By the grace of G-d

A Call to the Nations of the World,
Religious Leaders and the Head of the Catholic Church
by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh
www.inner.org

We all believe that Divine Providence directs every detail of each and every one of our lives. (Here is not the place to discuss how this does not contradict the principle of free choice inherent to the human soul.) Even when a person chooses to follow a certain course of action for his own reasons, it is G-d that is directing his steps from on high for His own purposes. In most cases, this direction remains entirely hidden from man. In the words of King David, the Sweet Singer of Israel, "Man's steps are established by G-d, and He desires his path" (Psalms 37:23).

True for every detail of every private person's life, this becomes immensely more significant for those whose lives have proven to be of crucial influence on the overall history of mankind. Here, too, there is both the individual's revealed, conscious intention and the hidden dimension, which is revealed only to G-d, as He wondrously directs the fate of the world that He created for His glory.

Maimonides (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, chapter 11) writes that Jesus of Nazareth imagined that he was the messiah. He tried to actualize this, but failed. Instead of redeeming Israel and the entire world, he caused Israel to be slain by the sword, their remnant to be scattered and humiliated, the Torah to be altered, and the majority of the world to be deceived and serve a god other than G-d.

Maimonides continues:

Nevertheless, the intent of the Creator of the world is not within the power of man to comprehend, for [to paraphrase Isaiah 55:8] His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. [Ultimately,] all the deeds of Jesus of Nazareth and that Ishmaelite who arose after him [i.e. Mohammed] will only serve to pave the way for the coming of the Messiah and for the improvement of the entire world, [motivating the nations] to serve G-d together, as it is written [Zephaniah 3:9], "For I shall then make the peoples pure of speech so that they will all call upon the Name of G-d and serve Him with one purpose."

How will this come about? [As a result of these religions,] the entire world has already become filled with talk of the Messiah, as well as of the Torah and the commandments. These matters have been spread among many [formerly] spiritually insensitive nations, who discuss these matters as well as the various commandments of the Torah. Some of them [i.e. the Christians] say: These commandments were true, but are not in force in the present age; they are not applicable for all time. Others [i.e. the Moslems] say: Implied in the commandments are hidden concepts that cannot be understood simply; the messiah has already come and revealed them.

[The stage is thus set so that] when the true Messianic king will arise and prove successful, his [position becoming] exalted and uplifted, they will all return and realize that their ancestors endowed them with a false heritage; their prophets and ancestors caused them to err.

Let us look at the situation of the world today: Nearly two thousand years have passed since the establishment of the Christian religion. During these generations, the suffering and pain of millions of people have not abated despite the great strides made by civilization, especially in the fields of science and technology. Every passing day, the heartfelt cry for G-d's salvation intensifies, the cry for the true and ultimate Redemption to be ushered in by the Messiah. In the words of the prophet Daniel (who according to the Sages of Israel was a clear messianic figure): "How long until the end of these awesome things!" (Daniel 12:6).

The time is ripe, and the sages of the Jewish People have confirmed that our generation will witness the final redemption. In order to hasten the coming of the true Messiah, we must endeavor to live in accordance with the new order he will establish. The time has come for the nations of the world to live with the Messiah as well, and, as Maimonides stated, realize that their forefathers bequeathed them a false heritage. This truth can be sensed and accepted only when preceded by the recognition that "My thoughts are not your thoughts," as quoted above.

The past two thousand years have demonstrated both the special Divine Providence that has protected the Jewish People and the failure of other religions to live up to the role of bearer of G-d's message that they appropriated for themselves. Enlightened people the world over have acknowledged both these points.

It is now time that G-d's hidden intention, which has guided all of history to this day, be revealed to all. Only in this way can each and every individual sincerely acknowledge the truth and prepare himself and his surroundings to greet the true Messiah, who will imminently arrive and redeem us all.

We fervently call upon all lay people, religious leaders, and the Pope to acknowledge the truth!

All of us yearn for salvation: we are all aware of the terrible suffering throughout the world, and we all believe that the great goodness and joy humanity is destined to inherit will come with the arrival of the true Messiah. And since the essence of the Messiah's message is joy, our return to the true faith, the Torah of Moses (in which 613 commandments were given to the Jewish People and 7 commandments to the gentiles) can only be accomplished in joy. Such a return will awaken the messianic spirit within all humanity, and will culminate in the advent of the Messiah himself.

For the sake of G-d and for the sake of the goodness promised mankind, the time has come for all nations of the world and their religious leaders to make a radical transformation, to face reality candidly, abandon their former beliefs and acknowledge the absolute truth! Imagine how gratified our One Father in heaven, our blessed Creator, would be to see such an unparalleled display of courage and dedication.

The greater one's influence on his surroundings, the greater is one's responsibility. It is the sacred duty of every religious leader to enlighten and awaken the hearts of his followers to abandon the erroneous beliefs they have inherited from their fathers, to undertake to follow the path of the righteous gentiles as taught by the Torah of Moses, and in joy and goodness of heart to prepare for the imminent coming of the true Messiah.