Should You Delay Big Purchases Because “Mashiach Is Coming”?

On the “Maane” website for baalei teshuva (returnees to Judaism), the following question was received: “I saw online that Mashiach is supposed to arrive this coming Rosh Hashanah. There are many ‘proofs.’ If we’re truly meant to believe Mashiach is near, what’s the point of planning, buying an apartment, or making long-term investments? My husband disagrees with me, and it’s creating a lot of tension between us. What is the proper way to act?”

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We need balance of holding faith in the coming of Mashiach, to pray and believe that it could happen at any moment, while also fulfilling our obligation to plan for the long term: to buy a home, learn a profession, and conduct ourselves in a responsible way.

It's important to know that the “end” is concealed and we do not know the exact date of Mashiach's arrival. It depends on us, and there are several potential “windows.” For that reason, even Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky — who said that Mashiach is near, was asked what practical difference this makes and his answer was simply to "strengthen yourselves in Torah, prayer, and good deeds.” Not to sell the house and distribute the money to the poor, and not to stop living ordinary lives of effort and responsibility.

The “proof videos” on the internet — even when well-intentioned and meant to inspire repentance, are not “Torah from Sinai.”