Sanhedrin 98b (צח:) — the Talmud in English

And the reason is: because

the

Persians and Medes are destined to come to wage war against Gog and Magog over Babylonia and capture it, and the land will be filled with Persians and their horses, and

there is not a single date palm in Babylonia to which a Persian horse is not tethered.

And from there they will come to the Land of Israel and conquer it,

and there is not

a single coffin [of burial]

for burial ]

in the Land of Israel into which a Median horse will not eat hay.

For the Medes will remove the coffins from the land, make them into feeding troughs, and feed their horses from them.

Therefore I ask that you bury my coffin deep in the ground, so that they will not remove it and disgrace it.

Rav said: The son of David will not come—

until the wicked kingdom extends its dominion over Israel

for nine months.

As it is stated: “Therefore He will give them over until the time when she who is to give birth has given birth, and the rest of his brothers shall return to the children of Israel.”

For “the time when she who is to give birth has given birth” means nine months of pregnancy . And the verse says that for this period of time, the Holy One, blessed be He, will deliver Israel into the hands of the wicked kingdom. Afterward they will return from exile, as stated in the following verse: “And the rest shall return to the children of Israel,” meaning the entire world among which Israel is dispersed .

Ulla said: May he come [may the Messiah come]—

may the Messiah come ]—

but may I not see him [and may I not see him; that is, may he not come during my lifetime].

and may I not see him; that is, may he not come during my lifetime ].

And Rabba likewise said: May he come—

but may I not see him .

The reason for their statements will be explained below.

Rav Yosef said: May he come, and

I wish to see him , even if

I merit

only

to sit in the shade of the dung of his donkey [even if I merit only to sit in the shade of its dung].

even if I merit only to sit in the shade of his donkey’s excrement ].

Abaye said to Rabba: What is the reason

that you do not wish to see him?

If you say it is because

you are afraid of

the pangs

of the Messiah [below it will be explained what “the pangs of the Messiah” are]—

the meaning of “the suffering preceding the Messiah” will be explained below ]—

But it was taught in a beraita: The students asked Rabbi Elazar: What should a person do to be saved from the pangs of the Messiah—

he should engage in Torah and acts of kindness

. And as for you—

this

you have

Torah, and this

you have

acts of kindness,

so you have no reason to fear the pangs of the Messiah!

He said to him:

Nevertheless, I am afraid

lest

I sin, and

the sin will cause

me not to be saved, despite the merit of the Torah and acts of kindness that I possess.

And

this is in accordance with the teaching of Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi.

For Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi raised a contradiction: It is written

that the Holy One, blessed be He, promised Jacob:

“And behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go,” and

on the other hand

it is written: “And Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.”

The matter is apparently difficult: What was Jacob afraid of? Surely the Holy One, blessed be He, had promised to guard him!?

Rather, the reason is

that

Jacob

was afraid lest

he had sinned after the Holy One, blessed be He, had promised him protection, and

the sin would cause

him to forfeit the promise of protection.

As it was taught in a beraita: “Until Your people cross, O Lord”—

this refers to the first entry

of Israel into the Land, in the days of Joshua.

“Until the people You have acquired cross”—

this refers to the second entry,

when Cyrus gave them permission to return to the Land in the days of Ezra.

The first entry was juxtaposed with the second entry.

From this you may conclude:

Initially

Israel was worthy of having a miracle performed for them,

so that they would ascend by force, against the will of the kings of Persia, even

in the second entry—

as

it had been

in the first entry,

in the days of Joshua, when they entered the Land against the will of the kings of Canaan, since the two entries were juxtaposed.

But sin caused

them, after they had sinned, to have to enter only with Cyrus’s permission.

Rabbi Yoḥanan likewise said: May he come—

but may I not see him.

Reish Lakish said to him: What is the reason?

What trouble that will occur in the days of the Messiah are you afraid of?

If you say it is because it is written

concerning the days of the Messiah:

“As when a man flees from a lion—

and a bear meets him; and he enters the house, rests his hand on the wall, and a snake bites him,”

meaning that at that time, when a person flees from one trouble, he immediately encounters another trouble,

Come and I will show you

that there is

an example of it

even

in this world: When a person goes out to the field and encounters a surveyor [he is an official appointed by the government who knows the location of the field boundaries. He can determine where the field’s borders lie, thereby increasing one person’s area and reducing another’s]—he is

he is an official appointed by the government who knows the locations of the field boundaries. He can determine where the field’s borders lie, thereby increasing one person’s area and reducing another’s area ]—this is

like one who has encountered a lion.

He enters the city,

and

encounters a tax collector [the collector of the king’s tax]—he is

the collector of the king’s tax ]—this is

like one who has encountered a bear.

He enters his house and finds his sons and daughters lying in hunger—

he is

like one whom a snake has bitten!

Rather, it is because it is written: “Ask now, and see whether a male is giving birth. Why do I see every man with his hands on his loins

like a woman in labor, and every face has turned pale?”

What is the meaning of “I see every man”?

Rava bar Yitzḥak said in the name of Rav: He whose entire strength is his.

That is, the Holy One, blessed be He . For He suffers like a woman in labor when He destroys the gentiles on account of Israel, saying: How can I destroy these on account of those?

And what is the meaning of “every face has turned pale,”

who are “every face”?

