1. A Messiah who Died?
תלמודבבלימסכתסנהדריןדףצחעמודב
אמררבגידלאמררב:עתידיןישראלדאכלישנימשיח.אמררביוסף:פשיטא!ואלא
מאןאכיללהו?חילקובילקאכלילהו?-לאפוקימדרביהיללדאמר:איןמשיח
לישראל,שכבראכלוהובימיחזקיה.אמררב:לאאבריעלמאאלאלדוד.ושמואל
אמר:למשה.ורבייוחנןאמר:למשיח.מהשמו?דבירבישילאאמרי:שילהשמו,
שנאמר+בראשיתמ"ט+עדכייבאשילה.דבירביינאיאמרי:ינוןשמו,שנאמר
+תהליםע"ב+יהישמולעולםלפנישמשינוןשמו.דבירביחנינהאמר:חנינהשמו,
שנאמר+ירמיהוט"ז+אשרלאאתןלכםחנינה.וישאומריםמנחםבןחזקיהשמו,
שנאמר+איכהא+'כירחקממנימנחםמשיבנפשי.ורבנןאמרי:חיווראדבירבישמו
שנאמר+ישעיהונ"ג+אכןחליינוהואנשאומכאבינוסבלםואנחנוחשבנהונגועמכה
אלהיםומענה.אמררבנחמן:אימןחייאהוא-כגוןאנא,שנאמר+ירמיהול+'והיה
אדירוממנוומשלומקרבויצא.אמררב:אימןחייאהוא-כגוןרבינוהקדוש,אימן
מתיאהוא-כגוןדניאלאישחמודות.אמררביהודהאמררב:עתידהקדושברוךהוא
להעמידלהםדודאחר,שנאמר+ירמיהול+'ועבדואתה'אלהיהםואתדודמלכם
אשראקיםלהם,הקיםלאנאמר,אלאאקים.אמרליהרבפפאלאביי:והכתיב
+יחזקאלל"ז+ודודעבדינשיאלהםלעולם!-כגוןקיסרופלגיקיסר.
R. Giddal said in Rab's name: The Jews are destined to eat [their fill] in the
days of the Messiah. R. Joseph demurred: is this not obvious; who else then
should eat — Hilek and Bilek? — This was said in opposition to R. Hillel,
who maintained that there will be no Messiah for Israel, since they have
already enjoyed him during the reign of Hezekiah.
Rab said: The world was created only on David's account .24 Samuel said:
On Moses account;25 R. Johanan said: For the sake of the Messiah. What is
his [the Messiah's] name? — The School of R. Shila said: His name is Shiloh,
for it is written, until Shiloh come.26 The School of R. Yannai said: His name
is Yinnon, for it is written, His name shall endure for ever:27 e'er the sun
was, his name is Yinnon.28 The School of R. Haninah maintained: His name
is Haninah, as it is written, Where I will not give you Haninah.29 Others say:
His name is Menahem the son of Hezekiah,for it is written, Because
Menahem [‘the comforter’ ], that would relieve my soul, is far.30 The
Rabbis said: His name is ‘the leper scholar,’ as it is written, Surely he hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper,
smitten of God, and afflicted.31
R. Nahman said: if he [the Messiah] is of those living [to day], it might
be one like myself, as it is written, And their nobles shall be of themselves,
and their governors shall proceed from the midst of them.32 Rab said: if he
is of the living, it would be our holy Master;33 if of the dead, it would have
2. been Daniel the most desirable man.34 Rab Judah said in Rab's name: The
Holy One, blessed be He, will raise up another David for us,35 as it is
written, But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom
I will raise up unto them:36 not ‘I raised up’, but ‘I will raise up’ is said. R.
Papa said to Abaye: But it is written, And my servant David shall be their
prince [nasi] for ever?37 — E.g., an emperor and a viceroy.38
רש"ימסכתסנהדריןדףצחעמודב
איןמשיחלישראל-שחזקיההיהמשיחועליונאמרוכלהנבואותאצמיחקרןלבית
ישראלועמדורעהבעוזה.'
