Chapter 3: Studies in the Passage on the Redemption in Tractate Sanhedrin

Heretical Regimes

אין בן דוד בא עד שתתהפך כל המלכות למינות. אמר רבא: מאי קרא? כולו הפך לבן – טהור הוא

[Mashiach] the son of David will not come until all regimes will have turned to heresy. Rava said: “Which verse alludes to this? — ‘It1 has all turned white: [the leper] is clean.’”2 And on this teaching Rashi comments: “Just as when the ailment spreads over the entire skin [the leper is pronounced clean], so, too, when all regimes will have turned to heresy, the Redemption will come.”

This indicator can be explained in either of two ways:

(a) Negatively: Once the situation has reached the lowest possible level, G‑d has no alternative (so to speak) than to bring the Redemption immediately.

(b) Positively: The world is becoming progressively refined, to the point that it becomes apparent that all regimes which are not connected with the Kingdom of Heaven are heretical, while Israel alone believe and know that G‑d is One. This awareness is a stage in the process of the world’s refinement, in the course of which, ultimately,3 “Many shall become purified and clarified and refined.”

This second mode accords with the opinion in the Gemara4 that “the son of David [i.e., Mashiach] will come only to a generation... which is altogether sinful” — for one of the prooftexts cited for this opinion is the verse5 in which G‑d says, “For My own sake, for My own sake, shall I do this, for how should [My Name] be profaned...?”

These two possible ways of perceiving the generation which will be found worthy of the Redemption parallel the two alternative explanations which have been offered to explain the above-quoted law that if “it has all turned white, [the leper] is clean”:

(a) it is a decree of the Torah6 for which no reason has been given;

(b) it is a statement supported by a reason7 (viz., the fact that the skin has all turned white proves that there is no ailment).

If it is an outright decree of the Torah, it is clear that the world in its own right is not worthy of being redeemed: the Redemption comes about as a decree imposed from above. (This is the mode of Redemption that comes to “a generation... which is altogether sinful,” which the classical commentators8 understand to mean that G‑d will set up an oppressive king over the Jewish people, and this will force them to repent.9 )

If it is a statement supported by a reason, then the movement of governments toward heresy indicates that the world is being refined, and is thus ready in its own right to be redeemed. (This is the mode of Redemption that comes to470 “a generation... which is altogether meritorious,” which the classical commentators474 understand to mean that the Jews of that time will repent of their own free will.10 )

Likkutei Sichos, Shabbos Parshas Tazria-Metzora, 5748 [1988]

Three Things Come Unawares (i)

שלשה באין בהיסח הדעת, אלו הן: משיח מציאה ועקרב

Three things come unawares, namely, Mashiach, a found object, and a scorpion468

This teaching does not mean that a person should not (G‑d forbid) think about the Redemption and anticipate its coming. It means that though his reason sees no possibility for Redemption, a Jew persists with an intense belief that transcends his reason. This meaning springs directly from the Hebrew idiom בהיסח הדעת (here translated “unawares”), which literally means “with one’s reason set aside.”

There are those who argue that this generation is unworthy of the coming of Mashiach. In the light of the above interpretation, this very argument is in itself a clear indicator of an imminent Redemption.

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. X, p. 171

Three Things Come Unawares (ii)

The coming of Mashiach must be prepared for specifically in the time of exile — a time during which there is hesech hadaas from the Redemption, a time during which an enlightened appreciation of the imminent Redemption is set aside. When one lights up the darkest of all places — a situation in which there is hesech hadaas and the very antithesis of the light of Mashiach — the son of David will come.

From a talk of the Rebbe on Shabbos Parshas Mattos-Masei, 5713 [1953]

Three Things Come Unawares (iii)

One should look forward to the Redemption because that era will bring about the fulfillment of the will of G‑d — His intent (underlying the entire creation) of having a11 “dwelling place among the lower beings.” Looking forward to the Redemption should not be motivated by personal considerations, such as a desire to be extricated from a tight spot in one’s material or spiritual life.

This directive is implied in the term hesech hadaas: a person ought to set aside his thinking from the subjects to which he feels bound (for daas signifies being bound12 ), such as considerations involving his own body and soul. Instead, he should yearn for the Redemption because at that time G‑d’s intent will be fulfilled.

