The Messiahs of the Otzar Midrashim
- samshmn
- 22 hours ago
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The excerpts cited here have been translated from Otzar Midrashim, Midrashim on The Messiah.
All emphasis is mine.
Midrashim on The Messiah, Introduction
Messiah: articles and midrashim discussing the coming of the Messiah who will in the future come to redeem the people of Israel from their exiles and bring them to the Land of Israel to inherit it and become a distinct nation in the world, and all the events that will occur at the end of days, which are the “birth pangs of the Messiah,” and the War of Gog and Magog, and the downfall of all the tyrannical governments that oppress the people of Israel in all the countries of their dispersion. There are two Messiahs: Messiah son of Joseph, who is from the tribe of Ephraim, head of the Ten Tribes, who comes first and is killed, and afterward will come Messiah son of David, who is from the tribe of Judah and the Davidic kingdom, and is called King Messiah. Matters of the Messiah are also interwoven in the midrashim about the prophet Elijah (see there), who is the herald of the coming of the Messiah; also Zerubbabel (see there) is sometimes called by the name “Messiah.” And it is said that the four craftsmen are Messiah son of David, Messiah son of Joseph, Elijah, and a righteous priest (Sukkah 52).
The midrashim about the Messiah are called the Aggadah of the Messiah, Signs of the Messiah, Chapters of the Messiah, and the War of the King Messiah. The basis for these legends is the words of the Sages in Sanhedrin (97a): Rabbi Yoḥanan said: In the generation in which the son of David comes, Torah scholars will diminish, and the rest will look on in despair and sighing, and many troubles and harsh decrees will be renewed, until the first decree is fulfilled and a second quickly follows. The Sages taught: In the seven-year period (shemittah cycle) in which the son of David comes, in the first year this verse will be fulfilled: “And I will cause it to rain upon one city, and upon another city I will not cause it to rain” (Amos 4). In the second, arrows of famine are sent forth. In the third, a severe famine, and men, women, and children die; the pious and men of deeds and Torah are forgotten by their learners. In the fourth, there is plenty but not abundance. In the fifth, great abundance, and they eat and drink and rejoice, and Torah returns to its learners. In the sixth, sounds. In the seventh, wars. At the end of the seventh year, the son of David comes, etc. It is taught: Rabbi Yehuda says: In the generation in which the son of David comes, the study hall will be used for immorality, the Galilee will be destroyed, and the Gavlan (a place) will be desolate, and people of the border will go from city to city and will not be shown kindness; and the wisdom of scribes will rot, and those who fear sin will be despised, and the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog, and truth will be absent, etc. It is taught: Rabbi Nehorai says: In the generation in which the son of David comes, youths will shame the elderly and the elderly will stand before the youths, a daughter will rise against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog, and a son will not be ashamed before his father. It is taught: Rabbi Nechemiah says: In the generation in which the son of David comes, brazenness will increase and prices will be distorted, and the vine will give its fruit and wine will be expensive, and the entire kingdom will turn to the view of the Sadducees and there will be no rebuke, etc. Rabbi Eliezer says: The days of the Messiah are forty years, and Rabbi Dosa says: four hundred years, etc. (Sanhedrin 99a).
The root and lineage of Mashiach ben Yosef is explained in the Zohar, Parashat Balak, where it is stated that on the day Abijah son of Jeroboam died, a son was born to him, and he was taken from the house of Jeroboam into the wilderness. There, one hundred and seventy righteous men from the tribe of Ephraim who were not found in Jeroboam’s sin took him. From this son of Abijah emerges that Messiah. And therefore it is written, “And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him,” this prophecy applies both to the immediate time and to the future, for he alone came to Jeroboam to the grave, because “in him was found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam” — this refers to that Messiah, who is “a good thing toward the Lord.” And in Sefer Eliyahu Rabbah, chapter 18, it is written that that child whom Elijah resurrected was Mashiach ben Yosef.
