The word Messiah generally is associated with son of David but the rabbi’s in theTalmud have a teaching about Messiah son of Joseph alongside Messiah son of David.
Where did the rabbi’s get this idea from?
Where does the Bible say anything about asecond Messiah another Messiah besides the son of David prophesied by Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah?
The answered we can find at the book of Obadiah.The book of Obadiah actually is only one chapter in it and in that book we read how the house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Jacob will be the house of Joseph will be a flame the house of Esau the house of Asaph will be straw and the house of ASAPH the house of Esau will be devour will be consumed. The book finishes off with the words in Hebrew illumine Shyam Behar Sein lish bite asharissa translation. A savior’s in the plural Saviour’s will arise and go up to judge the mountain of Esau of a sub and the kingdom will come to G-d.
The judgment of the house of ASAPH, thejudgment of Esau
is a concept that both Ezekiel and Isaiahassociated with the messianic age Ezekiel chapter 35 and Isaiah chapter 34 describe how the house of Esau will be destroyed.
The house of Edom will be destroyed and there will be another name for a sub Esau and the kingdom will come to G-d after that so we see clearly in the book of Obadiah that there are a plurality of saviors not just one Savior but two saviors.
The house of Joseph is explicitly mentioned as part and parcel of G-d’s plan for the destruction of Esau of Asaph so here’s were the Bible’s the most explicit about a savior from the so Joseph we see clearly how the tribe of Joseph is going to be associated and involved in the ushering in of the messianicage there is an additional reference to theMessiah son of Joseph and the Talmud makes this connection in Zechariah chapter 12 verse 10.
We read about a war that’s taking place abattle that’s taking
place in the messianic age in the end times and the house of David is mentioned the house of David is mentioned as mourning together with the rest of Israel mourning for one who was pierced one who was killed through stabbing and it describes a great mourning and a great cry and lament that will take place at that point in time and what follows is a messianic age and the rabbi’s associated this with the death of Messiah son of Joseph.
The rabbi’s understood that this tells us thispassage is at
hand of Zachariah.
The Zachariah tells us Messiah son of Joseph will die in this battle against the forces of evil. The forces of a sub and he’ll be mourned by David and by the house of David and by the people of Israel.
Where the rabbi’s get this idea from and how did they know who is being pierced in thisprophecy in Zachariah. Zachariah in fact is in the the Bible doesn’t tell us much about Messiah son of David. The most important word that the Bible tells us about Messiah son of David is in the name David.
The Messiah himself is called by the name David several times throughout thescriptures in Hosea. We can see in the
yearning for our King David.
Now if we noticed David at first wasn’t a king he was the son- in-law of the King, theson-in-law of Saul but he wasn’t a king. When did they would become a king after his father-in-law after Saul died? What was the first thing that David did as a king once his father-in-law thought?
What was the first thing he did the first thingthat David did was to mourn.
The second book of Samuel opens with David morning for one who was pierced onewho was stabbed. What happened to be his father-in-law happened to be so the rabbi’s understood that that the Messiah will parallel his ancestor David just like David before he actually takes the kingdom and act as king in an active way.
The first thing he does is appreciate and mourns the sacrifices and the investment ofthe leaders that came before him that laid the groundwork for his his kingdom and just like David is ancestor before him mourned for Saul the king that was there before him that fought with the enemies of Israel that fought with the enemies of God died in battle so too will the Messiah mourn for the king that precedes him for Messiah.
The son of Joseph who’ll fight and die inbattle as described
by the prophets. Malachi 3:1-6
My 38th great grandfather Rav Saadia Gaon (882-942 CE) says We have a tradition fromour forefathers that this is the Messiah son of Joseph. He will appear first [before the Messiah son of David] in the Land of Israel. He will ingather Israel from all over the world, as it says,
Ezekiel 39:28-29
The Commentary of Rabbi Abraham IbenEzra (1089-1167) also says that the ‘MESSENGER’ is the Messiah son of Joseph.
The Messiah son of Joseph according to the Malbim (1809-1879), and my 10thgreat granduncle”Pri Tsadik”
(Rabbi Zadok ha-Kohen Rabinowitz, 1823 –1900),
and others will be the future head of the LostTen Tribes when they return to re-unite with Judah.
Talmud: Said Rabbi Hama Bar Hanina:When G-d decides to let it be known who belongs to which Tribe, he clarifies firstly who belongs to the Tribe of Levi, as it says, “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi… (Malachi 3:3); [Talmud, Kiddushin 70;a].
Maimonides: In the days of the Messianic King: When his kingdom shall be settled and all of Israel gather unto him, he shall then give the Tribal genealogy of each one. He shall do this through Divine inspiration. As it says, HE SHALL SIT AS A REFINER AND PURIFIER (Malachi 3:3). He will purify the Tribe of Levi first as it says, “till there bestood up a priest with Urim and with Thumim” (Ezra 2:63). He gives the genealogy of Israel only concerning which tribe each one belongs to.. [Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, The Laws of Kings, ch. 12, no.3].
