To: K-list
Recieved: 2000/01/26 05:34
Subject: Re: [K-list] Re: [Eva Deva] A Controversial Question.
From: Joe Markel
On 2000/01/26 05:34, Joe Markel posted thus to the K-list:
From: Joe Markel <moshiachATnospamnauticom.net>
Maureen Heffernan wrote:
> From: Maureen Heffernan <morlightATnospammhonline.net>
>
> Hi Wim,
>
> > When Jesus did his thing with Peter: "Do you love me?.... Look
> after my
> > sheep" etc. (freely quoted) he had something specific in mind that was
> > more
> > than establishing a line of prophets for the future.
>
> ~~*+M~*
> I interpet the titles of Priest/King/Prophet as the three necessary
> prerequistes to be accepted as Messiah by that Jewish community of that
> day.
Not so. Messiah is NOT a priest a priest is from the tribe of Levi
while messiah is from the tribe of Judah
Here is the Lowdown on messiah:
It is obviously off topic for this list but since this thread has been going
for a while I thought I'd stick in my 2 cents
What Messiah is according to the Jewish religion:
THE LAWS CONCERNING MASHIACH
Chapters 11 & 12 of Hilchos Melachim from the Mishneh Torah of the Rambam
Published by: Sichos In English
PUBLISHER'S FOREWORD
Since the time of the Rambam (1135-1204), it has been impossible to
discuss the subject of Mashiach and the Era of the Redemption without
direct reference to the last two chapters of his monumental halachic
code, the Mishneh Torah. For example, it is these two chapters that
form the basis of the whole of the next publication of Sichos In
English - I Await His Coming Every Day: Studies by the Lubavitcher
Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson (shlita) on the Rambam's
Conception of Mashiach and the Ultimate Redemption.
These chapters conclude the final section (Hilchos Melachim - "The
Laws Concerning Kings") of the final book (Sefer Shoftim - "The Book
of Judges") of the Mishneh Torah, and are sometimes referred to
separately as Hilchos Melech HaMashiach - "The Laws Concerning King
Mashiach."
The translation of this classic text which Sichos In English presents
herewith is not only new, but - unlike almost all of the extant
printed editions, even in the Hebrew original - unexpurgated. All the
passages suppressed by various medieval Christian censors have been
translated in full. They appear here in the footnotes that are keyed
to the exact positions from which they were deleted.
It is hoped that this publication will give more and more readers
access to one of the major primary sources on the subject of the
coming of Mashiach.
- Sichos In English
24 Sivan, 5751 [June 6, 1991]
CHAPTER ELEVEN
1. In future time, the King Mashiach [1] will arise and renew the
Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty. He will
rebuild the [Beis Ha]Mikdash and gather in the dispersed remnant of
Israel. Then, in his days, all the statutes will be reinstituted as in
former times. We will offer sacrifices and observe the Sabbatical and
Jubilee years according to all their particulars set forth in the
Torah.
Whoever does not believe in him, or does not await his coming, denies
not only [the statements of] the other prophets, but also [those of]
the Torah and of Moshe, our teacher, for the Torah attests to his
coming, stating: [Devarim 30:3-5]
And the Lord your G-d will bring back your captivity and have
compassion upon you. He will return and gather you [from among all
the nations].... Even if your dispersed ones are in the furthest
reaches of the heavens, [from there will G-d gather you in].... G-d
will bring you [to the land]....
These explicit words of the Torah include all that was said [on the
subject] by all the prophets.
There is also a reference [to Mashiach] in the passage concerning
Bilaam, who prophesies about the two anointed [kings]: the first
anointed [king] [2], David, who saved Israel from her oppressors, and
the final anointed [king] who will arise from among his descendants
and save Israel [at the End of Days] [3]. The following [quoted]
phrases are from that passage: [Bamidbar 24:17-18]
"I see it, but not now" - This refers to David; "I perceive it, but
not in the near future" - This refers to King Mashiach.
"A star shall go forth from Yaakov" - This refers to David; "and a
staff shall arise in Israel" - This refers to King Mashiach.
"He shall crush all of Moab's princes" - This refers to David, (as
it is written [II Shmuel 8:2], "He smote Moab and measured them with
a line"); "he shall break down all of Seth's descendants" - This
refers to King Mashiach, (about whom it is written [Zechariah 9:10],
"He will rule from sea to sea").
"Edom will be demolished" - This refers to David, (as it is written
[Cf. II Shmuel 8:6 and 8:14], "Edom became the servants of David");
"his enemy, Seir, will be destroyed" - This refers to Mashiach, (as
it is written [Ovadiah 1:21], "Saviors will ascend Mount Zion [to
judge the mountain of Esau....]").
2. Similarly, in regard to the cities of refuge, it is stated [Devarim
19:8-9], "When G-d will expand your borders... you shall add three
more cities." This command has never been fulfilled. [Surely,] G-d did
not give this command in vain, [and thus the intent was that it be
fulfilled after the coming of Mashiach]. There is no need to cite
prooftexts on the concept [of the Mashiach] from the words of the
prophets, for all [their] books are filled with it.
