Community Magazine Februafy 2009

R eferences to Mashiah abound in our daily prayers, casual conversations, rabbinic lec- tures, and virtually any venue where observant Jews come together. But if we pause for a moment to ponder what Mashiah really is and what it means for us, we will likely find ourselves at a loss for an explanation. With the freedoms and luxuries we enjoy in contemporary society, many of us naturally find it hard to feel that the Jewish Nation is actually in exile, that we are in dire need of redemption. It is not, Heaven forbid, that people intentionally oppose this belief; rather, the wide- spread ignorance regarding this subject has made it difficult for people to relate to, let alone hope for, the Messianic era. This ignorance represents a serious potential pitfall since believing-in and anticipating the arrival of Mashiah, consti- tutes one of the thirteen fundamental principles of Jewish faith, as famously enumerated by the Rambam.1 Furthermore, the need for understanding the concept of Mashiahassumes evengreater importance today, whenmany gedolim have declared that Mashiah’s arrival is imminent. It thus behooves every Jew to have a clear sense of the meaning and significance of Mashiah, to understand what the Messianic era will be and to become clear on why we should eagerly look forward to its arrival and our long-awaited redemption. To this end, we are proud to launch a new multipart series that will explore this difficult yet fascinating subject in detail. Drawing from a wide range of traditional sources, this series will provide greater insight into what Mashiah’s arrival means, and help us appreciate more profoundly why this has been our nation’s most fervent and passionate prayer for nearly two millennia. Jewish scriptures include a stunning amount of detail and predictions related to the arrival of Mashiah. This new series will examine this subject in all its aspects. Rabbi E. C. Aboud 88 Community Magazine