The Rambam writes that at the time of our redemption, life will carry on as usual, no different than during our exile, except for the fact that the Nations of the world will submit to Israel.

Am I detecting some disappointment in our readers? Don’t worry. There will be plenty of miracles at the time of the emergence of Mashiach. What the Rambam means is that, in a general sense, our lives will not be totally transformed and the miracles which we will witness will be very targeted, just like at the time of the exodus from Egypt.

For example, all the Tzaddikim who died during our exile will resuscitate and witness the Geula. Or, we will witness the holy Temple descend from the sky. But, reality, as we know it today, will not be dramatically transformed. Not immediately, in any case.

In fact, a deeper look at the Halachot of the Geula (which are not included in the present context), show that Rambam believes there will be two periods after the revelation of the King Mashiach.

During the first period, the world will keep running its natural course. The laws of nature as we know them will not be transformed. During the second period, we may be able to witness, for example, fruit growing on non-fruit trees. We may witness the manifestation of numerous occurrences stated in Midrashim which describe a transformed world, as well as the greatest of all revolutions: the resurrection of the dead. This will be the inaugurating the period of Olam Haba, the world-to-come which even the greatest prophets could not visualize.

Imagine….

Despite the above, during the initial period, our daily life will change from A to Z. The fact that the world will follow its natural course does not mean we will endure financial worries, educational problems or health concerns.

Quite to the contrary, today more than during any other period in history, we understand that we don’t need miracles which alter the laws of physics for the world to become a genuine paradise.

It would suffice that men become a little more responsible and a lot less selfish! This will be achievable by the Godly inspired King Mashiach, a prophet whose spiritual level will be similar to that of Moshe Rabbeinu. And he will not need to disrupt the laws of nature as we know them. Imagine all the riches in the world equally distributed. Will people still suffer from poverty? I don’t think so. Imagine pharmaceutical corporations seeking to heal the sick as opposed to making profits from the sale of medications. Clearly, many illnesses could be eradicated in a matter of months, perhaps even days!

You may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one Rambam states this clearly:

During this period, there will be no more famines, no more wars, no jealousy nor rivalry, only an abundance of flowing goodness and positive delights which will proliferate like dust.

And the Rambam says clearly that the Mashiach will not need to perform miracles….

The Ultimate Goal

But know that all of these benefits, pleasant and beautiful as they sound, are means and not goals. These conditions will be available to us so we have the time and presence of spirit to know our Creator without disturbances.

That is the goal of the days of the Mashiach, as stated once again by the Rambam:

The Sages and prophets longed for the messianic redemption, not so they would be able to control the world, oppress non-Jews or be admired by the nations of the world; not to eat, drink and be merry, but to have the presence of peace of mind to cultivate the Torah and its wisdom, without feeling perturbed or oppressed.

But wait! The Torah which we will learn will be incomparably deeper than the Torah we learn today, as the Midrash teaches:

The Torah that man learns today will be like the dew (Hevel) compared to the Torah of Mashiach.

All the Gedolei Hador, the Giants of the Generation

The essence of Torah study in messianic times will focus on the inner dimension of the Torah, on the underlying raison d’etre of the Mitzvot, which will be revealed by the Mashiach.

And what will become of the Gemara (Talmud study), Halacha (Jewish law), the Poskim (decision makers)? The Admor Hazaken reveals (11):

The aspects of the unveiled Torah will be self-evident and understood by each member of the People of Israel, who will enjoy innate wisdom and do away with memory lapses. It will no longer be necessary to worry about all this for it will be a given.

Thus, we will be free to study the Torah of the Mashiach; and his prophecies will be fulfilled:

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, just as water covers the oceans”.

What do we know about the Torah of Mashiach? What’s it’s nature? We will delve in these matters in a future study, God willing.