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Birth of the Messiah
Rabbi Shusterman writes in the “Chabad Weekly”:
“MOSHIACH IS BORN ON TISHA B’AV Tisha B’Av is known by our Sages as the birthday of Moshiach. In simple terms this means that at the moment of the destruction of the Holy Temple, the potential for the Final Redemption, through Moshiach, was born. The Rebbe clarified the exact meaning of this: “Our Sages explain that this cannot refer to Moshiach’s actual birth, because Moshiach will not be an infant when he redeems our people. But rather, it refers to a strengthening of his influence. For our Sages refer to a birthday as a day when mazalo govair, ‘the spiritual source of one’s soul shines powerfully.’ On the day when Moshiach’s spiritual source is powerfully revealed, there is a unique potential for the Redemption to come . . . . Each year, for the past two thousand years, on Tisha B’Av, Moshiach receives new power and new strength, and from year to year, this influence grows more powerfully. “Thus, Tisha B’Av is a unique time, when the potential for the Redemption is at its peak. Through this insight into Tisha B’Av we are introduced to a basic concept in chasidic philosophy, which teaches that the greatest ascent comes after the greatest descent. Let us use the time properly and bring about the greatest ascent, the revelation of Moshiach and the Final Redemption, NOW.(From: Living with Moshiach ]”
The Jewish tradition speaks about the birth of the Messiah before the destruction of the Second Temple and they celebrate his birth on Tisha B’Av the fast in commemeration of the destruction of both Temples. However Tisha b’Av is also called a ‘mo’ed’ a feast or festival because it is also a day to commemerate the Messiah’s birth. Thus the Jewish tradition teaches that the Messiah is already born and has been taken up to a hidden place to await his return in a glorious manifestation towards the end of the Messianic Era. When Judaism speaks of and expects the coming of Messiah it is this return they are expecting. When the Jewish traditions speak of a future ‘birth’ of the Messiah in the world they are speaking metaphorically of the spiritual revelation of his presence (sometimes called the Gillui Shekinah) which will usher in after a spiritual struggle (called Jacob’s trouble) an Era of Messianic Rest in History. In these traditions the Mother of the Messiah is called Shekinat (the female presence) and Hepzibah [the one in whom he delights] and as the suffering soul of the Universe she is called Miriam. In regards to the coming of Mashiach the Jewish cry is ‘hinei zeh ba’ which can be translated as ‘Behold he has come’ or ‘behold he is coming’. He has come as Mashiach ben Joseph at Bethlehem and he is coming in glory as Mashiach ben David. HINEI ZEH BA!!!!!