{"id":469,"date":"2013-04-24T19:20:34","date_gmt":"2013-04-24T19:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/?page_id=469"},"modified":"2013-06-01T17:21:32","modified_gmt":"2013-06-01T21:21:32","slug":"nistarot-secrets-of-r-shimon-b-yohai-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/research-projects\/trajectories-in-near-eastern-apocalyptic\/nistarot-secrets-of-r-shimon-b-yohai-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Nistarot (Secrets of) R. Shimon b. Yohai"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Secrets<\/em>\u00a0of R. \u0160im\u2018on ben Yoh<\/em>ai<\/em>\u00a0were first published in Salonika in 1743 within the same anthology of midrashic texts that contains\u00a0Sefer Elijah<\/em>.\u00a0This version of the text was reprinted by\u00a0Adolph 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),\u00a03:78-82.\u00a0Jellinek\u2019s text was subsequently reproduced by Yehudah Even-Shemuel,\u00a0Midreshey Ge\u2019ullah<\/em>\u00a0(2d ed.; Jerusalem: Mosad Bialik, 1954), 401-403; using the various extant versions of this midrash, the same scholar also generated a suggested\u00a0Vorlage<\/em>\u00a0for the\u00a0Secrets<\/em>\u00a0(pp. 187-98) and also reproduced the variant recension (\u2018Atidot R. \u0160im\u2018on b. Yoh<\/em>ai<\/em>) contained within a larger eschatological work concerning the \u2018Ten Kings\u2019 which was first published by H. M. Horowitz in 1891.\u00a0A. Z. Aescoly provides an abridged version of Jellinek\u2019s text along with a brief commentary in his important anthology of Jewish messianic literature (Messianic Movements in Israel, Volume One: From the Bar-Kokhba Revolt until the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain<\/em>\u00a0[ed. Yehudah Even-Shmuel; 2d ed.; Jerusalem: Mosad Bialik, 1987], 133-38.).\u00a0A Cairo Genizah fragment of the opening section of the\u00a0Secrets<\/em>\u00a0was published by S. A. Wertheimer,\u00a0Batey Midrashot<\/em>\u00a0(2 vols.; repr., Jerusalem: Ktav wa-Sefer, 1980), 2:25-26; see also 2:506-507.\u00a0A fifteenth-century manuscript version of\u00a0Secrets<\/em>\u00a0is available in Munich Ms. Hebr. 222, a work which also features important editions of\u00a0Pirqe Ma\u0161iah<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Sefer Elijah<\/em>.\u00a0Unpublished manuscript fragments include Oxford Ms. Heb. f. 27 (2642) fols. 42-43 and Oxford Ms. Heb. d. 46 (2643) fols. 72-73.\u00a0The present translation is based on the text reproduced by Jellinek.<\/p>\n

These are the secrets that were revealed to R. \u0160im\u2018on b. Yohai when he was hiding in a cave on account of (the persecutions of) Caesar king of Edom (i.e., Rome).\u00a0He stood in prayer forty days and forty nights, and began thusly: \u2018Lord God, how long will you spurn the prayer of your servant?\u2019\u00a0Immediately there were revealed to him the secrets of the eschaton and (various) hidden things.<\/p>\n

He began to sit and expound (the passage) \u2018and he beheld the Kenite\u2019 (Num 24:21).\u00a0 When he perceived that the kingdom of Ishmael would come (and exercise dominion over Israel), he exclaimed: \u2018Is it not sufficient what the wicked kingdom of Edom has done to us that we should also (suffer the dominion of) the kingdom of Ishmael!?\u2019\u00a0Immediately Metatron the prince of the Presence answered him and said: \u2018Do not be afraid, mortal, for the Holy One, blessed be He, is bringing about the kingdom of Ishmael only for the purpose of delivering you from that wicked one (i.e., Edom). He shall raise up over them a prophet in accordance with His will, and He will subdue the land for them; and they shall come and restore it with grandeur.\u00a0Great enmity will exist between them and the children of Esau.\u2019<\/p>\n