3. One should not entertain the notion that the King Mashiach must
work miracles and wonders, bring about new phenomena within the world,
resurrect the dead, or perform other similar deeds. This is
[definitely] not true.
[A proof can be brought from the fact that] that Rabbi Akiva, one of
the greatest Sages of the Mishnah, was one of the supporters of King
Ben Koziva, and would describe him as the King Mashiach. He and all
the Sages of his generation considered him to be the King Mashiach
until he was killed because of [his] sins. Once he was killed, they
realized that he was not [the Mashiach]. The Sages did not ask him for
any signs or wonders.
[Rather,] this is the main thrust of the matter: This Torah, with its
statutes and laws, is everlasting. We may neither add to them nor
detract from them. [4]
4. If a king will arise from the House of David who delves deeply into
the study of the Torah and, like David his ancestor, observes its
mitzvos as prescribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law; if he will
compel all of Israel to walk in [the way of the Torah] and repair the
breaches [in its observance]; and if he will fight the wars of G-d; -
we may, with assurance, consider him Mashiach.
If he succeeds in the above, builds the [Beis Ha]Mikdash on its site,
and gathers in the dispersed remnant of Israel, he is definitely the
Mashiach. [5]
He will then perfect the entire world, [motivating all the nations] to
serve G-d together, as it is written [Zephaniah, 3:9], "I will make
the peoples pure of speech so that they will all call upon the Name of
G-d and serve Him with one purpose."
CHAPTER TWELVE
1. One should not entertain the notion that in the Era of Mashiach any
element of the natural order will be nullified, or that there will be
any innovation in the work of creation. Rather, the world will
continue according to its pattern.
Although Yeshayahu [Yeshayahu 11:6] states, "The wolf will dwell with
the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat," these
[words] are an allegory and a riddle. They mean that Israel will dwell
securely together with the wicked gentiles who are likened to wolves
and leopards, as in the verse [Yirmeyahu 5:6], "A wolf of the deserts
despoils them, a leopard watches over their cities." [In this era, all
nations] will return to the true faith and no longer plunder or
destroy. Instead, at peace with Israel, they will eat that which is
permitted, as it is written [Yeshayahu 11:7], "The lion shall eat
straw like the ox."
Similarly, other prophecies of this nature concerning Mashiach are
analogies. In the Era of the King Mashiach, everyone will realize what
was implied by these metaphors and allusions.
2. Our Sages taught: [Berachos 34b] "There will be no difference
between the current age and the Era of Mashiach except [our
emancipation from] subjugation to the [gentile] kingdoms."
The simple meaning of the words of the prophets appears to imply that
the war of Gog and Magog [Yechezkal ch. 38] will take place at the
beginning of the Messianic age. Before the war of Gog and Magog, a
prophet will arise to rectify Israel's conduct and prepare their
hearts [for the Redemption], as it is written: [Malachi 3:23] "Behold,
I am sending you Eliyah(u) [6] [before the advent of the great and
awesome Day of G-d]."
He will not come [in order] to declare the pure, impure, nor to
declare the impure, pure; nor [will he come in order] to disqualify
the lineage of those presumed to be of flawless descent, nor to
validate lineage which is presumed to be blemished. Rather, [he will
come in order] to establish peace in the world; as [the above
prophecy] continues [Malachi 3:24], "He will bring back the hearts of
the fathers to the children."
Some of the Sages say that Eliyahu will appear [immediately] before
the coming of Mashiach.
All these and similar matters cannot be [clearly] known by man until
they occur, for they are undefined in the words of the prophets. Even
the Sages have no established tradition regarding these matters,
beyond what is implied by the verses; hence there is a divergence of
opinion among them.
In any case, neither the sequence of these events nor their precise
details are among the fundamental principles of the faith. One should
not occupy himself at length with the aggadot and midrashim that deal
with these and similar matters, nor should he deem them of prime
importance, for they bring one to neither the awe nor the love [of
G-d].
Similarly, one should not try to calculate the appointed time [for the
coming of Mashiach]. Our Sages declared: [Sanhedrin 97b] "May the
spirits of those who attempt to calculate the final time [of
Mashiach's coming] expire!" Rather, one should await [his coming] and
believe in the general conception of the matter, as we have explained.
3. During the Era of the King Mashiach, once his kingdom has been
established and all of Israel has gathered around him, the entire
[nation's] line of descent will be established on the basis of his
words, through the prophetic spirit which will rest upon him. As it is
written [Loc. cit., v. 3], "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier."