אימןחייאהואכגוןרבינוהקדוש-אםמשיחמאותןשחייםעכשיוודאיהיינורבינו
הקדוש,דסובלתחלואיםוחסידגמורהוה,כדאמרינןבבבאמציעא(פה,א,)ואםהיה
מאותןשמתוכבר-היהדניאלאישחמודותשנדוןביסוריןבגובאריותוחסידגמור
היה,והאיכגוןלאודווקא,לישנאאחרינא:כגוןרבינוהקדוש,כלומר,אםישדוגמתו
בחייםהיינורבינוהקדוש,ואםדוגמאהואלמתים,היינוכגוןדניאלאישחמודות.
The passage in Sanhedrin entertains the possibilities that messiah is NOT
coming – the opinion of Hillel that messiah was used up in the days of
Hizkia, a few lines later we find an opinion: if among the living it is (kgon)
LIKE Rebbi – among the dead (kgon) LIKE Daniel.
Rashi gives two interpretations, the first is difficult – he ignores the word
LIKE says if messiah is among the living it IS Rebbi, if among the dead it WAS
Daniel.
The second interpretation is: if we are looking for people whom can be
compared to messiah among the living a good comparison would be Rebbi,
among the dead a good comparison would be Daniel.
Neither the Gemara nor Rashi says that messiah will live die and come back.
In fact the very Rashi they think supports a resurrected messiah named
MMS – is contradicted by this Rashi, The first answer in Rashi says: if it is
among the dead it IS DANIEL – disproving the messianic claims of the yechi
Jews
ספרישועותמשיחוחלקשני,העיוןהשני-פרקא'
בביאורהגדהאחתבאיכהרבתי(פ"אנא)והיאג"כבירושלמיפ'היהקורא(ברכותב,
ד)זהלשונה:עובדאהוהבחדיהודאידהויקארדיתורא,עברעליהחדערביגעת
תורתי.א"לבריהודאישריתורךשרינירךשריאפדנךדחרבביתמקדשכם,שרא
תוריהשראאפדניהשראקנקניהעדדהוהיתבןונסבןגעתתורתה,א"לבריהודאי
אסורתורךאסורקנקנךאסוראפדנךדהאאתילדמשיחכון,א"לאןאתילד,א"לבבית
לחםיהודה,א"למהשמיה,א"למנחם,א"לבריהדמאן,א"לבריהדחזקיהו.זבין
תורוייזביןקנקנוייועבידגרמיהמזבוןלבדיןלמניקייא,הוהעלילקרייהונפקקרייה
עדדאתאלביתלחםיהודה.אתכנשיןלגביהכלנשיאדתמןבעוןדיזביןלבדיהון
למניקייהון,אמרלהוןהדאמנכוןאמיהדמנחם,אמרהליהדא,והוהכלנשייאמזבנין
5. א פרשה )(וילנא רבה איכה:נא
געת ,רדי קא דהוה נש בר בחד הוה עובדא ,איבו 'ר בשם יודן 'דר להדא מסייע הדא
ושרי תורך שרי א"ל אנא יהודאי א"ל את מה א"ל ערבי חד עלוי עבר תורתיה חדא
מ א"ל ,חרב דיהודאי מקדשון דבית א"ל למה א"ל ,פדנךגעייתא מן ידעית א"ל ידעת נא
פדנך אסר תורך אסר לו אמר ,אחריתי זימנא געת עמיה עסיק דהוה עד ,דתורך
מה ואבוי ,שמיה מנחם לו אמר ,שמיה ומה ליה אמר ,דיהודאי פריקהון דאתייליד
לחם בדבית ערבא בבירת ליה אמר שריין והיכן ליה אמר ,חזקיה ליה אמר ,שמיה
גב ההוא זבין ,יהודהונפק לקרתא עלל ,דינוקין לבידין מזבין והוה פדניה זבין תורוי רא
מיניה למיזבן כפריא כל אתיין לתמן דמטא עד ,למדינה ונפק למדינה עלל לקרתא
לבידין זבנת את לית למה לה אמר ,מיניה זבנת לא ינוקא דההוא אימיה איתתא וההיא
,למה לה אמר ,לינוקי קשיי דחשייה ליה אמרה דינוקיןבית חרב ריגלוי דעל ליה אמרה
לה אמר ,מיתבני ריגלוי ועל חרב ריגלוי דעל עלמא במריה אנן רחיצין לה אמר ,מקדשא
,פריעיך ונסב לביתך אתי אנא יומין ולבתר דינוקיך לבידין אילין מן ליך נסיבא הוי את
עביד קא מאי ינוקא ההוא ואיחמי איזיל גברא האי אמר יומין לבתר ,אזלה נסבהאתא
על 'אפי קשיי דחשיה לך אמרית לא ליה אמרה ,עביד קא מאי ינוקא ההוא א"ל לגבה
לה אמר ,להון ואזלין טענוניה ועלעולין רוחין אתיין שעתא ההיא דמן ,נחשיה רגליה
ערביי מן ללמוד לי למה אבון א"ר ,מתבני רגלוי ועל חרב ריגלוי דעל לך אמרית כך ולא
דכתיב הוא מלא מקרא ולא(שם בתריה וכתיב ,יפול באדיר והלבנון )'י (ישעיה
יפרה משרשיו ונצר ישי מגזע חטר ויצא )י"א //ישעיהו,
The following story supports what R. Judan said in the name of R. Aibu: It
happened that a man was plowing, when one of his oxen lowed. An Arab
passed by and asked, ‘What are you?’ He answered, ‘I am a Jew.’ He said to