Rav Hai Gaon, in his responsum “On the Matter of Redemption,” writes as follows:
“And regarding what you asked to explain how the redemption will be from beginning to end, and the resurrection of the dead, and the new heavens — if I were to explain each matter in detail, it would take a long time. But I will state the general outline of everything. I say: after the second end-time is delayed, there are eight years — the years of the beginning of redemption which the Sages gave as a sign, and they said: ‘In the week in which the son of David comes…’ In that week, Edom will rule over Israel, not less than nine months and not more than three years, for Israel will take kingship only from Edom, as it is said, ‘And Edom shall be his possession,’ and ‘and dominion shall come from Jacob.’ This is after Edom took kingship from Assyria, as it is said, ‘Ships from Kittim…’ after Assyria took kingship from the Kenites, who are the Midianites, who are the Ishmaelites, as it is said, ‘For Kain shall be wasted…’ Therefore, when we see Edom ruling in the Land of Israel, we believe that our redemption has begun, as it is said, ‘And saviors shall ascend…’
At that time, a man from the sons of Joseph will arise in the wilderness (alone), and he will be called ‘the Lord’s Messiah,’ and many people will gather to him in Upper Galilee and he will have a king. Others will also gather to him — two or three from this country and four or five from that country, and about this time it is said, ‘And I will take you one from a city…’ But most of Israel will remain in their exile, for they will not realize that the end has come. Then Mashiach ben Yosef will go up with those who gather to him from the Galilee to Jerusalem, and they will kill the officer of the king of Edom and the people with him. About this time it is said, ‘And I will bring My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel,’ and they will return to Jerusalem for a few days.
And when all the nations hear that a king has arisen for the people of Israel in Jerusalem, they will rise against them in other lands and expel them, saying: until now you were with us in faith that you would not have a king or ruler, and now that you have a king, you shall not dwell in our land. And many of Israel will go out to the wilderness opposite their lands. About this time it is said, ‘And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples,’ and they will dwell there in tents, and many will lack bread and water…
And they will suffer according to their deeds… and many will leave the covenant of Israel, for they will become weary of their lives…
And when Mashiach ben Yosef and all those with him dwell in Jerusalem, Armilus will hear their fame and come and use sorcery and deceptions to mislead many, and he will wage war against Jerusalem and defeat Mashiach ben Yosef and those with him, and will kill and take captives and divide the spoil. About this time it is said, ‘And I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for war.’ And Mashiach ben Yosef will even be killed, and there will be great distress for Israel…
Why is Armilus permitted to kill Mashiach ben Yosef? In order to break the hearts of those who dispute in Israel and have no faith…
And those who remain in Jerusalem will be refined and purified, and those in the wilderness will also be tested…
And many will depart from the covenant of Israel…
And then Mashiach ben Yosef will be killed, and the dead will remain forty days, and his body will not be touched until Mashiach ben David comes and will revive him by the word of God. This is the beginning of the signs he will perform, and it is the resurrection of the dead…
Afterward Mashiach ben David and Elijah and Israel will dwell securely in Jerusalem…
Then Gog will hear their fame…
And in that time there will be a great upheaval in the land of Israel…
And he will fight against the nations with four types of punishment…
And afterwards all the dead will be resurrected…
And a great shofar will be sounded…
And it is said that Zerubbabel will blow this shofar…
And the purpose of the great upheaval is so that the bones scattered in the earth may rise…
And the Holy One, blessed be He, will stretch sinews over them and cover them with flesh and skin…
Then He will send a dew of life from heaven…
And they will know that they were alive, died, and then revived…
And the dead will arise with their defects, so that it will not be said that they are other beings…
And afterward God will heal them…
Then the seven shepherds and eight princes of mankind are: Adam, Seth, Methuselah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David; and the eight princes are: Jesse, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Hezekiah, Elijah, Messiah.
And to whom is this resurrection? To every righteous person of Israel from the beginning, and also to one who sinned and repented. But one whose sins outweigh his merits and did not repent will not rise in the days of the Messiah…
Therefore the Sages taught that one who is ill and near death should confess…
And after the dead are revived they will never return to dust…
And Israel will marvel and say: “From where did these come?”
