The Jewish Messiah — Two Neighbors Talk

by Karl Soderstrom

This interview with Rabbi Adler came about through my studies at North Park Seminary. In a course taught by Dr. Fred Holmgren — “Jews, Christians, and the Bible,” I became sensitized to the great need for Jewish-Christian dialogue. This interview represents a manifestation of my desire to engage in such dialogue.

Rabbi Adler is an administrator and teacher at a Jewish school in Chicago, and he has lived across the street from me all of my life. Our conversation was a tremendous experience for me.

I wanted to begin to understand what is the Orthodox-Jewish concept of the Messiah. I will let you read Rabbi Adler’s enlightening words for yourself.

Karl S: Rabbi Adler, I would like to understand your concept of the Messiah.

Rabbi Adler: To understand our concept of the Messiah and the age to which He will lead us, you must first understand the world we live in now. Take politics — pick any current issue in American politics. How about the NAFTA treaty that President Clinton is trying to get passed. What is the situation there? We have the experts in Clinton’s camp saying that the bill will create jobs, increase productivity, increase the quality and service of our businesses and their products. On the other side, we have the critics saying the complete opposite: there will be job loss, our businesses will lose their competitive edge, and our trade deficit with these countries will skyrocket. How can this be? How can economic and political experts on one side completely differ from their rivals? They both have the same facts: they both have had good educations. The problem is that they are not being objective. Each side has its own interests other than the treaty itself. President Clinton wants to please his set of friends and improve the situation for them. The Unions want to please their constituents. Everyone has vested interests or ulterior motives. When they come to Congress, they aren’t really arguing for what will really be the good for all Americans, but rather what will be good for their friends and colleagues. On top of this, even though both sides know what the other side is doing (because they are doing it themselves), they are able to use their rhetorical skills to hide their real motives from the public. They are not dealing with truth. They are working with two sides of the same coin, but refusing to acknowledge the other side.

The same situation has arisen throughout the history of Christian-Jewish dialogue. The people who have come to the table have not been completely honest about why they are discussing in the first place. In the past, the Christians have come to the discussion with the intent not of dialogue, but of conversion. In recent dialogue, it almost seems (on both sides, but much more so for the Christians) that they come to dialogue almost out of guilt. Acknowledging the horrible sins of the past on Jewish people, Christians often want to say: “Hey, we are okay. See, we can talk to you. We have common ground.” This is not to say that it could be different in the early stages of dialogue, but both sides should be completely honest about the real reasons for dialogue.

This problem of hiding our ulterior motives pervades all areas of life. It may be the fundamental ethical problem that keeps us from having proper relationships with each other, whether they be personal, professional, or religious. The Orthodox messianic concept has a great deal to do with the actuality of this present state of demise.

You see, God has given a wonderful gift to all people — the gift of intellect. That gift, coupled with our free will, allows us to respond individually to God’s commandments in a way in which God finds favor. When we were originally created, everything was perfect. However, we messed things up, and once things started going bad, it was hard to stop it from continuing. You see, as people begin hiding their real designs for their selfish decisions behind a veil of righteousness, the trend is contagious. Once the fall has taken place, we can no longer see clearly the right decisions to make. God has provided us with guidelines to follow in our lives, but because of the corruption of our own experience and past inequities, our intellect is so clouded that we have to struggle to do what is right in the sight of God. Humans have a tremendous ability to rationalize their desires. The fundamental problem with rationalization is that, when some wrong decision is rationalized or trivialized, it corrupts all future decisions. When the next ethical challenge arises, instead of starting out with a 100% clean intellect, we begin with 95%. This can, and unfortunately often does, continue until persons have nothing left of their inborn intellectual capacity to make righteous decisions.

Now we come to the purpose, or meaning, behind the Messiah and the Messianic Age that ensues. We, the Orthodox tradition, believe that the Messiah will come in the form of an actual person. This central idea has its foundations in the writings of the Bible. The Messiah will not necessarily, in fact probably will not, perform his mission from his birth. There will come a time in the Messiah’s life when he will begin to fulfill his purpose. In fact, the Messiah could be on earth and among us now.

What the Messiah will be is a charismatic leader of all people. He may be a political figure, or may not be. In any event, he will be an educator of sorts. Through him, the Messianic Age will come about.

