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Something I've noticed is almost every speech, devar Torah, or words of inspiration I hear end the exact same. The speaker ends with some permutation of the following words:

May we all merit to see the coming of moshiach, speedily in our days, amen.

I have a very strong feeling this is a recent practice. I don't think in Europe people were ending their speeches this way.

What is the earliest recorded time that a speech ended this way, either in print or transcribed. Bonus points for a reasonable explanation for what triggered this change in practice.

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    sefaria.org/Mishnah_Tamid.7.3
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Nov 4, 2019 at 1:25
  • I have a hunch that one motive or support for this idea may have come from various Tanac"h references using the term Mashiach or similar, such as the end of Chana's "song" to God after Shmuel was born; the end of David's song thanking God for saving him from his enemies. So, there is some precedent to the concept. As for this theme in more modern times, probably the huge losses in the Holocaust became a major motive for praying for salvation and redemption via Mashiach.
    – DanF
    Commented Nov 4, 2019 at 1:25
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    Sounds like a beautiful, holy version of Cato's go-to speech closer en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthago_delenda_est
    – יהושע ק
    Commented Nov 4, 2019 at 2:29
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    Concluding a speech is often awkward. You finish the Devar Torah and now what? Silence? You say “I’m done”? “Thank you for listening”? The prayer for Moshiach is an easy way out of the jam.
    – Alex
    Commented Nov 4, 2019 at 2:48
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    "Recent"? IDK how you define that, but I've been hearing it for 50+ years.
    – Danny Schoemann
    Commented Nov 4, 2019 at 9:47

1 Answer 1

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https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.6.6?lang=bi

The Mishna in Avos 6:6 says

שֶׁכָּל הָאוֹמֵר דָּבָר בְּשֵׁם אוֹמְרוֹ מֵבִיא גְאֻלָּה לָעוֹלָם

I have seen in the sefer לקוטי בתר לקוטי אבות חלק ב (circa 1951)

(hebrewbooks.org only has the first part https://www.hebrewbooks.org/4120 if anyone can find it and provide the exact lashon would be appreciated )

that perhaps this is the reason why we end a speech with a prayer for the geulah, in case the speaker inadvertently did not say something בשם אומרו, it may ch'v prolong the galus.

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    Thanks for the info but this doesn't answer my question
    – robev
    Commented Nov 5, 2019 at 18:33

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