From a talk of the Rebbe on Shabbos Parshas Eikev, 5713 [1953]

Calculating the Time of the Redemption

תיפח רוחן של מחשבי קיצין, שהיו אומרים: כיון שהגיע את הקץ ולא בא שוב אינו בא. אלא חכה לו, שנאמר: אם שתמהמה חכה לו

May those who calculate the date of the Redemption expire, for they13 would [then] say: “Since the calculated date14 has arrived and [Mashiach] has not come, he is not going to come.” Rather, wait for him, as it is written,15 “If he will tarry, wait for him.”16

Notwithstanding the above, we find that over the generations great scholars among our people did indicate such dates. (See, for example, Iggeres Teiman by Rambam, and the Maamarim of the Alter Rebbe on the Parshiyos, Vol. I, p. 419.)

The above-quoted Gemara is speaking of the kind of calculation that could weaken people’s faith in the coming of Mashiach (as in the above phrase, “he is not going to come”). By contrast, the only intention of the later scholars referred to was to fortify and arouse this faith — at historical periods in which our people’s dire spiritual poverty demanded extraordinary measures which the Torah otherwise forbade.17

The latter attitude may also be perceived from a deeper perspective.

Throughout the entire exile, great tzaddikim are able to see how the avodah which Jews carry out at every day and moment comprises elements of the Redemption within itself and brings it nearer. At the end of every day they are able to discern in what measure the Redemption has become more revealed and the world more elevated. As these increments add up to a state of completeness, they reveal the year in which this growing completeness will be attained — the year of the ketz. Accordingly, between the announcement and the anticipated ketz, the avodah of the interim period must be upgraded to match that complete revelation.

It is thus clear that the observations of these tzaddikim do not involve any prohibition of calculating final dates. On the contrary: They see the great elevation that has been attained up to a certain point, and are therefore obliged to make this known in order to rouse people to upgrade their avodah.

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXIX, p. 15

If Israel Repent They Will Be Redeemed (i)

רבי אליעזר אומר: "אם ישראל עושין תשובה נגאלין, שנאמר, 'שובו בנים שובבים, אורפא משובותיכם.'" אמר לי-ה רבי יהושע: "והלא כבר נאמר, 'חנם נמכרתם, ולא בכסף תיגאלו.' 'חנם נמכרתם' – בעבודת כוכבים, 'ולא בכסף תיגאלו' – לא בתשובה ומעשים טובים"

R. Eliezer says: “If Israel repent they will be redeemed, as it is written,18 ‘Return, wayward children, and I shall heal your backslidings.’” Said R. Yehoshua: “But there is another verse that says,19 ‘You were sold for nothing, and not by money will you be redeemed.’ ‘You were sold for nothing’ — this means [that you were exiled on account of] idolatry; ‘and not by money will you be redeemed’ — this means [that you will not be redeemed] by virtue of repentance and good deeds.”20

Elsewhere,21 the same two Sages debate the time of the Redemption: R. Eliezer holds that “in Tishrei [our people] are destined to be redeemed,” whereas R. Yehoshua holds that “in Nissan [our people] are destined to be redeemed.” How do these two debates correlate?

R. Eliezer, who holds that the Redemption will come only by virtue of teshuvah — a mode of avodah which is initiated from below and aspires upward22 — holds that the Redemption will come in Tishrei, the month whose avodah consists of [self]-elevation from below.23 Besides, on a simple level, the main time for teshuvah is the Ten Days of Penitence, which fall in the month of Tishrei.

R. Yehoshua, by contrast, holds that the Redemption will come as something drawn downward24 in response to an initiative from above. According to this conception, the Redemption is most likely in the month of Nissan, whose avodah belongs to that mode.

