ותניא רשב"א אומר עשה עד שאתה מוצא ומצוי לך ועודך בידך ואף שלמה אמר בחכמתו (קהלת יב, א) וזכור את בוראיך בימי בחורותיך עד [אשר] (ש) לא יבואו ימי הרעה אלו ימי הזקנה והגיעו שנים אשר תאמר אין לי בהם חפץ אלו ימי המשיח שאין בהם לא זכות ולא חובה
and Solomon in his wisdom too said: 'Remember also thy creator in the days of thy youth, or ever the evil days come' — this refers to the days of old age; 'and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Eccl. XII, 1.
');"><sup>18</sup></span> — this refers to the Messianic era, wherein there is neither merit nor guilt. Now he disagrees with Samuel, who said: The only difference between this world and the Messianic era is in respect of servitude to [foreign] powers, for it is said, For the poor shall never cease out of the land.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XV, 11; v. supra 63a for notes.
');"><sup>19</sup></span>
Da'at Tevunoth
59 And not only this, rather the intention of the concealment of His countenance that we mentioned, is only so that He return and reveal it[his countenance] and they repent with his mercy, behold even this choice that he leaves us now, and the matter is dependent and stands either to the good or the bad G-d forbid according to the majority of action, its end is not to continue to exist like this, rather the time that the heavenly thought left is needed and adequate for all the souls which he made, that through this they shall be rectified - who through their righteousness, and who through their repentance, and who through the receipt of afflictions; and this is the time that he set of six thousand years, like the words of our Rabbis may their memory be blessed (Rosh haShanah 31a; Sanhedrin 97a). And afterwards he will renew his world for man to be like angels and not like asses, but they will be removed from this coarse material, and from the its negative consequences, which is the evil inclination and all that is derived from it. And even in the time of the Messiah the text is written (Ezekiel 36:26-27), "And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh..." "...and I will cause you to follow my laws..." And the sages may their memory be blessed said (Shabbos 151b, Midrash Rabbah Ecclesiastes 12:2), "And the years will arrive where you will say I have no desire for them (Ecclesiastes 12:12) - these are the days of the Messiah, which have no merit and no obligation" and this is clear, for when man is purified from the evil inclination, behold his service is only through enforced impetus, and praise does not reach him at all:
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