דניאל, פרק י״א, פסוק ל״ה

Throughout history, the deep longing for final redemption has driven even the wisest individuals into error and suffering. The primary approach among commentators is that great scholars will stumble in their attempts to calculate the exact time of the final salvation [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their intense intellectual efforts to clarify the timeline are compared to a silversmith refining metal. Just as impurities are burned away to separate truth from falsehood, these wise men strive to bring absolute, spotless clarity to the secrets of the end times [מצודת ציון, מנחת שי, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

They ultimately fail in these calculations because a vast amount of time still remains before the redemption arrives [מצודת ציון]. Driven by a natural yearning for salvation, those who attempt these calculations desperately hope the time is near. This powerful desire influences their judgment, causing them to miscalculate and drift from the truth [מצודת דוד].

In contrast, another perspective views this stumbling not as an intellectual mistake, but as physical anguish. According to this approach, the wise men of Israel will endure severe hardship and ruin. The purpose of their suffering is to cleanse and purify the sins of the nation, effectively serving as an altar of atonement for the wrongdoings of their generation [יוסף אבן יחיא].

Whether taking the form of mistaken calculations or profound suffering, this reality is not a single, isolated event. It is a continuous process that unfolds in every generation until the arrival of the Messiah [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, יוסף אבן יחיא]. The exact time remains entirely hidden, known only to God [יוסף אבן יחיא]. It is only at the very end of days that the eyes of all people will be opened, allowing them to finally and correctly understand the true signs of redemption [מצודת דוד].