It is clearly written in the Gemara that three things come to us inadvertently: “the Mashiach, a discovery (a bargain or treasure) and a scorpion”.

You see, by taking care of one’s business and needs, without thinking of the Geula, we deal with life’s demands, we strictly obey what the Sages prescribed. But the Ramban does not share this opinion:

“Whoever does not believe in the Mashiach, whoever does not long for him, is not only in denial of the words of our prophets, but is also contradicting the teachings of Moses, our master”.

So, negating the concept of Mashiach is not only detrimental to a Jew‘s proper observance of halacha. Longing for the arrival of the Mashiach is in itself indispensable.

Put your “Daat” Aside

How could we forget the Mashiach? We talk about him frequently and mention him multiple times in our prayers. During the Amidah prayer, we mention three times daily that we long for redemption “all day long”.

Ok, it seems like we went over this Gemara somewhat quickly. First, let’s try to understand it in simple terms. Someone hangs out on the street all day long, hoping to find money lying on the pavement. Nonetheless, when and if he finds the bank notes, he is immensely surprised and astonished.

Same for Mashiach. It isn’t because we await him and think about him every day of our lives, that we won’t be surprised and astonished when he comes.

Moreover, the term used by our sages is quite specific “Hassech Ha’Daat”, which could be translated as  “disengaging one’s intelligence.” In other words, even if we traverse an era where it’s practically impossible to find logical arguments to support the emergence of Geula, we must put our logic to the side and believe in perfect faith that Mashiach is on his way.

Chassidut views Hassech Ha’Daat through a different prism: “It is a way of awaiting the redemption by adhering to a very high spiritual level. We must not cultivate our hopes for redemption through ulterior motives, such as the improvement of our own little lives. Quite the contrary, we must remove our thoughts from all the material and spiritual benefits which redemption will bring and long for one thing only: that the Divine Presence chose to reside in our material world.

Waiting for Him to Come, so He Will Speed up his Coming

So, we need to wait for Mashiach every day of our lives. I would say furthermore, that the waiting itself accelerates his coming. We find an allusion to this in the previously mentioned blessing of the Amida: "Speedily bring forth the offspring of David your servant ... because we hope for your salvation all day." The conjunction "because" clearly implies a consequence.

It also implies that we are expecting that David’s offspring to come forth.

Express Geula 

Some argue that this is not serious, that such an upheaval cannot happen without warning! We cannot expect the revelation of the redemption in this fashion! It is not the Mashiach himself that we are longing for, but the culmination of a process which can take years. And then, first, we must endure the war of Gog and Magog!

Well, I tell you that it can happen in a maximum 23 minutes and 59 seconds. And I have a halachic proof to support what I'm saying. There is an opinion, written by the Rambam, that a Cohen should not drink wine, even nowadays lest he is summoned to go and serve in the Temple immediately!

According to our Sages, drunkenness can be conquered in two ways: by sleeping or simply by waiting for the time it takes to walk a mile. And how long does it take to walk a mile? I give it to you in a precise calculation: 24 minutes.

So, in 23 minutes and 59 seconds maximum, the Temple can be functional again!