him, ‘Unharness your ox and untie your plough’ [as a mark of mourning]. '
Why? ' he asked. ' Because the Temple of the Jews is destroyed.’ He
inquired, ‘From where do you know this?’ He answered, ‘I know it from the
lowing of your ox.’ While he was conversing with him, the ox lowed again.
The Arab said to him, ‘Harness your ox and tie up your plough, because the
deliverer of the Jews is born.’ ‘What is his name?’ he asked; and he
answered, ‘His name is "Comforter".’ ‘What is his father's name?’ He
answered, ' Hezekiah.’ ' Where do they live? ' He answered, ‘In Birath ‘Arba
in Bethlehem of Judah.’
The man sold his oxen and plough and bought felt garments for children.
He journeyed from one city to another and from one province to another
until he reached that place. All the villagers came to buy garments from
him, but the mother of that child made no purchase of him. He asked her,
‘Why do you not buy children's felt garments?’ She answered, ' Because a
hard fate is in store for my child.’ ‘Why?’ he asked; and she answered,
‘Because close on his coming the Temple was destroyed.’ He said to her,
‘We trust in the Lord of the Universe that as close on his coming it was
destroyed so close on his coming it will be rebuilt.’ He continued, ‘Take
6. some of these felt garments for your child and after some days I will come
to your house to collect the money.’ She took some and departed. After
some days the man said, ‘I will go and see how the child is getting on.’ He
came to the woman and asked, ' How is the child? ' She answered, ' Did I
not tell you that a hard fate is in store for him? Misfortune has dogged him.
From the time [you left] there have been strong winds and a whirlwind
came and carried him off.’ He said to her, ' Did I not tell you at his coming
[the Temple] was destroyed and at his coming it will be rebuilt?’ R. Abun
said: Why should I learn this from an Arab when there is an explicit text
wherein it is stated, And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one (Isa. X, 34),
which is followed by, And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of
Jesse, and a twig shall grow forth out of his roots (ib. XI, 1)?5
Claims 770 is building the beit hamikdash
http://www.torah4blind.org/hebrew/k770h.htm
For example, Maimonides writes that before being confirmed Moshiach, "he will build the Temple in its
place." In one of his lectures, the Rebbe makes a clever wordplay on the Hebrew which can also be read
"in his place" -- in the location of the contending Moshiach. By reading the clause this way, the Rebbe
makes a reference to his father-in-law's establishment of a central synagogue which he felt can be
compared with the Temple. The author makes no case that this reading should be considered any less
literal than his own reading -- that it refers to the place of the actual Holy-Temple.
"We actually see how the [ruling of Maimonides that Moshiach] 'will wage
the war of Hashem' has been fulfilled and [the second part of that ruling
about the certain Moshiach] 'and he will be victorious' has also been and
is being fulfilled in many respects."
(Shabbos Chayei Soroh, 5752, ch. 13--November 2, 1991)
". . . the Rebbe, my father-in-law, should come, in a physical body, and
take us out of exile!
"Although in chronological order, the advent of Moshiach will precede
techiyas hamaisim [the Resurrection], special individuals will nonetheless
be resurrected prior to Moshiach's coming.
