History has a beginning and an end. The process of advancing history toward its conclusion is called redemption. Redemption isn’t merely a prophecy, but a core value of Jewish belief.
Yet, the specific details of redemption remain murky and cryptic. According to the Midrash, when Yaakov was on his deathbed, he assembled his children and grandchildren, hoping to provide a road map for the Messianic era. However, his plan was thwarted from above, as his prophetic spirit or ruach hakodesh was temporarily suspended. Ironically, the only person in the Torah who provides a coded road map of redemption is the Gentile Prophet Bilaam, whose fourth and final nevuah addresses events that will unfold in “the end of days.” Broadly speaking, though, the details of redemption remain shrouded in secrecy.
For numerous reasons our Mesorah intentionally avoids excessive scrutiny of Yemot HaMashiach, or, the Messianic days. Too much focus on the future can lead to runaway messianic fervor, raising unrealistic expectations which, when unfulfilled, can be dispiriting. Secondly, focusing too sharply on the bright utopian future can easily distract us from the relatively dreariness of our current situation and responsibilities. Messianism can easily slip into escapism and fantasy. Jewish consciousness is delicately balanced between the here and now and the golden future we anxiously await.
Finally, as redemptive belief is predicated on a strong, unshakable sense of historical mission, extreme and radical actions can mistakenly be justified to achieve a higher divine goal of redemption. For these and other reasons, Judaism is always cautious about peering too deeply into the mystery of redemption. To paraphrase the Rambam (Melachim 12:2, we will know the details of Moshiach only after he arrives.
Yet, despite the obscurity of the messianic details, Judaism’s unconditional belief in redemption has profoundly shaped both Jewish identity and general human history.
Navigating Adversity
Redemption assures us that the world is constantly surging to a better state. No matter how dark or dysfunctional the world appears to be, we cling to the belief that God continues to drive our world to its inevitable better future. Though evil can temporarily sidetrack this trajectory, the overall arc of redemption is woven into the fabric of history. Belief in redemption offers us strength and solace during gloomy periods. For this reason, redemptive interest often surges in the wake of national tragedies. As early as the second century, the great Tana, Rabbi Akiva assumed that Bar Kochba was the Moshiach. How else to explain the brutal and vicious Roman persecution of our people?
About 1,200 years later, redemptive enthusiasm spiked in the aftermath of the Spanish Inquisition. Once the epitome of Jewish cultural and intellectual achievement, Spanish Jews were now scattered as refugees across the globe, homeless and penniless. This dramatic surge in messianic eagerness accounted in part for the renewed interest in Kabbalah.
Redemptive fervor also swelled in the late 17th century in the aftermath of the bloody Khmelnitsky Uprising, during which tens of thousands of Jews were brutally murdered, a tragedy that violently ended the first golden era of Polish Jewry. This messianic intensity fueled the rise of the Chassidic movement, which spotlighted Jewish hopes for, and belief in, redemption.
Throughout our history, we remained convinced that a better world awaits us, regardless of the adversity and hostility we faced. Steadfast optimism in a hopeful future and in the possibility of redemption provided us with the strength to overcome strong historical challenges. During the bleakest moments of history, when the world around us came crashing down, redemptive belief strengthened our national resilience.
A Dynamic World
Viewing history as a redemptive journey also fosters belief in historical dynamism. Redemption implies that history is moving toward a divinely ordained goal and suggests that current conditions are not permanent and can be improved. To the redemptive imagination, history is malleable and can be transformed.
Redemption encompasses the conviction that Hashem propels the world to a better state, and empowers man to take accountability and participate in this process as Hashem’s partner. It encourages belief in human potential and emphasizes that individuals and societies are capable of profound change and improvement.
Furthermore, redemption, as part of a larger covenant with Hashem, implies that human actions matter and are capable of influencing both divine favor and historical outcomes. By asserting that history is purposeful and has direction, belief in redemption inspires us to view our lives as part of a larger dynamic story.
Finally, belief in redemption assumes that there is order and purpose to our world. As there is a divine author directing history, events aren’t random. Belief in a rational and orderly universe supervised by a purposeful Hashem encourages man to pursue knowledge as a way of understanding the divine will. This pursuit of knowledge yielded exploration, discover, and innovation.
Redemption fixes our imaginations on this world and its vast potential, while shifting our attention away from the afterlife. Utopia isn’t deferred to a different world, but can be crafted in this one.
Religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, which view history as cyclical rather than linear, do not acknowledge the end point of historical redemption. Not incidentally, these cultures aren’t as developed as Western civilization, which, under the Judeo-Christian influence, experienced dramatic political, economic, scientific and educational advancements, many of which were fueled by a redemptive outlook of history.
Redemption is inclusive
Aside from framing this world as dynamic, belief in redemption also cultivates a global outlook by emphasizing that all mankind is interconnected and all individuals possess a shared destiny. Our historical covenant is not just individual, but applies to the entire nation, binding the entire Jewish community into a collective relationship with Hashem. Additionally, belief in historical redemption reinforces our belief in personal redemption. If history can change, so can individuals. Appreciating the potential for change in other people makes us more patient and supportive of them, and hopefully, less judgmental of their flaws or limitations. Belief in redemption stretches our imagination beyond the present and beyond the individual or even the national. Redemption opens our imagination to the future and stretches our interest to an entire nation and ultimately to the entire world, which we hope one day to redeem.
Chabad
Last week marked the 30th anniversary of the death of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, zt”l. One of the most distinguished and influential rabbis of the past few centuries, he almost single-handedly turned the Chabad movement into one of the most expansive, inclusive, and important worldwide Jewish movements.
The Rebbe deepened redemptive awareness. His lectures, writings, and teachings constantly examined the redemption that he thought was imminent and for which he so fervently prayed. His heightened redemptive passion generated a deep love for every Jew, regardless of their religious level of observance. Every Jew became part of his redemptive vision, and every Jew had a role in accelerating his longed-for historical endpoint of redemption.
Based on the Rebbe’s influence, Chabad’s extensive network of shluchim, or emissaries, continues to tirelessly and selflessly perform outreach to every Jew in a friendly and nonjudgmental fashion, making every Jew feel valued and accepted, regardless of their level of observance or knowledge.
During this moment in history, as we all search for formulas to unite our people, the Rebbe’s life and his legacy remind us that one route to unity is pondering our shared redemptive destiny. During the past nine months since October 7, we have spent so much energy contemplating our shared past as a unifying narrative. Perhaps we should also visualize the future as a common, shared destiny which includes every Jew. One of the many legacies of the Rebbe was how his longing for redemption stoked his love for every Jew. May this legacy continue to inspire us as we seek to mend the Jewish world and bring redemption to all humanity. n
Rabbi Moshe Taragin is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a hesder yeshiva, with smicha from Yeshiva University and a master’s in English literature from the City University of New York. He is the author of “Dark Clouds Above, Faith Below” (Kodesh Press), which provides religious responses to Oct. 7.