Announcing the Redemption

An excerpt from a lecture delivered by the Rebbe, weekend of Torah portion Devorim, 5740 (July 19, 1980), edited for print in the summer of 5754 (1984), and published in Likutei Sichos vol. 29., pp. 15-17.

Chapter 9

Based on the above mentioned we can explain a perplexing matter in regard to the subject of "kitzin" — "designated times" for Moshiach's arrival.

The Talmud states: "Decay should come to the bones of those who calculate kitzin." And Maimonides brings this in his composition (which is "a series of laws" — Introduction) near the end: "And so too one should not calculate the kitzin; the sages have said that despair should come upon those who calculate the kitzim."

In actuality we find however a multitude of kitzim — in addition to our sages of blessed memory in Talmud, also from Jewish leaders that were after the time of the Talmud in all generations, and in addition to all this — Maimonides himself writes a ketz in his Epistle to Yemen; and in this manner in the generations afterwards, and it is known the ketz of the first Lubavitcher Rebbe in his well known discourse titled "And the Thousand and Seven Hundred."

Simply one learns that with "decay should come to the bones of those who calculate kitzin" the intent is (as the Talmud continues) "that they were saying that since it has reached the time of the ketz and Moshiach did not arrive he surely will never arrive." And as Maimonides explains (in his Epistle to Yemen) that this brings an obstacle and hindrance to the nation, because "perhaps they will be mistaken when they see that the kitzim have arrived and Moshiach did not," this will cause an absence of belief in the coming of Moshiach, "therefore the sages prayed of them that despair should become of their minds and their calculations destroyed."

On the other hand, this that Jewish leaders have revealed kitzim, this was, on the contrary, for the sake of the highest goal (as Maimonides advocates on Saadia Gaon in regard to the kitzim that he made known) being that there were times when Jews were in a degenerative state, "men of many destructive views," the Jewish leaders gathered together and led a "great mass of the nation through the calculation of kitzim" and thereby strengthened them in their belief and aroused in them the hope of the redemption through informing them that the redemption is quite imminent, even though that despite this "the Torah forbids it,"

Based on the above mentioned we can possibly suggest — since the very righteous see throughout the entire period of exile how the service each day and each instant of exile contains in itself and brings about the redemption, and after each day etc. in exile they see the addition in the revelations and elevations of the redemption (a massive acquired fortune), until the increments gather up together and a state of completion evolves in the addition — they revealed the time of the completion — the year of the ketz, that we are at the point of reaching and attaining the completion of the addition, from this great revelation will — and in turn the service of the Jews in the time between the announcement of the ketz and the day of the ketz must — be in accordance with the completion of this revelation; that this should be realized through their service in actuality,

The revelation of the ketz, the calculation of the ketz by Maimonides etc., the first Lubavitcher Rebbe is a stimulation for achieving a further addition in the service of the Torah and the precepts that they should be in a measure in accordance with this revelation, and acts as a grant of power for this to occur.

And in turn, in addition to this that it is obvious that this is not included in the prohibition of "calculating kitzim" — which, as mentioned above, Maimonides mentions as law —

Great righteous men, who see the great elevation and the great acquired fortune which the Jews have already attained at such a time,

Which this brings them to exceed greatly in the praise of Jews and in the precept of brotherly love among Jews and in the merit of Jews, all Jews —

On the contrary, they should reveal this, as a stimulation for the addition in the service of God and a grant of power for this, so that Jews should increase even more in their service in accordance with this, as mentioned above.