The 6000 years are the "2000 Years of Chaos", "The 2000 Years of Torah", and "The 2000 Years of Messiah".

The "Two Thousand Years of Chaos"

It is stated in the Talmud [Avodah Zara, 9a]: "Tannah Deveh Elihatu, 6000 years is the length of time of this earth, afterwards it will be destroyed".

This is divided into "Two Thousand Years of Chaos", "Two Thousand Years of Torah", and "Two Thousand Years of the Days of Messiah".

Rashi explains this statement in the Talmud as follows: 

The "Two Thousand Years of Chaos" ended when Avram was 52 years old. Avram was born in the Jewish year 1,948. When he was 52 years old he brought back all the souls that he had acquired (converted) in Haran as stated in Breishit 12:5. 

When Avram started converting these souls it was the beginning of the "Two Thousand Years of Torah".  

"Two Thousand Years of Torah"

Yitzhak was born in the Jewish year 2,048.  From the birth of Yitzhak until Torah was given there were 400 years.   

The computation of the 400 years is as follows : There were 60 years until the birth of Yaacov. Yaacov was 130 years when he went down to Egypt. Israel was in Egypt for 210 years which equals 60+130+210 = 400 years. Thus Torah was received in the Jewish year 2,448. 

The Temple was erected 480 years after Israel left Egypt in the Jewish year 2,928. The length of the first Temple was 410 years, which puts the destruction of the First Temple at the Jewish year 3,348. After being in exile for 70 years, the Second Temple was erected in the Jewish year 3,408.  The Second Temple stood for 420 years, thus its destruction was in the Jewish year 3,828, which is 172 years before the millennia of the "Two Thousand Years of the Days of Messiah".

Ramban  (Nachmanides) comments on the passage in Deuteronomy 4:25 : “When thou shall beget children, and children’s children, and you have aged in the land”. 

Ramban comments that the gematria of the word "V’no-shantem" (aged) is 172.  The reason for the untimely destruction of the Second Temple, was that the Jewish people did not appreciate the land and felt aged in it.*  The "Two Thousand Years of Torah" thus ends with the Tanaaic period and the compiling of the Mishnah by Rav Yehuda Ha Nassi in the Jewish year 3,948.  This major turning point in the process of Torah transmission took place 1,500 years after acceptance of the Written Law (i.e. 3,948-2,448=1,500) and 500 years after the cessation of prophecy.  Fifty-two years after the closing of the Mishnah was the culmination of two millennia of Torah, which began when Avraham was 52 years old. 

Judaen Mts near the Dead Sea: Photo SL Phares

"The Two Thousand Years of Messiah"

"The Two Thousand Years of Messiah" started with the Babylonian exile where the Jews redacted the Talmud.

This period is called the Amoraic period which lasted for seven generations culminating in the redaction of the Talmud by Ravinah and Rav Ashi.  The era of Torah decentralization starts even before the great Babylonian academies began to wane.

The Babylonian academies sent four outstanding Torah scholars on a fundraising mission.  The scholars were captured on route by Caliph Al-Rachman Alnazzer from Cordova and were sold as slaves at various points along his route.

Rabbi Kushiel was brought to Kariouan, North Africa, Rabbi Ben Shemariah Ben Elchanan was redeemed by the Alexandrian community, Rabbi Moshe Ben Chanoch was led to Cordova , Spain, and the fourth rabbi is believed by some historians to be Rav Nasan Ha Bavli who was brought to Narbonne, France.  The involuntary dispersion of these scholars served to facilitate Torah transmission from east to west within each of these far flung Jewish communities.

The Geonic period lasted from the Jewish year 4,350 (which is the year 590 in the Christian calendar) to the Jewish year 4,798 (which is the year 1,038 in the Christian calendar).  The Geonic period includes: Rabbeinu Gershom Me’ Or Ha Golah, whereas Rashi starts the era of the Rishonim (1,040) and includes the son-in-laws and grandsons of Rashi, called the Tosafits (12th to 15th century—these include Rabbeinu Tam, Maharan of Rotenberg, the Rosh, and the Mahareel) also called the early Rishonim. 

In the time of the Achronim (the 16th century to the present) there was a great dispersion of the Jewish people to America, Canada, South America, South Africa, and Australia; literally to the four corners of the earth.  This enabled the Jewish people to pick up the fallen souls of Adam until the time of the ingathering of the exiles and the coming of the Messiah.

  *"The Anvil of Sinai" by Rabbi Zechariah Fendel, 1977  (Pps. 347-370).

This information was written, published and compiled by Atarah Gur and kabbalahtorah.com. 

Copyright © 2007Atarah C. Gur