R. Yehoshua b. Levi found [the prophet] Elijah standing by the entrance to R. Shimon b. Yochai's tomb. [R. Yehoshua] asked [Elijah]: “Have I a portion in the world-to-come?” [Elijah] said to him, “If this Master [God] desires it.” R. Yehoshua b. Levi said, “I saw two, but heard the voice of a third.” [R. Yehoshua] said to him, “When will the messiah come?” [Elijah] said to him, “Go and ask him.” “Where is he sitting?” “At the gates [of Rome].” “By what sign may I recognize him?” “He sits among the poor suffering illness, all of whom untie and retie [their bandages] all at once, but he unties and reties [each bandage] separately, thinking: Perhaps I will be wanted. I must not be delayed.” So [Rabbi Yehoshua b. Levi] went to [the messiah]. He said to him, “Peace upon you, my master and teacher.” [The messiah] said to [R. Yehoshua], “Peace upon you, Son of Levi.” He said to him, “When will the master come?” He said to him, “Today.” [Upon returning to Elijah,] Elijah said to [R. Yehoshua], “What did he say to you?” He said, “Peace upon you, Son of Levi.” [Elijah] said to [R. Yehoshua], “[By this,] he guaranteed you and your father a portion in the world-to-come.” [R. Yehoshua] said to [Elijah], “He lied to me, stating that he would come today, but he has not come.” [Elijah] said to him, “This is what he said to you: Today, if you will but heed his voice (Psalm 95:7).”
INTRODUCTION
Speculation about the messiah was rife among the Rabbis. The loss of the Second Temple, living under Roman oppression, and longing for the restoration of sovereignty over the Land of Israel inspired the Rabbis to examine God’s promises, particular Isaiah 53, which speaks of the suffering of the messiah and also portrays him as a valiant conquerer. This led, in time, to a bifurcation into two messiahs: the “Son of David,” the conquerer, and the “Son of Joseph” (or “Son of Ephraim,” the sufferer. The speculation went so far as to suggest that there might be two messianic comings, the Son of Joseph dying and the Son of David succeeding, also understood to represent two aspects of the messiah’s mission.
Isaiah 53:4 speaks of the messiah as bearing/suffering our sickness, and this comes to be associated with tzara’at, often erroneously translated “leprosy” (see TMT #130), giving rise to stories about the messiah afflicted with tzara’at. The story on Sanhedrin 98a, located amidst a long speculative conversation concerning when the messiah will come, does not specifically mention tzara’at but we know that lepers, in particular, were barred from entering Rome and sat outside the gates begging. We also know that they covered their sores with bandages, which needed to be changed periodically.
COMMENTARY
The story takes place in three distinct scenes: (1) a conversation between R. Yehoshuah b. Levi and Elijah at the tomb of R. Shimon b. Yochai; (2) a conversation between R. Yehoshua b. Levi and the messiah at the gates of Rome; (3) a second conversation between R. Yehoshua b. Levi and Elijah.
SCENE 1: In the first conversation, R. Yehoshua seeks assurance that he will have a portion (i.e., reward) in olam ha-ba, the world-to-come. R. Yehoshua hears a voice—not Elijah’s—that says this is up to God. From this he senses God’s immediately presence, so he probes further, asking when the messiah will come, that is, reveal himself. Shockingly, Elijah responds that the messiah is already here, sitting among the poor lepers outside the gates to Rome. If the messiah looks like every other leper, R. Yehoshua asks, how will I recognize him? Elijah describes a subtle difference: normally, lepers untie all the bandages covering all their sores, and then re-bandage them; in contrast, the messiah tends to each sore separately so that if he is summoned, he can respond by revealing himself at a moment’s notice.
SCENE 2: Armed with this insight, R. Yehoshua b. Levi has no difficulty identifying the messiah. He greets the messiah and asks when he will reveal himself. The messiah’s response is shocking: “Today.” It appears that R. Yehoshua is so startled he doesn’t ask anything further, even whether he will have a portion in olam ha-ba, which was his original mission.
SCENE 3: R. Yehoshua returns to Elijah and recounts his conversation with the messiah. Elijah assures him that the greeting, Shalom to you, means that both he and his father will have a share in olam ha-ba. R. Yehoshua, is appears, is far more focused on “Today,” which seems a patent lie. No, says Elijah, you have to know how to interpret the messiah’s “Today.” Since the messiah is the Son of David, we are to interpret it through David’s words in Psalm 95:7: The messiah is always present, always prepared to reveal himself, but Israel has an important initiatory role to play by being worthy, as expressed by “if you will but heed his voice.”
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AND DISCUSS
1. Some people understand the messiah to be an actually human (or super-human) redeemer, others as an ideal age we strive for. What is your understanding?
2. The echo of the leper-messiah is heard clearly in the story of the Baal Shem Tov recounted by Raphael Patai (below).. Can you imagine a 21st century version?
A story about the Baal Shem Tov (Besh”t): One erev shabbat, a student was driving the Besh”t through a small village when the horse stopped of its own accord at a hovel. The Besh”t entered the home where he found a family living in destitute poverty. The old man covered head to toe in sores, wounds, and boils—all the signs of tzara’at. The man’s joy at seeing the Besh”t was such as he had never known in his life. They talked for some time and parted having developed the fierce love of David and Jonathan. The Besh”t explained this enigmatic scene to his young driver: In every generation, the Messiah, clothed in a body, prepares to reveal himself if the generation is worthy. Since that generation was not worthy, the Messiah would depart at the close of shabbat. (Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts, p. 31)3. “If you will but heed his voice” seems to suggests that the messiah will come when all Jews obey God. Is there another way to understand the use of this line from the Psalm 95?
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