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A question about the future....

Moshiach arrived. Israel is now at peace with herself, her neighbors, and the world. The Third Temple is built, and everything is humming along nicely according to Moshiach's halachic rulings, straight from The Source. All the Jews meant to be be in Israel are now there and enjoying their inherited provinces with their tribemates. King Moshiach has died, leaving his oldest and wisest son Ben Moshiach on the throne, and he's now ruling wisely.

What now?

Are we still going to be commuting to our daily jobs, only with a nice, spiritually-satisfied smile on our faces? Will we really then be a "Kingdom of Priests" with some Jews remaining worldwide to teach the rest of the world?

I realize this is a pretty broad question, and an awful lot of speculation about all the wonderful things that will eventually happen in Messianic times is in our literature, lions lying with lambs, resurrection of the dead, etc. I am looking for things from our writings that say what will be experienced by the average Yoseph in the days immediately following the Moshiach's completion of his mission and passing on, but way before the miraculous End prophecies are fulfilled.

msh210
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Gary
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    Do Mitzvot? Learn Torah? Help the old/sick/poor people? The goal of Mitzvot isn't to bring Mashiach. It's to do what God said. – Double AA Jun 20 '14 at 23:27
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    Moshiach will definitely come whatever we do. We dont pray for moshiach to come that is unnecessary. We only pray he should come 'm'hayro' quickly and that is where mitvot play its part. – preferred Jun 21 '14 at 22:50
  • Not sure where you get that king moshiach will die. I think he wont. Considering the amount of years till 6000 its not that far fetched. – preferred Jun 21 '14 at 22:53
  • ...whether the Messianic age is only till 6000 or for 1000 years, a dynasty seems the most likely way to go for a mortal Moshiach... – Gary Jun 22 '14 at 01:27
  • @preferred Rambam says he will die. In several places. – Y     e     z Jun 22 '14 at 02:59
  • Are you looking for something more than the Rambam says in pirush hamishnayos? Or would quoting the relevant passages from there suffice? – Yishai Jun 22 '14 at 14:30
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    everyone will sit and learn about God and His torah and perfect Himself as the rambam says. then this study will continue in the infinite time of olam haba, but it's ok becauce it is a subject of infinite depth. – ray Jun 23 '14 at 12:52
  • Rav Chaim Friedlander in שפתי חיים on אמונה ובחירה in מאמרי ימות משיח - תחיית המתים - עולם הבא has a really nice piece about what the purpose of the Messianic Age is. Not sure if 100% relevant. – Y K Jun 26 '16 at 04:35
  • @Yez Where does he say that regarding Ben David? He says that regarding Ben Yosef, but he specifically says that if “Ben David” dies we know he’s not Mashiach. – DonielF Nov 15 '17 at 01:02
  • @DonielF In his introduction to Perek Chelek, and in Iggeres HaTechiya, he says it as explicitly as you could possibly want. – Y     e     z Dec 13 '17 at 05:13
  • @Yez Contrast to Hilchos Melachim 11 – DonielF Dec 13 '17 at 05:33
  • @DonielF Which part am I contrasting? I don't see anything that seems to be a contrast. If you mean that he says there will be sacrifices and sabbaticals, that is merely reverting back to halacha as it applies when Jews are in their homeland with sovereignty. That may be a change from 2017, but is not a change from "olam hazeh". – Y     e     z Dec 13 '17 at 05:50
  • @Yez not what I’m referring to. He says that if Ben David dies he’s not Ben David. – DonielF Dec 13 '17 at 10:30
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    @DonielF That's before he brings the Geula. He is talking about identifying the correct Moshiach. Once he has come, done everything he is supposed to do, build the Bayis and become king, etc., the Rambam says he will die. – Y     e     z Dec 13 '17 at 19:26
  • (As an aside, Chabad will tell you that the Rambam specifically says "neherag," if he is killed, as opposed to dying naturally. But that's another discussion.) – Y     e     z Dec 13 '17 at 19:29
  • @Yez So now the Rambam is arguing that “Olam kiminhago holech” means that all of the pesukim discussing that there will be no death in the future are also metaphors? I’m not one to argue on the Rambam, but what he seems to be saying in that vein seems a bit too far-fetched for me (though others may well say that the literal meaning is also too far-fetched). – DonielF Dec 13 '17 at 20:42
  • @DonielF I think he interprets it to mean that death will only happen as a result of old age and will not be tragic. But the Rambam is pretty well known for saying that most of the prophetic descriptions are metaphorical, and we'll see what they mean when they happen. – Y     e     z Dec 13 '17 at 21:01
  • I wasn't aware that part of the plan was that Moshiach would die. Is it? – SAH Sep 05 '18 at 23:34
  • The question reminds me of the Stephen Sondheim musical, "Into the Woods," where the question is asked about the heroes and princesses of storybook fame -- "what comes after 'Happily Ever After'?" But I would begin an answer with, "as a fetus, did you know what life after birth would entail?" I don't have the time for a real answer, but I think the view is that we are like the fetus and can't really know, but can be assured that we will live and develop at a higher level than we understand now. – Bruce James Oct 22 '18 at 18:54
  • @BruceJames This exact philosophy is expressed in a classical Jewish source. I don't remember which, but for some reason I am thinking Rambam; do you (or does anyone) know? – SAH Oct 29 '18 at 18:44

2 Answers2

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The answer to this question depends heavily on what happens after Moshiach comes. Your question seems to be taking for granted the position of the Rambam, in which this world continues on as this world, Moshiach becomes king and starts a dynasty, and eventually dies, leaving his son as heir to the throne (see introduction to Chelek for one place).

