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

Hilchos Melachim | Ch 11

mikln zekld

440

ance where it is flawed, and fights the battles of G-d, then he is presumed to be Moshiach. [141][142][143] If he carried out the above and is successful, and vanquishes the nations around

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 generation, compelling will seem impossible. What then, is the meaning of the Rambam’s statement? This can be resolved according to the Rebbe Rashab’s explanation that there are two aspects of Moshiach — “David,” and “Ben David.” 440 “David” represents the full Messianic era, the time of G-dly revelation, when the entire world will serve Hashem in unison. “Ben David” refers to an earlier stage, prior to this revelation, when the world will still consist of a combination of good and evil. The above-mentioned Talmudic teaching refers to the later stage, when the revelation of Moshiach will be complete. At that stage, indeed, no compelling will be necessary or possible. The Rambam’s statement, how ever, refers to the earlier period, at a point when compelling will still be necessary. In other words: Moshiach’s first task will be to separate evil from good, to compel righteous behavior, and to collect those who are meritorious from among those who are liable. In the second stage, he will miraculously influence those who are liable as well, and include them in the final redemption. Devarim 5715. Toras Menachem vol. 14 pg. 243 140. “Compels all of the Jewish people to follow it…” “Compelling” doesn’t necessarily need to take the form of physical force. It is possible to accomplish the same goal through words, 441 and even through words that are said in an entirely different place, where they are not heard by the subject at all. For example, the Alter Rebbe related that his master, the Maggid of Mezeritch, would sometimes say his thoughts that occurred to him even if the listeners didn’t exactly understand, “to bring the matter into this world, thereby enabling others, even at the other end of the world, to discover the same insight.” 442 Devarim 5715. Toras Menachem vol. 14 pg. 244

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Pardes Hamelech

141. “If he . . . builds the Holy Temple in its place…” Why does the Rambam emphasize that Moshiach will build the Beis Hamikdash in its place ? Perhaps this is due to the fact that the place of the third Beis Hamikdash is different that the previous ones: In the previous ones, only the place of the Mizbe’ach was exact, 443 while the rest of the Beis Hamikdash was permitted to be built anywhere on the 500 cubits of Temple mount. However, the third Beis Hamikdash has an exact location, as told in the prophecy of Yechezkel. 444 Alternatively: with these words, the Rambam indi cates that this is an additional quality which designates Moshiach as the ‘Moshiach vadai ’; he must be able to pinpoint the exact location for the third Beis Hamikdash. [See also the next segment]. Likkutei Sichos vol. 8 pg. 362 fn. “mikdash bimkomo” 142. “If he . . . builds the Holy Temple in its place…” The prophet Yechezkel relates that throughout the exile, Hashem’s presence will remain amongst the Jewish people through the “ mikdash me’at,” the “minor temples” found among them. 445 The Talmud asserts that His presence dwells prima rily in the principal mikdash me’at of that specific time period, the “Beis Rabbeinu Sheb’Bavel.” 446 The Tal mud lists “the synagogue of Huzal and the synagogue that was destroyed and rebuilt in Nehardea” as exam ples of where the Shechinah rested throughout various periods of the Babylonian exile. The phenomena of the Beis Rabbeinu Sheb’Bavel can be understood in light of the Talmud’s statement that “since the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, Hashem only has in His world the four cubits of halachah.” 447

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