Question:
How can I belive that the messiah will for sure come? Maybe we have sinned so much that g-d decided that we are no longer worthy and that we lost any chance for it just like g-d removed our crowns after we sinned with the golden calf?! This question has been bothering me for a very long time. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer it.
Answer:
Thank you for your question.
Your question is not unfounded, and I understand why you are concerned, nevertheless we see from the gemora that even if Klal Yisroel has sinned terribly, that the messiah will still come. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98a) says
“ואמר רבי יוחנן אין בן דוד בא אלא בדור שכולו זכאי או כולו חייב”
Rabbi Yochanan said the messiah will come either in a generation that is totally righteous or totally guilty”. He derives this from a verse in Isiah 48-11, that Hashem says that he will do it even if it is only for His own namesake! Meaning that even if everyone would be sinning, the messiah will still come.
The Talmud (ibid) further states,
רבי יהושע בן לוי רמי, כתיב בעתה, וכתיב, אחישנה! זכו – אחישנה, לא זכו – בעתה.
Rabbi Yehoshua the son of Levi asked, it says (Isiah 60-22) I will hasten (the coming of the Messiah) it in its time”. Either it will be hastened, or it will come at its predestined time? He answers that it depends, if we merit it, the time will be hastened, but if don’t merit it, then it will only come at its predestined time”. We see further that the Messiah will come no matter what, even if we don’t merit it, it will still come even if we don’t deserve it.
This is why we believe that the Messiah will come, in spite of all of our aveiros. We try our best to hasten his arrival, and to prepare ourselves as best as we can, so we should individually merit to see his arrival, and to merit the maximum closeness to Hashem after the Messiahs arrival.
At the sin of the golden calf, the Jews lost, the crowns that they were given to them as a present, it was a special lofty level that they lost. However, the arrival of the Messiah we see clearly that it is going to happen regardless of our actions. The Messiah will come, that is for sure, what we want is that we should merit to actually see it in our lifetime.
Best wishes
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