even in the times of the first Bais Hamikdash (during Shlomo Hamleches reign), did the Jews pray for Moshiach?
I would have thought that being in exile would be a prerequisite for Moshiach (whose prime missions is the ingathering of the exiles). However, there is a Gemara in Sanhedrin which states that HKBH wanted to make Chizkiyahu Moshiach.
Although, I believe that it was during Chizkiyahu’s reign that the Ten Tribes were exiled, so perhaps once that happened it was possible for Chizkiyahu to be Moshiach…
The Wolf