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. I, p. 235

If Israel Repent They Will Be Redeemed (ii)

In the above-mentioned debate as to the time of the Redemption,487 each of the sides draws support from a different verse. R. Eliezer, who holds that “in Tishrei [our people] are destined to be redeemed,” points out the connection between a verse that promises the Redemption (“On that day a great Shofar will be sounded”25 ) and a verse that gives the commandment of sounding the Shofar on the first day of Tishrei (“Sound the Shofar on the New Moon”26 ). R. Yehoshua, who holds that “in Nissan [our people] are destined to be redeemed,” cites a verse that tells of the Exodus that took place in Nissan (“It is a night of watching unto G‑d... throughout their generations”27 ), and adds: “It is a night that has been safeguarded ever since the Six Days of Creation” (Rashi: “...for the Redemption”).

The stances of R. Eliezer and R. Yeshoshua as to the season of the Redemption exactly reflect their respective stances as to the anticipated spiritual state of our people when the Redemption comes.

R. Eliezer holds that Israel will be redeemed because they will repent on their own initiative — and exactly this is the message of the Shofar which is sounded on Rosh HaShanah.28 This is also the message of the month of Tishrei as a whole. Thus, on the above-quoted verse,492 “Sound the Shofar (שופר) on the New Moon,” the Sages use the phrase,29 “If you improve (שפרתם) your ways...,” playing on the similarity between the two Hebrew roots. Likewise, seeking meanings in the very name of the month called Tishrei (תשרי), the Sages say:30 “[You, G‑d,] will absolve (תשרי), remit and atone for the sins of Your people.”

R. Yehoshua, by contrast, holds that even if Israel do not repent on their own initiative they will be redeemed — because G‑d will set up a king over them who is as oppressive as Haman, and this will bring them back to the right path.474 True to the view of R. Yehoshua, this recalls the Exodus from Egypt, for the Jews were redeemed by virtue of their later acceptance of the Torah at Mount Sinai31 — and this was secured by compulsion, for G‑d32 “held the mountain poised over them like a tub.” Indeed, the Gemara comments that this duress could give later generations498 “a powerful excuse for [not observing] the Torah.”

Despite this similarity, the compulsion of that time is quite different from the compulsion that will be experienced at the time of the Redemption. For at the time of the Giving of the Torah the Jewish people were not yet obliged33 to obey its commands; hence they could complain against duress. In our time, however, when we are obliged to obey, duress brings a person to a point at which he obeys wholeheartedly. As Rambam writes:34 “A person whose Evil Inclination overwhelmed him with a desire not to observe a mitzvah..., and he was then beaten until he did observe it..., is not regarded as having acted under duress..., because [ultimately] he wants to be a part of the Jewish people and he wants to observe all the commandments.”

Igros Kodesh (Letters) of the Rebbe, Vol. I, p. 117

Altogether Meritorious, Altogether Sinful (i)

אין בן דוד בא אלא בדור שכולו זכאי או כולו חייב

The son of David [i.e., Mashiach] will come only in a generation which is altogether meritorious or altogether sinful35

This teaching alludes to the complete distinction and separation between good and evil that will take place in future time.

Altogether meritorious: This describes a situation in which there is no element of evil within the good (for even the slightest admixture of evil in one solitary Jew would mean that there was no absolute separation between evil and good).

Altogether sinful: This describes a situation in which there is no element of good within the evil, which will then vanish when its time comes (or it will be unable to exist at all).

The maamar entitled Al Tatzar, p. 43

Altogether Meritorious, Altogether Sinful (ii)

Mashiach signifies the separation of the good from the evil. This is why he will come “only in a generation which is altogether meritorious or altogether sinful”;501 i.e., at a time in which there will be no mixture of good and evil. So long as Mashiach has not come, there is a mixture of good and evil in all the worlds: there is no good without evil and no evil without good.

In the light of this we can understand the statement in the Tikkunei Zohar36 that if one tzaddik were to return in complete teshuvah (i.e., with no trace of evil whatever), Mashiach would come.

The Short Maamarim of the Alter Rebbe, p. 403

Altogether Meritorious, Altogether Sinful (iii)

An allusion to the above teaching (that Mashiach will come “only in a generation which is altogether meritorious or altogether sinful”) may be found within the words of the following verse:37 אם יגאלך טוב יגאל, ואם לא גו' וגאלתיך אנכי. On the plain level of pshat, this verse may be translated as follows: “If he [i.e., your relative] will redeem you, then that is good (tov): let him redeem you; and if not..., then I will redeem you.” [Alternatively, the verse may be understood thus: “If [your relative named] Tov will redeem you, let him redeem you; and if not..., then I will redeem you.”

