FOLLOW US
Jerusalem Interfaith Forum: Why Does the Human Heart Yearn for the Messiah?
Written by Dr. Nurit Hirschfeld, Director, Jerusalem Office for Interfaith and Cooperation among Religions
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Kibbutz Ein Tzurim, Israel - On the morning of Aug. 14, 2013, an interfaith forum of 12 academic scholars, religious leaders and peace activists took place at the Yaacov Herzog Center for Jewish Studies founded by the Religious Kibbutz Movement. The subject of the meeting was: “The role of the Messiah – what is the purpose of his coming, and why does the human heart yearn for him?”
Dr. Nurit Hirschfeld, the forum director, opened the discussion by pointing out that many religions speak of the arrival of a leader who will embody the justice and compassion of God, defeat evil and establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Dr. Hirschfeld announced the questions that would be discussed during the forum: What is the role of the Messiah? Why do we need the Messiah? How will the Messiah fulfill his role? What is his identity? (Is he of a certain religion? A man? A woman?) What is the origin of this deep expectation among all religions?
The first speaker was Father Masoud Abu Hatoum, a Greek Melkite priest from Nazareth. “The Messiah for us, the Christians, was a Jew, a son of a carpenter. Not a person coming from a high position,” he said. The Messiah came to give abundant love and put an end to wars, he said. However, he could not accomplish his mission because he was misunderstood by the people of his time. Father Abu Hatoum noted that many people believe the time of the cross is over and that the crown should replace the cross as the symbol of the Messiah.
The priest shared his belief that the Messiah would appear again. He wished for love among all peoples, especially those in the Middle East, and concluded by saying, “Where love exists, God exists.”
Rabbinith Esther Bar-Dea said that to understand the role of the Messiah, we need to go back to Adam and Eve’s exile from the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve committed the sin, good and evil became relative and not absolute, she explained. The Messiah will put an end to the evil in the world and bring a return to morality, she said.
Dr. Noach Hayut, the CEO of the hosting institute, emphasized the biblical point of view. In Hebrew the term “messiah” means “the anointed one,” the one anointed with oil to be the king. Dr. Hayut said that in Judaism the expectation and yearning for the Messiah are very strong.
The famous verses in the Book of Isaiah ("The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid") speak of an ideal leader. On the other hand, Maimonides (also called the Rambam), one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages, said that the days of the Messiah are realistic and are not days of utopia. The Messiah, he said, will bring peace to Israel and other nations.
Judaism renounced the idea of the Messiah as the slave of God (Isaiah 53) because of Christianity’s strong emphasis on that idea and because Judaism wanted to differentiate itself from Christianity.
Dr. Hirschfeld noted that although people hold varied expectations of the Messiah, the most important question to ask is: What is the deep internal suffering for which the Messiah is expected to bring salvation?
Father Abu Hatoum responded that the Messiah is spiritual and not a specific person. Sheik Ali Birani, the president of the forum, said that there is a spiritual power in the world – the power of God, who created all human beings, all colors and races. UPF shares the new teaching of Father Moon that all people of the world are one family under God.
Sheik Dr. Omar Kayal explained about the Messiah in the Quran. In his opinion, he said, the most important thing is striving and working together to bring the Messiah for all people. The Quran talks about two Messiahs: a false one and a true one. The true Messiah that would come is Jesus (Issa in Arabic). The false one would deceive the people but would have a lot of power and would be very persuasive; therefore a lot of people would follow him. He will come soon before the true Messiah – thus once the false Messiah comes, this is the sign that the true one is soon to come.
Mr. Rafi Hirschfeld said that he sees peace and the Messiah as the same thing. “For me, the reality today of wars and bloodshed is the disaster of the judgment day, and peace is the Messiah that would put an end to this suffering.”
Mrs. Sana Elbaz emphasized each person’s responsibility: "There is no doubt in the ability of God to do everything, but it is our responsibility as human beings to create the right environment to be able to accept the Messiah when he comes. We should ask ourselves: What do I need to do in order to bring the Messiah?"
Mrs. Miri Kamar, the secretary general of UPF Israel, focused on the essence of misery, from which the Messiah will bring salvation. “I believe that a person who does not experience peace within himself cannot bring peace to society and to the world,” she said. “Peace within ourselves would be realized when we feel the heart of God. Our relationships with God were damaged because of the sin in the Garden of Eden. We human beings have become sealed to the suffering of others. Had it not been like this, wars wouldn't have happened. People wouldn't do something that would cause pain to others.
“The purpose of creation was to create true love through true parents: Adam and Eve, who were to raise children in true love and create a society of true love. Since Adam and Eve failed in their role of true parents of humanity, the role of the Messiah is to restore their failure and create families and nations of true love.
“Human beings are indeed one family, as was said here earlier; we all have a physical body, we all have the same feelings, we all are happy when we experience love in our family and we are miserable when we fail in it. This is the role of the Messiah – and this is the point through which he will bring peace and unity to the world. Therefore the Messiah is a couple: a man and a woman – that would set the standard of true parenthood and true love and thus would spiritually give life to the people and teach them how to give true love centered on God's true love.”
Participants:
Mrs. Miri Kamar, Sheik Ali Birani, Dr. Nurit Hirschfeld, Sheik Halil Elbaz, Mrs. Sana Elbaz, Rabbinith Esther Bar-Dea, Sheik Dr. Omar Kayal, Mr. Rafi Hirschfeld, Mrs. Sara Hirschfeld, Dr. Noach Hayut, Mrs. Adi Sasaki, Rev. Masoud Abu Hatoum
If you find this page helpful and informative please consider making donation. Your donation will help Universal Peace Federation (UPF) provide new and improved reports, analysis and publications to you and everyone around the world.
UPF is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and all donations are tax deductible in the United States. Receipts are automatically provided for donations of or above $250.00.
|
Donate to the Universal Peace Federation: Your donation to support the general programs of UPF. |
Donate to the Religious Youth Service (RYS): Your donation will be used for service projects around the world. |
Donate to UPF's Africa Projects: Your donation will be used for projects in Africa. |
Related Articles
United Kingdom
UPF-UK Visits Hindu Youth Summer Camp
Birmingham, United Kingdom—UPF spoke to around 120 Hindu youths about interfaith and peace activities.
Lebanon
UPF-Lebanon Hosts Interfaith Meeting
Beirut, Lebanon—UPF, under the auspices of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development, held a meeting of 15 clergy leaders.
Angola
UPF-Portugal Broadcasts to Angola’s Radio Tocoíst
Lisbon, Portugal—The president of UPF-Portugal, Dr. Sérgio Vieira, spoke to listeners of Radio Tocoíst in Angola.