Ramchal’s Messiahs

I will be quoting from the Secrets of the Redemption, Ma'amar HaGeulah by 18^th century AD Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal), and translated by Rabbi Mordechai Nissim, published by Feldheim Publishers in 2004. All emphasis will be mine.

The Ramchal in Discourse III, Chapter 19, explains:¹² 

Regarding the (two) Mashiachs, it states, “And the scholars (maskilim) will shine like the radiance of the heavens” (Daniel 12:3). These are the two Mashiachs, according to the sod of netzach and of hod. “And the teachers of righteousness will be like the stars” (ibid.). These are the rest of the ministering forces who will arise to guide Yisrael under the Mashiachs. They will be like the stars that receive their light from the sun. (Pp. xxix-xxx)

“I have yet to explain to you why it is called pekidah. Through these two processes, the Mashiach ben Yosef and the Mashiach ben David have the capability to receive the power to implement the future redemption. When this Tzaddik arrives, after he has connected with the Shechinah, then the blockage, which had occurred because of the exile, will be opened up, as I have mentioned, and there will be no concealment anymore.”

The Ramchal introduces here the concept of the two Mashiachs, the Mashiach ben Yosef and the Mashiach ben David. During the period of the Mashiach ben Yosef, referred to as the Tzaddik, the internal concealment is removed and Yisrael becomes aware of Hashem. This can be seen in the ba‘al teshuvah movement and a mass thirst for spirituality that we are witnessing around us today. This is at the end of the first of the four states of decline, the period of concealment. (Pp. 33-34)

“Now I will inform you of another great sod—what Hashem, may He be blessed, wanted to do in order to bring about the tikun to Yisrael—to remove from them all hatred and jealousy. The prophet already promised this, ‘And the jealousy of Efrayim will disappear and the enemies of Yehudah will be cut off; Efrayim will not be jealous [of Yehudah and Yehudah will not cause anguish to Efrayim]’ (Yeshayahu 11:13).

“Understand —the two tribes were [associated] with Yehudah and the ten with Efrayim. In the future, these two will be drawn together by the Mashiach ben Efrayim, and they will be bound to him. They will sing this song and the spiritual elevation will begin. The other ten will be drawn together by the Mashiach ben David. Consequently, these (of the former) will be bound by this one (the latter), and those (of the latter) will be bound by this one (the former), and then it will be said, ‘And they will be as one in your hand’ (Yechezkel 37:17). However, the purpose of the elevation will not be [actualized] now, but rather afterwards.”³⁶

Efrayim leads the Ten Lost Tribes that were exiled by Sancheirev, the king of Assyria, and Yehudah leads the two other tribes that make up the present Jews. The Ten Lost Tribes have been the subject of research for hundreds of years by many historians and ancient travelers. Efrayim was Yosef’s younger son and represents a further development of the Mashiach ben Yosef. This passage in Yechezkel explains how in the future Yisrael will be united in peace, through the combining of Efrayim and Yehudah, as symbolized by inscribing their names onto one single piece of wood. (Pp. 116-117)

“I will explain to you a certain sod which is completely sealed, and it concerns what is written, ‘Who is this who comes from Edom...’ (Yeshayahu 63:1). This is the Tzaddik and he is the Mashiach ben Yosef.

“Be aware, after the Shechinah rests in its place, the Mashiach ben Yosef will return and his core-root will become strengthened. Then he will go to Batzra³⁷and there he will tread on the winepress to extract that which is befitting. We have already explained this sod thoroughly in another place, concerning the verse, ‘And one from Ya’akov will rule’ (Bamidbar 24:19) —one must delve into it. The Shechinah will supervise the avenging of its enemies from where it is—understand this well.” (Pp. 118-119)  

“Be aware that this ‘sword’ refers to the Mashiach ben Yosef and his supernal roots, regarding which it states, “Who is this that comes from Edom’ (ibid. 63:1),¹⁴ as I have explained above.” (P. 168)

The Alliance of Esav and Yishmael

The Yalkut Shimoni (Lech Lecha 14:16) describes the dangers of the union between Esav and Yishmael. When Hashem made the covenant with Avraham (the bris bein ha’besarim) (Bereishis 15:9), He asked him to bring three calves, three goats, three rams, a turtle dove, and a dove. The calf is representative of Edom (Esav), the goat of ancient Greece, the ram of Persia, and the dove of Yishmael. The word dove ... is Aramaic for ox. When the calf (Esav) and the ox (Yishmael) unite, the Yalkut says, they will be released to plunder all the valleys, and this will happen when Esav and Yishmael make an alliance.