At any rate,] on the non-literal level of derush, the Tzemach Tzedek interpreted it as follows:

אם יגאלך טוב יגאל: If the good (tov) within you will redeem you, let it redeem you (as will happen in a generation which is altogether meritorious);

ואם לא: and if not (i.e., if it is a generation which is altogether sinful, G‑d forbid), then —

וגאלתיך אנכי: the Redemption will come from Anochi (signifying the transcendent level of Divinity called Keser).

This alternative solution echoes the folk-saying: “If you can’t crawl under, leap right over the top!”

Moreover, it recalls a teaching of the Sages,38 who find an allusion to this mode of Redemption in the verse,39 “It has all turned white: [the leper] is clean.” On this teaching Rashi comments: “Just as when the ailment spreads over the entire skin [the leper is pronounced clean], so, too, when all regimes will have turned to heresy, the Redemption will come.” When the ailment has spread so much that it has all turned white, then a higher level of Divinity must be revealed. This is the level called Keser — and through it the ailment will be removed.

Or HaTorah — Nach, p. 288

In Its Time I Shall Hasten It (i)

"בעתה אחישנה": כתיב "בעתה", וכתיב "אחישנה". זכו – "אחישנה" לא זכו – "בעתה"

It is written,40 “In its time” [i.e., the Redemption will come at its appointed time], but [immediately thereafter] it is also written, “I shall hasten it.” [Yet there is no contradiction:] If [the Jewish people] are found worthy, then G‑d will hasten it; if they are not found worthy, it will come in its time.41

If the Jewish people are found worthy as a result of their teshuvah and good deeds, and have completely separated the good from the evil in the universe so that all the holy sparks that had fallen amongst the kelippos have been extricated, then the Redemption will come before “the time of the end,” of which the angel speaks to Daniel.42

If, instead, the Jewish people are not found worthy through their good deeds, and if, moreover, they nurture the kelippos further by sinning, then the Redemption will be delayed until this final time (which is hidden and unknown in all the worlds). However, when this final time arrives the Redemption must come, and the Evil Inclination will be banished spontaneously; as it is written,43 “I shall place a new spirit within you, and I shall remove the heart of stone from your flesh.”

Shaarei Orah, p. 87

In Its Time I Shall Hasten It (ii)

The Tzemach Tzedek understands the above two terms (be’itah and achishenah) as referring not only to two possible times for the Redemption, but also to two possible modes of Redemption:

אחישנה (lit., “I shall hasten it”): This describes a mode of Redemption in which our people will leave exile with a run and a leap (so to speak), and will immediately soar to the loftiest heights.

בעתה (lit., “In its time”): This describes a mode of Redemption in which the above ascent will advance slowly and by gradual stages.

Or HaTorah — Bereishis, p. 86

With the Clouds of Heaven

כתיב "וארו עם ענני שמיא כבר אינש אתה, וכתיב "עני ורוכב על חמור." זכו – "עם ענני שמיא,Q לא זכו – "עני ורוכב על חמור."

It is written:44 “Behold, one like a son of man came on the clouds of heaven”; however, it is also written,45 “[Your king will come...] like a poor man riding on a donkey.” [Yet there is no contradiction:] If [the Jewish people] are found worthy of it, [Mashiach] will come “on the clouds of heaven”; if they do not merit, he will come “like a poor man riding on a donkey.”

The word zachu (“if they are worthy”), from the root זכה, and related to the noun zechus, may also be understood as deriving from the root זכך, and related to the verb להזדכך (“to become refined”). Likewise, the word חמור (chamor — “donkey”) shares a root with חומר (chomer — “physicality”). The Rebbe makes use of these multiple meanings while expounding the above-quoted teaching of the Sages in the terms of Chassidus:

זכו: Avodah whose object is refined and spiritual entities, calls forth —

ענני שמיא: a revelation of or yashar, a measured flow of Divine light that originates from above.

