Commentary for Avodah Zarah 17:5
תנא דבי אליהו ששת אלפים שנה הוי העולם שני אלפים תוהו שני אלפים תורה שני אלפים ימות המשיח בעונותינו שרבו יצאו מהן מה שיצאו מהן
The Tanna of the house of Eliyyahu taught: The world is to exist six thousand years; the first two thousand years were chaos; the next two thousand years are the period of the Torah, and the following two thousand years are the period of the Messiah. Through our many sins a number of these have already passed [and the Messiah is not yet].
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
The Messiah was supposed to come 2000 years after the Israelites accepted the Torah, which was given 2000 years after creation. But due to the sins of humanity (or the sins of Israel) the Messianic age has not yet arrived.
Another interesting note on this source is that without Torah, the world was chaos. Perhaps this is the Talmud’s way of noting that without the ordering laws of the Torah, there would be chaos in the world.
Another interesting note on this source is that without Torah, the world was chaos. Perhaps this is the Talmud’s way of noting that without the ordering laws of the Torah, there would be chaos in the world.
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