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How Jewish is Moshiach? by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg
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Isn't the belief in the Messiah a non-Jewish dogma? How Jewish is Moshiach? The widespread belief that the Messiah is a non-Jewish dogma is illustrative of the pitiful level of Jewish education. Tragically, as a result of the void in Jewish education, coupled with a heavy dose of exposure to secular patently non-Jewish influences, Jews have developed two diametrically opposed approaches to Jewish "theology." Some have unconsciously accepted non-Jewish and even pagan notions which have crept into modern society, which is dominated by the Christians. Others, paradoxically, in their attempt to be impervious to non-Jewish influences have concluded that any dogma adopted by the dominant religious culture of our day, must, by definition, be non-Jewish. And the more the dominant religious culture accentuates and centralized a given belief, all the more is their need to repudiate it. Ask the average Jewish member of a Temple what Judaism has to say about: Heaven, Hell, Messiah, reincarnation or resurrection. The response will always be the same: "This is what they believe in!" To address this gap in the awareness of the Jewish character of Moshiach, we must introduce Moshiach in a way that is faithful to a Torah perspective. One must remember that language carries specific connotation depending on one's philosophy. Inasmuch as the non-Jewish version of the Messiah is one in which a human who is deified has already come to save this world, and that the sole criterion for being "saved" is the acceptance of "him" as one's deity, we must emphasize that: a) Moshiach is and must be human1 b) In every generation there is a potential Moshiach who will be revealed and bring about the Redemption when the time is ripe2 And to that end, we continue to pray that he reveals himself3, c) Our efforts to make his revealment a reality require far more than faith, but also the dedication to the teachings of Judaism and the observance of the Mitzvot4.
2 See Commentary of R. ovadia m'Bartinura, Megillas Rus; Sdei Chemed, p'as HaSadeh, Ma'areches Aleph: 70; See also Sefer HaSichos 5752, vol. I, p. 152, vol. II, p. 470. 3 See Teshuvos Chasam Sofer, Likkutim 98 4 See Tanya, ch. 37; Likkutei Sichos, vol. XXI, p. 18.
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