{"id":463,"date":"2013-04-24T19:19:02","date_gmt":"2013-04-24T19:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/?page_id=463"},"modified":"2013-06-01T17:25:39","modified_gmt":"2013-06-01T21:25:39","slug":"midrash-wa-yosha-end-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/research-projects\/trajectories-in-near-eastern-apocalyptic\/midrash-wa-yosha-end-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Midrash Wa-yosha` (end)"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the text published in Adolph Jellinek, ed.,\u00a0Bet ha-Midrasch: Sammlung kleiner Midraschim und vermischter Abhandlungen aus der j\u00fcdischen Literatur<\/em>\u00a0(6 vols.; Leipzig, 1853-77; repr., Jerusalem: Bamberger & Wahrmann, 1938), 1:35-57; only 1:55-57 is translated here.\u00a0An annotated edition is available in Yehudah Even-Shemuel,\u00a0Midreshey ge<\/em>\u2019ullah<\/em>\u00a0(2d ed.; Jerusalem: Mosad Bialik, 1954), 93-98.\u00a0For further discussion of this midrash, see Leopold Zunz and Hanokh Albeck,\u00a0Haderashot be-Yisrael<\/em>\u00a0(2d ed.; Jerusalem: Mosad Bialik, 1954), 141-42; Moshe D. Herr, \u201cMidrashim, Smaller,\u201d\u00a0EncJud <\/em>16:1517.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Lord will reign \u2026\u2019 (Exod 15:18).\u00a0Moses said to Israel: \u2018You have seen all the miracles, mighty feats, and marvels that the Lord has done for you.\u00a0Even more is he planning to do for you in the future age.\u00a0The world to come will not be like the present world: the present world has wars and troubles, as well as the evil impulse, Satan, and the Angel of Death who have authority to rule in (this) world.\u00a0But the world to come will be free of troubles and hatred, Satan and the Angel of Death will be absent, there will be no lamentations or subjugation, and the evil impulse will exist no more, as Scripture attests, \u201cHe will destroy death forever, and the Lord will wipe the tears from every face\u201d (Isa 25:8), and it is written \u201con that day, behold, this is our God: we have waited for Him, and He will deliver us\u201d (Isa 25:9).\u2019<\/p>\n

As the days of the Messiah draw near, Gog and Magog will come up against the land of Israel, for he will hear that Israel has no ruler and dwells unconcerned (about foreign attacks).\u00a0Immediately he will take with him seventy-one nation(s) and come up to Jerusalem, thinking: \u2018Pharaoh was a fool when he gave the command to kill the (only the) males and leave the females.\u00a0Balaq was a simpleton, for he sought to curse them, but he did not realize that their God would (instead) bless them.\u00a0Haman was insane for he wanted to kill them, but he did not realize that their God would be able to deliver them.\u00a0 However, I will not act thusly; (instead), I will go up and do battle with their God first, and only after that will I kill them, for Scripture says \u201cthe kings of the earth stand up together, and rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His anointed one\u201d (Ps 2:2).\u2019<\/p>\n

The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to him: \u2018Wicked one!\u00a0You wish to do battle with Me?\u00a0By your life, I will indeed do battle with you!\u2019\u00a0Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, will rain down on him stones of hail which are stored in the heavens and strike them a crushing blow, as Scripture states: \u2018and this will be the blow which the Lord will strike the Gentiles when they amass armies against Jerusalem\u2014his flesh will rot where he is standing, his eyes will decay in their sockets, and each one\u2019s tongue will rot in their mouths\u2019 (Zech 14:12).<\/p>\n

After that another king will arise, a wicked one and \u2018strong of face\u2019\u00a0(\u2018az panim<\/em>),\u00a0and he will wage war with Israel for three months.\u00a0His name is Armilos, and these are his signs: he will be bald, with one of his eyes small and the other large.\u00a0His right arm is short, and his left arm is two and a half cubits long.\u00a0His forehead will be leprous, and his right ear will be closed up and the (other) one open.\u00a0Whenever a person comes to tell him good things, he turns his closed up ear toward him, but if a person wants to speak wickedly, he turns his open ear toward him.\u00a0He will come up to Jerusalem and kill the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph, as Scripture attests \u2018and those who are pierced will behold him, and they shall mourn for him like one who mourns an only child\u2019 (Zech 12:10).\u00a0After that the Messiah of the lineage of David will come, regarding which Scripture affirms \u2018and behold with the clouds of heaven one like a mortal man\u2019 (Dan 7:13), and it is written afterwards \u2018he will have authority and royal dignity\u2019 (Dan 7:14).\u00a0He will kill Armilos the wicked, as Scripture attests: \u2018he will slay the wicked one with the breath of his lips\u2019 (Isa 11:4).<\/p>\n

