By Teresa Konopka
SAN DIEGO — When it comes to the topic of moschiach (messiah), there is no shortage of opinions. Some claim the messiah already came and is “coming back” one day to fulfill the entirety of messianic prophecies. Unfortunately, this is an unfalsifiable claim since it hinges on waiting for an undetermined point of time. Just because a particular messiah from years gone by hasn’t returned yet doesn’t mean he won’t sometime in the future. This is similar to proving unicorns don’t exist—just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t out there somewhere. This sort of logic keeps many trapped in cults despite there being a lack of concrete evidence that said cult is actually true.
Regardless of what religious sects may claim, there remains unfulfilled messianic prophecies. As of this writing, there is no peace in the middle east, there is no worldwide acceptance of the Jewish G-d, and there is no third temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem.
“In the last days, the mountain of HaShem’s house will be the highest of all—the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of HaShem, to the house of Jacob’s G-d. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.’ For HaShem’s teaching will go out from Zion; His word will go out from Jerusalem. HaShem will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. HaShem of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!” (Micah 4: 1-4).
“If a king will arise from the House of David who delves deeply into the study of the Torah and, like David his ancestor, observes its mitzvos as prescribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law; if he will compel all of Israel to walk in [the way of the Torah] and repair the breaches [in its observance]; and if he will fight the wars of G‑d; — we may, with assurance, consider him Mashiach. If he succeeds in the above, builds the [Beis Ha]Mikdash on its site, and gathers in the dispersed remnant of Israel, he is definitely the Mashiach. He will then perfect the entire world, [motivating all the nations] to serve G‑d together, as it is written, ‘I will make the peoples pure of speech so that they will all call upon the Name of G‑d and serve Him with one purpose’ (Hilchot Malachim 11:1-4).
When it comes to speculating who precisely the moschiach is or will be, it is helpful to remember the wise words of King Solomon.
“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
With this in mind, it is helpful to go back and history to see who exactly built the first and second temples. The first temple was drafted by King David and later completed by his son King Solomon. Both kings were the descendants of a Moabite foreigner named Ruth. While Ruth left her pagan polytheism behind to follow the one G-d of Israel (Ruth 1:16), there is no biblical proof of her having any official conversion, let alone an orthodox one [1]. Being a woman, this is of prime importance since orthodoxy sees Judaism as inherited thru the mother. (The change from Jewish patrilineal descent to matrilineal descent occurred during the Roman Empire [2].) It is interesting to note that King Solomon had no issues with foreigners coming to Jerusalem to accept HaShem as G-d. He welcomes them and doesn’t once mention them needing any official conversion.
“In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands when they hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors Your Name” (2 Chronicles 6).
The prophet Isaiah echoes Solomon’s sentiments towards foreigners. He also makes no reference to any official conversion.
“But HaShem will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as His special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel” (Isaiah 14:1).
The second temple construction was initiated by Cyrus the Great, a Persian king. While Cyrus proclaimed HaShem as the One True G-d, like Ruth there is no mention of him having any official conversion (2 Chronicles 36:23). Despite Cyrus’ lack of any official conversion, the prophet Isaiah referred to him as a moschiach in Isaiah 45:1 (different from “the moschiach” but important nonetheless). Expansion of the second temple, including construction of the Western Wall, was kicked off by Herod the Great. King Herod’s grandfather Antipas converted to Judaism under Hyrcanus’ conquest of Idumaea [3].
By Orthodox standards, neither King David nor King Solomon nor King Cyrus nor King Herod would be considered halachically Jewish. Also, due to limited historical evidence, there is no way to know for certain how observant they were. Perhaps these kings and their ancestors lived a reform or conservative Jewish lifestyle before these terms even existed. Given Jewish history, it is quite possible that the moschiach who builds the third temple will either be a convert himself or a descendant of converts. Furthermore, despite Orthodoxy’s stance that only Orthodox conversions to Judaism are valid, the Israel Supreme Court says otherwise. In 2021, the court ruled that “people who convert to Judaism through the Reform and Conservative movements in Israel are also Jewish and entitled to become citizens” [4].
“Let no foreigner who is bound to HaShem say, ‘The LORD will surely exclude me from his people’” (Isaiah 56:3).
Today, it is tradition for rabbis to turn away prospective converts three times. It is also not uncommon for Orthodox communities to label reform / conservative converts (and their children) as “not real Jews” [5]. This can no doubt be disheartening and leave one with a sour taste of Judaism in their mouth. Imagine how different Jewish history would be had Ruth acquiesced to Naomi’s protests to abandon Judaism. There would have been no King David, no King Solomon, and no first temple. Imagine too if King Cyrus or Herod were repeatedly told that they were “not really Jewish.” There would have been no second temple and no Western Wall. Keep this in mind next time you encounter a gentile or a non-Orthodox convert. You may be talking to the moschiach.
References
- Dr. Drazin, Rabbi Israel. “Ruth Did Not Convert to Judaism”. 13 May 2021. https://www.sdjewishworld.com/
2021/05/13/ruth-did-not- convert-to-judaism/ - Oppenheimer et al. “Jews and Gentiles in the Holy Land in the Days of the Second Temple, the Mishna and the Talmud”. Bryn Mawr Classical Review. 1 Jan 2003. https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/
2004/2004.03.29 - Gassner, Evie. “How Jewish was Herod?”. The Torah. 11 Aug 2022. https://www.thetorah.com/
article/how-jewish-was-herod - Kellman, Laurie. “Israel’s high court says non-Orthodox converts are Jews”. AP News. 1 Mar 2021. https://apnews.com/article/
religion-israel-judaism- immigration-elections- 6e1f87feb0ad02e2da88d4e2de2dc1 7b - Oppenheimer, Mark. “Rethinking Conversion”. Tablet Mag. 7 Jun 2019. https://www.tabletmag.com/
sections/news/articles/ rethinking-conversion
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Teresa Konopka is a freelance writer based in San Diego. She may be contacted via teresa.konopka@sdjewishworld.com