אֶת צֶמַח דָּוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה תַצְמִיחַ. וְקַרְנו תָּרוּם בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ. כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּום . בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’. מַצְמִיחַ קֶרֶן יְשׁוּעָה – The seed of David, Your servant, speedily cause to grow and exalt his power with Your salvation, For Your deliverance we hope all day. and watch for Your salvation. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who causes to sprout the power of salvation.

Placement

The order in which the Amida was drafted is significant.

This is the fifteenth blessing, and it’s about the restoration of the crown to the family of King David, which our sages liken to the moon; the symbol of the kingdom of Israel is the lunar cycle.

The blessing on the new moon is the first mitzvah the Jewish people ever received, while still in Egypt, midrash says hachodesh hazah yihye lachem – rosh chodesh.

Newness etc

Our sages identify three ancestors with the crown of royalty: Avraham, Moshe, and David. And yet, nowhere in his story is he ever a king over anything. Outside the Jewish world of the Torah, a king is a title given to the person who holds the highest rank in the feudal order, wields powers of government, and exercises sovereignty over lands and people.

Although Avraham was never a king in a conventional sense, Avraham was the first to be called king – CITE. In our world, a leader who stands for anything other than God has perverted the office of the monarchy.

Moshe is also called a king, and his story is more aligned with the conventional definition of the king despite never claiming or wearing a crown. After one the times the Jewish People complained against him, he lamented to God that he’d never so much as taken a donkey from them – CITE. The Chasam Sofer explains that it is the monarch’s prerogative to levy taxes, and especially a percentage of plundered war spoils; the Jewish People left Egypt fabulously wealthy between what they were able to carry from Egypt and what they were able to salvage from the Red Sea, and Moshe had never taken a thing from them. In fact, in alignment with the Torah’s definition of a king who stands for God, Moshe has occupied himself with repatriating Yosef’s bones to uphold an ancient promise.

One thing Avraham, Moshe, and David have in common is they are high in the trait of humility. Avraham compares himself to dust and ash – CITE. Moshe says he is nothing – nachnu ma CITE. Our sages say David was not out for himself – les ley migamei lo klum CITE, symbolized by the letters of his name not being enclosed.

King David’s entire life is improbable. He was a shepherd boy who was persecuted and chased until he became king; once he became king, he was subject to multiple wars and attempted revolutions, and his health deteriorated significantly as he aged. Nonetheless, he perseveres and authors Tehillim, the book of Psalms. He is called the sweet singer of Israel. He made Israel sing so sweetly and accomplished this by living for others. He suffered so much, yet through his belief and prayer strength, he still just wanted people to praise Hashem.

Taking the comparison of the crown to the moon further, there were thirty generations from Avraham to Chizkiyahu, the last king of the House of David. Chizkiyahu was deposed and exiled by Nebuchadnezzar, who put out his eyes, extinguishing the moon’s light. King David himself was the fifteenth generation from Avraham, when the moon is at the height of its power. The numerical representation of the number fifteen is God’s name – YA CITE.

A reference to David is a reference to the idealized perfection of the crown and the kingdom of Israel. At the blessing for the new moon, the blessing of renewal and vitality, the blessing says that David, king of Israel, is alive and well – david melech yisrael chai vkayam CITE.

אֶת צֶמַח דָּוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה תַצְמִיחַ – May the seed of Your servant David speedily flourish

One of the things that stands out in this blessing is that it prominently utilizes agricultural imagery – let it grow; this is deliberate. Our prophets and sages identify one of the names of Mashiach as Tzemach – growing; growth is one of Mashiach’s essential traits and qualities; his overarching mission is to cultivate growth in the world, much like a plant.

If someone said Mashiach arrived today, could we get up and leave without making any arrangements or plans? What about work? School? Who’s going to finish that project?

The notion of a sudden switch to a new way of being is jarring because instant transitions are difficult and don’t work well; psychologists have shown that suddenly switching tasks dramatically reduces attention and engagement from context switching. Dawn is gradual; instant daylight would be blinding.

Plants grow slowly, their development is ongoing and gradual below the surface, slow and steady, before they burst through the surface and shoots emerge. Like a plant grows, watered by our tears, the tears of our ancestors and of all who have come before us, the tears of all who have mourned and hoped and yearned for redemptions, the redemption process isn’t sudden; it’s gradual.

