REDEMPTION

THE MESSIAH

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 237b -

SHALL BOW DOWN BEFORE THEE . They only, but not other peoples, who will only bow down at the time of the Messiah. But here the expression only indicates Israel, all of whom would bow down to the Exilarch in Babylon, but not other peoples. JUDAH lS A LlON'S WHELP : first he will be a whelp, and then a lion, corresponding to the transition from “lad” [tr.note: i.e. Metatron.] to “man”, as it is written: “The Lord is a man of war” (Ex. xv, 3). FROM THE PREY, MY SON, THOU ART GONE UP The word “prey” includes the angel of death, who preys upon mankind. From that prey the Shekinah shook itself free. It “stooped down” in the captivity of Babylon, it “couched” in the captivity of Edom, “as a lion” which is strong and as a “lioness” which is stronger. So Israel are strong, because though the Gentiles entice and oppress them, they adhere to their laws and their customs like a lion and a lioness. So, too, the Shekinah, which, although it is fallen, remains strong like a lion and a lioness. For just as these crouch only to spring upon their prey, which they smell from afar, so the Shekinah only crouches to take vengeance on idolaters and to spring upon them. WHO SHALL ROUSE HIM UP . He will not rise to take any petty vengeance. The word “who” (Mi) here indicates the supernal world, which has dominion over all; it is similarly used in the verse “From the womb of whom (Mi) came the ice” (Job XXXVIII, 29), as we have explained. THE SCEPTRE SHALL NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH,.......

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First a "lad" then a "man of war", unto Kingship. A lion's whelp then a lion; from death's prey to strike vengeance. Giving Thanks for the bread, a plenty; fruit of the vine hath no hold.

"To dwell in the house of The Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of The Lord and to enquire in His temple."

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PROTOEVANGELIUM

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

The curse on mankind because of Adam’s sin and God’s provision for a Savior from sin who would take the curse upon Himself.

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

-1 Corinthians 15:45

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THE SHEKINAH

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 9a -

On that day the whole earth will be shaken from one end to the other, and thus the whole world will know that the Messiah has revealed himself in the land of Galilee. And all who are diligent in the study of the Torah-and there shall be few such in the world-will gather round him. His army will gain in strength through the merit of little infants at school, symbolized by the word ephroah-"young bird" (cf. Deut. XXII, 6). And if such will not be found at that time it will be through the merit of the sucklings, "the eggs" (Ibid), "those that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts" (Isa. XXII, 9), for whose sake the Shekinah dwells in the midst of Israel in exile, as indeed there will be few sages at that time. This is the implication of the words "And the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs", which, allegorically interpreted, means that it does not depend upon the Mother to free them from exile, but upon the Supreme King; for it is the young ones and the sucklings that will give strength to the Messiah, and then the Supernal Mother, which "sits upon them", will be stirred up towards Her Spouse. He will tarry for twelve months longer, and then he will appear and raise her from the dust: "I will raise up on that day the tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos IX, II). On that day the Messiah will begin to gather the captives from one end of the world to the other: "If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee" (Deut. xxx, 4). From that day on the Holy One will perform for Israel all the signs and wonders which He performed for them in Egypt: "As in the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I show unto him wonders" (Micah Vll, I5).’

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Taken from the Zohar describing the kingdom coming, few in number were the faithful; 'suckling' indicating reborn or anew.

Note: The Supernal Mother and the Matrona being the Shekina.

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THE SOUL OF MESSIAH

“The soul of Mashiach preceded the world. It is the root of the souls of Israel, and the entire Creation, for “The entire universe was only created to attend him” (Berakhot 6b) and “The Tzaddik is the foundation of the world” (Proverbs 10:25). 2. The Holy One, blessed-be-He, took counsel with this soul in the creation of His Universe, as it is written: “With whom did He take counsel, who gave Him understanding and guided Him in the way of judgment?” (Isaiah 40:14). He gave God a guarantee that he will repair the Universe.”

R’ Yitzhak Breiter, The Seven Pillars of Faith, 7th Pillar: The Tzaddik,

“…the main guarantor is the soul of Mashiach, which is the collective soul of all tzaddikim throughout the generations. Mashiach will complete all rectifications (tikkunim) and fix all the damage that was incurred throughout history. This is why Mashiach suffers on behalf of all Israel—because he serves as guarantor for them all."

(ibid.) (L”H, Arev 4:3) Breslov Teachings About Mashiach, Breslov

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."

- Isaiah 53:5

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