Sanhedrin 98b — the Talmud in English

And the reason is: because

that

Persia and Media are destined to come in the war of Gog and Magog against 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 tied.

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

and there is not

a single coffin [

of burial]

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

For the Medes will take the coffins of burial out of the land, make troughs from them, and feed their horses in them.

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

Rav said: The son of David will not come—

until the wicked kingdom spreads over Israel

for nine months.

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

For “the time when a woman in labor has given birth” means nine months of birth . And the verse says that for this length of time the Holy One, blessed be He, will give Israel into the hand of the wicked kingdom. And afterward they will return from the exile, as it is stated in the verse that follows: “And the rest shall return, for now he will grow until the ends of the earth,” and its translation is: “And they will return from among their exiles.” And this is what is stated at the end of the verse cited above: “And the rest of his brothers shall return to the children of Israel,” meaning, to the entire world in which Israel is scattered .

Ulla said: May he come [

the Messiah should come]—

but may I not see him [

and may I not see him; that is, may he not come in my time].

And so Rabbah said: May he come—

but may I not see him .

And below the reason for their words will be explained.

Rav Yosef said: May he come, and

I wish to see him , even if

I merit

only

to sit in the shadow of his donkey’s dung [

even if I merit only to sit in the shadow of its dung].

Abaye said to Rabbah: What is the reason,

why do you not wish to see him?

If you say it is because

you are concerned about

the birth pangs

of the Messiah [

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

But it was taught in a beraita: The students asked Rabbi Elazar: What shall a person do and be saved from the birth 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,

and if so, you need not fear the birth pangs of the Messiah!

He said to him:

Even so, I am afraid

lest

I sin, and

sin cause

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

And

it is like the statement of Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi.

For Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi posed 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.”

And the matter is apparently difficult: What was Jacob afraid of? For the Holy One, blessed be He, had promised him that He would guard him!?

Rather, the reason is because

Jacob was

Jacob

afraid lest

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

sin cause

him to lose the promise of protection.

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

this is the first entry

when Israel entered the land, in the days of Joshua.

“Until this people whom You have acquired crosses over”—

this is the second entry,

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

The first entry was equated with the second entry.

From now understand:

At first

Israel were worthy to have 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 was

in the first entry,

in the days of Joshua, when they entered the land against the will of the kings of Canaan, for the two were equated with one another.

But sin caused

them, because they sinned afterward, to have to enter only with the permission of Cyrus.

And 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 exist 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 a man flees from before the lion—

and the bear meets him, and he enters the house and rests his hand against the wall, and the 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 a land-surveyor encounters him [

he is the official appointed by the kingdom, who knows the location of the field boundaries. He can determine where the field’s borders are, thereby increasing the area of one and decreasing the area of another]—this is

like one whom a lion has encountered.

He enters the city,

and

a tax collector encounters him [

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

like one whom a bear has encountered.

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

this 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 have I seen every man with his hands upon his loins

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

What is the meaning of “I have seen 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 shall I destroy these on account of those?

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

who are “every face”?

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The heavenly retinue [

the angels],

and the earthly retinue [

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 shall I destroy these on account of those?

Rav Pappa said: This is what people say: The ox runs and falls, and one goes [

when the ox runs and falls],

and puts a horse in its stall [

and places a horse in its place in the stable]. Although the ox had been more beloved to him, nevertheless, now that he has already placed a horse in its place, when the ox recovers today or tomorrow from its fall, it is difficult for the master to remove his horse on account of the ox, since he has already placed it there .

So too the Holy One, blessed be He: certainly Israel are more beloved to Him than the nations of the world. But once He saw the downfall of Israel, He gives 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.

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

Rav Yosef said: It is obvious! And if not, who will eat them?

For would

Ḥilek and Bilek eat them [

would demons and female demons eat it ]?

Rather, certainly the intention is not to exclude others.

And Rav Giddel’s words, that Israel are destined to eat the abundance in the days of the Messiah, come

to exclude [

to remove]

from

the words

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

because

they already ate him in the days of Hezekiah.

For Hezekiah was the Messiah, and all the prophecies were said concerning him: “I shall cause a horn to sprout for the House of Israel,” and “He stood and shepherded with the strength of the Lord.”

Rav said: The world was not created [

the world was not created]

except for David.

That is, in David’s merit, for he was destined to recite songs and praises.

And Shmuel said:

The world was not created except

for Moses.

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

And Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

The world was not created except

for the Messiah.

What is his name

of the Messiah?

The scholars of the house of Rabbi Sheila say: His name is Shiloh. As it is stated: “Until Shiloh comes.”

The scholars of the house of Rabbi Yannai say: His name is Yinnon. As it is stated: “May his name endure forever; before the sun, Yinnon is his name.”

And the intention of the verse is that even before the sun was created, it had already arisen in the thought of the Holy One, blessed be He, to create the Messiah, whose name is Yinnon.

The scholars of the house of Rabbi Ḥanina say: His name is Ḥanina. As it is stated: “For I will not grant you Ḥanina” [

the Messiah will not yet come]. [

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

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

And the Rabbis say: The leper of the house of Rabbi [

the leper of Rabbi’s house ]

is his name. As it is stated: “Indeed, he bore our illnesses, and he carried our pains; yet 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

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, and who still possess authority even in the exile. And 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 illnesses and is entirely 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 sentenced to afflictions, being cast into the lions’ den, and was entirely righteous.

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

for Israel

another David,

who will reign over them.

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

David their king whom

he established

for them”—

it was not stated, but rather “

whom

I will establish

for them” was stated . 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 prince over them forever,”

and this is the David who already existed, for here it does not say “whom I will establish for them”!

Abaye said to him:

Like an emperor and a vice-emperor.

That is, a king—and the one second to him [his deputy]. So too in our matter: 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 second to him , as it is stated in the verse: “And David My servant shall be 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 do you need 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

waiting for light. The rooster said to the bat:

It is understandable that

I await light—

because

my light is mine.

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

And

if

you—

why do you need light?

For you will not be able to benefit from it!

So too concerning 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? For it will be darkness and not light for them!