The Alter Rebbe lays out a complete picture in Tanya. Here is that picture, step by step.
The core purpose
In Tanya chapter 37, the Alter Rebbe explains that the era of Moshiach is not a prize at the end but the purpose the world was built for from the start. All of history, every moment of galus, is moving toward this one goal: Hashem revealed in this lowest world. Moshiach is the moment when that purpose becomes the lived reality of creation.
Pause and reflect: How does seeing Moshiach as the core purpose of creation change the way you view your own life and choices?
The divine setup
To reach Dirah Betachtonim, Hashem set up the world in concealment. He hid His G-dliness inside nature so that the dwelling would be built from within, by creations who appear separate and limited. This way the revelation is not imposed from Above but rises out of the very darkness of galus that once hid Him.
Pause and reflect: Where do you most feel the “concealment” of Hashem in your life, and how might that very place become part of His revealed home?
Our part
Torah and mitzvos are how we actually build that dwelling. They are not just duties to check off; each mitzvah is another brick, another beam in Dirah Betachtonim. Every time a Jew does a mitzvah in this concealed world, more of the world’s substance becomes a permanent home for Hashem.
Pause and reflect: If every mitzvah is a real “brick” in Hashem’s home, which recent mitzvah of yours feels different in light of that?
The revelation
Right now in galus, the effect of our mitzvos is mostly hidden, just like Hashem is hidden. The world looks the same before and after you put on tefillin, light candles, or give tzedakah. When Moshiach comes, the concealment drops, and it becomes clear that every mitzvah was quietly reshaping reality into a G-dly place.
Pause and reflect: If you could suddenly see how your mitzvos have been reshaping reality all along, what moment in your life would you most want to look back at?
The stakes
This means Moshiach is not an optional upgrade to a world that is already fine. Without the revelation of Moshiach, the purpose of creation remains locked inside, never fully expressed. The world would stay a construction site that never becomes the finished home it was meant to be.
Pause and reflect: If Moshiach is the whole purpose of creation, what does that suggest about the weight and meaning of a single day of your life?
The response
When you really absorb this, it changes how you live. Thinking about Moshiach, davening for him, and looking for ways to bring him closer stop feeling like “extras.” They become the most natural response to reality: if this is the purpose of creation, then it belongs at the center of your day.
Pause and reflect: What is one small, concrete way you could move Moshiach from the “edges” of your day closer to its center?
Pause and reflect: In one sentence, how would you now describe what Moshiach really is and why the world can’t be complete without him?
(Tanya chapter 37, Tanchuma, Naso 16, Likutei Sichos 21, p. 18)
👦 Know a Jewish kid aged 9–12? Share the kids’ version!
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