And the nations of the world will also be astonished…
Afterward the form of the Temple will be revealed as in the vision of Ezekiel…
And all Israel will become prophets…
And the nations that remain will convert…
And they will say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…”
And they will beat their swords into plowshares…
And peace will prevail…
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb…
And death will be eliminated forever…
And the heavens and earth will be renewed…
May the Merciful One bring us close to that time, and speedily bring the redemption of your Messiah, and gather your exiles, and say: may it be His will, amen.
The earliest midrash about the Messiah is brought in the book Lekach Tov or Peskita Zutrata (Bauber edition, p. 258), and in Beit HaMidrash, vol. 3, under the name Aggadat Mashiach. See also Beit Otsar HaAggadot, vol. 1, p. 56; Otot HaMashiach, printed in Constantinople in the year 1519; in Avkat Rochel; in Midrash Talpiyot, section “Otot”; and in Beit HaMidrash, vol. 2 (cf. the Aramaic Targum of Jerusalem to Numbers 11:26). Also Pirqei Mashiach in Beit HaMidrash, vol. 3, p. 70; and Milchemet Melekh HaMashiach, Beit HaMidrash, vol. 6, p. 117. Wertheimer in Batei Midrashot, vol. 2, brings the Aggadah of the Days of the Messiah, which is a fragment from a manuscript and apparently belongs to Midrash Zerubavel (see there).
Midrashim on The Messiah, Aggadah on The Messiah
Messianic Legend
[Beit Midrash vol. 3, 141]
“The star shall come forth out of Jacob” (Parashat Balak). It is taught in the name of the Rabbis: in the week in which the Son of David comes, in the first year there will not be sufficient food; in the second year, half of famine will be sent forth; in the third year, a great famine; in the fourth year, neither famine nor satiety; in the fifth year, great abundance; and a star will arise from the east, and it is the star of the Messiah, and it will appear in the east for fifteen days. If it is prolonged, it is for the benefit of Israel. In the sixth year there will be sounds and rumors; in the seventh year wars, and at the end of the seventh year one will await the Messiah. And the people of the West will become arrogant and will come and seize the kingdom without restraint, and they will go as far as Egypt and all the captives will settle.
And in those days a strong-faced king will arise over a poor and lowly people (Daniel 11), and he will hold the kingdom through flattery. And about that time Isaiah said (26): “Go, my people, enter your chambers…” The sages said: Rabbi Ḥiyya commanded his generation: when you hear that a strong-faced king has arisen, do not remain there, for he decrees that anyone who says “One”—that he is the God of the Hebrews—shall be killed. And he says: we shall all become one language and one nation, and he abolishes times, festivals, Sabbaths, and new moons, and nullifies the Torah from Israel, as it is said: “And he shall think to change times and law, and they shall be given into his hand until a time, times, and half a time” (Daniel 7). A time is one year, times are two years, and half a time is half a year.
They said to him: Master, where shall we be saved? He said to them: to the Upper Galilee, as it is said: “For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance” (Joel 3), and in Mount Zion there shall be deliverance and it shall be holy (Obadiah 1).
“And he strikes the outskirts of Moab.” Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Levi: this teaches that Israel were gathered in Upper Galilee, and there the Messiah son of Joseph will appear to them from within the Galilee, and they will ascend from there, and all of Israel with him to Jerusalem, to fulfill what is said: “And the violent among your people shall be lifted up to establish the vision, but they shall stumble” (Daniel 11). And he ascends and builds the Temple and offers sacrifices, and fire descends from heaven, and he strikes all the nations of the world. And he will come upon the land of Moab and kill half of it, and the rest he will take captive and impose tribute upon it, and in the end he makes peace with Moab, as it is said: “And I will restore the fortunes of Moab” (Jeremiah 48). And they will dwell forty years in security, eating and drinking, and strangers will plow your fields and your vineyards.