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The heavenly entourage [the angels],

the angels ],

and the earthly entourage [Israel].

Israel ].

And when did their faces turn pale?

When the Holy One, blessed be He, said: These are the work of My hands, and those are the work of My hands; how can I destroy these on account of those?

Rav Pappa said: This is what people say: The ox ran and fell

when the ox ran and fell],

and they put a horse in its stall

and placed a horse in its place in the stable]. Although the ox had been dearer to him, once he had already put a horse in its place, when the ox recovers from its fall today or tomorrow, it is difficult for the master to remove his horse for the sake of the ox, since he has already placed it there .

So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, certainly considers Israel dearer than the nations of the world. But once He has seen Israel’s downfall, He grants their greatness to the idolaters. And when Israel repent and are redeemed, it is difficult for Him to destroy the idolaters on account of Israel.

Rav Giddel said in the name of Rav: Israel are destined to eat the years of the Messiah.

The Gemara now understands his intention to be that Israel will be the ones to consume the great abundance that will exist in the days of the Messiah, and not others.

Rav Yosef said: Is that obvious! If not, who will consume it?

Would

Lilith and Bilqis consume it [would demons consume it ]?

could demons and female demons eat it ]?

Rather, certainly the intention is not to exclude others.

Rav Giddel’s statement, that Israel will consume the abundance in the days of the Messiah, comes

to exclude

to exclude]

f

rom the words of

Rabbi Hillel, who said: There is no Messiah for Israel,

because

they already consumed him in the days of Hezekiah.

For Hezekiah was the Messiah, and all the prophecies were stated concerning him: “I will cause a horn to sprout for the House of Israel,” and “He shall stand and shepherd in the strength of the Lord.”

Rav said: The world was created

the world was not created]

only for David.

That is, on account of David, who was destined to recite songs and praises.

And Shmuel said:

The world was created only

for Moses.

For the sake of Moses, who was destined to receive the Torah.

And Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

The world was created only

for the Messiah.

What is his name,

the Messiah’s?

The school of Rabbi Sheila said: His name is Shiloh. As it is stated: “Until Shiloh comes.”

The school of Rabbi Yannai said: His name is Yinnon. As it is stated: “May his name endure forever; before the sun, may his name be Yinnon.”

The meaning of the verse is that even before the sun was created, it had already entered the thought of the Holy One, blessed be He, to create the Messiah, whose name is Yinnon].

The school of Rabbi Ḥanina said: His name is Ḥanina. As it is stated: “For I will not grant you Ḥanina”

the Messiah has not yet come]. [Each one expounded the Messiah’s name according to his own name: the school of Rabbi Sheila—Shiloh; the school of Rabbi Yannai—Yinnon; the school of Rabbi Ḥanina—Ḥanina ].

Each one expounded the Messiah’s name according to his own name: the school of Rabbi Sheila—Shiloh; the school of Rabbi Yannai—Yinnon; the school of Rabbi Ḥanina—Ḥanina ].

And some say: His name is Menahem ben Hezekiah. As it is stated: “For Menahem, the comforter of my soul, is far from me.”

And the Rabbis say: The leper of Rabbi’s house

the leper of the house of Rabbi ]

is his name. As it is stated: “Indeed, he has borne our illnesses and suffered our pains, and we considered him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.”

Rav Naḥman said: If he is among the living [if the Messiah is presently among the living]—he is

if the Messiah is currently among the living ]—he is

such as I. As it is stated: “And their ruler shall be from them, and their governor shall emerge from their midst.”

That is, the Messiah, who is “their ruler,” will be from them. “And their governor shall emerge from their midst” means that the Messiah will be among those descended from the House of David who still exercise authority even in exile. Rav Naḥman without qualification was the son-in-law of Rabban Gamliel, who was descended from David .

Rav said: If he is among the living—

he is

such as Rabbeinu HaKadosh [that is, he is Rabbeinu HaKadosh ],

who suffers from illnesses and is wholly righteous .

And

if he is among the dead [and if he is among those who have already died]—

he is

such as Daniel, the man of preciousness,

who was subjected to suffering, being thrown into the lions’ den, and was wholly righteous.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: The Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to appoint for them

—for Israel—

another David,

who will rule over them.

As it is stated: “And they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.” “David their king whom

they

raised up

for them”—

it does not say that; rather, “whom

I

will raise up

for them,” it says . This indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, will establish for them a new king whose name is David.

Rav Pappa said to Abaye: But it is written, “And David My servant shall be their prince forever,”

meaning the David who already existed, since here it does not say, “whom I will raise up for them”!

Abaye said to him:

Like Caesar and the half-Caesar.

That is, one is the king and the other is his deputy. So too in our case: The David whom the Holy One, blessed be He, will establish for Israel in the future will be the king, and King David will be his deputy , as it is stated in the verse: “And David My servant shall be their prince,” and it does not say “king” .

Rabbi Simlai expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light”?

It is analogous to a rooster and a bat

that were

both sitting and

awaiting the light. The rooster said to the bat:

Of course,

I await the light—

because

the light is mine.

I have eyes, and I can benefit from the light.

But

if

you

—

why do you need light?

You will not be able to benefit from it! So too with regard to the redemption: Israel await the redemption because the day of the Lord will be light for them. But the gentiles—why do they await the day of the Lord? It will be darkness and not light for them!