The Rambam (lgeres Teiman) quoting the prophets Daniyel and Yeshayahu says the following, “His coming (the Mashiach) will take place when Edom and the Arab world will be mighty, and when their rule will spread around the world... There is no question about this point... and as (Yeshayahu 21:7) explains, ‘and he saw a chariot with a pair of horsemen, a chariot with a donkey...’ — the pair of horsemen represent the alliance of two nations, that of Edom and Yishmael.”

The Targum Yonasan (Bamidbar 24:24) says that great caches of weapons will depart from Italy (Rome, i.e., the West) with a large army, and will join up with a legion in Constantine (Yishmael). They will attack the people of Ashur and subjugate all the descendants of Eiver Ha‘nahar (the Jews), but eventually they will fall into the hands of Mashiach and perish. (Pp. 177-178)

“In truth, they will attempt to ascend, as I have said. However, through the powerful force of din, they will capitulate and fall down. First it says, “Let the Heavens thunder against them’ (Shemuel 1 2:10), which is referring to this matter, as it states, “He Who sits in heaven will laugh’ (Tehillim 2:4). Consequently, “Let the Heavens thunder against them’ refers to the defeat of... from above. ‘Hashem will judge the ends of the earth’ (Shemuel I 2:10) is (a reference to the victory) below.

“And then, ‘[He] will give strength to His king’ (ibid.), this is the Mashiach ben Yosef.” ‘(He] will give strength’ —he will not weaken under Armilos Ha’rasha. ‘And will raise the horn of His Mashiach (ibid.) —this is the Mashiach ben David, when the tikun will be complete.”

“In truth the two Mashiachs are allegorically referred to as ‘two horns’... However, the Mashiach ben David is the foremost ruler, therefore it states, ‘and will raise the horn of His Mashiach,²⁶ since his horn stands above the horn of the Mashiach ben Yosef. This is the sod of “Who will lead? The son of Yishai will lead.”

The Ramchal here is referring to the account of the wicked king Yeruvum ben Nevat, who rebelled against Hashem. He cut off the Ten Tribes of Yisrael from the rest of the kingdom. Hashem invited him to return from his evil ways, saying, “Return, and | and you and the son of Yishai will walk together in Gan Eden.” Yeruvum then asked, “Who will lead?” Hashem then responded that [David] the son of Yishai will lead, even though initially Yeruvum was mentioned first.²⁷ (Pp. 182-183)

“With regard to that time it says, “Before destruction there is arrogance’ (Mishlei 16:18). This is the arrogance of ... to rebel against his Master. And then it says, ‘does he pursue the poor.’ In this word (‘poor’), David included both the Shechinah and the two Mashiachs, since they are all referred to as such. It says regarding the Shechinah²⁰—‘But I am poor and destitute’ (Tehillim 40:18, 70:6), Mashiach ben David—‘Destitute and riding on a donkey’ (Zecharyah 9:9), Mashiach ben Yosef—‘A poor wise man’ (Koheles 9:15). [Thus] ... chases all of those who are referred to by this title [i.e., those who are poor]. (P. 228)

“Now I will tell you a certain sod concerning the sodos of the Mashiach; see it as an extensive introduction. It is as follows: It states, ‘Let your father and mother rejoice, and [let] the one who bore, exult’ (Mishlei 23:25).

“In fact, there seems to be a repetition here in the verse. After it states ‘your mother, why repeat ‘and [let] the one who bore, exult’?

“You need to realize that the Mashiach is [on the level of] the yechidah, as you have heard on previous occasions.⁴⁷ From the time of the destruction of the Beis Ha’mikdash, referring to him it says, ‘Or, that he shudders over our sins, broken by our transgressions’⁴⁸ (Yeshayahu 53:5).

