‘The Finding of Moses’ by Gustav Doré
This week we begin reading the second book of the Torah, Shemot, and the account of the Exodus. Yocheved gives birth to a baby boy, “and when she saw how good [tov] he was, she hid him for three months.” (Exodus 2:2) Based on this, the Talmud explains that Yocheved named her baby “Tov” or “Tuviah” (Sotah 12a). The Talmud adds that she “saw” that he was good because the entire room filled with light when he was born, and that he was actually born without a foreskin, just as Adam was originally created. Yocheved hid the baby from the authorities for three months, and when “she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him…” (Exodus 2:3) The daughter of Pharaoh discovers him in the Nile and calls him “Moshe”, Moses.
The fact that baby Moses was concealed for three months is significant. The Sages teach that just as the First Redeemer (Moses) was concealed for a period of time, so too the Final Redeemer (Mashiach) will be concealed. The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 11:2) explains:
How long was he concealed from them? Rabbi Tanhuma said: Three months; as it is written: “They encountered Moses and Aaron…” (Exodus 5:20). The Final Redeemer, too, will appear to them and will then be concealed from them. How long will he be concealed from them? Rabbi Tanhuma said in the name of Rabbi Hama ben Rabbi Hoshaya: Forty-five days. That is what is written: “From the time of the abolishing of the daily offering and the setting up of the abomination of desolation there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11), and it is written: “Happy is one who waits, and reaches one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” (Daniel 12:12). How many are these extra days? They are the forty-five days that he will be concealed from them and will then reappear to them.
Rabbi Tanhuma states that Moses was concealed for three months—not those three months as a baby when he was born, but rather after his return to Egypt around age 80. Apparently, three months had elapsed between the time Moses first returned to Egypt and revealed himself to be God’s chosen one (and first appeared before Pharaoh, Exodus 5), and the second time he appeared before Pharaoh and turned his staff into a serpent (Exodus 7). During these three months, Moses was “concealed” and the Israelites were perplexed.
Rabbi Tanhuma continues to suggest that when it comes to the Final Redeemer, the period of concealment will not be three months as was with the First Redeemer, but rather 45 days (approximately half the time). This is based on a famous verse in the Book of Daniel. Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki, 1040-1105) comments on that same verse (Daniel 12:12) and expands the 45 days to 45 years. This is because Daniel’s “days” are indeed often interpreted as years, and the 1290 years play an important role in later texts. In fact, the Zohar was published specifically in the year 1290 CE, and the reason it was published then after so many centuries in hidden manuscripts is partly connected to Daniel’s 1290 years. (For lots more on this, see ‘When & Why Was the Zohar Published?’ in Volume Three of Garments of Light. See also the recent class on ‘The Spiritual Significance of 2025.’) Interestingly, in its exploration of this week’s parasha, the Zohar (II, 8b) suggests that Mashiach’s concealment will not have a duration of years, but rather 40 days, followed by another period of 30 days, for a total of 70 days. We therefore seem to have three possibilities: a concealment of 45 days (Midrash), or 70 days (Zohar), or as much as 45 years (Rashi).
The Lubavitcher Rebbe
The latter of these possibilities is a favourite of Lubavitchers, who often cite it to me whenever I discuss with them the messianic status of the Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, 1902-1994). Although he passed away more than 30 years ago, many Lubavitchers believe the Rebbe is nonetheless the Messiah and hold out hope that he will return. Among other things, they point to the above Rashi to support their claims. When I ask them: If 45 years passes and the Rebbe does not return, will you still believe he is Mashiach? The answer has always been: “Of course!” And herein lies the big problem with the “concealed messiah” phenomenon:
Every messianic group believes their messiah will have a “second coming”. Early Christians believed Jesus would return imminently, but months turned to years, years to decades, decades to centuries, and here we are two millennia later—and Christians are still waiting, as passionately as ever! Followers of Shabbatai Tzvi (1626-1676) had the same issue. After he passed away, the movement did not end. It continued to exist, and even expanded in some places, later morphing into newer offshoots like the Donmeh in Turkey and Frankism in Poland and Eastern Europe. In the following century, it led to a fiery conflict between Rabbi Yakov Emden (the “Yaavetz”, 1697-1776) and Rabbi Yonatan Eybeschutz (1690-1764), the former accusing the latter of being a closet Shabbatean. (In fact, we know for sure that Rabbi Eybeschutz’ son, Wolf Eybeschutz, was a Shabbatean leader and self-declared prophet.) Like Christianity before it, Sabbateanism did not end with the death of its supposed messiah. Followers were so entranced and so amazed by Shabbatai Tzvi that they continued to believe passionately in him even decades later. Rabbi Gavin Michal points out that in Leket Shmuel (p. 30v), for instance, a rabbi named Shmuel Feivush Kahane who bought into the false messiah Shabbatai Tzvi at the time, believed he would soon return, after forty years, because:
In my humble opinion, it is possible that the beginning of the redemption has already passed, as the world has heard. But there is a source, Yalqut Hoshea, where it is said, ‘Just as the first redeemer Moses was revealed, and was then concealed (for forty years), so it will be with the last redeemer.’ Indeed, from the year 5434 [1674], when he was concealed, until 5474 [1714], there are forty years − may he come!
Here, Moses’ concealment of three months was instead interpreted as Moses’ disappearance from Egypt for forty years (according to those who hold Moses first fled Egypt at age 40). This highlights the inevitable result of every messianic group: reinterpretation of verses and sources to continue justifying the delayed return of their messiah.
Of course, none of the original sources say that Mashiach will come, then die having not fulfilled his task, and then return. They simply say he will be “concealed”. He is still alive throughout that time of concealment, just off the radar. It is all part of one continuous sequence of events in the messianic process. As the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, “Maimonides”, 1138-1204) codifies, once a messianic claimant dies having not fulfilled what the Messiah is supposed to, it is clear that he is definitely not the Messiah (see Hilkhot Melakhim 11:4). No more discussion is necessary. (Again, messianists will twist the verses to maintain their position. Lubavitchers, for example, will point out that the Rambam specifically said neherag, the claimant “was killed”, not “died”. And since the Rebbe wasn’t “killed”, he still has a chance! Actually, the Rambam’s exact words are “if he didn’t succeed or was killed”, meaning if a person did not accomplish what the Messiah is supposed to in his lifetime—including the construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem and the Ingathering of the Exiles—he obviously “did not succeed”, and therefore is not the Messiah. Other Lubavitchers will argue that the Rebbe never died at all and is still “alive” in some way, or just transcended his physical body to become even greater!)
The simple reality is that there is no need for a “messiah” to come and pass away or disappear for an indefinite duration without accomplishing what the Messiah is supposed to. If the job’s not done, the person is not Mashiach—end of story. When the true Mashiach does come, the whole world will know it, and there will be no doubt about it. Until then, there is no point in believing blindly in a “saviour” long gone. I spoke to a wonderful Lubavitcher just this morning and he argued that there is no harm in the belief that the Rebbe is Mashiach. While there may not be any evident “harm” in the short-term, as we’ve learned from past messianic movements and how they evolved over centuries, there is indeed harm in the long-term, and the results are potentially catastrophic. Let us not forget the old adage that those who don’t learn from the past are condemned to repeat it. We should work to strengthen our faith in God, not in any man—no matter how great, how inspiring, how charismatic, how righteous. And as the prophet Yirmiyahu (17:5-7) relays: “Thus said Hashem: Cursed is the man who trusts in humans, who makes flesh his strength, and turns his thoughts from Hashem… Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, whose trust is Hashem alone!”