Then the Holy One, blessed be He, will gather Israel\u2014those who have been dispersed here and there\u2014as Scripture says: \u2018Let Me whistle for them and I will gather them, when I have redeemed them, and they will be as numerous as they formerly were\u2019 (Zech 10:8).\u00a0 In Jerusalem will be suspended seventy-two precious stones which will shine from one end of the world to the other, and the nations of the world will come to that light, as it is written: \u2018the nations will come to your light, and rulers (will come) to the luster of your shine\u2019 (Isa 60:3).\u00a0The Holy One, blessed be He, will lower the Temple from heaven\u2014the same one which the Holy One, blessed be He, showed to Moses, as Scripture states: \u2018You will bring them and plant them upon the mount of Your territory; a place for Your dwelling have You made, O Lord; a Temple, my Lord, Your hands have established\u2019 (Exod 15:17).\u00a0Israel shall dwell there for two thousand years, and they will feast (upon the flesh of) Leviathan.<\/p>\n

At the end of the two thousand years, the Holy One, blessed be He, will seat Himself upon a throne of judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.\u00a0Immediately the heavens and the earth will be displaced and the sun and the moon embarrassed, as Scripture states: \u2018the moon will be ashamed, and the sun embarrassed\u2019 (Isa 24:23).\u00a0From whence do we learn that (final) judgment will be pronounced on the third day?\u00a0Scripture attests: \u2018He will revitalize us for two days; on the third day He will stand us up and we will live before Him\u2019 (Hos 6:2)\u2014this (verse) refers to the (final) judgment.\u00a0The Holy One, blessed be He, will bring (before Him) every nation and language-group and say: \u2018What did you serve in the world that has departed, and whom did you worship?\u2019\u00a0They will respond: \u2018Idols of silver and gold.\u2019\u00a0The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to them: \u2018Pass through the fire there, and should your god(s) be able to rescue you, he will rescue!\u2019\u00a0Immediately they will pass through and be immolated, as Scripture says: \u2018the wicked will return to Sheol, all the nations who have forgotten God\u2019 (Ps 9:18).\u00a0Then Israel shall come, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to them: \u2018Whom have you worshipped?\u2019\u00a0Immediately they will respond: \u2018Indeed, You, our Father!\u00a0For Abraham did not know us, nor did Israel recognize us, but You, O Lord, are our Father; our Eternal Deliverer is Your name!\u2019 (Isa 63:16).\u00a0 Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, will rescue them from the sentence of Gehinnom and they will dwell in the Garden of Eden and enjoy its fruits, as Scripture states: \u2018and the poor will inherit the earth and enjoy abundant prosperity\u2019 (Ps 37:11). Then the Holy One, blessed be He, will renovate the heavens and the earth for them, as Scripture says: \u2018for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth\u2019 (Isa 25:17).<\/p>\n

When the Holy One, blessed be He, renews the world, He will arrange the orders of the righteous and the orders of the pious, and He will do similarly for every generation, created entity, and breathing organism.\u00a0The earth which He is destined to renew will bring forth trees and all types of choice fruits, and everything will live forever and ever.\u00a0The One who has performed miracles and marvels during these (present) days and at this (present) time\u2014He is the One who will perform miracles and marvels for us during these (future) days and at this (future) time!\u00a0 He will gather us from the four ends of the earth and lead us to Jerusalem, where He will gladden us within it and we will say \u2018Amen, Selah!\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the text published in Adolph Jellinek, ed.,\u00a0Bet ha-Midrasch: Sammlung kleiner Midraschim und vermischter Abhandlungen aus der j\u00fcdischen Literatur\u00a0(6 vols.; Leipzig, 1853-77; repr., Jerusalem: Bamberger & Wahrmann, 1938), 1:35-57; only 1:55-57 is translated here.\u00a0An annotated edition is available in Yehudah Even-Shemuel,\u00a0Midreshey ge\u2019ullah\u00a0(2d ed.; Jerusalem: Mosad Bialik, 1954), 93-98.\u00a0For further discussion of this midrash, see Leopold […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":0,"parent":136,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-463","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3kl1F-7t","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=463"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1063,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/463\/revisions\/1063"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}