By Rabbi Josh Wander
This morning, something extraordinary took place in Jerusalem’s Old City. A Beit Din of twenty-three judges from the Nascent Sanhedrin convened across from the Temple Mount to deliberate a question that, until recently, would have sounded almost unimaginable. Sources were presented and arguments advanced proposing that the court issue a formal ruling declaring that the time has come for Hashem to complete the process of redemption by destroying Israel’s enemies, revealing Moshiach, and rebuilding the Third Beit HaMikdash. The reasoning was rooted in the traditional understanding that the rulings of an earthly Jewish court carry profound significance in the Heavenly Court. If that principle applies here, then perhaps the time has come for the earthly court to declare that enough is enough. After nearly two thousand years of exile, perhaps the Jewish people are justified in demanding that the process of redemption finally reach its conclusion.
A prominent American rabbi recently sent me a short AI-generated video depicting the arrival of Moshiach. It was beautiful. Peace filled the world. Everyone was smiling. Suffering had vanished. The Third Beit HaMikdash stood in all its glory. It reflected the image that many people have in their minds when they think about the coming of Moshiach: a seamless transition from a troubled world into an era of peace, prosperity, and Divine revelation. It is certainly the world we all pray for. But while the destination is beautiful, the journey may not be quite so simple.
Our sages describe two possible paths for the arrival of Moshiach. One is gradual, described by the prophet as “poor and riding upon a donkey,” unfolding step by step through history. The other is sudden, swift, almost in the blink of an eye. Naturally, most of us hope for the latter. Who wouldn’t want to wake up tomorrow in a redeemed world? Yet what is often overlooked is that accelerating the process may also accelerate everything necessary to bring it about.
A well-known parable illustrates this idea. A king became furious with his son, the prince, and in his anger sentenced him to death by stoning. As the king’s anger subsided, he regretted the severity of his decree. Wanting to temper justice with mercy, he ordered his servants to take the enormous boulder that had been prepared and crush it into countless tiny stones, pebbles, gravel, and dust. The sentence would still be carried out, but instead of one devastating blow, it would be experienced as many small and far less painful ones.
Perhaps our long exile resembles that parable. Rather than allowing all of Israel’s suffering to descend upon one generation at once, Hashem, in His mercy, dispersed it throughout history. The tragedies, persecutions, expulsions, pogroms, inquisitions, and exiles were not one crushing boulder but countless smaller stones spread across thousands of years. Painful as our history has been, perhaps it could have been unimaginably worse had it all fallen upon a single generation. That possibility gives us pause when we pray for redemption to come immediately. We certainly want it now, but we also pray that it comes berachamim—with mercy.
This very question was at the heart of the court’s deliberations. For several hours the judges debated the proposal. The discussion was not about whether redemption should come, as every Jew prays daily for that outcome. Rather, it centered on whether issuing such a ruling was appropriate at this point in history and whether hastening redemption might also compress events that otherwise would have unfolded gradually over a much longer period. If the exile itself represented Hashem’s mercy by breaking one enormous boulder into countless smaller stones spread throughout history, then accelerating the conclusion of that process may, God forbid, require larger stones once again. None of us can claim to know precisely how Hashem governs His world, and we should always approach such matters with humility. Yet it is worth recognizing that redemption is not merely the happy ending to history. It is the greatest transformation humanity will ever experience, one that will reshape nations, governments, economies, and civilizations. Such a transition may not be as smooth or painless as many imagine.
After lengthy deliberation, the court unanimously ruled to issue its decision. Whether one agrees with its legal reasoning or not, the ruling reflects a remarkable conviction that the Jewish people have reached a point in history where it is appropriate to call openly for the completion of redemption. It is a declaration that enough suffering has been endured, enough Jewish blood has been spilled, and that the time has come for Hashem to reveal His Kingdom in the world by bringing the Geula, destroying those who seek our destruction, revealing Moshiach, and rebuilding the Third Beit HaMikdash.
Our prayer, however, remains unchanged. We ask that it come berachamim—with mercy. We pray that whatever still must unfold should do so with the greatest possible compassion, the least possible suffering, and with the complete revelation of Hashem’s glory. May we merit to witness the downfall of evil, the revelation of Moshiach, and the rebuilding of the Third Beit HaMikdash speedily in our days. If we truly are standing at the threshold of redemption, history may soon begin moving at a pace unlike anything we have ever experienced. Hold on tight. Things may be about to get very interesting.
To watch the court’s ruling, click here: https://youtu.be/7j2iONjGfxQ?si=AztpVdKMhZNMBenv