Friday, December 29, 2006

R' Tzadok haKohen - the days of Moshiach ben Yosef have already passed

According to the Midrash, Yehudah prepares to confront Yosef in the same manner Ya'akov did before meeting Eisav: with prayer, by assuaging his enemy, and by readiness for battle. R' Tzadok haKohen, Pri Tzadik (VaYigash 1) writes:
This hints to the future redemption which will also require these three preparations, but even one alone is sufficient now for the redemption to be revealed, as we have already suffered so much. It is said in the name of tzadikim that the battle of Gog and Magog and the death of Moshiach ben Yosef has already passed. Yehudah thought [his encounter with Yosef, in the guise of the ruler of Egypt] heralded the complete redemption; only the suffering of the birthpangs of Moshiach were needed [to complete the process], and after deliberating what form that suffering would take, he accepted upon himself the suffering of servitude. Upon accepting that burden on behalf of all the brothers [so they could go free], immediately Yosef could no longer restrain himself even for a second, for the moment of revelation had arrived. So too, in the End of Days, G-d will not delay even for an instant, “b’ita achishena”, when the time comes redemption will happen swiftly.

A willingness to bear our brothers suffering to redeem him from sorrow is ultimately the key to our own redemption - nothing else but accepting that burden stands in the way.

5 comments:

  1. See here for more about Gog Umagog being over. See here about Mashiah ben Yosef being dead already.

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  2. Re: your reference to Lazer Beams, see http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2006/01/cheer_up_brothe.html

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  3. Anonymous1:17 PM

    So Herzl wasn't Mashiach ben Yosef after all!!

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  4. Anonymous10:08 PM

    or the rebbe at least he had the name right according to yerushalmi oh wait was that the name of ben dovid or yosef?

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  5. Anonymous3:57 PM

    Note, that all these subjects about MBY & MBD is discussed at length in the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Talks, with added "Marei Mekomos (foot-notes)".

    Anyway, there the Rebbe explains that His father-in-law, The Rebbe Rayatz (Yosef Yitzchak), the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, was MBY, see there at length.

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