The Rebbe's Rambam | Marking the completion of the entire set

Hilchos Melachim | Ch 11

mikln zekld

436

Moshiach. And the Sages did not ever ask him for a sign or wonder. The fundamental principle of these matters are thus: with regard to [127] this Torah, its statutes and laws are unchangeable forever and ever. They are not added to nor subtracted from. And anyone who adds or subtracts, or reveals a new aspect of the Torah thus [128] removing the

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 despite not being morach v’da’in, because he followed the opinion of Rabbi Akiva who maintained that Moshiach need not perform miracles, 413 while some Sages opposed him because they argued with Rabbi Akiva and maintained that he must indeed perform miracles. In their opinion, his lack of morach v’da’in meant that he was a farce who was waging an illegiti mate war, defining him therefore as a rodef 414 who must be incapacitated before causing harm. Practically, however, the gentiles were the ones who killed him. The Rambam’s statement here that “ all the sages” believed him to be Moshiach 415 must be a reference to the start of his rise to power, while some Sages later changed their approach. Alternatively, the Rambam understood that the majority of Sages agreed with Rabbi Akiva’s approach that morach v’da’in is not a requisite quality of Moshiach; therefore, the halachic ruling was that he could have in fact still been Moshiach, and that halachic ruling was accepted by “ all the Sages.” The argument between the Rambam and Ra’avad is only regarding why he was deserving of death: According to the Rambam, his failure to be morach v’da’in didn’t mean that he wasn’t Moshiach, because Moshiach is not required to perform miracles; 416 he therefore concludes that he was killed due to his sins. The Ra’avad however, who understands that Moshiach is expected to perform miracles, concludes that Bar Kochba was in fact ineligible to be Moshiach because he was not morach v’da’in , as the Talmud stated, and therefore deserving of death. When the óà "ìåñô èâ äæ éøä áåúëéù ïúåð ïéãäå ìéàåä áúëù ãò åäåñðà ïîöòî .(á"ôñ ïéùåøéâ 'ìä í"áîø) ìèá àìù .419 .ãåòå .êìéàå ãéòñ çî çìù ú"å÷ì äàøå .é"òä úñøéâëå à ,ä÷ úáù .420 .âé ,ì äáø àø÷éå .421 úéãåîìú 'éãôåì÷éöðà úåéèøôá äàøå .à ,âñ úáù äàøå .à ,ãë úåîáé .åèåùô éãéî àöåé àø÷î ïéà êøò .422 äæá à"áùøä úåáåùú úåòåãéå .(î"ëáå .ì è"ëô á"ç) ð"åîî øéòäìå ."'åë ìùî êøã åøáã íéáåúë äáøä úîàá" è"ñ íù äàøå .çéú¯ã"éúñ à"ç) .î"ëàå .(ù"ò

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Pardes Hamelech

gentiles killed him, they were killing someone who was already deserving of death. 417 Indeed, when the Jewish court cannot carry out a penalty themselves, they have it carried out by others; perhaps Bar Kochba was sentenced to death by the Sages, yet they had the gentiles carry out the penalty for them. 418 Likkutei Sichos vol. 27 pg. 199 fn. 69* & margin-notes 127. “This Torah, its statutes and laws are unchangeable forever” The Talmud says that the first word of the Ten Commandments, “ anochi ,” is an abbreviation of the words, “Ana nafshi kesavis yehavis,” which can be under stood to mean, “I have placed my very essence into these words.” 419 In the words of the Midrash, when we “take” the Torah, we “take” Hashem himself. 420 Thus, the purpose of the mitzvos is not to earn reward or to create a just civilization; rather, they are the purpose themselves — to connect with Hashem. Therefore, as the Rambam states here, no change is possible in Torah. Likkutei Sichos vol. 19 pg. 182, vol. 23 pg. 33 128. “Removing the mitzvos from their actual, simple understanding” The Talmud famously says, “a verse never loses its literal meaning.” 421 This would seem to apply to any verse in the Torah, no matter the topic. However, it appears that the Rambam applies this only to verses which are discussing a mitzvah. 422 This .413 .í"áîøä ÷ñô ïëå .414 .ð"ùå .à ,âò ïéøãäðñ äàø .415 éìá ,"åøåã éîëçå àåä åîéãå" ïåùìä ,í"áîøä é"úëî 'àáù øéòäìå .(íù úåéðòú 'ìäá åðåùì ã"ò) "ìë" úáéú .416 ïéá ïéà øîàã ìàåîùë àìã àéúà ÷ìç ÷øôá åøîàã àäã ,î"ñë äàø .'åë ìàåîùë øáåñ åðéáøå úåéëìî ãåáòù àìà çéùîä úåîéì æ"äåòä .417 ïåéë ,÷ìç ÷øôá ïðéøîàã àä ùøôì ùéå" :ïàë æ"áãøä ïåùì ïåðâñáå ."åäåâøäå íééåâä åàáå åðîî íäéãé åôø øîåìë åäåìè÷ ïéàãå çøåî àìã åäåéæçã .418 íéåâä íà"ù ,èâî äù÷ã (æ"ðôìù äøòääá àáåäù) æ"áãøäì ë"àùî