The Messianic Age will be a time of enlightenment. The intellects of God’s people, which have been dulled through generations of sin and corruption, will be restored to their original pure and flawless condition. People will clearly see what is right and wrong in every action of their lives. There will be clear knowledge of how to be righteous before God and humankind. There still will exist free will — humanity’s ability to decide consciously to act rightly or wrongly will not be diminished or altered. However, because the people’s intellectual and spiritual sight will be restored perfectly, they will have an innate desire and longing to do what is right. In a way, doing the right thing will be common sense for everyone. Evil will still exist, but people will recognize it for what it is. Nothing will be hidden. A spade will be called a spade.

I have a number of analogies which should help you understand the Orthodox understanding. The first is very simple. Insurance companies make money from the premiums we pay. They play the odds in such a way that the amount you pay into the system is much more than you will probably ever get back. The fundamental idea of the insurance business is not wrong; it is how they do business. Sure, in cases like the terrible floods this year, they may lose some money; but in the long run they reap huge profits. They often lead people to believe that they are only looking out for their clients’ well being; but, with insurance rates so high, that can hardly be the case. During the Messianic Age, all relationships, including business ones, will be honest. Due to the enlightenment of all people, not only will the insurance companies know what is good to do (and thus be inclined to do it), but also the client will know if there is evil being done to him or her. A general concern and care for other people’s well being will be present in the hearts of all.

The second example is maybe more to the point. Consider an argument between two parties. Each party thinks that he or she is right and that the other is wrongly infringing on his or her rights. Nothing really gets accomplished, because each party is so entrenched in its own ideas of right and wrong. The Messiah, characteristic of the Messianic Age in general, will function as an arbitrator. He will bring enlightenment to both parties so that they can see what is right in each other’s position, as well as what is wrong. In the Messianic Age, there is no guarantee that both groups will get exactly what they originally wanted. Rather, they will realize, in what both want, that which is truly right.

K. S.: What is the relationship of the Messiah to this Messianic Age?

R. A.: The Messiah will emerge as a leader of the people. He will not be worshipped, but rather he will be respected as the divine messenger and educator about what God wants from us. He may rise to fame in a number of ways. The important thing is that the Messianic Age will be remarkably different from what the world is like now. This does not mean that we will be worshipping god constantly; in the basics of our everyday lives, nothing will change. Teachers will continue to be teachers, carpenters will continue to be carpenters; everyone will continue to follow the vocations to which they were called. The big difference will be in our knowledge of how to perform our jobs righteously, with a fear of God and a concern for our fellow human beings. Everyone will do his or her part to make the world what it will be. This is the main reason that Orthodox Jews realize that Jesus was not the Messiah. The world has not really changed since his coming. Sure, historical events happened such as the astounding growth of the church; but people’s hearts and intellects did not change. There was and there still is great evil in the world.

K. S.: In the Messianic Age, what will be the difference between Jew and non-Jew in their relationship to God?

R. A.: There will be no difference. The only difference will be the historical past of the Jew and the non-Jew. The enlightenment will be experienced by all people, so that all will have the ability and intellect to respond to God. Of course, not everyone will have the same intellectual capacity, and not everyone will have the same challenges; but everyone will have some basis upon which to form an ethical foundation for his or her life.

K. S.: Thank you for your help. On a different note, how do you feel about formal Jewish-Christian dialogue?

R. A.: We must first distinguish the concepts of dialogue. We must realize that the formal, higher-level dialogue of which you speak involves a very, very small minority of both religious communities. If you are talking about Jew-to-Christian dialogue, I have no problem with that. We can talk like you and I are now: one individual Christian to one individual Jew. However, some fundamental issues need to be addressed before honest, productive, and meaningful dialogue can take place between the Christian and Jewish religions. There is a tremendous history between our two traditions, an often ugly history. Until some real, honest acknowledgment of that past and genuine apology and remorse take place, nothing will get accomplished. I mean burning synagogues full of people — women and children. A lot of healing needs to be done. Some Christians come into dialogue out of guilt, or some need to prove to themselves that they can relate to Jewish people. “See, I can talk to you.” or “See, I accept you,” is often the attitude taken by Christians who are too eager for dialogue. True interaction can, and probably will, take place; but impatience is not what is needed