is forbidden to drink wine immediately lest that day arrives. However, if he made a vow on Shabbat or a holiday, he is permitted to drink wine that day, because it surely will not occur on that day, as it is stated: "Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the Lord's great and terrible day" – which is one day before the coming of the Messiah, and he has not come on the eve of Shabbat or a holiday, therefore he will not come on Shabbat or a holiday.

In the Age of the Messiah, practices that were discontinued during the exile will be reinstated. For example: the *yovel*, laws of a resident convert, Hebrew slave, and land inheritance; as well as commandments that are currently enacted only rabbinically will be practiced then according to Torah law, such as: *shvi'it*, release of debts, tithes, and offerings. The *Sanhedrin* – meaning an authoritative court – will be reinstated in the Age of the Messiah. The sanctification of the month by the court according to the sighting of the new moon and the intercalation of the year (adding an extra month of Adar) will return to being conducted by the court – after Elijah comes and the Temple is rebuilt, they will return to sanctify based on sighting in the court. Also, the laws of purity and impurity, which do not apply today due to the lack of *parah adumah* for sprinkling on the impurity of the dead, and other laws of impurity that are currently not applicable as we lack the Temple and offerings – will return to being practiced in the Age of the Messiah; the fasts of the seventeenth of *Tammuz*, the ninth of *Av*, the fast of *Gedaliah*, and the tenth of *Tevet* – are destined to become joyful days of celebration.