"And first and foremost, the Rebbe, my father-in-law, will once again
enclothe himself in [his] body, and return. (In reality, it makes no
difference how he comes, whether through the door, through the window, or
through the roof . . .) He will then gather all the Jewish people together
and proclaim, 'The time has come to leave exile! Come, let us go to our
Holy Land!' " (2nd day of Shavuos, 5710, unedited--May 23, 1950)
Question:
How can Lubavitch Chassidim continue to believe that the Rebbe is Moshiach
7. after the tragic event of 3 Tammuz? And, isn't that a non-Jewish belief?
Answer:
Many Torah sources refer to Moshiach rising from the dead, starting with
the Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b): "Rav said 'If he [Moshiach] is from the living,
[then he is] like Rabbeinu Hakadosh [Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi]; if he is from
the dead, [then he is] like Daniel, the delightful one.' "
RaShI, the basic Talmudic commentary, explains: "If Moshiach is from those
who are alive now, [then] surely he is Rabbeinu Hakadosh [Rabbi Yehuda
HaNassi], who suffers sicknesses and is an absolute saint . . . If he is
from those who have already died, [then] he is Daniel, the delightful one,
who was condemned to suffer in the lions' den and was an absolute saint."
In other words, according to RaShI, the conditions for one to become
Moshiach, besides descent from King David, are a) that he has experienced
physical suffering (based on the passage in the Talmud immediately
preceding the above one, quoting Isaiah 53:4, that Moshiach "has borne our
sickness and suffered our pain"), and b) that he be a perfect saint. Both
conditions were fulfilled in Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi and in Daniel.
Abarbanel
The great Torah commentator and philosopher, Don Yitzchak Abarbanel
(1437-1508), who wrote three lengthy works about the Scriptural prophecies
and our Sages' sayings concerning Moshiach and the Geula, writes in Yeshuos
Meshicho (Jerusalem, 5753, p.104) that it is possible that Moshiach will be
taken from this world and brought into the heavenly "Garden of Eden,"
continuing: "You should not find it difficult [to understand] that the King
Moshiach will be among those who arise in the Resurrection," quoting the
above Talmudic passage (Sanhedrin 98b) as proof that this can be so. Here
we see the same three stages of revelation, concealment and revelation.
Note that Abarbanel (whom the Tzemach Tzedek, 1789-1866, called "the great
sage who is perfect in his opinions"--Derech Mitzvosecha, p. 88) wrote this
long after RaMBaM's aforementioned ruling concerning the identity and rise
of the Moshiach, proving that he did not see that ruling as any
contradiction to the possibility of the Moshiach rising "from the dead."
THE REBBE'S OWN WORDS . . .
However, it is crucial to note that Chassidim do not propound their own
beliefs. As Chassidim--devoted disciples of their Rebbe--their beliefs are
based firmly upon the Rebbe's own words:
Starting immediately after the previous Rebbe's passing on 10 Shevat, 1950,
and often repeated over the following 42 years, the Rebbe emphasized that
the previous Rebbe is still with us and will arise and take us out of
exile.
A prime example of this is the Rebbe's first Maamar (official discourse),
upon accepting leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch on 10 Shevat, 1951. After
8. explaining at length how his task as the seventh Rebbe is to bring
Moshiach, he concludes: ". . . As it says about Moshiach . . . and my
father-in-law, the Rebbe, who "has borne our sicknesses and suffered our
pains, and he was wounded by our sins and crushed by our misdeeds" [Isaiah
53:4, which refers to Moshiach--see Sanhedrin 98b] . . . Speedily in our
days . . . he will redeem his flock from both spiritual and material exile
. . . and may we be privileged to see and meet the Rebbe down here in a
physical body, and he will redeem us!"
From here and many other places in the Rebbe's works, including many that
he edited for publication, it is clear that he considered the previous
Rebbe, despite his physical passing from this world, to be the Moshiach.
The following are some of the clearest instances:
1. a) The Rebbe often said that "the leader of the generation is the
Moshiach of the generation" (see above).
b) The Rebbe left no doubt as to whom he meant with the words "the leader
of the generation." The Rebbe said clearly that "we should study "Likkutei
Sichos of the leader of the generation." (Shabbos Tazria-Metzora
5751--April 20, 1991.) This is in reference to the Rebbe's Likkutei Sichos
of which 33 volumes to date have been published many times; no other work
is known under that name!