R. \u0160im\u2018on answered and said: \u2018From whence are they (understood as) our deliverance?\u2019\u00a0 He said to him: \u2018Did not Isaiah the prophet speak thusly?\u00a0\u201cAnd should he see chariotry of a pair of riders, one riding an ass, (and) one riding a camel\u201d (Isa 21:7).\u2019\u00a0Why did he put the \u2018rider of an ass\u2019 before the \u2018rider of a camel\u2019?\u00a0Should he not instead have said \u2018rider of a camel, rider of an ass\u2019?\u00a0(No, the textual sequence means that) when the one who rides the camel (Ishmael or Muhammad) emerges, the kingdom ruled by the\u00a0\u2018one mounted upon an ass\u2019\u00a0(Zech 9:9) has manifested (lit.\u00a0\u2018sprouted\u2019) by his (i.e., Ishmael\u2019s or Muhammad\u2019s) agency.\u00a0Another opinion: \u2018rider of an ass\u2019\u00a0(connotes) at the (same) time when he\u00a0\u2018rides upon an ass\u2019\u00a0(Zech 9:9).\u00a0Consequently they (Ishmael) are a deliverance for Israel like the deliverance (associated with) the\u00a0\u2018one mounted upon an ass\u2019 (Zech 9:9).<\/p>\n

Moreover R. \u0160im\u2018on reported that he learned from R. Ishmael at the time when the latter learned that the kingdom of Ishmael was coming that (the kingdom of Ishmael) will measure the land with ropes, as Scripture says: \u2018and the land will be apportioned for wages\u2019 (cf. Dan 11:39; also Joel 4:2).\u00a0They will make cemeteries pastureland for (grazing) flocks, and when one of them dies, they will bury him any place they please.\u00a0They will then turn around and plow the grave and sow seed on it, as Scripture attests: \u2018Thus the children of Israel will eat their food in a state of impurity\u2019 (Ezek 4:13).\u00a0Why so?\u00a0Because (the location of) impure field(s) will be unknown.<\/p>\n

Again \u2018he beheld the Kenite\u2019 (Num 24:21).\u00a0What was the parable that wicked one (Balaam) pronounced?\u00a0When he foresaw that his (i.e., the Kenite\u2019s) descendants were destined to arise and enslave Israel, he began rejoicing and said: \u2018\u201cEthan<\/em>\u00a0is your place of dwelling\u201d (Num 24:21)\u2014I see human beings who are occupied only with the commandments of \u201cEthan the Ezrahite\u201d (1 Kgs 5:11; Ps 89:1).\u2019<\/p>\n

The second king who will arise from Ishmael will be a friend of Israel.\u00a0He will repair their breaches and (fix) the breaches of the Temple and shape Mt. Moriah and make the whole of it a level plain.\u00a0He will build for himself there a place for prayer upon the site of the \u2018foundation stone,\u2019 as Scripture says: \u2018and set your nest\u00a0on the rock<\/em>\u2019 (Num 24:21).\u00a0He will wage war with the children of Esau and slaughter their troops and capture a large number of them, and (eventually) he will die in peace and with great honor.<\/p>\n

And there shall arise a great king from Hasarmawet (cf. Gen 10:26), but he will exercise rule only for a few years.\u00a0Warriors of the children of Qedar shall rise up against him and kill him, and bring to power another king whose name is\u00a0Mry\u2019w<\/em>.\u00a0They shall take him from following flocks and mule-herds and elevate him to the kingship.\u00a0There shall arise from him \u2018four arms\u2019 who will make repairs on the Temple.<\/p>\n

At the end of the reign of the \u2018four arms\u2019 there shall come to power another king.\u00a0He will diminish measures for quantity, length, and weight, and enjoy three years of tranquility.\u00a0A dispute will erupt in the world during his reign, and he will send out mighty forces against the Edomites.\u00a0There (Byzantium?) they will die of hunger, even though they will have abundant provisions\u2014he will refuse (sustenance) from them, (and) none will be given him.\u00a0The children of Edom will prevail over the children of Ishmael and slaughter them.\u00a0 Then the children of Ishmael will arise and burn the provisions, and those who are left will flee and depart.<\/p>\n

