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| A portrait of the Judge Yitzchak Abarbanel, zt"l |
The following is a list of characteristics and actions of Moshiach as described in Yeshaya 11:2-5:
- the spirit of Hashem will rest upon him
- a spirit of wisdom and understanding
- a spirit of counsel and might
- a spirit of knowledge and fear of Hashem
- he will smell with fear of Hashem
- he will not judge by what his eyes see
- he will not decide by what his ears hear
- he will judge the destitute with righteousness
- he will admonish the humble of the earth gently
- he will strike [the guilty of] the land with the rod of his mouth, and put the wicked one to death by the breath of his mouth
- righteousness will gird his hips, and trustworthiness his loins
The Arbanel lists ten conditions Moshiach must meet in order to be recognized as the real redeemer, in Mashmia Yeshua:
- He must be of the seed of the house of David, and of no other. He will take his place on the throne of David, and proclaim in his name, "A scepter will emerge from the trunk of Yishai."
- He must have the highest prophetic ability. "The spirit of Hashem will rest upon him."
- He will have awesome wisdom. "A spirit of wisdom and understanding."
- He will be in full control of his urges and free of material desires. None of the pleasure of any of the five senses will hold attraction for him, as it says, "A spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and fear of Hashem."
- He will pursue charity and justice. This pursuit will not be limited toward his own people. His influence will be manifest among all nations. He will understand things as they truly are through his Divine gift of prophecy. As a result, "He will judge the destitute with righteousness."
- Moshiach will bring about miracles through the merit of his close connection to G-d and through the power of his prophecy.
- Peace will reign throughout the world in his time, as it says, "Righteousness will gird his hips and trustworthiness his loins." Violence and oppression will disappear from the world, and wars will end. Men will no longer harm one another.
- All peoples will want to be ruled by Moshiach and will willingly subordinate themselves to him. All of them will look to him and learn from his conduct, emulate his ways, and accord him great honor. "The wolf will dwell with the sheep." (The wolf and sheep here symbolize nations.)
- Moshiach will gather all the dispersed of Israel. They will all live in peace and tranquility, with no dissension among them.
- Hashem will perform a miracle of comparable magnitude to the Splitting of the Red Sea in its day, as it is written, "Hashem will dry up a gulf of the Sea of Egypt, and wave His hand over the river ... (Yeshaya 11:15) The rivers that the Jewish people will pass by on their way to their homeland will dry up, as occurred at the Krias Yam Suf. "It will become a highway to the remnant of His people that will remain from Assyria, just as it happened for Israel on the day they went up from Egypt (Yeshaya 11:16).
Source: Ishmaelite Exile