לא זכו: Avodah whose object is materiality and physicality that have not yet become refined, calls forth a revelation even more elevated, the kind of revelation that is called —

עני ורוכב על חמור: or chozer, a light that rises up over physicality and is reflected heavenward.

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. I, p. 73

He Sits Among the Paupers

מאי סימני-ה [של מלך המשיח]? יתיב ביני עניי סובלי חלאים. (רש"י: מנוגעים והוא נמי מנוגע, דכתיב: "והוא מחולל מפשעינו," וכתיב: "חליינו הוא נשא.")

R. Yehoshua ben Levi encountered the prophet Eliyahu as he was standing at the entrance of R. Shimon ben Yochai’s cave,... and asked him: “When is Mashiach coming?”

Replied the prophet: “Go and ask him.”

“But where is he to be found?”

“At the gate of Rome.”

“By what sign shall I recognize him?”

“He is sitting among paupers stricken by wounds....”

To these words Rashi adds: “They are leprous, and so is he; as it is written,46 ‘He is ailing because of our sins,’ and it is likewise written,47 ‘He has borne our sicknesses.’”507

Let us understand what connection can there be between leprous ailments48 and Mashiach.

As is explained in the teachings of Chassidus,49 the appearance of such an ailment indicates that the evil which is its cause is not internalized within the individual; rather, a vestige of evil is still attached to the outer expressions of his spiritual personality — to the hems of his garments, so to speak. This explains why, when this vestige of evil surfaces physically, the ailment appears only on his skin. Conversely, this also explains why515 “the commandment concerning these ailments is not current in our era, after the Destruction” — because today515 “even a good and righteous man still has a trace of evil internalized within him,” so that today evil does not give rise to these skin ailments.

In this light, these skin ailments may be perceived as alluding to the spiritual state of our people in the present era of ikvesa diMeshicha, as we await the approaching footsteps of Mashiach. At this time, when the evil which is internalized within the body and soul of our people at large has been sifted out and refined, all that is left is an external husk of evil. And of our people in this state one may say,507 זכו — “They are meritorious.”50

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXII, p. 79

Today — If You Would Only Listen to His Voice

לאימת אתי מר? אמר לי-ה: "היום...." אתא לגבי אליהו, אמר לי-ה: ...שקורי קא שקר בי, דאמר לי 'היום אתינא,' ולא אתא. אמר לי-ה: "הכי אמר לך: 'היום – אם בקולו תשמעו!"

[R. Yehoshua ben Levi then asked Mashiach]: “Master, when are you coming?”

He answered: “Today!”

R. Yehoshua returned to Eliyahu, who asked him, “What did he say?”

He replied: “...He has deceived me! He told me, ‘I am coming today,’ and he has not come!”

Said Eliyahu: “What Mashiach had in mind was this [verse]:51 ‘Today — if you would only listen to His voice!’”507

Eliyahu’s response is not intended to negate the plain meaning of the word “today” (for52 “a Scriptural text cannot be removed from its plain meaning”). Rather, “today” describes the state of a people of whom it may be said, זכו — “They are meritorious.” The Jewish people are worthy of the coming of Mashiach today. Why, then, has he not yet come? — Because something is still missing in the complete fulfillment of “listening to His voice”: the remaining external manifestations of evil are waiting to be sifted and refined.53

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXII, p. 79

His Name is Menachem ben Chizkiyah

מה שמו?... מנחם בן חזקי-ה שמו, שנאמר: "כי רחק ממני מנחם, משיב נפשי"

What is his name [i.e., the name of Mashiach]? — His name is Menachem ben Chizkiyah, for it is written,54 “The comforter [Heb.: Menachem] who should relieve my soul is far from me.”55

On these words Maharsha comments: “The added phrase ‘ben Chizkiyah’ is not implied by the prooftext; it was an oral tradition handed down among the Sages.”

It could, however, be suggested that the added phrase בן חזקי-ה is in fact hinted at in three words of the verse quoted: מנחם משיב נפשי. The numerical equivalent (gematria) of the final letters of these three words equals 52 (= ב"ן), and the numerical equivalent of the initial letters of these three words equals 130 (= חזקי"ה).

