There is a Gemara in Masechet Megillah that I always wondered about. The Gemara says: Anyone who says something in the author's name will bring redemption to the world. It seems strange! Is that all we need to do to bring Moshiach?? If that's the case, then what are we waiting for? We should all just start saying divrei Torah from other people and quoting them!
I was thinking about this Gemara, and in preparing it for my 10th grade Gemara class for the 5th (!) time, think that I finally understand it!
What is the character trait that underlies quoting something that I heard from someone else? The trait of humility--realizing that I am not the best, the smartest, the ____est. It is the recognition that I am not the center of the world, and that there are others that are greater than me. Only a person who is willing to admit this to him/herself is able to quote a good idea in the author's name.
How is this connected to the coming of Moshiach?
As we mention in Alenu 3 times a day, the coming of Moshiach is a time when all people will acknowledge the greatness of God. A person who is able to quote an idea in the author's name-- a person who has recognized that there is someone greater than him/her--has proven that he/she is ready for the time of Moshiach which is characterized by the recognition of the Glory of Hashem, the Greatest Being in existence.
Based on this understanding of the Gemara, I would suggest that just quoting someone else's good idea is not sufficient to bring Moshiach. In fact, I'm not even sure that the Gemara means to say that this is the formula. Rather, it means to say that focusing on inculcating this trait of humility in ourselves is what will bring Moshiach. The gemara is highlighting the fact that we need to use our actions and performance of mitzvoth to DEMONSTRATE that this is the type of people we are.
There are many mitzvoth in the Torah that follow this model. For example, kibbud av v'em. This mitzvah requires that we actively demonstrate that our parents are greater than us in certain respects, and therefore deserve our honor.
After thinking about this Gemara, I personally remembered something that I always knew but don't have on my radar screen enough. Namely, mitzvoth are not just these random actions that God asks us to do. Rather, they are also tools that God has given us as a gift to help us become a certain type of person.
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