According to the Rambam, after Moshiach has come and "done his thing," life will continue on as before, except that people will live comfortable and healthy lives, with the stresses of struggle removed, and they will live much longer, having access to herbal knowledge which will keep them healthy. (See introduction to Chelek, Hilchos Teshuva 9:2, and Iggeres Hatechiya where the Rambam makes these points.) They will then be able to perform mitzvos with more focus and dedication, and learn Torah with greater understanding. With this newer, greater achievement of Torah and mitzvos, they will go back to Olam Haba (where they had been since the time they died until they were resurrected) to experience an even higher level of reward (Iggeres HaTechiya).

In Hil. Teshuva 9:3, Rambam writes that everything except for the return of royal autonomy to the Jewish people (and presumably the tranquility that follows) will remain the same.

Y     e     z
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  • By Iggeret HaTehia, do you mean maamar tehuyat hametim? Where is it called Iggeret HaTehiya? (There are actual questions; not rhetorical). – mevaqesh Dec 13 '17 at 20:52
  • @mevaqesh https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%99%D7%92%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%91%22%D7%9D#איגרת_(מאמר)_תחיית_המתים – Y     e     z Dec 13 '17 at 21:02
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Disclaimer: As I understand, this question is about the "post-Messianic" era, not the Messianic era itself.

  1. This Olam is called Olam Hatikun. Most things we do everyday, including work, marriage, kids, Mitzvot and good deeds are meant to repair what was "spiritually" broken at one point or another (you know, Adam, Flood, Golden Calf, Temple destructions etc).
  2. THe Messianic era is the days when the final Tikkunim (probably very painful) are maid to the whole humanity. His days span from the days of the world as we know it to the days we can not imagine, as Rambam describes it in Melachim-uMilchamot-Chapter-11. This is called "The Messianic age".
  3. During the last stages of this era (nobody can really tell when), the world gets out of the existing "Haster Ponim" reality where the G-d's presence is not experienced by our senses, but our minds, and transcends into "Giluy Ponim" reality, where G-d is sensed by our senses (can't explain it any better). This new reality is incomprehensible to me as it has no evil, no "work to do", no "Mitzvot" to observe, just the "World to come" reality.
  4. There will be no weekdays, only one long Shabbos. There will be no physical eating, sleeping and other needs. THerefore it will resemble Yom Kippur. It will also be the ultimate redemption and therefore some features of Purim will be recognizable (as our Sages taught us, those 3 holy-days will not cancel, unlike the festivals).

In my humble opinion, the spirituality of experiencing Hashem's reality, is way beyond our senses and our current comprehension.

Al Berko
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    I don't know what you are referring to in hilkhot melakhim in number two. – mevaqesh Nov 09 '17 at 19:01
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    Nothing rambam says in three has anything to do with what you attribute to him. On the contrary, he says that prophecies of miraculous changes are metaphorical, and that nature won't change. Not that the reality will be too unnatural to describe. – mevaqesh Nov 09 '17 at 19:04
  • @mevaqesh I thought it emphasizes the fact that we can not imagine it right now. In my understanding Rambam does not speak of "post mMessianic era", so I try to extrapolate from his vision of the Messianic era to post ME. – Al Berko Nov 11 '17 at 18:09
  • First of all, I don't know what you mean by post-Messianic era, as though this is in contradistinction to the Messianic era. More significantly, Rambam writes in that very halakha that you quote: Melakhim 12:1 (which you ought to site in the post; readers will probably assume it is on ch. 11; the only source you specified) that nature will not change at all: אל יעלה על הלב שבימות המשיח, ייבטל דבר ממנהגו של עולם, או יהיה שם חידוש במעשה בראשית; אלא עולם כמנהגו הולך. When he writes that the prophecies will be understood in the Messianic era, it isnt because they are too miraculous to fathom. – mevaqesh Nov 12 '17 at 00:32
  • On the contrary, it is because they arent miraculous at all. Therefore they must not be literal, but metaphors. We cant know what they are metaphors for, for as he writes later in the chapter 12:2, the Sages didnt have a tradition on how to interpret the verses. – mevaqesh Nov 12 '17 at 00:32
  • Furthermore, there is no evidence in Rambam (that I am aware of ; certainly non that you actually quote in the post) for the two stages of the Messianic process, one of which is unnatural. On the contrary he writes clearly that there will be no change in the natural order. This is the opposite of your claims about some spiritual reality that the world will transform into. Rather Rambam 12:4-5 writes that the reason why the Sages yearned for Mashiach is because they would not have foreign oppression, or war and famine, and they would have the peace of mind to study. – mevaqesh Nov 12 '17 at 00:36
  • You cite no sources for 1, 3, or 4. – mevaqesh Nov 12 '17 at 23:41