Like the moon waxes and wanes in its phases, lighting the darkness of our world; it’s not as bright as the sun, but the sun is too bright for us to observe directly. Yet when the moon reflects that light, it is tolerable, and that’s what the age of Mashiach is like: the greatest amount of light we can tolerate.

Fast or slow – מְהֵרָה תַצְמִיחַ

This prayer appears to have a contradiction or paradox at its surface; shall it grow slow and steady or quick and rapid?

As the famous quote goes, some things go gradually, then suddenly.

Sometimes, you can be stuck on a problem, simmering and stewing, and you stay stuck for a while, and then it suddenly clicks, and you know what to do – gradually, then suddenly.

It can take time to get to the point where we can put our ego aside and let go of attachments. But once you get there, it doesn’t take long – gradually, then suddenly.

Imagine hacking through a jungle for days on foot to get to a clearing, and then a plane takes you home – gradually, then suddenly.

We pray for organic growth; it is not fair to demand more of yourself than you are able, and we ask God to do the same. But once you reach that point, step up – gradually, then suddenly.

Rocketry technology is moving fast, but if you watch the famous space rocket launches, the overwhelming majority of the launch vehicle consists of main engine and boosters. They augment the space vehicle’s takeoff thrust and only last for the first few minutes of launch; at this point, they drop and fall back to Earth once the fuel is expended. Following booster separation, the rest of the launch vehicle continues flight; it is tiny compared to the fully assembled launch vehicle.

But that shouldn’t be surprising; inertia is a powerful force, so the greatest effort is spent getting started – kol hatchalos kashos CITE. It is much further from the upper atmosphere to the moon, yet the force of breaking free from gravity with momentum is enough to make it the rest of the way. The first stages of breaking free are the most difficult.

There are moments when we see ourselves as far from where we could be, falling short of our goals or potential, which remain out of reach. But after those first few steps, the rest of the way comes easier and requires far less – gradually, then suddenly.

He needs help

In the way that Moshe wasn’t a redeemer until he marched into Pharoah’s palace and defied him to let his people go, Mashiach himself is not born as Mashiach; he is also someone who emerged. In a sense, this prayer is for his personal growth so he can become the person we need. This is thematically similar to the blessing we say for the righteous – al hatzaddikim CITE

avdecha

The criteria for a fully-fledged Mashiach are staggering; Jewish belief is that no less than the entire planet would recognize his greatness and declare their allegiance. He would be the most powerful person in the world and the most powerful man ever lived. And yet, his crown is the kingdom of the House of David, ani avdecha ben amesacha – CITE.

With all his greatness, he is still a servant; it’s not about him; he comes to serve.

A seed is tiny yet contains the blueprint of an entire tree and species in its most elemental form. King David made himself small, wholly dedicated to serving God; Mashiach, as the scion of David, is the same.

The Rambam suggests that Mashiach is someone we only recognize with hindsight after the fact; the prophet talks about how humble ones the time has come, if you dont believe, look at the light – CITE. The notion that Mashiach himself entertains the idea that some might not believe is revealing and suggests that it’s not as obvious as we might think.

The legendary Rabbi Akiva believed that Bar Kochba was Mashiach; he wasn’t, or at least could have been, but didn’t complete the task. The eligibility criteria are staggering; Mashiach must be powerful, peaceful, a world-class diplomat, and scrupulously observant, in addition to doing his work in a conventional and non-miraculous manner. The only way to know his legitimacy is once he’s accomplished all the work and created a new world order.

It can be frustrating when we speak of Mashiach, going as we do from one difficulty to the next. It seems that a lot of history has happened in the last century; one famous quote suggests that there are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen. Our sages suggest that human civilization will last six thousand years, a thousand years parallel to each of the Six Days of Creation; the utopian age of Mashiach corresponds to the seventh day, the Shabbos of history.

If the age of Mashiach is Shabbos, the time preceding it is Friday afternoon. In the same way, Friday afternoon is hectic and frantic; the pace and speed of the sixth millennium are unparalleled. The technological difference between Ancient Rome and the Middle Ages is relatively insignificant; there might be better agricultural techniques and metallurgy, but those cultures would substantially recognize each other despite being more than a thousand years apart.

