Daily ThoughtWe are not waiting for some great revelation from above to save us from our incompetence as guardians of this world and put everything in order. Rather, we are waiting to see the sun rise over everything we have done, to see the fruits of our labors blossom in an eternal spring. A New Age comes upon the world as a spring rain upon a plowed and seeded field. Plow and sow now, while there is still time. —The Rebbe Reprinted from
365 Meditations of the Rebbe by Tzvi Freeman
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 Several years ago, the Lubavitcher Rebbe announced: "Our Sages have described the Redemption as a feast. To echo this analogy: the table has already been set, everything has already been served, and we are sitting together with Moshiach (the Messiah). All we need to do is open our eyes." Now these statements seem somewhat difficult to explain. The headlines of any newspaper seem to belie them. What did the Rebbe mean?
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The Talmud states that "The people of Israel were exiled amongst the nations only so that converts may be added to them." On the most basic level, this is a reference to the many non-Jews who, in the course of the centuries of our dispersion, have come in contact with the Jewish people and have been inspired to convert to Judaism. But Chassidic teaching explains that the Talmud is also referring to "souls" of a different sort that are transformed and elevated in the course of our exiles: the "sparks of holiness" contained within the physical creation.
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Why is the belief in Moshiach included among the foundations of the Jewish faith? Obviously, the concept of Moshiach is an important part of Judaism. The Torah speaks of it (in Deuteronomy 30 and Numbers 24, among others), the prophets are full of it. But could one not conceivably believe in the rest of the Torah without accepting its vision of a future perfect world?
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In the sixth century of the sixth millennium, the gates of supernal wisdom will be opened, as will the springs of earthly wisdom, preparing the world to be elevated in the seventh millennium. Indeed, the 56th century from creation (1740-1840 in the secular calendar) was a time of great discovery and accelerated development, both in the supernal wisdom of Torah and in the earthly wisdom of secular science. But it's only the shower before the flood.
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The Hebrew word for donkey is chamor from the word chomer, material. Moshiach's donkey is the material beast harnessed, the physical directed to higher and loftier ends. But humanity's mission of elevating the material entails a long and involved process, an historic effort in which each generation builds upon the attainments of its predecessors.
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Although the Rambam writes that one should always take the moderate path, "love for no reason" should be taken to an extreme. Even after one has made great efforts to find merit in another and has failed, one should still have ahavas Yisrael beyond any calculations. This is true love for no reason. The essay discusses various prospectives on the relationship between Ahavat Yisrael and the coming of Moshiach.
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There are four things whose creation G-d regrets every day, the first is galut-exile. (Talmud) So if G-d regrets the creation of galut every day, why are we still in exile? How could galut exist, even as a concept, without G-d's continued desire that it be?
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How will the 3rd temple be built? This is an issue that few people are willing to address because of obvious political implications. But, like it or not, the Third Temple is going to be built one day. So we may as well look at the question now.
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Why is the word "pig" an almost universal symbol of insult? This
much-maligned animal has been slapped with the most perverse of labels,
from Nazi to sexist. We ascribe to it the worst of human failings,
including greed, gluttony, and sloppiness. It is also the most
quintessentially "treif" of animals, with its name being nearly
synonymous with non-kosher of the most decadent sort. Let's face it:
for an innocent creature, the pig evokes some pretty strong emotions. Here's why the epitome of "treif" will one day be pure.
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Rabbi Judah understands the divine promise to
"terminate evil beasts from the land" to mean that in the harmonious
world of Moshiach all destructive creatures and forces will be "removed
from the world." In Rabbi Shimon's opinion, only the destructive nature of "evil beasts" will be terminated, but they continue to
exist in their new harmless and gainful cast. This essay explains the reasoning behind their argument.
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Though frequently replicated, and the subject of much artistic
interpretation, the exact shape of the Temple Menorah is not simple to
determine. Although the Talmud delineates the height and general
appearance of the Menorah, numerous details are omitted, and are subject to controversy.
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