And he will crush all the children of Seth, meaning he will crush all the nations of the world who are called by the name Seth, as it is said: “For God has appointed me another seed” (Genesis 4). And after all this, Gog and Magog hear and rise against them, as it is said: “The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed” (Psalms 2). And he enters and kills him in the streets of Jerusalem, as it is said: “And there shall be a time of trouble” (Daniel 12). And Israel see this and say: the Messiah has been lost from us, and there will not again be another Messiah. And they mourn for him, four families, as it is said: “And the land shall mourn, each family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself” (Zechariah 12).
And the Holy One, blessed be He, goes out and fights against them, as it is said: “And the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, and the Mount of Olives shall split in half” (Zechariah 14). And the Holy One descends upon it, and Israel flee and escape, as it is said: “And you shall flee by the valley of the mountains” (Zechariah 14). And there the plague will be. And afterward Israel will be exiled to the deserts and marshes, to graze on salt plants and broom roots for forty-five days, and clouds of glory will surround them, and there Israel will be hidden there. And anyone who has evil thoughts in his heart toward the Holy One, the clouds will cast him out and the nations of the world will kill him.
And many from Israel will go out to the nations, and those will have no share with Israel in the World to Come. But those destined to endure the salt for forty-five days—at the end of forty-five days a heavenly voice proclaims to them: “Go down to Babylon,” as it is said: “And you shall go to Babylon; there you shall be delivered” (Micah 4). And a second heavenly voice proclaims: go to Edom and take My vengeance there, as it is said: “And I will execute My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel” (Ezekiel 25).
And Israel come to Rome, and a heavenly voice goes out a third time: do to it as Joshua did to Jericho. And they circle the city and blow shofars, and on the seventh time they shout a blast, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” And the wall of the city falls, and they enter it and find its young men dead in its streets, as it is said: “Therefore its young men shall fall in its streets” (Jeremiah 49). And afterward they gather all its spoil, and Israel seek their God and David their king, and immediately the King Messiah is revealed to them. And he says to them: I am the King Messiah whom you were waiting for. And he tells them to take the silver and the gold, and they carry it and ascend, as it is said: “A multitude of camels shall cover you” (Isaiah 60).
And a fourth heavenly voice goes out and says: “A voice cries in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40). And a fifth heavenly voice goes out and says: “There shall be no lion there” (Isaiah 35). And a sixth voice says: “I will place in the wilderness the cedar, acacia, myrtle…” (Isaiah 41). And a seventh voice proclaims: “Comfort, comfort My people” (Isaiah 40). And Elijah announces to Israel: “Your God reigns” (Isaiah 52). And an eighth heavenly voice proclaims: “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40). A ninth voice says: “Open the gates, that a righteous nation may enter” (Isaiah 26). And a tenth voice says: “Lift up your heads, O gates” (Psalms 24).
And the dead will live, as it is said: “Your dead shall live; my corpses shall rise” (Isaiah 26). And then the exiles will be gathered, as it is said: “On that day a great shofar will be blown.” Then the verse “a star shall come out of Jacob” will be fulfilled. And may it be the will of our Father in heaven that this verse be fulfilled: “He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the outcasts of Israel…” (Isaiah 11) in our days and in the days of all Israel.
The Aggadah of the Messiah is concluded.
Midrashim on The Messiah, Otot Mashiach (Signs of the Messiah)
The seventh letter: the Holy One, blessed be He, the Master of wonders, performs miracles in the world. It is said that in Rome there is a marble stone upon which there is the image of a beautiful maiden, and it was not made by human hands, but the Holy One, blessed be He, created it so by His power. And wicked people of the nations of the world come and heat it up and lie with it, and the Holy One, blessed be He, preserves their seed inside the stone and creates within it a creature and forms a child within it. It then splits open and a human figure emerges from it, and his name is Armilus the Satan, the one whom the nations call Antichrist. His length is twelve cubits, and his width is twelve, and between his eyes is a span, and they are deep red, and the hair of his head is like the color of gold, the soles of his feet are green, and he has two heads.