Yet, compared to just two centuries ago, perhaps even two generations ago, human civilization has progressed exponentially in every field: education, healthcare, technology, and transportation. The technological explosion is already something our ancestors would believe to be magic. Could we explain to them a space rocket or that you can hold the world’s knowledge in your hand? Could we explain to them advanced medicine? The most incredible leaps of human technological progress have happened in living memory, and the pace is increasing. It’s Friday afternoon, almost Shabbos; the world is quickly getting ready.

When the prophet talks about the return of exiles on the wings of an eagle, we can understand that taking a plane to Israel is a plausible fulfillment of that vision. When our sages talk of Mashiach educating the world, we understand that rather than taking a sailship to the ends of the Earth, the power and scale of mass media and instant communication mean a viral video can do the job.

We are learning the secrets of the universe, and history is coming to an end. The world order of the past is not the one we have today, and even that is changing. Gradually, then suddenly. There is a vast network of roots, and one day, the shoots will burst through.

Our sages note that Mashiach can in its time i will hasten it b’ita achishena – CITE. But that’s also a paradox; will he emerge when he’s supposed to or before? Our sages teach that it’s both; redemption comes early for a worthy generation and, otherwise, right on schedule.

. וְקַרְנו תָּרוּם בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ

Mashiach arrives with a great shofar, so we ask to raise the great horn of redemption.

But beyond the plain translation of horn, there is an embedded meaning of power and glory. The way horned animals use their horns to fight, a horn symbolizes power, glory, and strength. Horns are the most prized part of an animal, which is why hunters historically mounted them as trophies.

The kingdom of Mashiach will be defined by truth and kindness, wisdom and peace. Our world today has many redeeming qualities but many shortcomings as well. In a world of greed and lies, celebrities, consumption, and pollution, we ask to raise the flag of Mashiach. We can try to be humble, modest, and grateful, but it’s a battle we cannot win; the influences of the dominant culture are irresistibly powerful.

There will be no greater miracle than our world turning to focus on truth and kindness, wisdom and peace – וְקַרְנו תָּרוּם בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ.

The word for horn also can mean ray; when Moshe descended from Sinai, the Jewish People saw his face shining – וְרָאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־פְּנֵי מֹשֶׁה כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פְּנֵי מֹשֶׁה.

Mashiach is a ray of light that brings the Jewish People back and teaches the world the proper way to be – וְקַרְנו תָּרוּם בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ.

בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ

The plain sense is that we depend on God for help and salvation; that’s always true.

But there is a more profound implication here: God must act to save Himself. Humans are created in the image of God and steward God’s world. To the extent that God wants something from our world, an out-of-step world is a disgrace to God’s honor; God must act for His own sake.

כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּום

Our sages teach that when we go to Heaven, they ask the person if they hoped and waited for salvation – tzipisa liyehoshua – CITE.

There are countless stories about the greats who lived with this daily. The Chafetz Chaim had a Mashiach go bag; all his essentials were good to go at a moment’s notice if Mashiach arrived. There’s another story about the Chafetz Chaim, who had made plans to go somewhere with his son-in-law, who didn’t show up at the time and place they had made up; someone told the Chafetz Chaim that he’s here in town, and the Chafetz Chaim jumped with excitement. Where? At your house! My house?! Running into the house, the Chafetz Chaim was disappointed only to find his son-in-law; when he heard “he’s here,” he thought Mashiach, not son-in-law.

A poor working Rebbi in America dreamed of moving to Israel, but life happens, and that isn’t something everyone gets to do. They wanted to have something for when they moved, so his wife had a special broom in their closet for when they moved to Israel; our sages teach that Israel has special dust you could kiss – you can’t use your ratty old American broom for that!

Even if we don’t deserve Mashiach out of merit, wishing and hoping for his arrival alone counts a long way towards it. We have faith that he will come, and we have hope in our faith – but faith is not knowledge that Hashem will send Mashiach, but more than that. Hoping for Mashiach to live every day to its optimum, that every day that passes us by, we are actively bringing Mashiach closer.