Likkutei Levi Yitzchak — Likkutim al Maamarei Chazal, p. 106

The Leper of the House of Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi]

מה שמו?... חיוורא דבי רבי שמו (רש"י: מצורע של בית רבי), שנאמר: "אכן חליינו הוא נשא, ומכאובינו סבלם, ואנחנו חשבנוהו נגוע, מוכה אלקים ומעונה"

What is his name [i.e., the name of Mashiach]? — His name is “the white one (Rashi: I.e., metzora — ‘the leper’) of the House of Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi],” for it is written,513 “In truth he has borne our sicknesses and endured our pains, yet we held him to be stricken, smitten by G‑d, and afflicted.”521

As is explained in the teachings of Chassidus,515 “Leprous ailments have a lofty spiritual meaning. The individual is not termed ritually unclean56 until the Kohen has declared him to be so. Before this happens, these ailments are not related to ritual uncleanness. Indeed, they are sublime spiritual lights, except that they present themselves as a stroke of strict justice emanating from Kedushah....57 The phrase,58 ‘He shall be brought to Aharon the Kohen,’ teaches that they become elevated by means of the Kohen, who embodies Supernal Chessed...,59 and who can moderate stern judgments60 by declaring the individual ritually clean.”61

One might add: Not only is the source of a leprous ailment “a stroke of strict justice emanating from Kedushah,” but, moreover, its original root is a particularly lofty level of Kedushah. In this it resembles the Divine attribute of Gevurah. As is explained in Chassidus, the attribute of Gevurah at its earliest source does not imply the screening and withholding of Chessed and the dispensation of strict justice. On the contrary, at its earliest source it signifies a flow of Divine beneficence so overwhelming that it exceeds the finite capacity of the recipient; indeed, it is precisely this excess that ultimately gives rise to tzimtzum, to Gevurah in its ordinary sense — the withholding of the flow of Divine beneficence. Likewise in our case: At the pristine level of its earliest source, the leprous ailment is an intense outpouring of Kedushah — except that from this there eventually evolves “a stroke of strict justice emanating from Kedushah,” from which ultimately emanate the unclean leprous ailments.

This insight enables us to understand why Mashiach is called “a leper.” For the future Redemption is a breaking of limits, an intense outpouring of Kedushah, a boundless and immeasurable revelation of Divine light. This state comes about through the fulfillment of the verse,513 “He has borne our sicknesses,” for through this the Jewish people undergo the final refinement which enables them to become fit recipients for the sublime Divine illumination of that era.

Likkutei Sichos, Parshas Tazria, 5751 [1991]

King and Viceroy (i)

"עתיד הקב"ה להעמיד להם דוד אחר (רש"י: שעתיד למלוך עליהם). שנאמר ועבדו את ה' אלקיהם ואת דוד מלכם אשר אקים להם, הקים לא נאמר אלא אקים .. והכתיב ודוד עבדי נשיא להם לעולם, כגון קיסר ופלגי קיסר" (רש"י: מלך ושני לו, כן דוד החדש מלך, כדכתיב ודוד מלכם אשר אלקים, ודוד המלך שני לו, כדכתיב נשיא להם ולא כתיב מלך)

In time to come, G‑d will set up for [the Jewish people] a different David (Rashi: “...who will reign over them”), as it is written,62 “They will serve the L‑rd their G‑d and David their king whom I shall set up for them.” The verse does not say that G‑d “set up” (in the past tense), but “I shall set up....” But there is another verse that says,63 “And David My servant shall be a nasi for them forever.” [How do these two texts accord?] — They speak of something like a king and a semi-king.64 (Rashi: “I.e., a king and a viceroy. Thus, the ‘new David’ will be a king, as it is written, ‘David their king whom I shall set up’; and King David will be his viceroy, as it is written, ‘And David My servant shall be a nasi over them’: the verse does not say ‘a king.’”)521

This does not necessarily mean that there will then be two leaders: it could mean that Mashiach himself will be both “king” and “viceroy”.

The royal title keisar [i.e., Caesar] suggests innovation. It derives from the name of a Roman emperor65 “whose mother died during his birth, and when her womb was cut open he was found alive.... The Roman name Caesar, which means ‘cutting’, was used for all his successors.”