He will come to wicked Edom and say to them: “I am the Messiah, I am your God.” Immediately they believe in him and crown him as king over them, and all the descendants of Esau join him and come to him. He goes and conquers all the lands and says to the descendants of Esau: “Bring me my Torah that I gave you.” And they bring their false practices, and he says to them: “It is true that I gave it to you,” and he says to the nations: “Believe in me, for I am your messiah,” and immediately they believe in him.
At that time he sends for Nehemiah ben Hushiel and all Israel and says to them: “Bring me your Torah and testify about me that I am God,” and they immediately become afraid and bewildered. At that time Nehemiah ben Hushiel will arise, along with thirty thousand mighty warriors from the tribe of Ephraim, and they will take a Torah scroll and read before him: “I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before Me.” And he will say to them: “There is nothing in your Torah; rather, come and testify that I am God, as all the nations have done.” Immediately Nehemiah will stand against him, and Armilus will say to his servants: “Seize him and bind him.”
Immediately Nehemiah ben Hushiel and the thirty thousand with him will wage war against him, and they will kill two hundred thousand of his men. Then the wrath of Armilus the wicked will burn, and he will gather all the armies of the nations of the world to the Valley of Judgment and fight against Israel, and they will kill many thousands of them, and Israel will be defeated somewhat, and the Messiah of the Lord will be killed. Angels of service will come and take him and hide him with the patriarchs.
Immediately the hearts of Israel will melt and their strength will fail, and Armilus the wicked will not know that the Messiah has died; for if he knew, he would not leave a remnant or survivor of Israel. At that time all the nations of the world will expel Israel from their lands and will not allow them to dwell among them, and they will say: “You have seen this bitter and lowly people who rebelled against us and crowned a king,” and there will be suffering for Israel such as has never been since the creation of the world until that time.
At that time Michael the great prince who stands for your people will arise, and there will be a time of distress such as has never been. Immediately all Israel will flee into the deserts, and whoever doubts in his heart about the matter will return to the nations of the world, and they will say: “This is the redemption we were waiting for, since the Messiah has been killed.” And whoever does not await the redemption will be ashamed of it and return to the nations of the world.
At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will test Israel and refine them like silver and gold, as it is said in Zechariah: “I will bring the third part through the fire and refine them as one refines silver,” and it is written in Ezekiel: “I will purge out from among you the rebels,” and in Daniel it is written: “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly.” And all the remainder of Israel, the holy and the pure, will be in the wilderness of Judah for forty-five days, and they will shepherd and eat salt plants and gather mallow.
And in them will be fulfilled what is said in Hosea: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” And how do we know that they are forty-five days? As it is said: “From the time that the daily offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there are 1,290 days,” and it is written: “Blessed is he who waits and reaches 1,335 days,” thus there are forty-five days between them.
At that time all the wicked of Israel who are unworthy of seeing the redemption will die, and Armilus will come and fight against Egypt and conquer it, as it is said: “And the land of Egypt shall not escape.” And he will turn his face toward Jerusalem to destroy it a second time, as it is said: “And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain,” and he will come to his end, and there will be no one to help him.
The eighth sign: Michael will stand and blow the shofar three times, as it is said, “And it shall be on that day that a great shofar will be blown, and the lost will come…” and it is written, “And the Lord God will sound the shofar and will go in the whirlwinds of the south.”
The first blast will reveal the Messiah son of David and the prophet Elijah to those select righteous ones of Israel who fled to the wilderness of Judea. After forty-five days, they will restore their hearts and strengthen their weakened hands, and their feeble knees will be made strong.
All the remaining Israelites throughout the world will hear the sound of the shofar and will know that the Lord has remembered them and that the complete redemption has come. They will gather and come, as it is said, “And the lost in the land of Assyria will come…” From that sound, fear and trembling will fall upon the nations of the world, and severe afflictions will come upon them.
Israel will prepare to go forth, and the Messiah son of David and the prophet Elijah will come with the righteous who returned from the wilderness of Judea, and with all the gathered Israelites, and he will come to Jerusalem and ascend the steps of the Temple Mount and sit there.
