9345 —בהירות על סדר הגאולה וביטחון הלכתי

Shalom u'Vrachah! ...Regarding the recent events in our holy community in these days and in the manner of mitzvah that you are precise about, may it be G‑d's will that people discern, as among our Jewish brethren, that "kala ilan" is not "tekhelet" (even though its color resembles tekhelet) and one should not be "someone who attaches it to his garment and says it is tekhelet" (for he immediately transgresses by doing so—as explained in Tosafot, Bava Metzia 61b). It is a clear halachic ruling in Rambam (Melachim, end of chapter 11) regarding how the period of exile ends and the era of redemption begins, and in order: "A king from the House of David will arise, immersed in Torah—both Written and Oral—and will compel all Israel to walk in it and strengthen its observance, and he will wage the wars of G‑d (and even then there is still no certainty except after all this); if he succeeds and builds the Temple in its place (for no one else will do this) and gathers the dispersed of Israel (for until then they will still be scattered), he is certainly Mashiach." And there is not a single halachic authority who disagrees with this. What is found among commentators on Tanach, etc., is like someone who wants to begin Shabbat sanctity from morning until morning—just because Rashbam (who was also a halachic authority) interprets so in his commentary on Torah. It is obvious that Rambam knew what our Sages said regarding Mashiach in Sanhedrin, Yerushalmi, etc., yet nevertheless rules clearly as above.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that true understanding requires distinguishing between superficial resemblance and authentic halachic truth. He stresses that the Rambam's order for redemption is undisputed among authorities, guiding us to clarity amid confusion.