Stop Waiting for Moshiach

by Shmuel Sackett

International Director, Manhigut Yehudit

I have stopped waiting for Moshiach and I suggest you do the same. This does not mean that I have given up hope… heaven forbid! It actually means the exact opposite.

Waiting for Moshiach implies despair and surrender. It means that everything has failed and all one can do is sit and wait… and wait… and wait.

Waiting for Moshiach implies that nothing positive can be done. It also means that things are no longer in our control. Examples that come to mind are “waiting for a train” where nothing can be done to bring the train earlier. Or “waiting to hear the test results from the doctor” which implies that nothing can be done until that phone rings with hopefully good news.

I have stopped waiting. Instead, I have decided to do what I can to bring Moshiach. I have no idea if I will be successful – that is for Hashem to decide – but I am certainly not going to use the tiny amount of time I have in this world to sit in some Yiddishe waiting room pacing back and forth.

Let me tell you two short stories which illustrate a problem we have in our Torah world. This past summer, I was in Cedarhurst, Long Island and had the pleasure of dovinning at a weekday 8AM minyan. A regular attendee at that minyan is Rabbi Simcha Lefkowitz, a leading Rabbi in the Five Towns community. One morning, Rabbi Lefkowitz came to me with a gigantic smile on his face and said that he was going to Israel for a visit. We started schmoozing about his trip when I noticed a young Kollel student standing behind him, listening to our conversation. I asked the young married man, “Are you also going to Israel?” to which he quickly replied, “No, I am waiting for Moshiach.” Immediately upon hearing this, Rabbi Lefkowitz turned around and asked him, “You’re waiting for Moshiach? Did you ever think that maybe he is waiting for YOU???”

Story #2: I live in Herzilya and attend a daily Daf Yomi given by a wonderful Talmid Chacham from Bnei Brak. He is a sweet man who gives a marvelous shiur. He leaves his house every morning at 5:30 in order to arrive on time for the early minyan and the daf. I like him a lot, even though I differ with his way of thinking, as you will soon read. The Gemorah we are learning is “Avoda Zara” and last week the Gemorah discussed – in great detail - what can and cannot be sold to an idol worshipper. During the entire shiur all I kept thinking was that as we were learning these holy words, the Prime Minister of Israel was in Washington, meeting with the head terrorist called “Abu Mazen” in an effort to “sell” him parts of G-d’s holy land. I couldn’t take it any more and actually told the Rabbi that, “while the Gemorah tries to decide if we can sell straw to an idol worshipper, Bibi is negotiating to sell Hebron, Shechem and parts of Jerusalem to hands dripping with Jewish blood!” The answer I received shocked me. “If he were truly selling it, that would be one thing, but Bibi is trying to give it away for free!” I didn’t understand the difference and asked the Rabbi for a clarification. He said the following; “As you know, we are getting nothing in return. That is called giving it away for free and therefore I am totally against it. However, if we received a true peace in return then I would agree that it should be sold.” WHAT??? I immediately asked him how – even for true peace (an oxymoron in the Arab world) – would he be willing to part with a portion of G-d’s land and the eternal inheritance of the Jewish people? He answered, with a smile on his face – in front of the entire morning daf yomi – “Shmuel, relax. We can’t do all the work ourselves. Let’s leave something for Mosiach to do. After all, if we conquer and settle all the land now, what will be left for Moshiach?” With that comment, he ended our little discussion and continued teaching the daily daf…

Where does this thinking come from? Waiting for Moshiach or leaving something for Moshiach to do? I never learned that before. I was always taught that Bnei Yisrael said “Na’ah’seh v’nishma” (we will do and we will listen). Note how the “we will do” came first!!

We are a people of action, not of waiting. We are a nation who puts tremendous faith in G-d but believes in “hishtadlut” – serious effort. Yes, we pray. Yes, we scream, cry, beg and plead to our Father in Heaven. And then, when the dovinning is over, we train as soldiers, educate ourselves in a profession and build the land. We don’t wait… ever.

The day after the daf yomi story happened, I went to the Rabbi – with a very serious face - and said that I decided not to put on Tefillin any more. He said, “Shmuel, what happened?” I told him that according to all the sources, Moshiach has to fight both the physical battles – such as conquering the land which he mentioned – plus the spiritual battles as well. This means that Moshiach’s job will include returning all Jews to a Torah way of life. I told the Rabbi that he convinced me that we should leave something for Moshiach. Therefore, I said, “I will sin and let Moshiach bring me back in Teshuva. After all, if every Jew is religious, what will be left for Moshiach (his exact words!)???” He realized the point that I was making…

Sweetest Jews, do not fall into this trap of “waiting”. It is depressing, uninspiring, frustrating and down right anti-Jewish. Start taking serious action to bring Moshiach. Convince yourself that it is all dependent on you and your actions… which it is! Realize that Hashem wants to send Moshiach at this moment but we are simply not doing what needs to be done. Trust our holy Prophets and Rabbis who told us countless times that Moshiach can come speedily – way before the appointed time – if we only did the things to deserve his arrival.

Therefore, my bracha to you this new year is a very simple one. Stop waiting and start acting. When that happens, we will greet our King Moshiach on the Temple Mount in the beautiful city of Jerusalem and have a huge smile on our face knowing that he’s there because we brought him!!!