Will Moshiach Come In Nissan?

There's a very great and important question. The Gamara tells us in Masachet Rosh Hashanah on Dof Yud Alef, according to Rebbi Yehoshua, "B'Nisan Nigalu U'V'Nisan Asidin L'Higael." According to Rebbi Eliezer, "B'Nisan Nigalu U'V'Tishrei Asidin L'Higael." Either way, the Geulah is predestined for a ver- a very specific time, either the month of Nisan or the month of Tishrei. So, my dear friend, Reb Reuven Levenson asked me yesterday at a Bris, "But don't we say 'Achakeh Lo B'Chol Yom Sheyavo'? Aren't we supposed to anticipate the coming of Mashiach at any time? So, how do we reconcile the tenet of faith that we're always awaiting Mashiach with what the Gamara says that the coming of the Geulah is reserved for a particular month?" The Shagas Aryeh, who was Mar De Kula Tamuda, the master of the entire Shas, as we're going to see. We have a tradition the Shagas Aryeh reviewed Shas 1,000 times. The Shagas Aryeh in Masachet Taanis in his commentary Gevuras Aryeh asks, the Gamara there says on Dof Yud Zayin, "Tana Rabbanan, that according to Rebbi, technically speaking, the Kohanim today should never be allowed to drink wine because "M'heira Yibaneh Beis Hamikdash," the Beis Hamikdash might be built any day and they'll have to do the Avodah in the Beis Hamikdash. And if they're "Shisuya Yayin," if they have uh they drank alcohol, they won't be able to do the Avodah. But says Rebbi, "Since that could be any time of the year, so what what could we do? We can't forbid Kohanim to drink wine the whole year. So, we have no choice, we allow Kohanim to drink wine. But fundamentally, since there's a possibility of the Geulah coming on any day, really Kohanim should be forbidden to drink wine." As the Shagas Aryeh, "Why should Kohanim be forbidden to drink wine? Either "B'Nisan Nigalu U'V'Nisan Asidin L'Higael" according to Rebbi Yehoshua or "B'Tishrei Asidin L'Higael." So, Kohanim should only be forbidden to drink wine either in the month of Tishrei or the month of Nisan, but not the whole year. This is the Kasha of the Shagas Aryeh in the Sefer Gevuras Aryeh on Masachet Taanis Dof Yud Zayin. Says the Shagas Aryeh, based on the Yerushalmi in Maaser Sheni, there's a Girsa in the Yerushalmi in Maaser Sheni that says, "Beis Hamikdash Asid L'Hibanos Kodem L'Malchus Beis David." First the Beis Hamikdash will be built and then the Malchus Beis David will be restored. According to the Yerushalmi, says the Shagas Aryeh, the truth is the Beis Hamikdash could be built any day. It could be built at any time. Any day of the year the Beis Hamikdash could be built. "I, the Gamara says, 'B'Nisan Nigalu U'V'Nisan Asidin L'Higael.'" That's the Bias Goel. The Bias Goel is David. The Malchus Beis David won't come either until Nisan or until Tishrei because, according to Yerushalmi, first comes the Binyan Habayis and then comes Malchus Beis David. The whole year is fit for Binyan, but only Nisan or Tishrei are fit for the Bias Goel, which is Malchus Beis David. The Shagas Aryeh continues. He says that he was Mechadesh in Masachet Rosh Hashanah in his commentary the Turei Even that actually we know there are two types of Geulahs, two types of redemptions. There's Zochu, if we're Zocheh Achishena, it could come hastily. Lo Zochu, if we're not Zocheh, B'Ito will come at a predestined time. Says the Shagas Aryeh, the Machlokes Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Yehoshua whether "B'Nisan Nigalu or B'Tishrei Asidin L'Higael," that's the Keitz of B'Ito. That's the predetermined time for Geulah. That will be either in Nisan or in Tishrei. But the Geulah of Achishena, Hashem uh expediting the Geulah, that could be "B'Chol Yom Sheyavo, Achakeh Lo B'Chol Yom Sheyavo." That could be at any time. Therefore, even if you don't say like the Yerushalmi, even if you say the first thing that will happen is Malchus Beis David will come and build the Beis Hamikdash, nevertheless, it's still assur to drink wine the whole year because maybe Achishena. And if it's Achishena, it could come during Tammuz, it could come during Cheshvan. These are the two answers of the Shagas Aryeh. In Gevuras Aryeh, he says, according to the Yerushalmi, the Binyan Habayis will be before the restoration of Malchus Beis David and the Binyan Habayis could be at any time, the Malchus Beis David either Nisan or Tishrei. In Turei Even, Shagas Aryeh says the predetermined times Nisan and