Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: There can be no doubt that the long-awaited completion of our redemption and the coming of the Mashiach by the Jewish year 6,000 (the beginning of the seventh millennium) is established no less than the Shabbat, which is the seventh day of every week for us. The Shabbat, in fact, is considered a covenant between G-d and the Jewish people, and so too, according to Maimonides’ “13 Principles of Faith,” we trust in the coming of Mashiach.

1. 8/26/22, 5:52 PM 7 & the Redemption | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/7-the-redemption/ 1/7
THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Leadership With Heart
7 & the Redemption
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2. 8/26/22, 5:52 PM 7 & the Redemption | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/7-the-redemption/ 2/7
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Chabad, located at the famous 770 is a great influence on me and on my views
of Mashiach, so I got to thinking what is it about the number seven and the
Mashiach that really all clicks together.
It all starts in that G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.
Similarly, Judaism teaches that for up to six millennia we will live in earthly
trials and tribulations, but then by the seventh millennium, the Mashiach
(messiah) will come.
The Future
In the fascinating book, The Future, by Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff, he explains that
the Mashiach will bring the world to the holy recognition and acceptance of G-d,
restore the Kingdom of David Ha’Melech, rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple,
gather the people from around the world to Israel, reestablish the Sanhedrin
legislature and courts, and restore the laws connected with the Temple, such as

3. 8/26/22, 5:52 PM 7 & the Redemption | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/7-the-redemption/ 3/7
the sacrifices, etc. Moreover, this will be a remarkable time of healing, plenty,
and peace for all the peoples of the world.
Remarkably, as only the one true G-d, Hashem, could do, He has anchored the
holiness of seven in the human experience of both time and space as well as in
Jewish history and culture:
Time
Shabbat (seventh day)
Shemitah (seventh year agricultural cycle)
Yovel (Jubilee year after seven cycles of Shemitah)
Mashiach (seventh millennia)
Family Purity (seven required clean days after Nidah, menstruation time)
Space
Continents: As we all know, there are seven continents (land masses) in the
world (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South
America).
Seas: There are Seven Seas (regional bodies of water), in the world (the Arctic,
North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian, and
Southern oceans).
Deserts: There are seven Great Deserts in the world (Sahara Desert, Great
Australian Outback, the Antarctic, Kalahari Desert, Gobi Desert, Arabian
Desert, and Patagonian Desert).

4. 8/26/22, 5:52 PM 7 & the Redemption | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/7-the-redemption/ 4/7
Summits: The Seven Summits represent the mountain peaks on each
continent (Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Mount Vinson,
and Carstensz Pyramid).
The Seven Wonders of the World: There are Seven Wonders of the World (the
Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of
Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria).
Jewish History and Culture
Seven Noahide Laws (establishing courts/justice and No cursing G-d, idolatry,
illicit sexual relationships, murder, stealing, or eating a living animal’s limb.
Seven pairs of clean animals saved on Noah’s Ark.
Seven forefathers/mothers (Avraham, Itzchak, Jacob, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel,
and Leah).
Seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Pharaoh’s dream.
Seven generations from Avraham to Moishe Rabbeinu.
Seven x Seven (49) days of the Omer between Passover (Exodus from Egypt)
and Shavuot (receiving the Torah).
Seven Canaanite nations that Israel conquered.
Seven branches of the Temple menorah.
Seven divisions of weekly Torah reading.

5. 8/26/22, 5:52 PM 7 & the Redemption | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/7-the-redemption/ 5/7
Seven blessings under the chupah and seven festive meals for the bride and
groom.
Unmistakable Signs
Clearly, the number seven is an absolutely critical element in Hashem’s Divine
planning and execution of our existence. There are so many manifestations of
seven tangibly anchoring our physical world of time and space as well as in
Jewish history and culture that as we approach the seventh millennium, we
must acknowledge that we are on the verge of the long-awaited redemption.
Additionally, after 2,000 years of exile culminating in the horrors of the
Holocaust, we have witnessed, with our own eyes, the re-establishment of the
State of Israel; the blossoming of the deserts; the growth of the holy capital of
Jerusalem; the ingathering of our exiles, and the might of the Israel Defense
Forces, all according to G-d’s stated plan.
Shabbat and the Redemption
There can be no doubt that the long-awaited completion of our redemption and
the coming of the Mashiach by the Jewish year 6,000 (the beginning of the
seventh millennium) is established no less than the Shabbat, which is the
seventh day of every week for us. The Shabbat, in fact, is considered a covenant
between G-d and the Jewish people, and so too, according to Maimonides’ “13
Principles of Faith,” we trust in the coming of Mashiach:
In just a few weeks, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, year 5,783 (since the
creation of the world), will be upon us. That leaves only 217 years for the
Mashiach to arrive, and even sooner if we merit it! May G-d bring us salvation,
I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Mashiach, and though he may
tarry, still I await him every day.
”
“

6. 8/26/22, 5:52 PM 7 & the Redemption | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/7-the-redemption/ 6/7
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
mercy, and blessings for this extraordinary time in history and for our ultimate
connectedness to G-d Almighty.
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7. 8/26/22, 5:52 PM 7 & the Redemption | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
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