Armilus will hear that a king has arisen for Israel and will say, “How long will this despised and lowly nation do this?” Immediately he will gather all the armies of the nations and come to wage war against the Messiah of the Lord. But then the Holy One, blessed be He, will not require him to fight; rather, He will say to him, “Sit at My right hand.”
And He will say to Israel, “Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord that He will perform for you today.” Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, will fight them, as it is said, “The Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.”
And the Holy One, blessed be He, will rain fire and sulfur from heaven, as it is said, “And I will judge him with pestilence, blood, torrential rain, and hailstones…”
Immediately the wicked Armilus will die, he and all his army, and Edom the wicked who destroyed the House of God and exiled us from our land. At that time Israel will take great vengeance upon them, as it is said, “And the house of Jacob will be fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble…”
The ninth sign: Michael will sound a great blast, and the burial chambers of the dead will be broken open in Jerusalem, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will revive them. Then the Messiah son of David and Elijah the Prophet will go and revive the Messiah son of Joseph, who was gathered at the gates of Jerusalem, and they will send the Messiah son of David for the sake of the remnant of Israel scattered in all the lands. Immediately, all the kings of the nations will carry them on their shoulders and bring them to them, etc.
The tenth sign: Michael will sound a great blast, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring from the River Gozan, and Halah, and Habor, and from the cities of Media all the tribes, and they will come with the sons of Moses without number and without measure. The land will be like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a flame will blaze, and they will leave no survivors among the nations. And at the time when the tribes go forth, the clouds of glory will surround them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will go before them, as it is said: “And their leader will go up before them.” And the Holy One, blessed be He, will open for them springs of the Tree of Life and will give them drink along the way, as it is said in Isaiah: “I will open rivers on the bare heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water,” and it is written: “They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun strike them,” etc. May the Holy One, blessed be He, merit us to see the redemption speedily, and may He merit us to see the Temple of choice, and may He fulfill in us the verse written: “Behold, I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; and the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall be settled in its rightful place,” and may He fulfill upon us all His consolations and all His promises spoken through His prophets, and it is written: “At that time I will bring you, and at that time I will gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise.”
The signs of the Messiah are completed.
Midrashim on The Messiah, Pirkei Mashiach
And now let us speak in praise of the King Messiah who is destined to come with the clouds of heaven, with two seraphim at his right and at his left, as it is said: “And behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man came.” In the generation in which the son of David comes, fiery seraphim are sent into the Temple, and stars appear in fire everywhere, and pestilence comes for three consecutive years. This is the messenger of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: “Before Him shall go pestilence, and fiery plague shall go forth at His feet,” and it is said: “Its flashes are flashes of fire.” In the third year of the pestilence, the exiles atone through it, and at the end of the fourth year the king is killed, and people flee into the wildernesses, and the earth trembles from its place. Torah scholars die, and traitors betray, and the betrayers act treacherously. Another verse supports this: “And yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return and be for consuming.”
In the fifth year, the Messiah comes and is revealed in all the kingdoms. All the kings provoke one another: the king of Persia against the king of Arabia, and he devastates it, as it is said: “And they shall fight every man against his brother… kingdom against kingdom.” And when Edom falls, at the sound of its downfall the heavens and the earth will quake. Half the world will be captured because of it, as it is said: “The Lord shall roar from on high, and from His holy habitation He shall utter His voice.” The Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to gather them in multitudes upon multitudes and deliver them into the hand of Israel, as it is said: “And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel.”...
Israel says to the king of the Arabs: “The Temple is ours. Take silver and gold and leave the Temple.” The king of the Arabs says: “You have no claim in this Temple. But if you wish, first offer a sacrifice as you did in former times, and we too shall offer one; whoever’s sacrifice is accepted shall be the chosen people, and we shall all become one nation.” Israel offers sacrifices, but they are not accepted because Satan accuses before the Holy One, blessed be He. The sons of Kedar offer sacrifices and are accepted, as it is said: “All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered unto you.”