After this a great king will come to power and rule for nineteen years.\u00a0These are his distinguishing marks (lit. \u2018signs\u2019): reddish-hued, squinty-eyed (?), and he will have three moles: one on his forehead, one on his right hand, and one on his left arm.\u00a0He will plant saplings and rebuild ruined cities and tap subterranean waters to bring up water to irrigate his plantings so that his future descendants will have plenty to eat.\u00a0All who arise to oppose him will submit to his power, and the land will remain undisturbed during his reign, and he will die peacefully.<\/p>\n

Then another king will arise who will seek to cut off the waters of the Jordan.\u00a0He will bring far-away peoples from alien lands to excavate and build a canal to bring up the waters of the Jordan to irrigate the land.\u00a0The excavated portion of the land will collapse upon them and kill them.\u00a0Their leaders will hear (about this), and then rebel against the king and kill him.<\/p>\n

Another king will then arise\u2014a strong (king) and warrior.\u00a0A dispute will erupt in the world during his reign.\u00a0This will be the sign for you: when you see that the western\u00a0gyrwn<\/em>\u00a0has fallen\u2014(the one) at the western side of (the place of) prayer of the children of Ishmael in Damascus\u2014his dominion will have \u2018fallen.\u2019\u00a0They will be assembled and marched out to do forced labor, and indeed the kingdom of Ishmael will collapse.\u00a0Scripture affirms concerning them: \u2018The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked\u2019 (Isa 14:5), where (the word) \u2018rod\u2019 signifies Ishmael.\u00a0And who is this?\u00a0It is Marw\u0101n.\u00a0Warriors from the sons of Qedar will still remain with him, but the northeastern corner (of his kingdom) will rebel and come up against him.\u00a0There shall fall from among his forces three great armies at the Tigris and at the Euphrates, and he himself will flee from them, but he will be captured and put to death.\u00a0His sons will be hung upon wooden scaffolding.<\/p>\n

And after this a king \u2018strong of face\u2019 (\u2018az panim<\/em>) will arise for three months, and then the wicked kingdom (i.e., Rome) will rule over Israel for nine months, as Scripture says: \u2018Therefore He will give them until the time the one laboring in childbirth has borne\u2019 (Mic 5:2).\u00a0And there shall sprout up for them the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph, and he will bring them up to Jerusalem.\u00a0He will rebuild the Temple and offer sacrifices; fire shall descend from heaven and consume their sacrifices, as Scripture promises: \u2018and the violent ones among your people will arise\u2019 (Dan 11:14).\u00a0If they are not worthy, the Messiah of the lineage of Ephraim comes; but if they are worthy, the Messiah of the lineage of David will come.<\/p>\n

A wicked king will arise whose name is Armilos: bald, with small eyes and a leprous forehead; his right ear closed up and his left ear open.\u00a0If a good person should speak to him, he will turn his closed ear toward him, and if a wicked person should speak to him, he will turn his open ear to him.\u00a0He is the offspring of Satan and a stone (statue), and he will come up to Jerusalem and incite war with the Messiah of the lineage of Ephraim at the eastern gate, as Scripture states: \u2018and and they shall look to Me about the one whom they pierced\u2019 (Zech 12:10).\u00a0Israel will go into exile into the uncleared wilderness to forage among the salt-plants and broom-sage roots for forty-five days, and then they will be tested and refined, as Scripture says: \u2018I shall bring a third (of them) through the fire, etc.\u2019 (Zech 13:9).\u00a0The Messiah of the lineage of Ephraim shall die there, and Israel shall mourn for him.\u00a0After this the Holy One blessed be He will reveal to them the Messiah of the lineage of David, but Israel will wish to stone him, and they will say to him: \u2018You speak a lie, for the Messiah has already been slain, and there is no other Messiah destined to arise.\u2019\u00a0They will scorn him, as Scripture says: \u2018despised and abandoned (by) men\u2019 (Isa 53:3).\u00a0He shall withdraw and be hidden from them, as Scripture continues: \u2018like one hiding faces from us\u2019 (ibid.).\u00a0But in Israel\u2019s great distress, they will turn and cry out from (their) hunger and thirst, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will be revealed to them in His glory, as Scripture promises: \u2018together all flesh will see\u2019 (Isa 40:5).\u00a0And the King Messiah will sprout up there, as Scripture says: \u2018and behold with the clouds of heaven etc.\u2019 (Dan 7:13), and it is written after it \u2018and authority was given to him\u2019 (Dan 7:14).\u00a0He shall blow (his breath) at that wicked Armilos and kill him, as Scripture forecasts: \u2018he will slay the wicked one with the breath of his lips\u2019 (Isa 11:4).<\/p>\n

