The Jewish Messiah Explained: Origins, Prophecies, and the Role of Torah vs. Tanach

"Where does the idea of the Messiah come from? Is it written in the Torah? What is the difference between the Torah and the Tanach? Did God also give the Tanach to Moses?"

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The belief in the Messiah is one of the 13 Principles of Faith in Judaism, transmitted from generation to generation since the giving of the Torah. Just as Moses redeemed Israel from Egypt, so too there will be a redeemer for Israel in the end of days, who will gather the exiles of Israel and restore us to the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvot in the Third Temple.

The Torah itself foretold the exile of the Jewish people and declared that these days will ultimately have an end: “When you are in distress, and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice” (Deuteronomy 4:30).

Deuteronomy also contains God’s promise that after the exile there will be redemption, in which the Jewish people will return to God wholeheartedly and merit peace and great goodness: “Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, and He will gather you again from all the nations where He has scattered you. Even if your exiles are at the ends of the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.”

The prophets sent by God to Israel also spoke of the end of exile and the coming of the complete redemption, with the arrival of the righteous Messiah.

In answer to your second question, the Torah consists of five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

These five books together are called “The Torah”, and they were written by Moses directly from the word of God. Every word of the Five Books of the Torah was given verbatim by God. For this reason, the Torah is the holiest book of the Jewish people.

After the Torah, the books of the Tanach (Prophets and Writings) were written by prophets and the Men of the Great Assembly who lived in each generation. For example:

• The Book of Joshua was written by Joshua son of Nun.

• The Book of Samuel was written by the prophet Samuel.

• The Book of Jeremiah by the prophet Jeremiah.

• The Book of Chronicles by the Men of the Great Assembly, and so forth.

The Prophets and Writings were composed under divine inspiration, through prophetic mission, and therefore the books of the Tanach are also sacred and carry great holiness.