THE PREREQUISITE OF TESHUVAH PRIOR TO THE GEULAH
Our Sages state that all the predetermined times (for the Geulah) have already passed, and the requirement of repentance has also been fulfilled; so certainly Hashem has to fulfill the plea of the Jewish people, to bring the true and complete Redemption.
In the Tachnun prayer which we say right after Shemoneh Esreh, we say Psalm 25 of Tehillim which concludes with the words: ‐‐G-d, redeem Israel from his afflictions.‐‐
Following this possuk, the prayer follows with the verse: ‐‐And He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities‐‐ (found further in Tehillim 130:8).
The order here is deliberate and precise: First Hashem has to redeem us from our afflictions – and the greatest affliction we have is the golus – and only after that will He redeem us from our sins; i.e., He will redeem us even before we do teshuvah. ‐‐Even the iniquities will not stand in the way to delay the Geulah, because Hashem will redeem us of our sins‐‐ (Metzudas Dovid on Tehillim 130).
Initially, even mere stirrings of teshuvah will be sufficient, with complete teshuvah coming only after this teshuvah.
It is clear from the above that the prerequisite of teshuvah has already been met, and Moshiach must come immediately!
May it be the will of Hashem that the discussion of the Geulah and our prayers and supplications for the Geulah, hasten its immediate and actual coming. (Sefer HaSichos 5751 (Vayechi) p. 238)
To say that the Geulah will be delayed until the entire Jewish people repents is contradictory to many pesukim . . .
Considering how dismally our Sages describe ikvesa d’Meshichah (the time immediately prior to Moshiach’s coming) – how can it be expected for such a generation to do teshuvah completely?
Apparently, it is not the unobservant who are delaying the Geulah. . .
The Rambam’s ruling in Hilchos Teshuvah 7:5 that the Jewish people will be redeemed only by repentance, is a reference to people like us, [i.e., observant Jews] and believers; it’s not that we must wait until the entire Jewish people repent. (Minchas Elozor [Munkatch])
After the Geulah, when Hashem reveals His glory to all humanity, every Jew will repent as never before.
(Netzach Yisrael ch. 46 by the Maharal of Prague)
Those who remain when the redeemer arrives . . . although they will be to blame that they did not go out of golus due to their unworthy deeds, nevertheless, Hashem will not consider their deeds forever, ‐‐for He desires kindness‐‐ . . . His kindness will overcome the sins when the time of the Geulah arrives.
(Radak on Tehillim 130)
