People generally react with skepticism and cynicism to political candidates' campaign promises. Often crafted by savvy PR teams, backed by voter statistics and influenced by focus groups, these promises may lack true conviction, and the gap between what is promised and what is actually delivered can be quite significant.
What factors contribute to a person's belief when promises are made?
The Eternal Promise
A Redemption, Its Redeemer, and Their Biblical Guarantee
ושב ה’ אלקיך את שבותך
From Devarim 30:1-3
Moshe spoke before the Jewish people in the days leading up to his passing: And it will be when all these blessings and curses—which I have presented in previous verses before you—will come upon you, then you will take it to heart wherever Hashem, your G-d, has dispersed you, outside the Land of Israel.
And you will return, i.e. repent, unto Hashem, your G-d, and heed His voice, in accordance with all that which I have commanded to you today, you and your children, with all your heart and soul.
Then Hashem, your G-d, will bring back your returnees to the Land of Israel and will be merciful unto you, gathering you from amidst all the nations from which Hashem, your G-d, dispersed you.
Torah Sourced
It is the eleventh month, 2488 years from Creation. The dry desert air is thick with emotion as a nation stands in solemn silence. The leader, who victoriously shed the shackles of their slavery in Egypt, who faithfully tended to their every spiritual need throughout their extended forty-year sojourn in the desert, now bids farewell to his beloved flock.
Only a matter of days prior to his passing, Moshe’s parting instructions will serve as a guide for his people until the end of time. In a blend of both rebuke and promise, he warns of exile and suffering, a great dispersion amongst the nations, whilst also instilling a sense of hope. Moshe’s message? When all that he has foretold would come to pass, then, when the people repent and return unto G-d, He will respond in kind, gathering every one of them in and returning them to Israel.
Extensive references regarding the advent of Moshiach are found throughout Tanach. This cited passage is quoted by the greatest sages in Jewish history, including the Rambam and Rav Saadia Gaon, as the original, definitive source within the Five Books of Moses regarding the redeemer’s arrival. The prophesied ingathering of the exiles has never yet been fulfilled. The sages concur that the only possible interpretation of Moshe’s words is the coming, final redemption.
Did it Happen Already?
The Abarabanel was on a mission to clarify and elucidate Jewish belief in Moshiach. Having lived through the traumatic Spanish expulsion of 5252 (1492), his writings sharply defend and uphold the truths of Judaisim against the Christian and anti-Jewish thinkers of his time.
One of his biggest objectives in his current work was to refute the words of those who sought to deny the promise of a Jewish redemption. Upon examining the verses in Devarim, which describe the assurance that Hashem will bring the Jewish people back to the Land of Israel, antisemitic leaders, skeptics, and philosophers of alternate religions interpret the promise metaphorically or as referring to previous time periods rather than to a future redemption. The inevitable conclusion of taking these ideas at face value is that there is no real proof of Moshiach ever coming at all.
The Refutation
The Abarbanel was unequivocal in his response, introducing various means of reasoning to elucidate his point. Out of his many ideas, the first and most basic encompasses the rest. He clarified the precise wording of the Torah text, “Hashem, your G-d, will bring back your returnees” that Hashem alone will be the one to bring the Jewish people back. Torah’s promise identifies the most important player in the story of redemption—G-d himself. A human being, such as Cyrus the Great of Persia, can bring about some measure of the nation's return to the Land, but that is not what the verse is detailing. The notion that the promise was already fulfilled through a mortal being is thereby discarded.
Humans are finite, limited beings. Erratic and temperamental, their choices are open to change, their handiwork impermanent. G-d is different. He transcends limitations and destructibility. His work is eternal, His choices are precise, and His promises are exact. So when He promises to be the one to bring all the Jews back to Israel with the coming of His chosen Moshiach and the ultimate redemption, He means it, and so it will be.
The scope of this final assembly will similarly defy limitation, encompassing the exiles from the world over. Miraculous and wondrous, it will breach the current geopolitical climate. It will also include every single Jew, whether they currently identify as such or not, for it will be an ingathering of the soul of the Jewish nation. The strength of the prophecy given by Moshe, the greatest of all prophets, describes a reality of redemption and a reality that is completely unprecedented, non-discriminating, and inevitable. The Abarbanel’s reading of these foundational fundamental verses reflects the significance it holds for Jewish thinkers and sages throughout the ages.
- The return of the Jewish People to their land in the Messianic era is promised in the Torah. Hashem alone will bring them back, for eternity.
Torah’s promise identifies the most important player in the story of redemption—G-d himself.
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The Abarbanel
Distinguished 15th-century Torah scholar, influential leader, and financier to kings, the great rabbi and Don Yitzchak Abarbanel advocated on behalf of the Jewish people to revoke the Spanish Edict of Expulsion. Banished from his homeland of Portugal, he joined the court of Spain until the expulsion of 1492, when he went into exile again, continuing to advocate for the benefit of his people. Among his many responsibilities and duties, the Abarbanel wrote extensive commentary on the Torah, focusing his works on themes related to Moshiach, dedicating three full books to the topic alone.
Sources and Further Reading
- Sefer Haemunot Vehadeot, Rasag, Maamar 8, 1:2.
- Rambam Hilchot Teshuva 7:5.
- Rambam Hilchot Melachim 11:5.
- Beit Elokim, Mabit, Shaar Hayesodos Ch. 52.
- Likutei Sichot, 34, Shoftim 3.
Take Action
With the increasing pressure on campuses, in the media, and on the web, there is a growing demand for us to take action and shine a light in the darkness. Take a moment to reflect.
Over the course of this week, take the opportunity to post an image of yourself engaging in a mitzvah on your social media account. Or share a Torah thought with a co-worker, spend an hour or the day outside in a kippah, and offer some matzo ball soup to your neighbors!
