Many are interested in what Judaism says about the timing of the coming of the Jewish Messiah — Moshiach. In the tractate Pesachim (54b), it is stated that the exact day of the Messianic era’s arrival is a great mystery, hidden from people. According to the prophet Yeshayahu (60:22), this will happen “in its appointed time,” as determined by the Almighty at the beginning of creation. The question arises, does the end of the exile depend on whether the Jews deserve it? After all, Yeshayahu said (8:11), “For My own sake, for My own sake I will act,” and Yehezkel added (20:9), “But I acted for the sake of My name.”
A contradiction arises in the words of the prophet Yeshayahu, who says (60:22), “I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.” The words “in its time” imply a specific day, while the words “I will hasten it” suggest that it can happen before the appointed time.
In the tractate “Sanhedrin” (98a), this contradiction is resolved: “If the Jews are deserving, I will hasten it; if not, it will come in its appointed time.”
From this, it follows that Moshiach can come on any day, even before the preordained time, as it is stated in the Book of Psalms (95:7), “If today you will heed His voice!”
Abarbanel believes (“Yeshuot Meshiho,” vol. 1, p. 11b) that world history can be divided into three periods: in the first period, Redemption would be premature; in the second, it is potentially possible and depends solely on the merits of the Jewish people; and in the third period, there is a predetermined day for Redemption.
In the Talmud (Sanhedrin 97b), calculating the time of the Redemption is criticised, as people might think that if the time has come and Moshiach has not yet arrived, he will never come. Nevertheless, many sages (Rabbi Saadia Gaon, Rashi, Rambam, Abarbanel, Arizal) engaged in this practice. Interestingly, Rambam in his code first writes about the prohibition of such practice in Judaism, but then in the “Letter to Yemen,” he himself indicates the day of Moshiach’s coming. Ramban explains this by saying that the Talmudic prohibition applies only to the period when the coming of Redemption was premature. This does not extend to the modern era, when the “footsteps of Moshiach” can already be heard.
In the mystical part of the Torah, it is explained that all the predicted times have indeed been fulfilled in a spiritual aspect but have not yet manifested in our reality.
Each generation had a potential time for the coming of Redemption, for according to Judaism, Moshiach is present in every generation and is ready to be revealed at any moment. In our time, the situation is such that Moshiach has already been revealed in our world, and now it only remains for us to meet him together!