Essays

Reb Yoel
on Moshiach

Translated and adapted from Chassidic essays on Moshiach by Rabbi Yoel Kahn — a renowned Chabad-Lubavitch scholar and the chief chozer (oral scribe) for the Lubavitcher Rebbe for over 40 years.

Rabbi Yoel Kahn Rabbi Yoel Kahn
01

The Rationalist Approach to Messianism

A thorough examination of Maimonides' vision of the Messianic era — a world that continues according to natural law, where the Messiah is a mortal king who restores Torah sovereignty, rebuilds the Temple, and gathers the exiles. Maimonides insists: no miracles are required, no radical change in nature. The purpose of it all is simply to free mankind to pursue the knowledge of G-d.

Read the full essay
02

Nachmanides' Radical New World

Nachmanides challenges Maimonides head-on, arguing that the World-to-Come is not a disembodied spiritual realm but the Messianic era itself — a radical transformation of physical reality. The body will transcend its biological limits, sustained by divine light rather than food, and the resurrected will live forever. A bold vision of the body's ultimate supremacy over the soul.

Read the full essay