Shiur 5 - Ikar 12 (Lander) - Rabbi Anthony Manning

dbhbn ovrct
2
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D] The Non-Miraculous nature of the Messianic Era
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/,pIn tO±u ,It tO 'oh¦nf£j UB¤N¦n Uk£t¨J tO±u '©jh¦J¨n Ubh¥t§J g©sIb 'd©r§v®B¤J
tO±u 'i¤vhkg ihph¦xIn ih¥t±u 'oh¦nkIg h¥nkIgkU 'okIgk oh°B©T§J¦n ¨vh¤yP§J¦nU ¨vh¤Eªj ih¥t ,t«Z©v v¨rIT©v¤J :i¤v vfF 'oh¦rc§S©v r©ehg±u
/xIrIehp£t³u g¨J¨r ht©S³UC v®z h¥r£v--iÿUJP¦n ,Ium¦NK¤J oh¦rc§S©v thmIv±u v¨rITC oh°bP vK°D¤J It 'g¥rID It ;h¦xIN©v kf±u `i¤v¥n ihg§rID
5.
c vfkv th erp ohfkn ,ufkv o"cnr
Id¨v±b¦nF okIg tk¥t `,h¦Jt¥rC v¤Gg©nC JUS¦j o¨J v®h§v°h It 'okIgK¤J Id¨v±b¦N¦n rc¨S k¥yC°h '©jh¦J¨N©v ,InhC¤J cK©v kg vkg³h k©t t
ihc§JIh k¥t¨r§G°h Uh§v°H¤J - rc¨S©v i³h±bg /v¨sh¦j±u k¨J¨n '(u:th uvhgah) ".C§r°h h¦s±D-og r¥n²b±u 'GcF-og c¥t±z r²d±u" v²hg©JhC r¨n¡t®B¤J v®z±u /QkIv
oKF Ur±z§j³h±u /(u:v uvhnrh) "o¤vh¥rg-kg s¥e«J r¥n²b--o¥s§s¨J±h ,Ic¨rg c¥t±z" r¨n¡t®B¤J :r¥n²b±u c¥t±zC ohkUJ§N©v 'okIg¨v hg§J¦r og j©yck
uvhgah `z'th uvhgah) "ic¤T-kft«h rëCF 'v‾h§r©t±u" r¨n¡t®B¤J 'k¥t¨r§G°hF ,©j³bC r¨TªN©v rc¨S Ukft«h tk¥t 'U,h¦j§J³h tO±u Uk«z±d°h tO±u ',¤n¡t¨v ,©sk
'k¨J¨n Uh¨v rc¨S v®zh¥tk k«Fk g©s²U°h ©jh¦J¨N©v Qk¤N©v ,InhcU `o¤v ohk¨J§n '©jh¦J¨N©v i³h±bgC ihcU,F©v oh¦rc§S©v UK¥tC tmIHF kF if±u /(vf'vx
i¤vC zUn¨r i²h±bg v©nU
sckC ,IHfk©n sUCg¦J tk¥t '©jh¦J¨N©v ,Inhk v®Z©v okIg¨v ihC ih¥t 'oh¦nf£j Ur§nẗ c
c-t vfkv ch erp ohfkn ,ufkv o"cnr
The Rambam sees Yemot Hamashiach very much as part of this world - a non-miraculous continuation of our current
existence, but ushering in an era of world peace. He emphasizes in particular that the halachic system will not change
6.
kf±u 'vC§r©v ,gP§Jªn v®h§v¦T vcIY©v¤J - ,Ur§j©,±u vẗ±b¦e tO±u v¨n¨jk¦n tO±u cg¨r tO o¨J v®h§v°h tO 'i¨n±Z©v I,ItcU v 7.
rpgF ih°hUm§n oh°B©sg©N©v
v vfkv ch erp ohfkn ,ufkv o"cnr
The Messianic era will also one in which there is no world hunger. Taken together with the Rambam’s picture of a
non-miraculous Messianic era, this is a pointed social comment on the cause of poverty and starvation today - not that
there are insufficient resources to go around but that there is an unwillingness to share the resources that we have
vbnn grdh tku vc ;xu,h tku 'v,kuz wv ,tn vru, tuc, tku 'kyc, tk van ,ru, ,tza tuvu /kuycv - hgha,v suxhu 8.
ubnn grd, tku uhkg ;xu, tk rnt 'aurhpc tku cu,fc tk
ihrsvbx vban 'ekj pk vnsev - ocnr
The Rambam’s insistence on no fundamental changes in nature in the Messianic era is consistent with the 9th Ikar which
requires that the Torah can never change. A fundamental shift in nature would require a fundamental shift in Torah.
More critically, the Rambam’s first 3 Ikarim - proving G-d’s existence, his Unity and his Incorporeality - are based on
rational and philosophical constructs which assume existence in the way that we have always understood it. If there is
to be a seismic shift in the nature of reality, these 3 Ikarim may also be undermined and the Rambam’s proofs for G-d
could disappear. For these reasons too, a non-changing reality in the Messianic Era is essential for the Rambam.
trehu) vru,c cu,f tkvu t"t /s"ctrv ,dav /ivc uznr ihbg vnu 'kan vhv rcs vz htk kfk gsuh jhanv lknv ,unhcu ///// 9.
/.rtv in vgr vhj h,cavu (u:uf
t vfkv ch erp ohfkn ,ufkv o"cnr
The Ra’avad objects that the Torah itself prophesies the change of animal nature in the Messianic Era, which presumably
(as a verse in the Chumash, rather than Navi) cannot be interpreted as a mashal (or can it)
vru, hanuj vanjf ,nhhe thv hrv r,xt ,khdnn .uj jhanv ,unhk kychk ihsh,g ohcu,fv kfu ohthcbv hrpx kf 10.
,urmv ujfab hf (v"x uvhgah) rntba kych ,urmv iurfz kfa p"gtu 'okugk ihkyc ibhta vp kgca vru, ka ,ufkvfu
tk orfzu ohsuvhv lu,n urcgh tk vktv ohrupv hnhu (wy r,xt) rntba ukych tk ohrupv hnh 'hbhgn ur,xb hfu ,ubuatrv
kfn rpx kych tk hf 'vz tuv ,uyuhsv rcs t"t :kychk ihsh,g ohcu,fvu ohthcbv hrpx kf :s"ctrv ,dav /ogrzn ;uxh
rucmc v,ut ,urekn kyc, tk vkhdn ovc ,urekn ohrpx rta ukych ukhpt urnt lf kct 'sunk uc ihta rpx ihta ohrpxv
jh vfkv c erp vfubju vkhdn ,ufkv o"cnr
The Rambam does however rule that the books of Nach will be abolished in the times of Mashiach. Interestingly, the
Rava’ad here disagrees