There are several types of Messiahs inJudaism:
• High Priests.
• Kings.
• A Davidic Monarch anointed by aProphet.
• A non-Davidic Monarch anointed by aProphet from Menashe or Ephraim.
• A Gentile Monarch anointed by a Prophet.
• Levites. (the original levites)
• Objects/Animals dedicated for Templeuse (this term is used as a verb)
• The very technical term refers tosomeone anointed with oil for any office.
Rabbinical Sources:
The CHATAM (CHASAM) SOFER (1732-1839):
The Chatam Sofer [Yalkut Teshuvot Part 6; s.
98 “Veda”] explains that Moshiach ben David and Moshiach ben Yosef each pertain to the two Kingdoms: The Kingdom of the House of David and the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes. In the end they will become one Tree [Ezekiel 37]. The truth is that the expression Kingdom [“Malcut” i.e Royalty] pertains to the Messiah son of David. On the other hand, Rulership belongs to the Messiah son of Joseph… the Torah testifies that Joseph was the Ruler over all the Land. The Messiah son of Joseph will reign by force. So too, Joshua from the Tribe of Ephraim conquered the Land of Canaan [by force]. Joseph is called the Righteous One [Tsadik] for he conquers his evil urges while David is called a Master of Kindness [Chasid]. #
Quoted by Chaim David Moshe HALPERIN.
CHATAM (CHASAM) SOFER: MosesSchreiber (1762-1839),
one of the leading Orthodox Rabbis ofEuropean Jewry in the 1800s. Sofer established a yeshiva in Pozsony (Pressburg in German; today Bratislava, Slovakia), the Pressburg Yeshiva, which became the mostinfluential yeshiva in Central Europe, producing hundreds of future leaders of Hungarian Jewry.
This yeshiva continued to function until World War-2, afterward, it was relocated toJerusalem, under the leadership of RabbiAkiva Sofer (the Daas Sofer) great-grandson of the Chasam Sofer. The Chasam Sofer was an authority who is quoted many times in Orthodox Jewish scholarship. His descendants included the “Katav Sofer” and others who have been quoted in Brit-Am works at some time or other. The Chatam Sofer gave his support to Rabbi Shimshon (Samson) Raphael Hirsch in Germany which he was mine 8th great
grandfather.
The MALBIM (1809-1879) on Mashiach benYosef:
Our Sacred Sages had a tradition that in the beginning [of the End Times] there would arise a Messiah [i.e. Anointed Savior] from the House of Joseph who will reign over the Ten Tribes. He will wage wars and all of Israel will be gathered together under his banner. [This will continue] until later on, a descendant of David will appear and he will reign over them…
. # A transformation will take place. The Ten Tribes and the stick of Joseph will draw themselves closer unto the stick of Judah, and this too, will be through the agency of a Prophet and by miracles.#
Commentary to Ezekiel 37:15.
MALBIM, Meir Leibush benYehiel Michel Wisser (1809-1879).
The Malbim was born in Volhynia, West Ukraine. He had a considerable knowledge ofsecular sciences and history. In 1859, Malbim became chief rabbi of Bucharest, Romania. Malbim wrote a commentary on all books of the Bible.
Building on methods initiated by Rabbi Yaakov MECKLENBERG, Malbim formulated 613 grammatical principles found in the Bible to justify Rabbinic Halacha exegesis. He speaks often of the 10Lost Tribes. The Malbim says that in the End times the Ten Tribes will be led by the Messiah son of Joseph whereas the Jews of Judah will headed by the Messiah son of David. The “PRI Tzadik” says the same.
PRI TZADIK, Rabbi Zadok ha-KohenRabinowitz of Lublin
(1823-1900) was a significant Jewish thinker and Hasidic leader. He was born into a Lithuanian Rabbinic family and then became a follower of the Hasidic Rebbe, Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica, and ofYehudah Leib Eiger. He was the author of “Pri Tzadik,” “Machshavot Charutz”
(“Thoughts of the Industrious”), and other works. Like the Malbim, the Pri Tsadik says that in the End Times the Ten Tribes will beled by the Messiah son of Joseph whereasthe Jews of Judah will headed by the Messiah son of David.
Pri Tsadik, Balak D:
The number 12 is parallel to the 12 Tribes. Each Tribe has its own particular transgression that if it transgresses will result in it being sent out of the Camp of Israel on a temporary basis…. in the future when a Great Shofar will be blown those who were exiled to the Land of Assyria even if they were totally assimilated among the Non-Israelite Peoples and transgressed all major transgressions … Despite this the Great Shofar will cause their hearts to be aroused to return and repent… Isaiah 27:13 It will come about also on that day that a great SHOFAR will be blown, and those who were LOST in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the Holy Mountain in Jerusalem.
EISEMANN (in his Commentary onYechezkiel p.579), quotes from a Midrashic source (Pirkei Heichalos 39:1) that due to the Messiah son of Joseph, “all of Israel will be identified by their correct families.”
For related quotations from other Rabbis(S.R. Hirsch, “Shem Me-Shmuel,” “Sfat Emet”)