THE 12 PRINCIPLES:

WHAT & WHY

Principle 1

Every letter of the Torah is central to Judaism, but there are some basic beliefs that are so fundamental that one who rejects them is considered to have rejected Judaism, even if he accepts everything else in the Torah. For example, one who accepts all the mitzvos, Halachos, and practices of Judaism but does not consider them to be of Divine origin does not believe in Judaism.

There are thirteen such principles of faith as codified by the Rambam. (While this specific enumeration was originally a topic of debate, they ultimately came to be accepted by all Jewish circles.) The twelfth one is the belief in the coming of Moshiach. One who believes in G-d and in the Torah but does not accept that Moshiach will come, in essence denies all of Judaism, even if he is a fully observant Jew.

Why indeed is Moshiach so central to Judaism?

MOSHIACH IS A PRINCIPLE OF JEWISH FAITH

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MOSHIACH IS THE PURPOSE OF CREATION

“Rabbi Yochanan said: ‘The world was created solely for Moshiach.’” That is to say, G-d had a purpose in creating the world; the era of Moshiach will represent the fulfillment of that purpose. And Torah and mitzvos are the tools by which that purpose is achieved.

For an in-depth analysis of this and the previous principle read: "In the beginning, G-d Created the end."

Click here for a PDF version with extensive interactive notes and references.

MOSHIACH IS A TOPIC IN TORAH

The Jewish people have always been “obsessed” with Moshiach—it has been their national dream and their hope. As is the way with dreams and hopes, many of the facts about Moshiach have become mingled with rich and marvelous folklore. To distinguish between fact and fiction, the stories and traditions must be carefully examined in the light of Torah sources.

Much of the Torah’s discussions about Moshiach are to be found in aggados and Midrashim. Midrashic literature is often cryptic and metaphorical, and one Midrash may even appear to contradict a second Midrash. As such, a clear picture of the concept of Moshiach will not emerge from an analysis of midrashic sources.

For the most part, this is not problematic, for the lack of clarity on most aspects of this subject did not trouble our Torah authorities. Indeed, the Rambam goes so far as to say that many details concerning the coming of Moshiach cannot be known until they happen, and one should not delve into them.

For an in-depth analysis of this principle read: "Moshiach's White donkey"

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MOSHIACH HAS A HALACHICALLY DEFINED ROLE

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There are specific aspects of Moshiach’s coming that are indeed very important for us to know clearly, so that we will know how to respond when these events come to pass in the period before and during Moshiach’s arrival.

Indeed, there are Halachos about Moshiach that are clarified by the Poskim (primarily the Rambam, who wrote two entire halachic chapters on Moshiach in his Mishneh Torah).

In general, the Halachos of Moshiach concern the following issues:

The belief in Moshiach;
The order of the events surrounding his revelation.
The identity of Moshiach.

All these are based on a halachic definition of Moshiach.

For an in-depth analysis of this principle read: "Judaism minus 50 percent." (COMING SOON!)