At that time the Arabs say to Israel: “Come and believe in our faith.” Israel answers: “We kill and are killed, but we do not deny the fundamental principle.” At that time swords are drawn, bows are bent, and arrows are shot. They cast down the slain from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, and Nehemiah is killed with them. Those who escape flee to the wilderness of Moab and to the land of the children of Ammon. There those survivors of Israel remain, and God performs miracles for them. A spring emerges for them from the depths, as it is said: “Let the outcasts of Moab dwell with you.” They eat broom roots there for forty-eight days, and at the end of forty-eight days Elijah appears there with the King Messiah.
There Elijah brings them tidings and says: “Israel, what are you doing here?” Israel answers and says: “We are lost, we are destroyed.” Elijah says to them: “Rise, for I am Elijah and this is the King Messiah.” But they do not believe him because Nehemiah had come and was killed. He says to them: “Do you seek a sign like that of Moses?” They say: “Yes.”
At that time he performs seven miracles. The first miracle: he brings Moses and his generation from the wilderness, as it is said: “Gather My pious ones unto Me.” The second miracle: he raises Korah and all his congregation, as it is said: “You will revive us again, and bring us up again from the depths of the earth.” The third miracle: he restores Nehemiah who was killed. The fourth miracle: he reveals to them the hidden treasures of the earth, the jar of manna, and the anointing oil. The fifth miracle: the Holy One, blessed be He, places a mighty staff in his hand, as it is said: “The staff of your strength…” The sixth miracle: he grinds all the mountains of Israel like flour, as it is said: “I will lay waste mountains and hills.” The seventh miracle: he reveals to them the secret, as it is said: “This is the sign of the covenant.”
When the nations see these miracles, they send word to all the princes plundering Jerusalem: “Come and fight them.” They set out prepared against Israel. Israel says to the King Messiah: “It was not good for us to sit here. Why did you come to provoke war against us in the first place?” The King Messiah says to them: “Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord.” He blows upon them with the breath of his mouth, and they all fall slain before him, as it is said: “With the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” Go and learn from Sennacherib, as it is said: “And behold, they were all dead corpses.”
At that time Elijah flies throughout the world and brings tidings to Israel, as it is said: “Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet.” That day is a day of cruelty and wrath. That day separates between two worlds. The wicked say: “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near,” and it says: “Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord.” Jerusalem expands and enlarges throughout that day, as it is said: “And it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord…”
Gog and Magog will rise on that day and encamp against Jerusalem for seven and a half days and capture Jerusalem. The congregation of Israel says before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the Universe, every nation that plundered me—I am ashamed to return to it and take back what is mine from its hand.” The Holy One replies: “I shall bring them all into your midst,” as it is said: “Behold, a day comes for the Lord, and your spoil shall be divided in your midst,” and “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for battle.”
These are they: Gomer and its wings, Togarmah, Africa, Germith, Germamia, Cappadocia, Barbary, Italy, Cush, Andalus, Saba, Harman, Dulim, Aharsan, Sassonia, Galicia, Gothia, Lombardy, Calabria, Pentipoli, Tripoli, Tyre, Macedonia, Inglisi, Monach, Cyprus, Nero, Gozan, Dronia, Russia, Turkey, Germany, Tarsus, Elam, and all their dependents.
The inhabitants of their provinces go forth with spears, swords, and bows, and each one carries a door fastened with nails, as it is said: “Each helps his neighbor.” They divide into three camps. The first camp drinks all the waters of Tiberias. The second drinks the dregs. The third passes through on foot and says one to another: “To whom does this place belong?” The stones of the mountains of Israel grind beneath their horses.
Jerusalem is given into their hand. They capture the city but do not kill anyone, as it is said: “The city shall be taken, the houses plundered, and the women violated,” and within it they afflict two women from two families. Rabbi Yohanan said: It is written “shall be ravished.” To what may the matter be compared? To a king into whose palace thieves entered. The king said: “If I seize them now in my house, they will say the king’s power exists only in his house. Rather, I shall wait until they go outside.” So too the Holy One, blessed be He, says: “If I kill them now in Jerusalem, they will say His power exists only in Jerusalem. Rather, I shall wait until they go out to the Mount of Olives.”