Tishrei, Achishena could be at any time. In this beautiful Haggadah, Haggadah Kli Chemdah, of a collection of the amazing Chiddushim of the Talmid of the Avnei Nezer, Reb Meir Don Plotsky, here he brings an amazing idea. He actually says that he has copied over the words of the Shagas Aryeh because "Ani L'Hislamed," I mean I would like to learn them and I would like to converse in them. He says, "Ani Tamah Al Mar De Kula Tamuda." I'm astonished that the master of all of Shas, that he's so sure that first comes Binyan Habayis and then the Malchus Beis David. Now, I have to say, when I saw the Shagas Aryeh, I was immediately bothered because the Rambam seems to say explicitly not like this. In Hilchos Melachim Perek Yud Alef Halacha Alef, the Rambam says, "HaMelech Hamashiach Asid L'Amoid U'L'Hachzir Malchus Beis David L'Yashna U'Voneh Hamikdash." That the Melech Hamashiach will restore the Malchus Beis David, who then build the Beis Hamikdash. In fact, the Rambam says, "Im Yaamid Melech MiBeis David, Hoygeh B'Torah, Osek B'Mitzvos, K'David Oved, V'Yachol Kol Yisrael Lalechet Ba U'L'Chazek B'Ka, Hareini Zeh B'Chezkas Shehu Mashiach." And then, if he did this and he built the Beis Hamikdash, he's Vadai Mashiach. So, the Rambam says explicitly, first David comes. First is the restoration of the Malchus Beis David and then the Binyan Habayis. This does not seem to be in accordance with this Yerushalmi that is cited by the Shagas Aryeh. The the Kli Chemdah brings various interpretations of the words of the Yerushalmi and he brings from the Pnei Moshe that the what it means that Binyan Beis Hamikdash will be before the Malchus Beis David, that just just means the Malchus Beis David will not be firmly established until the Mikdash is built, similar to what the Rambam that we cited says, that we don't have any verification or authentication that the this Melech is Mashiach until he builds the Bayis. But for sure, the Binyan Habayis won't be before Bias Mashiach. First will come Bias Mashiach and then will come the Binyan Habayis. So, that answer of the Shagas Aryeh uh is not accepted by the Kli Chemdah and is not uh doesn't seem to be in accordance with the way the Pnei Moshe learns the Yerushalmi regarding the question of why would Rebbi say it's assur to drink wine the whole year if "Dafka B'Nisan Nigalu U'V'Nisan Asidin L'Higael"? We could utilize the Chiddush of the Chofetz Chaim in the Sefer Maayan Beis Hasho'eivah. Reb Shimon Schwab says that when he visited the Chofetz Chaim, he asked the Chofetz Chaim this very question, that if we're if we anticipate the coming of Mashiach daily, if it's "Achakeh Lo B'Chol Yom Sheyavo," then what does it mean "B'Nisan Nigalu U'V'Nisan Asidin L'Higael"? To which the Chofetz Chaim explained, "When the month of Nisan comes, it should be considered in your mind like it's 50/50, where it's realistically a 50% chance that it's really going to happen. The rest of the year, of course, we anticipate it, we await it, we're extremely hopeful, but of course, we can't say with any degree of certainty that it's definitely going to come. But the month of Nisan, we have a much higher degree of certainty of the reality of the coming of Mashiach." The Chofetz Chaim told Reb Schwab, "In the month of Nisan, it's like 50/50." Well, this would answer the Shagas Aryeh's question, namely, of course, fundamentally the Kohen should not be able to drink wine the whole year, but in the month of Nisan and Tishrei, it's much more likely. However, we'll end off with the question, if that's the case, then why would Rebbi say that because it's possible for Mashiach to come any day, for that very reason we can't prohibit Kohanim to drink wine, shouldn't we say they're at least assur to drink wine in Nisan and Tishrei because maybe Mashiach will come? Isn't it more likely during those months? But it seems like since there's always a realistic possibility, so we can't uh prohibit the whole year and therefore we let it be and we let Kohanim drink wine. So, we're very hopeful, especially according to this tradition we have from the Chofetz Chaim, that in the month of Nisan, it's 50/50. We hope B'Ezras Hashem that it's this Nisan that just like we were redeemed in Nisan, by the sham, in this Nissan, the Shana has always and as we shine and say the says and the the test of the Nissan with the test of the Nissan I see them legal. Wishing everyone a kosher and Yantif.