The Holy One, blessed be He, will signal for and gather together all Israel and bring them up to Jerusalem, as Scripture says: \u2018Let me signal for them and I will gather them\u2019 (Zech 10:8).\u00a0Fire will come down from heaven and consume Jerusalem up to three cubits, and uncircumcised foreigners and the impure will be removed from its midst.\u00a0Then a rebuilt and decorated Jerusalem will descend from heaven; in it seventy-two precious stones will shine from one end of the world to the other.\u00a0And all the nations will come to (bask in) her splendor, as Scripture affirms: \u2018and the nations will come to your light\u2019 (Isa 60:3).\u00a0A rebuilt Temple will descend from the heavens\u2014the one which was folded within Zebul, for thus Moses perceived under prophetic inspiration, as Scripture says: \u2018You will bring it and You will plant it\u2019 (Exod 15:17).<\/p>\n

Israel will dwell in peace for two thousand years.\u00a0They will feast upon Behemoth, Leviathan, and Ziz.\u00a0They will slaughter Behemoth; Ziz shall rend Leviathan with its ankles; and Moses will come and slaughter the \u2018wild Ziz\u2019 (Ps 50:11; 80:14).\u00a0At the end of two thousand years, the Holy One, blessed be He, will sit upon a throne of judgment in the valley of Jehoshaphat.\u00a0Immediately the heavens and the earth will wear out and fade away: the sun will be ashamed and the moon embarrassed; the mountains will shake and the hills will quake (cf. Isa 54:10), so that Israel will no longer have her sins recounted (by them) to her.\u00a0The gates of Gehinnom will be opened in the Wadi Joshua, and on the third day the gates of Eden (will be opened) in the east, as Scripture attests: \u2018He will revitalize us for\u00a0two days<\/em>; [on the\u00a0third day<\/em>\u00a0he will raise us up and we will live before Him\u2019] (Hos 6:2)\u2014this (verse) refers to the days of the Messiah, which are\u00a0two thousand years<\/em>\u00a0(cf. Ps 90:4).\u00a0And this \u2018third day\u2019 is the Day of Judgment, and alas for the one who is among all those who perish during it!\u00a0The Holy One, blessed be He, shall cause to pass before Him every nation, and He shall say to them: \u2018You who worshipped gods of silver and gold\u2014see now if they are able to deliver you!\u2019\u00a0Immediately they shall pass by and be immolated, as Scripture states: \u2018the wicked will return to Sheol\u2019 (Ps 9:18).\u00a0Israel shall come after them, and the Holy One, blessed be he, shall say to them: \u2018Whom have you worshipped?\u2019\u00a0They shall respond: \u2018indeed You are our Father etc.\u2019 (Isa 63:16).\u00a0And the nations of the world will gripe from the midst of Gehinnom: \u2018Let us see whether He will judge His people Israel like He judged us!\u2019\u00a0Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, will pass with Israel through the midst of Gehinnom, and it will be made like cool water before them, as Scripture attests: \u2018and their king shall pass through before them\u2019 (Mic 2:13), and it says: \u2018when you walk through fire you will not be burned\u2019 (Isa 43:2).\u00a0At that time the transgressors among Israel will be dumped into Gehinnom for twelve months, but after that (period) the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring them up and settle them in Eden, and they will enjoy its fruits, as Scripture says: \u2018and your people will\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0be righteous\u2019 (Isa 60:21).<\/p>\n

