Yemos HaMoshiach (ימות המשיח) — the days of Moshiach

Core definition

Yemos HaMoshiach — the days of Moshiach — is the messianic era: the redemption's time and the exiles' ingathering "through our righteous Moshiach," when "the King Mashiach is destined to arise and restore the kingdom of the House of Dovid" [15881/maamar_022 :: Summary — p. קצח; 31695/maamar_053 :: עב׳ 350]. Our Sages said: "there is no difference between this world and the days of Moshiach except subjugation alone" [57653/maamar_075 :: עב׳ 63] — yet the corpus fills in what that era will be: universal refinement, the end of the evil inclination, and revelations beyond all that came before. In the piyyut "Ein aruch lecha," the days of Moshiach are the third rung of the ladder: "efes biltecha go'aleinu — naught besides You, our Redeemer — for the days of Moshiach" [31641/maamar_005 :: עב׳ 666].

How the Rebbeim develop it

Universal refinement. "Even though our Sages said, 'there is no difference between this world and the days of Moshiach except subjugation alone' — still, in the days of Moshiach every thing will be refined — even impure animals, which tear and rend" — the wolf with the lamb, the lion eating straw: "for their tearing comes from small-mindedness, and great-mindedness will illuminate" [57653/maamar_075 :: עב׳ 63–69]. "For in the days of Moshiach there will be no evil inclination" [57653/maamar_075 :: עב׳ 348] — "though the body remains 'from the serpent's skin'" [57653/maamar_075 :: עב׳ 366]. The animal soul, "whose intent is the Creator's will" — the harlot parable: externally evil, internally good — "will have love for Divinity: 'I shall remove the heart of stone'" — "not a new creation, but the same heart become flesh (soft, like flesh that heals)" [57653/maamar_075 :: Summary].

The ingathering through Moshiach. "And the coming of Mashiach must be before kibbutz galuyos" — "and this means that kibbutz galuyos will be through Mashiach": "If so, why does the King Mashiach come? To gather the exiles of Israel" — "for Mashiach will gather the dispersed of Israel from the end of the earth to the end of the earth" [31695/maamar_053 :: עב׳ 296–398]. Yeshayah's "and he shall wave his hand over the river בעים רוחו, and strike it into seven streams": "the verse's whole goes on the redemption's time and the exiles' ingathering through our righteous Moshiach" — the crossing of the Pras "from side to side," and "through this going in the Pras they shall reach the Eden aspect" [15881/maamar_022 :: Summary — p. קצח].

The ladder of bitul. The maamar "Ein aruch lecha" reads the piyyut as a ladder: "ein aruch lecha" in this world (the yesh whose very existence proves incommensurability with its source); "ve'ein zulsecha" in Gan Eden (bitul of the kelim, nullified in existence); "efes biltecha" in the days of Moshiach — "not an existence that is nullified, but no other existence at all — the nullification of the ohr, which cleaves to its source constantly, like fish swallowed in the sea"; "ve'ein domeh lecha" at the resurrection — "the essence of the Ein Sof literally." "Ohr and keli are sovev kol almin and memale kol almin; in the future, in the days of Moshiach, sovev kol almin will shine" [31641/maamar_005 :: Page summary (מ), Summary (עמוד מא); Section summary].

Moshiach's level. "It is brought in the Zohar: that Moshiach's level's level is above the Avos, Moshe Rabeinu, and the first man" — "because Moshiach shall merit the Atzilus Yechidah's level — which no man ever merited": Dovid merited Nefesh, Eliyahu Ruach, Moshe the Atzilus Neshamah, the first man Chayah; "Moshiach shall merit the Atzilus Yechidah" [15881/maamar_022 :: עב׳ 321–393]. "And Moshiach too shall be in a body" [15881/maamar_022 :: עב׳ 408].

What Moshiach will reveal. "And this thing — in the mitzvos' reasons — Moshiach ben Dovid shall reveal to us": "the Holy One expounds to them (to the tzaddikim in Gan Eden) the new Torah's reasons that the Holy One is destined to give them through Moshiach." "Moshiach shall reveal the Torah's internality" [15881/maamar_022 :: עב׳ 293–481]. "In the future, mitzvos will be in spirituality too — and sacrifices will return (prayer draws only in concealment)" [57653/maamar_075 :: Summary].

Now vs. then. "One hour is better" refers to this world now, "not the days of Moshiach": "Now the advantage is forcing the inciting animal soul" — "a man, when he brings, of you" — elevating it "like the altar's eating, a pleasing aroma even to 'I am Havayah, I have not changed.'" "In the future there will be no evil inclination... and the revelation will be 'the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah' — while now it is the very mitzvah." Conclusion: "now the advantage is from man's side (forcing the animal soul to iskafya and love like flames of fire); in the future, the advantage will be from the mitzvah's side" [57653/maamar_075 :: Summary]. Yackov "fulfilled the Torah in spirituality"; Adam HaRishon in Gan Eden; at Sinai they would have fulfilled in spirituality — "but the calf returned the filth, and mitzvos became enclothed in physicality"; in the future they return to spirituality as well [57653/maamar_075 :: Summary].

Key distinctions

The days of Moshiach vs. Gan Eden. "All the prophets prophesied the days of Moshiach — but Eden, no eye saw": the prophets' prophecies reach only the days of Moshiach; Eden is beyond [15881/maamar_022 :: Summary — p. קצח]. In the ladder: Gan Eden is "ve'ein zulsecha" — the kelim's bitul; the days of Moshiach are "efes biltecha" — the ohr's bitul [31641/maamar_005 :: Section summary].

The days of Moshiach vs. techiyas hameisim. "Ve'ein domeh lecha" — the essence beyond all revelation — is at the resurrection; the days of Moshiach are sovev kol almin's shining [31641/maamar_005 :: Summary (עמוד מא)].

Now vs. then. Now: man's advantage, the struggle with the inciting animal soul. Then: the mitzvah's advantage, its completeness — but no struggle [57653/maamar_075 :: Summary].

Related concepts

Sources