Action

When you want to get into a school, yeshiva, or job, you don’t sit back and hope. You apply! And you try to pull strings, make calls, leverage some influence. You don’t just hope, you act. Our spirituality operates in much the same way: what are you doing? How do your hopes and beliefs translate to action in the real world?

The Shaarei Teshuva notes how this isn’t simply a prayer for salvation through Mashiach but a much broader request for every kind of redemption we need, big and small – כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּום. As such, this is the perfect place to think about every challenge, difficulty, and problem; this is a paraphrase of the reference to all salvations – lishiuuascha kivisi hashem.

כָּל הַיּום

When did you last ask God for something outside of formal prayer? A natural, unstructured, organic prayer. For most people, it’s before a meeting, test, date, or doctor visit; in moments of crisis, we feel vulnerable and powerless against irresistible forces.

When was the last time you gave God an organic thank you? For most people, it’s when God fixed the crisis.

We cannot get through the day without the Creator unless we take everything in our lives for granted. Breathing, eating, digestion, everything to do with our health, loved ones, achievements; nekavim chalulim / shebchal eis erev vavoker CITE.

Taking this view, we shouldn’t ask for salvation when we need it; we should yearn for salvation every moment of every day – לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּום.

If that sounds demanding or needy, it’s because our premise is mistaken; God isn’t the God of hard times, but all times. God observes and supervises the long in-between moments where everything is slow, and nothing happens.

And that’s how redemption is – it grows slowly, not suddenly. Watching grass grow is painfully slow, and watching the moon shift phases is painfully slow. At any given moment, it doesn’t look like anything is happening.

When we beat ourselves up for not growing as fast as we want or could, this blessing reminds us that that’s what growing is like – slow. If you look up close, nothing is happening. But check in next week, next month, next year, in five years, ten years, and things can look very different.

It is worth taking the long view and intentionally planning what kind of partner, spouse, child, parent, or friend we want to be because although progress is slow, the process of growth is actively happening every moment.t

baruch ata hashem matzmiach keren yeshua

The blessing concludes by combining all three parts of blessing – growth, the horn, and salvation. Taking them together, this is a blessing for the things that are good about us to grow into our salvation.

Our sages suggest that angels first said this blessing when the Jewish People went through the Red Sea – matzmiach keren yeshua.

Our sages identify that moment, not one moment before; not at the burning bush, not at Moshe telling his people they would be saved, not at Moshe defying Pharoah, and not at the Ten Plagues. These could all conceivably be beginnings, yet are not the moment the angels sing about the beginning of salvation.

When we leave Egypt and impurity, that’s the end of something bad, which is great. But this blessing is not about removing the bad but elevating the good.

A horn is the thing an animal fights for its life and future with

A person with the ability for Torah who never follows through because of bullying
stopping the bully isn’t the beginning of his greatness.

(This contradicts the teaching of angels at the sea)

The moment the Jewish People see the last Egyptian die at the Red Sea, they are free, and that’s the moment they can start.

While immersed in negativity in the wrong environment, you haven’t broken through yet or begun to realize your potential. Mashiach is the paradigm that unleashes potential.

The word Mashiach is related to the word for Moshe, who is named for his adoptive mother drawing him from the water; Mashiach is just like Moshe – mash / Moshe CITE. Mashiach draws out human greatness and vitality – Mash Chai CITE.

We all have mitzvos and other things we try but don’t succeed at. On a personal level, we say to Hashem that we lay the groundwork, but we ask that Hashem nurture it and help us – because, as we said, we can’t help Hashem save us, and He doesn’t need us to. We can’t do everything on our own, on a personal level, or on a national level to bring Mashiach.

We can’t do it on our own. We need Hashem.

Three times a day, we ask for the things that are good about us to grow into our salvation. Live your life believing it can happen, and make the changes it would require if that were true.

Random

Mashiach lineage is downright bizarre. He is descended from Peretz, born of the story of Yehuda and Tamar; from Ruth and Boaz, whose union was highly controversial at the time; Ruth herself was descended from Moav, born of incest between Lot and his daughters; and from Shlomo, the child of David and Batsheva, one of the most complex episodes in our tradition.

Between these stories, Mashiach’s family tree has adultery, incest, and prostitution on it.

But what it also has is teshuva; the road to redemption is paved with teshuva.