On the one hand, Mashiach is called keisar by virtue of his role as a king who will66 “fight the wars of G‑d,” and whose reign will bring about a supernatural innovation in the entire world.67 At the same time, he is called “viceroy” by virtue of his role as nasi, who teaches the people and guides them along the path of G‑d.68 This entails no great innovation, for there is no real innovation in the Torah: it has69 “neither change nor diminution nor addition.”

This, then, is the meaning of the above-quoted Gemara:

Mashiach is called “a different David” because of his innovative difference from King David and from all his own predecessors, the kings of the dynasty of David. The Gemara then poses the problem, “But there is another verse that says,529 ‘And David My servant shall be a nasi for them forever.’” This implies that in the future time, too, the King Mashiach will resemble King David (which is why he bears his name). The Gemara’s response to its own query means that Mashiach will comprise both qualities: As a king (keisar) he will be “a different David”; as a nasi (palgei keisar, i.e., viceroy), he will resemble King David.

Likkutei Sichos, Parshas Vayigash, 5751 [1990]

King and Viceroy (ii)

At first glance it would appear certain that King David himself is not the King Mashiach who will be529 “a nasi for them forever” — because the activity of the King Mashiach will begin before the Redemption, as explained by Rambam,532 and certainly before the Resurrection of the Dead.

The Talmud Yerushalmi,70 however, makes the following statement concerning the King Mashiach: אין מן חייא הוא, דוד שמי-הQאין מן דמכיא הוא, דוד שמי-ה. The standard commentary entitled Pnei Moshe explains: “If he is one of those alive, his name will be David; if he is one of the dead, he will be David himself.” Likewise, the hymn entitled Ometz Yishacha (which is read on Hoshana Rabbah)71 includes the following line: קול "צמח איש, צמח שמו, הוא דוד בעצמו" מבשר ואומר — “The voice of the herald [i.e., Eliyahu HaNavi] proclaims: ‘There has appeared a man, his name is Tzemach,72 it is David himself!’”73

This may be understood to mean that the soul of King David will be garbed in the King Mashiach. Similarly, the Sages teach that74 “the first redeemer is also the last redeemer” (even though Moshe Rabbeinu was a Levite whereas Mashiach stems from the tribe of Yehudah), which means that the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu will be garbed in the soul of the King Mashiach.75

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXXV, p. 206

The Days of Mashiach Will Last Forty Years

ימות המשיח ארבעים שנה, שנאמר: "ארבעים שנה אקוט בדור"

The Days of Mashiach will last forty years, as it is written,76 “For forty years will I quarrel with that generation.” (Noting that the verb אקוט is related to the root נקט — “to take,” Rashi paraphrases the above verse and expounds the above teaching as follows: “‘I shall take Israel and rule over them in a short generation of forty years that will be different from all the preceding generations’ — evidently an allusion to Mashiach, in whose generation great changes will take place.”77 )

What is the intrinsic connection between the number forty and the days of Mashiach?

At the end of their wanderings, Moshe Rabbeinu tells the people:78 “Yet G‑d has not given you a heart to perceive, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear, until this day — and I have led you for forty years in the wilderness....” Rashi comments: “‘A heart to perceive’ — to recognize G‑d’s acts of lovingkindness and to cleave to Him; ‘until this day’ — for no man plumbs the full depth of his mentor’s understanding and the full wisdom of his teaching until forty years have elapsed.”79

This observation does not refer only to a mentor of flesh and blood, but also to G‑d Himself. (Indeed, the prooftext states: “Yet G‑d has not given you a heart to perceive....”) We thus see that a full recognition of G‑d takes forty years.

This recognition will reach its peak in the days of Mashiach. At that time the glory of G‑d will be manifest and the Torah teachings of Mashiach will be revealed. (This will give “the full depth of his mentor’s understanding and the full wisdom of his teaching.”) The Torah teachings of Mashiach will be incomparably superior to the Torah of the present world. Indeed, the Sages declare that80 “The Torah that a man studied in this world will be vanity in comparison with the Torah teachings of Mashiach.”

From a talk of the Rebbe on Shabbos Parshas Eikev, 5744 [1984]