What does Mishneh Torah mean when it says all books of Prophets and Writings will be anuled in the times of the Messiah?

Question

The Mishneh Torah, "Scroll of Esther and Hanukkah" 2:18 states:

All the books of the Prophets and all the Writings will be annulled in the days of the Messiah, apart from Megillat Esther. It will continue to be binding like the Five Books of Moses and the entire Oral Law which will never be invalidated. Even though all memory of our suffering will be erased…still the days of Purim will not be annulled.

I'm an Italian son of Noah.

Could you explain to me the precise meaning of this passage according to Jewish teaching?

Answer 1

The source for this is Resh Lakish, quoted in yerushalmi megilah 1:5.

R. Qafih explains that Rambam understands that passage to mean that the suffering and troubles recounted in the prophets will become obsolete; not that the books will be thrown away and unused. He certainly doesn't agree with your translation of the question being whether they are binding.

Radvaz (Shu"t 2:666) gives a different explanation of that passage in Yerushalmi. He similarly explains that the books will still be around, but writes that in the messianic age, we will gain understanding without recourse to those books.

Answer 2

The Hasagot Hara'avad on this Rambam writes:

"אפילו יבטלו שאר ספרים מלקרות בהם מגילה לא תבטל מלקרותה בצבור"

Even if there is a cancellation of the public reading of other books [of Neviim and Ktuvim], Megillat Esther will never have its public reading annulled.

Answer 3

I heard it explained like this: much of the Neviim and Ktuvim are divrei tochacha (remontrances) and mussar (ethics). These are relevant to the times of exile but won't be required during the times of Moshiach, except for Megilat Esther. Maharal (Tiferet Israel ch. 23) explains that the Jews, at the end of the Megila, received "additional power" connected to the era of Mashiach. As such the Megila will remain relevant even in that era.

The Raavad disagrees. He thinks it will be possible to learn from all Tanakh even in the era of Mashiach, but we won't be reading from these books publicly (e.g., no more reading of haftarot).