A Future of Abundance: Visions of the Messianic Era

According to the Talmud in Tractate Berachot (page 34), the world during the Messianic Era will continue along natural laws. There will be no miraculous events or unprecedented occurrences; rather, the world will operate as it always has, and there is nothing new under the sun.

However, the Maharal explains there will be a remarkable departure from the current nature, condition, form, and character of creation. Everything within it—plants, animals, minerals, and humanity, especially the people of Israel—will be elevated.

All creation will be refined so that Israel can focus on Torah study. There will be no wars, only lasting peace.[1] There will be no hunger or scarcity, just an abundance of goodness, with delicacies as plentiful as dust.[2] As it is said of those days: "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat."[3]

It is also promised: "All barren trees in the Land of Israel will bear fruit,"[4] "The Land of Israel will produce baked bread and garments of fine wool,"[5] "Wheat will grow as tall as a palm tree and sprout on the mountaintops. Hashem will send a wind from His treasure house, causing the wheat to sift and produce fine flour.[6] People will go out to the fields, take a handful of wheat, and from it sustain themselves and their households,"[7] "Wheat will become as large as the kidneys of the great ox."[8]

Another Midrash describes the abundance of goodness: "In the Messianic days, Hashem will create rivers of wine, rivers of oil, rivers of honey, rivers of delicacies, rivers of sweets, rivers of pure balsam. All the mountains will drip with juice, and all the hills with honey and milk."[9]

Another Midrash describes the precious stones and pearls that will fill Jerusalem: "In this world, when a person owes his fellow, they go before a judge, who sometimes makes peace and sometimes does not. But in the Messianic Era, a debtor will say to his fellow, 'Come, let's go and be judged before the Messiah king.' When they reach the borders of Jerusalem, they will find it filled with precious stones and pearls. The debtor will take a single precious stone and give it to his creditor, saying, 'Am I not indebted to you beyond the value of this stone?'"[10] It is further mentioned that "In those days, people will not need sunlight by day or moonlight by night, but the clouds will provide light. When the clouds darken, people will know the sun has set. When they brighten, they will know the sun has risen. People will look at barrels and know what is inside, by the presence of the Divine Presence among them."[11]

In Yalkut Shimoni, it is described how honored the people of Israel will be in those days since all the nations will plead to be servants to Israel, to the extent that each member of Israel will have two thousand eight hundred servants.[12]

May it be Hashem's will that we soon experience the Messianic Era, to delight in Hashem and fulfill His will.