“He does not leave the Shechinah, except for those certain times when they have tasks for him to perform above. For the rest of the time, he sits together with it (the Shechinah) always at the entrance to Rome, among those who suffer from illnesses.”⁴⁹

“I will explain here a very important sod. Regarding the Shechinah, it says, ‘A God-fearing woman—she should be praised’⁵⁰ (Mishlei 31:30), since it is ‘a woman of valor’ and is [like] a ‘wall’ to the king, according to the sod: ‘I am [like] a wall’ (Shir Ha’shirim 8:10). It accepted upon itself the atonement of the sins of Yisrael and the cleansing of their blemishes, since they created blemishes above, as well. In order to prevent the kippah from destroying the world, [the Shechinah] agreed to carry it all alone and to atone for its children. This is the praise and admiration [given to it] and the love [for it] that will never be extinguished. Similarly, the Mashiach takes upon himself the suffering of Yisrael; otherwise they would not be able to survive.⁵¹ Therefore, the Shechinah and the Mashiach both stand together, inseparable from one another, as you have heard.”

“At the time when the Mashiach is revealed, speedily in our days, he will return [above].... While he is there, some of the spiritual luminaries will be aroused to provide him and the Shechinah, as well, for his sake, with great crowns.” In truth, these spiritual luminaries are first given to the King, as well, and He will give them to the Shechinah and then [referring to this] it says, “Your father and mother will rejoice.’ By the time the Mashiach departs from there to enter the place of his destination, the elevation of the Shechinah will increase more so and more so, as it says concerning it, ‘I have this day begotten you’ (Tehillim 2:7). For there are other crowns that he must receive, apart from the former, and they are much more exalted than the former...”

“With these crowns that are renewed for the Mashiach, he will emerge into the world to do his work. Through them he will be strengthened and Yisrael will be strengthened with him to reign over the Sitra Achra and to rule through their source, to rejoice in the tranquility that follows in his footsteps.”

The Ramchal is describing the spiritual process from above that will empower the Mashiach with what he will need in order to bring the tikun to this world; he will carry with him all the forces of malchus Shamayim.

The Chessed Le’Avraham (3:22) comments, “Know that we have a tradition that has been handed down, that on the same day that the Melech Ha'Mashiach comes to Eretz Yisrael with a gathering of the exile, there will be only seven thousand Jews living there. On that same day, the Resurrection of the Dead will take place. The walls of Yerushalayim will fall away and they will be rebuilt with precious stones and gems, and only then will the Resurrection of the Dead take place and all of those souls will be revived as new spiritual beings. (Pp. 273-276)

“What still remains for me to explain is a certain sod, and this is a fundamental principle. It is implicit in the verse, ‘And he said to me, “You are my servant” (Yeshayahu 49:3). It would seem that he should have been called ‘son. It is known that this verse is speaking about the Mashiach, and it already says in another place, ‘Hashem has said to me, “You are My son” (Tehillim 2:7). (P. 277)

“Regarding the (two) Mashiachs, it states, ‘And the scholars (maskilim)⁶⁷ will shine like the radiance of the heavens’ (Daniel 12:3). These are the two Mashiachs, according to the sod of netzach and of hod. ‘And the teachers of righteousness will be like the stars’ (ibid.). These are the rest of the ministering forces who will arise to guide Yisrael under the Mashiachs. They will be like the stars that receive their light from the sun.

“It is known that the Shechinah itself will surround the Mashiachs and encompass them. This sod is explained in the verse, ‘And for His elders [it will be] honor’ (Yeshayahu 24:23). These are the elders who have acquired wisdom according to the sod, ‘And the Eternal Spirit will rest upon him’⁶⁸ (Yeshayahu 11:2). This is the light of the hidden wisdom.”⁶⁹

“At all other times, the Shechinah was encloaked within the Sages of the generation, and from there it illuminated to Yisrael. Even concerning Moshe it was like this, except that because of the intensity of the light, it broke forth and emerged. However, with regard to the Mashiachs it says, ‘And Your Teacher will no longer hide Himself within the corner of His garment’ (Yeshayahu 30:20).”⁷⁰

“The Shechinah, apart from dwelling within them, will also surround them, and Yisrael will openly benefit from its splendor.”

“In truth, even Moshe will possess this advantage, together with the Mashiachs, and even more so. This has already been explained in another place according to the sod, ‘No [other] prophet ever again rose among Yisrael like Moshe’ (Devarim 34:10).

“Consequently, Yisrael will now find great pleasure within the radiance of the Shechinah,⁷¹ and as such, the land shall be filled with knowledge of Hashem.”⁷² (Pp. 281-283)

Further Reading

The Rabbis’ Divine Messiah

Ben Asher, Gen. 22 & the Angel

Rabbis, Isa. 59:20 & the Divine Messiah

The 2 Messiahs of the Zohar