There the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals Himself to them in His glory and wages war against them until not a single one remains, as it is said: “Then the Lord shall go forth and fight against those nations as when He fought in the day of battle.” The Holy One then brings all the beasts of the field and the birds to eat their flesh, as it is said: “Speak to every bird of every wing…” For seven years Israel will burn the wood of their bows, shields, and spears.
At that time, the Holy One, blessed be He, places a crown upon the Messiah and sets a helmet of salvation upon his head. He grants him splendor and majesty, clothes him in garments of honor, and stations him upon a high mountain to bring good tidings to Israel. He proclaims in a loud voice: “Salvation is near!” And Israel says, “Who are you?” And he says, “I am Ephraim.” And Israel says, “Are you he whom the Holy One, blessed be He, called ‘Ephraim, My firstborn,’ ‘Is Ephraim My dear son, My precious child?’” And he says to them, “Yes.” And Israel says to him, “Go and announce it to those who sleep in Machpelah, that they may rise first.”
At that time he goes up and announces it to those who sleep in Machpelah and says to them, “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, arise! Enough of your slumber!” And they answer and say, “Who is this who removes the dust from upon us?” And he says to them, “I am the Messiah of the Lord. Salvation is near, the hour is near!” And they answer, “If this is certainly so, go and announce it to Adam the First Man, that he may rise first.”
At that time they say to Adam, “Enough of your slumber!” And he says, “Who is this who drives sleep from my eyes?” And he says, “I am the Messiah of the Lord, from among your descendants.” Immediately Adam rises, and all his generation, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the righteous, and all the tribes, and all the generations from one end of the world to the other. They raise a voice of rejoicing and song, as it is said: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings.”
And why “upon the mountains”? Rather: How beautiful are Moses and his generation, coming from the wilderness. Another interpretation: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings.” A parable: A king had two sons, and one of them died. All the people of the kingdom dressed in black. The king said, “You wore black at the death of my first son; I will clothe you in white at the joy of my second son.” So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to all the mountains: Since you wept for My children when they were exiled from their land, as it is said, “Upon the mountains I will lift up weeping and lamentation,” so too I will bring the joy of My children upon the mountains, as it is said, “How beautiful upon the mountains...” Beautiful is King Messiah, bringing good tidings to Israel, and the mountains will dance before him like calves, and the trees of the field will clap hand to hand, rejoicing in the salvation of Israel, as it is said, “For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth in peace...”
How beautiful are the mountains of Israel, drawing forth milk and honey like rushing streams of water, and also rivers of wine, as it is said: “And it shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and a fountain shall go forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim.”
To what is the fountain compared as it emerges from the Holy of Holies to the threshold of the House? At first it is like a thread of warp; up to the Sanctuary it is like a thread of woof; up to the courtyard it is like horns and trumpets; up to the altar it is like the horns of grasshoppers; up to the Temple court it is like a small flask, as it is said: “Behold, waters trickling forth.” From there they descend like a rushing river and are fit for the burnt offering, for the menstruant woman, and for the sin offering.
And the Angel of Death cannot pass through it, as it is said: “No mighty ship shall pass through it.” Not even a boat can cross it. It descends to the Sea of the Arabah to increase fish for Israel, and they have salt from that place, concerning which it is written: “Its marshes and swamps shall not be healed; they shall be given over to salt.” And all the desirable trees of Lebanon grow upon it, as it is said: “By the river, upon its banks, on this side and on that side, shall grow...” “Its fruits shall appear every month”—this refers to the citron tree, which in the future will produce fruit every single month. It is a tree whose fruit is edible, as it is said: “Its fruit shall be for food and its leaf for healing.”
How beautiful is the Temple, descending and rebuilt upon its former site, as it is said: “The city shall be rebuilt upon its mound.”
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