He will purify the lineage of the Levites first, stating that "This
one is a priest of defined lineage" and "This one is a Levite of
defined lineage." Those whose lineage he does not recognize will be
relegated to the status of Israelites. This is implied by the
following verse: [Ezra 2:63] "The governor said to them, '[They shall
not eat of the most holy things] until a priest arises [who will wear]
the Urim and Tumim.'" From this verse one can infer that the genealogy
of those presumed to be of unquestioned [priestly and levitical]
lineage will be traced by means of the prophetic spirit, and those
found to be of such lineage will be made known.
He will define the lineage of the Israelites according to their tribe
alone; i.e., he will make known each person's tribal origin, stating
that "This one is from this tribe" and "This one is from another
tribe." However, concerning a person who is presumed to be of
unblemished lineage, he will not state that "He is illegitimate," or
"He is of slave lineage," for the law rules that once a family has
become intermingled [within the entire Jewish people], they may remain
intermingled.
4. The Sages and prophets did not yearn for the Messianic Era in order
that [the Jewish people] rule over the entire world, nor in order that
they have dominion over the gentiles, nor that they be exalted by
them, nor in order that they eat, drink and celebrate. Rather, their
aspiration was that [the Jewish people] be free Ito involve
themselves] in Torah and its wisdom, without anyone to oppress or
disturb them, and thus be found worthy of life in the World to Come,
as we explained in Hilchos Teshuvah.
5. In that Era there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor
competition, for good things will flow in abundance and all the
delights will be as freely available as dust. The occupation of the
entire world will be solely to know G-d. The Jews will therefore be
great sages and know the hidden matters, and will attain an
understanding of their Creator to the [full] extent of human
potential; as it is written [Yeshayahu 11:9], "For the world will be
filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the ocean bed."
FOOTNOTES
In the original Hebrew, HaMelech HaMoshiach (lit., "the anointed
king"); i.e., the Messianic King.]
In the original Hebrew, the word here translated "anointed [king]" is
simply HaMashiach (lit. "the anointed one"); i.e., the Messiah. It
is used interchangeably with the earlier phrase.]
At this point, before being censored by medieval Christian
authorities, the Rambam's original text continued: "...and save
Israel from the hand's of Esav's descendants. This and two other
such deletions have been copied verbatim in these footnotes from
the celebrated Yemenite manuscript in the hands of Chacham Yosef
Kapach of Jerusalem. (See footnotes 4 and 5, below.)]
At this point, the uncensored original text continued as follows:
"Whoever adds to [the mitzvot] or detracts from them, or
misinterprets the the Torah, implying that the mitzvos are not
intended to be understood literally, is surely a wicked imposter
and a heretic."
The whole of the following passage was deleted from most of the
editions published since the Venice edition of 1574.
"If he did not succeed to this degree or he was killed, he surely
is not [the redeemer] promised by the Torah. [Rather,] he should
be considered as all the other proper and legitimate kings of the
Davidic dynasty who died. G-d only caused him to arise in order to
test the multitude. As it is written [Daniel 11:35], "Some of the
wise men will stumble, to purge, to refine, and to clarify, until
the appointed time, for it is yet to come."
"Jesus of Nazareth who aspired to be the Mashiach and was executed
by the court was also spoken of in Daniel's prophecies [Daniel
11:14], "The renegades among your people shall exalt themselves in
an attempt to fulfill the vision, but they shall stumble."
"Can there be a greater stumbling block than [Christianity]? All
the prophets spoke of Moshiach as the redeemer of Israel and their
savior, who would gather their dispersed ones and strengthen their
[observance of] the mitzvos. In contrast [the founder of
Christianity] caused the Jews to be slain by the sword, their
remnants to be scattered and humiliated, the Torah to be altered,
and the majority of the world to err and serve a god other than
the L-rd."
"Nevertheless, the intent of the Creator of the world is not
within the power of man to comprehend, for [to paraphrase
Yeshayahu 55:8] His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts
our thoughts. [Ultimately,] all the deeds of Jesus of Nazareth and
that Ishmaelite [i.e. Mohammed] who arose after him will only
serve to pave the way for the coming of Mashiach and for the
improvement of the entire world, [motivating the nations] to serve
G-d together, as it is written [Zephaniah 3:9], "I will make the
peoples pure of speech so that they will all call upon the Name of
G-d and serve Him with one purpose."
"How will this come about? The entire world has already become
filled with talk of [the supposed] Messiah, as well as of the
Torah and the mitzvos. These matters have been spread among many
spiritually insensitive nations, who discuss these matters as well
as the mitzvos of the Torah. Some of them [i.e. the Christians]
say: "These commandments were true, but are not in force in the
present age; they are not applicable for all time." Others [i.e.
the Moslems] say: "Implied in the commandments are hidden concepts
that cannot be understood simply; the Messiah has already come and
revealed them."
"When the true Messiah king will arise and prove successful, his
[position becoming] exalted and uplifted, they will all return and
realize that their ancestors endowed them with a false heritage;
their prophets and ancestors cause them to err."
The name of the prophet is occasionally spelled, as in this verse,
without the final letter vav.
YM
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