R. \u0160im\u2018on said: The Holy One, blessed be He, will signal to the bee who is at the end of the rivers of Egypt, and they shall come and wage war in the midst of Egypt.\u00a0The first king who leads them and brings them forth is a slave who has rebelled against his master, as Scripture says: \u2018Thus says the Lord \u2026 to the despised one, to the one loathed by the nation\u2019 (Isa 49:7)\u2014that is the one held abominable among the nations; namely, the Canaanites\u2014\u2018to the slave of kings\u2019 (ibid.).\u00a0He shall rebel against his overlord, and others who have rebelled against their masters will be gathered to him, and they shall gradually go out and seize the kingdom by force.\u00a0They will make war with the Ishmaelites, kill their warriors, and take possession of their wealth and property.\u00a0They are repulsive men, dressed in black and coming from the East, and they are quick and impetuous, as Scripture says: \u2018the nation cruel and impetuous\u2019 (Hab 1:6).\u00a0They will ascend the mountain of the height of Israel intending to tear down the Temple and to uproot the doors, but will (instead) weep bitterly (?).<\/p>\n

Four kings shall arise over them: two of them will be princes and two of them chieftains.\u00a0 The first \u2026(?) and the king who rules after them (sic<\/em>!) will conduct himself humbly: his eyes will be attractive and his hair lovely, and he will die in peace, with no one in the world collecting tribute from him.\u00a0After him there shall arise a king accompanied by strife.\u00a0He will station armies by the Euphrates River, but all of them will fall in a single day.\u00a0He will flee, but will be captured, and all the time he is held captive there will be peace in the world.\u00a0 His brothers will rule over all lands.<\/p>\n

The fourth king who shall arise over them will be a lover of silver and gold.\u00a0He will be a dark man and tall, old and shriveled (?).\u00a0He will kill those whom they bring to him, and they will install him as king.\u00a0He will build boats of bronze and fill them (with) silver and gold, and store them beneath the waters of the Euphrates in order to reserve them for his sons.\u00a0But they are destined for Israel, as Scripture says: \u2018I will give you treasures (concealed in) darkness and secret hidden things\u2019 (Isa 45:3).\u00a0During his reign the western quadrant will rebel, and he will dispatch there many troops, but he (the leader of the rebellion) will kill the easterners.\u00a0Again he (the fourth king) will send out many troops, and they will come and slay the westerners, and take up residence in their land.<\/p>\n

And this will be the sign for you\u2014when you see that at the beginning of one week there is rain, and in the second (week) the loosing of the \u2018arrows of hunger,\u2019 and in the third a severe famine, and in the fourth no hunger but (also) no satisfaction, and in the fifth there is great satiety.\u00a0A star shall appear from the east with a rod on top of it\u2014this is the star of Israel, as Scripture says: \u2018a star shall step forth from Jacob etc.\u2019 (Num 24:17).\u00a0If it shines, it is for the benefit of Israel.\u00a0Then the Messiah of the lineage of David shall emerge.<\/p>\n

And this will be the sign for you\u2014when you see that the eastern\u00a0gyrwn<\/em>\u00a0in Damascus has fallen, the kingdom of those in the East has fallen.\u00a0Then deliverance will sprout for Israel.\u00a0 The Messiah of the lineage of David will come, and they (sic<\/em>!) will go up to Jerusalem and rejoice over her, as Scripture says: \u2018the lowly will take possession of the land and delight in an abundance of peace\u2019 (Ps 37:11).\u00a0May God in His mercy send to us the deliverer quickly in our era, amen!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Secrets\u00a0of R. \u0160im\u2018on ben Yohai\u00a0were first published in Salonika in 1743 within the same anthology of midrashic texts that contains\u00a0Sefer Elijah.\u00a0This version of the text was reprinted by\u00a0Adolph 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),\u00a03:78-82.\u00a0Jellinek\u2019s text was subsequently reproduced by […]<\/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-469","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3kl1F-7z","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469","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=469"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":966,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469\/revisions\/966"}],"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=469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}