Who is Mashiach?

Mashiach’s Wings 

One of the tzaddikim of the previous generation was Rabbi Yosef Schwartz zt”l. He was lovingly called “The Grandfather from Netanya.” He was a miracle worker who could see Eliyahu Hanavi. Even though he was a Holocaust survivor and did not have an easy life by any means, he was always smiling at everyone and full of love for others.  

The Grandfather once mentioned that he personally met Mashiach. He so wanted that Mashiach should openly reveal himself, but realized that the time was not yet ripe and that it was not Hashem’s will for him to be revealed yet. 

The Grandfather continued and explained that even if Mashiach was to be revealed now, it wouldn’t help! Right now, Mashiach is a very special and righteous tzaddik, but he is still just a person. In fact, he himself does not even know that he is Mashiach! 

What makes Mashiach “Mashiach” is the special soul of Mashiach, which he has yet to receive. It is this soul, which is a collective soul connected to every single Jew, which will enable Mashiach to do all the things that Mashiach is supposed to do. This soul is the real “Mashiach;” it’s the engine of Mashiach so to speak. Without this special soul, Mashiach the person can’t do anything! 

However, this special collective soul only comes to Mashiach when the Jewish people are totally unified, totally connected in heart and soul, as it was when the Torah was given “like one man with one heart.” 

Therefore, even if everyone knows who Mashiach is right now, it wouldn’t do anything for us at all. It’s a Mashiach “without wings.” It’s just a name of someone without the ability to actually do anything he needs to do. The real Mashiach isn’t the person, but this very special soul, which comes to this world to rectify the entire world. And this soul can be revealed only when there is unity and love in the Jewish people! 

Did You Wait for the Redemption? 

I want you to really focus on this reality: We all want Mashiach, but he cannot come until we are all united. I already wrote about this in the name of many tzaddikim, and I can list you many more sources from across the spectrum of Judaism and all parts of the Torah, mussar, Jewish law, and Kabbalah. This is a simple fact brought to us by our Sages which cannot be refuted. 

Now I want you to consider this: There is a commandment to actively wait for the Redemption every moment and every day. If you’re expecting a special dinner guest, do you just sit on your hands and do nothing? Of course not! You prepare special food, you clean the house, and get everything ready. So, if you are waiting for the Redemption – you can’t sit on your hands, either! You’re just going to go about your daily life without doing anything?! Is that called “waiting for Mashiach”?! 

“To wait for the Redemption” means to do everything possible so that Mashiach and the Redemption can come!!! And the biggest thing you can and must do is to pray for the Jewish people to have love and unity. At least 30 minutes a day, every day, like clockwork. With self-sacrifice, through every difficulty, with your whole heart – to stand and plead with Hashem to open the heart of every Jew to love, honor, and respect everyone else, to rid ourselves of the baseless hatred and divisiveness, anger and evil speech. Pray for it like you’re praying for your life!  

Hence, we see just how critical these prayers for unity and love in the Jewish people really are – literally, the Redemption depends on them! If you really want Mashiach now, then start praying for the key factor that’s still missing – ahavat Yisrael! 

It’s Really Possible! 

It might seem that this is totally impossible. It’s true, that as things look right now, it seems totally impossible to have such perfect love and unity in the Jewish people. 

However, we believe in the power of prayer – prayer can change nature, prayer can change anything! 

If each and every one of us sets aside this time to pray every day, the grand total quickly becomes gigantic. It will make a storm in the Heavens! Hashem will then send us a new spirit of love, unity and peace.  

Personally, I don’t need to “believe” that this will happen – I see it happening with my own eyes. I have an ever-growing list of thousands of people who have already taken this daily half an hour of prayer upon themselves. In all of history there has never been such a thing! 

Also, you must never forget that we are not standing on our own. No prayer is ever lost. Our prayers now are being added to the prayers of all the generations, all the tzaddikim – not even one is lost. We are moving forward with incredible force, propelled forward with the force of these thousands of years of prayers. Everything is being channeled into the power to create such love and peace in the Jewish people, that in this merit Mashiach will receive his special collective soul and the Redemption will come with mercy; and each and every one of us will have a portion in it! 

Finally, we don’t need to wait until every single last one of us starts praying. It is enough that in Heaven they see a large group that is truly wanting and yearning and praying for the Kingdom of Hashem and David His servant, who are actively working to create peace and praying for love and unity, and putting ahavat Yisrael as their first priority. Then, Hashem will “finish the work for us” and send Eliyahu Hanavi. Our Sages teach that he comes in order to teach everyone how to have peace. Therefore, he must come before Mashiach comes, because this peace is what builds the foundation for Mashiach’s revelation, in order for Mashiach to receive the special collective soul which then enables him to become openly revealed, and do the great work of fixing the world and bringing the Redemption. 

Spared from all Evil 

In the meantime, you are putting your effort into the giant collective goal – and you’ll immediately see the fruits of your labors! 

One of the biggest benefits of praying for the Jewish people to be filled with love and unity for 30 minutes a day, is the special protection you will enjoy. 

You see, the Grandfather was very worried that by natural means, the only way for the Jewish people to achieve such perfect love and unity was through terrible tragedies, G-d should spare us. He expected that before Mashiach came, there would be horrific suffering and disasters in order to force us to unite, as we see happens during war time for example, G-d forbid. 

But these prayers are like a shield to those disasters! They are the real “iron dome” system. Hashem sees that a large group are indeed doing what they are supposed to do – praying and working for ahavat Yisrael, and actively striving to enlist more and more people to do the same. Hashem never punishes or sends needless suffering. The point of the suffering is to create unity; so, if our prayers are creating unity then we don’t need suffering! Hence, these prayers cancel endless terrible decrees upon us all! 

For more practical advice on exactly how to pray, you must read my booklet Loving the People of Israel with Total Devotion, as well as read the other articles in this series, specifically Do Not Fall Back Asleep! that includes simple and practical points to pray for.