לזכות משה יהודה בן פעשא דינה
ר' יהודה יעקב בן דינה חאשע
The Rambam says in Hilchos Melachim [11-1,2]
In the future, the Messianic king will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty. He will build the Temple and gather the dispersed of Israel.
Then, in his days, the observance of all the statutes will return to their previous state. We will offer sacrifices, observe the Sabbatical and Jubilee years according to all their particulars as described by the Torah.
Anyone who does not believe in him or does not await his coming, denies not only the statements of the other prophets, but those of the Torah and Moses, our teacher. The Torah testified to his coming, as Deuteronomy 30:3-5 states:
God will bring back your captivity and have mercy upon you. He will again gather you from among the nations... Even if your Diaspora is at the ends of the heavens, God will gather you up from there... and bring you to the land....
These explicit words of the Torah include all the statements made by all the prophets.
Reference to Mashiach is also made in the portion of Bilaam who prophesies about two anointed kings: the first anointed king, David, who saved Israel from her oppressors; and the final anointed king who will arise from his descendants and save Israel in the end of days. That passage Numbers 24:17-18 relates:
'I see it, but not now' - This refers to David;
'I perceive it, but not in the near future;" - This refers to the Messianic king;
'A star shall go forth from Jacob' - This refers to David;
'and a staff shall arise in Israel' - This refers to the Messianic king;
'crushing all of Moab's princes' - This refers to David as II Samuel 8:2 relates: 'He smote Moab and measured them with a line;'
'decimating all of Seth's descendants' - This refers to the Messianic king about whom Zechariah 9:10 prophesies: 'He will rule from sea to sea.'
'Edom will be demolished' - This refers to David as II Samuel 8:6 states 'Edom became the servants of David;'
'Seir will be destroyed' - this refers to the Messianic king as Ovadiah 1:21 prophesies: 'Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau....'
2] Similarly, with regard to the cities of refuge, Deuteronomy 19:8-9 states: 'When God will expand your borders... you must add three more cities.' This command was never fulfilled. Surely, God did not give this command in vain.
The question is why the Rambam in Halacha beis proves from the fact that in the future we will add three cities onto ערי מקלט that Moshiach must be coming in order to fulfill this mitzva when there would have been a stronger proof. The Rambam writes in the 5th perek of Hilchos Rotzeach that the mitzvah that Hashem gave to Avraham of adding on ערי מקלט applies to the three cities that Hashem promised Avraham with their Bris that He has not yet given to him. Would it not have been better to prove from the very Bris that Hashem made with Avraham that Moshiach is coming because He has not yet given him the lands and He would certainly not make a false Bris than proving from the fact that we haven't yet fulfilled the mitzvah?
ר' יהודה יעקב בן דינה חאשע
The Rambam says in Hilchos Melachim [11-1,2]
המלך המשיח עתיד לעמוד ולהחזיר מלכות דוד ליושנה לממשלה הראשונה ובונה המקדש ומקבץ נדחי ישראל וחוזרין כל המשפטים בימיו כשהיו מקודם מקריבין קרבנות ועושין שמטין ויובלות ככל מצותה האמורה בתורה וכל מי שאינו מאמין בו או מי שאינו מחכה לביאתו לא בשאר נביאים בלבד הוא כופר אלא בתורה ובמשה רבינו שהרי התורה העידה עליו שנאמר ושב ה' אלהיך את שבותך ורחמך ושב וקבצך וגו' אם יהיה נדחך בקצה השמים וגו' והביאך ה' ואלו הדברים המפורשים בתורה הם כוללים כל הדברים שנאמרו ע"י כל הנביאים אף בפרשת בלעם נאמר ושם נבא בשני המשיחים במשיח הראשון שהוא דוד שהושיע את ישראל מיד צריהם ובמשיח האחרון שעומד מבניו שמושיע את ישראל [באחרונה] ושם הוא אומר אראנו ולא עתה זה דוד אשורנו ולא קרוב זה מלך המשיח דרך כוכב מיעקב זה דוד וקם שבט מישראל זה מלך המשיח ומחץ פאתי מואב זה דוד וכן הוא אומר ויך את מואב וימדדם בחבל וקרקר כל בני שת זה המלך המשיח שנאמר בו ומשלו מים עד ים והיה אדום ירשה זה דוד שנאמר ותהי אדום לדוד לעבדים וגו' והיה ירשה וגו' זה המלך המשיח שנאמר ועלו מושיעים בהר ציון וגו':
אף בערי מקלט הוא אומר אם ירחיב ה' אלהיך את גבולך ויספת לך עוד שלש ערים וגו' ומעולם לא היה דבר זה ולא צוה הקדוש ברוך הוא לתוהו אבל בדברי הנביאים אין הדבר צריך ראייה שכל הספרים מלאים בדבר זה:
In the future, the Messianic king will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty. He will build the Temple and gather the dispersed of Israel.
Then, in his days, the observance of all the statutes will return to their previous state. We will offer sacrifices, observe the Sabbatical and Jubilee years according to all their particulars as described by the Torah.
Anyone who does not believe in him or does not await his coming, denies not only the statements of the other prophets, but those of the Torah and Moses, our teacher. The Torah testified to his coming, as Deuteronomy 30:3-5 states:
God will bring back your captivity and have mercy upon you. He will again gather you from among the nations... Even if your Diaspora is at the ends of the heavens, God will gather you up from there... and bring you to the land....
These explicit words of the Torah include all the statements made by all the prophets.
Reference to Mashiach is also made in the portion of Bilaam who prophesies about two anointed kings: the first anointed king, David, who saved Israel from her oppressors; and the final anointed king who will arise from his descendants and save Israel in the end of days. That passage Numbers 24:17-18 relates:
'I see it, but not now' - This refers to David;
'I perceive it, but not in the near future;" - This refers to the Messianic king;
'A star shall go forth from Jacob' - This refers to David;
'and a staff shall arise in Israel' - This refers to the Messianic king;
'crushing all of Moab's princes' - This refers to David as II Samuel 8:2 relates: 'He smote Moab and measured them with a line;'
'decimating all of Seth's descendants' - This refers to the Messianic king about whom Zechariah 9:10 prophesies: 'He will rule from sea to sea.'
'Edom will be demolished' - This refers to David as II Samuel 8:6 states 'Edom became the servants of David;'
'Seir will be destroyed' - this refers to the Messianic king as Ovadiah 1:21 prophesies: 'Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau....'
2] Similarly, with regard to the cities of refuge, Deuteronomy 19:8-9 states: 'When God will expand your borders... you must add three more cities.' This command was never fulfilled. Surely, God did not give this command in vain.
The question is why the Rambam in Halacha beis proves from the fact that in the future we will add three cities onto ערי מקלט that Moshiach must be coming in order to fulfill this mitzva when there would have been a stronger proof. The Rambam writes in the 5th perek of Hilchos Rotzeach that the mitzvah that Hashem gave to Avraham of adding on ערי מקלט applies to the three cities that Hashem promised Avraham with their Bris that He has not yet given to him. Would it not have been better to prove from the very Bris that Hashem made with Avraham that Moshiach is coming because He has not yet given him the lands and He would certainly not make a false Bris than proving from the fact that we haven't yet fulfilled the mitzvah?
