The discussion of who is Moshiach can be found in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b), where various sages (who were students of different teachers) each claimed that his own teacher was Moshiach. Since they were all great and holy men, it is clear that each one had a grain of truth to his opinion, and each of them saw in his teacher the potential to be Moshiach.

Other sources have stated that in each generation, there is someone who could be Moshiach.

Maimonides describes the characteristics of the person who will be Moshiach (Laws of Kings, 11:4). "If a Davidic King arises who studies Torah and observes the mitzvos prescribed by the written and oral laws as his ancestor David did, and will compel all Israel to walk in [the way of the Torah] and repair the breaches in its observance, and will fight the wars of Hashem, he is presumably Moshiach. If he does all this, conquers all the surrounding nations, rebuilds the Holy Temple in its place, and gathers the dispersed remnants of Israel, he is definitely Moshiach."

According to the teachings of Chassidic philosophy, there is a spark or portion of the soul of Moshiach in the soul of each Jew. This means that each Jew has a personal connection to the coming of Moshiach, and can play a personal role in the process of Moshiach's coming.