The Jewish people famously await the coming of Moshiach—a time of world peace, an end to poverty, hunger, and all sickness. A true utopia.

Who wouldn’t want that?

The interesting thing is, there’s actually another secret reason the Jewish people have always wanted Moshiach, and that reason is very relevant to your life, right here, and right now.

Curses Gone Awry

Our parshah tells the story of perhaps the greatest non-Jewish prophet to ever live, Balaam. Balak, the king of Moab, the neighboring land, called upon Balaam to use his power of prophecy to curse the People of Israel. Witnessing their remarkable path of victory through the desert, Balak was terrified and knew that conventional methods of warfare would not work against this miraculous people. So, he turned to other, supernatural methods.

Balaam was all too eager, and we read an extensive account of how this wily, conniving man tried to negotiate with G‑d and seal a deal of destruction on the Israelites.

Eventually, he rises to a summit overlooking the Israelite camp, and to Balak’s horror, he opens his mouth and some of the most beautiful pearls of poetry and praise come spilling out, heaping blessings on the people down below.

Balak literally claps his hands in frustration, yet, as Balaam tells him, there’s nothing he can do other than pronounce the word of G‑d.

As mentioned, the verses are deep and quite mysterious, but even a casual reader can identify that Balaam prophesied the future redemption:1

I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not soon. A star has gone forth from Jacob, and a staff will arise from Israel which will crush the princes of Moab and uproot all the sons of Seth.

Edom shall be possessed, and Seir shall become the possession of his enemies, and Israel shall triumph.

David and Moshiach

Indeed, in the concluding chapters of his magnum opus, Mishneh Torah,2 Maimonides analyzes these verses and demonstrates how they speak not only of one, but two redeemers—King David and Moshiach. Verse by verse, he points to which words reference the former and which the latter. Here’s a small sample:

‘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;

The question is, why King David? Moshiach’s reign will usher in eternal world peace. Why is King David’s stint on the world stage relevant here? After all, his reign came to a tragic end, and we aren’t looking to go back there either; our eyes are pinned forward, to a future redemption. So why bring in King David?

What, or Who, Are You Waiting For?

Put simply, when speaking of the future redeemer, Maimonides wishes to tell us who and what we’re really waiting for.

The average Jew is pretty certain they want Moshiach. Who doesn’t want world peace, tikkun olam, the return of their loved ones, and the end of poverty and hunger? These are incredible things, and throughout history—in the good times, and certainly in the bad times—Jews have set their eyes on a better future.

But here’s a little secret: none of those reasons are the real reason anyone should be awaiting his arrival. By comparing Moshiach to King David, Maimonides demonstrates that Moshiach’s role is essentially to restore and continue what King David did, just 2.0—bigger, better, and more stable.

What did King David do?

Well, he brought Jewish sovereignty to the Land of Israel, laid the groundwork for the construction of the first Holy Temple, and overall, brought the vision and rule of G‑d to the people. King David did not represent himself, rather G‑d. Practically speaking, by setting up a Jewish political system and putting things in place for the Temple, King David created the opportunity for so many more mitzvot.

You see, much of our tradition is contingent on Jewish sovereignty in Israel and the Temple. Today, in exile, we are really only able to perform roughly 100 out of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. So David’s role, his crowning achievement, was enabling the Torah’s mandate to more fully manifest in the world.

Moshiach’s role is much the same. The miraculous utopia he will usher in notwithstanding, Moshiach’s core job is a continuum of David’s: to create an environment in which G‑d’s mandate through the Torah can be fully manifest.

So when Jews throughout the ages desperately yearned for Moshiach, it was borne out of one simple desire: to finally fully see G‑d’s presence in this world. To lead a fully Jewish life with all the bells and whistles.

Not so much for candy-bearing trees and endless bank accounts, but for a maximum religious life.

Caring for Judaism

What does that tell you and me?

It’s time to start caring a bit more about our Judaism.

If a nation can collectively so desperately want something simply because they’re concerned that G‑d’s mandate isn’t fully manifest, then we can certainly start caring a drop more about the fact that our own, personal environment may possibly be less holy, less G‑d-aware than it could be.

It starts with you and your immediate surroundings. If you’re plugged into your relationship with G‑d, there are so many steps—small steps—you can take to bring that awareness to those around you.

Hang up a Torah message on your work desk and prompt people to ask you about it. Make audible blessings on your food and invite people’s inquisitiveness. Pray openly in the airport as you wait for your flight and politely and genuinely explain it to anyone who cares.

There’s really so much.

And when you do, you will have sampled a taste of Moshiach.3