Tales and Maxims from the Midrash. Samuel Rapaport

of Messiah, existed prior to the creation only in an incomplete form.--Gen. Rabba 1.

      From the time of creation constant reference is made in Holy Writ to Messiah and the Messianic hope of Israel. 'The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters'; the Spirit of God means Messiah.--Gen. Rabba 2; also Levit. Rabba 14.

      When Eve at the birth of Seth exclaimed, 'God hath appointed me another seed.' her underlying thought was the King Messiah.--Gen. Rabba 23.

      He who knows how long the Israelites worshipped idols can learn therefrom when the Son of David--Messiah--will come. Three different prophets tell us this: (1) 'Like as you have forsaken Me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours' (Jer. 5. 19); (2) 'And I will visit her the days of Baalim,' etc., (Hos. 2. 13); (3) 'Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord hath sent in his spirit by the prophets. Therefore it is come to pass that as he cried and they would not hear, so they cried and I would not hear, saith the Lord' (Zech. 7. 12, 13).--Lament. Rabba 1.

      The great mountain spoken of by the prophet Zechariah (4. 7) is no other than Messiah, Son of David, and he is called 'the Great Mountain,' because he towers above the Patriarchs, is greater than Moses, and is above the ministering angels. As Isaiah says (52. 10), 'Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.'--Midr. Tanchuma Toldos.

      The word הדרך (Hadrach), used by the prophet Zechariah (9. 1), is one of the titles of Messiah. It is connected with the word דרך (leading), and is therefore applied to him who will lead man to repentance.--Midr. Song of Songs 7.

      The 'four carpenters' to whom the prophet also refers, are Elijah, Melchizedek, the Messiah of war, called by some Messiah son of Joseph, and the true Messiah. These Messiahs are referred to in the 32nd chapter of Isaiah, and their existence is constantly mentioned. Seven or eight Messiahs are sometimes said to be promised in the words of the Prophet Micah (5. 5), 'Then shall we raise against him seven shepherds and eight principal men,' but it is held that there will be but four (Zech. 1. 20), and these are they: Elijah the Tishbite, an unnamed man of the tribe of Manasseh, Messiah of war--an Ephraimite, and Messiah the Great, the descendant of David.--Midr. Song of Songs 2.

      Two of King David's descendants were destined for universal dominion: King Solomon and King Messiah, to whom David refers in his seventy-second Psalm.--Numb. Rabba U

      The whole of the 27th chapter of Isaiah refers to the Messiah.--Exod. Rabba 1.

      Solomon's Song has also reference to Messiah. 'The voice of the turtle is heard in our land' means the voice of Messiah.--Midr. Song of Songs 2.

      When King Solomon speaks of his 'beloved,' he usually means Israel the nation. In one instance he compares his beloved to a roe, and therein he refers to a feature which marks alike Moses and the Messiah, the two redeemers of Israel. just as a roe comes within the range of man's vision only to disappear from sight and then appear again, so it is with these redeemers. Moses appeared to the Israelites, then disappeared, and eventually appeared once more, and the same peculiarity we have in connexion with Messiah; He will appear, disappear, and appear again.--Numb. Rabba 11.

      The fourteenth verse in the second chapter of Ruth is thus explained. 'Come thou hither' is the prediction of Messiah's kingdom. 'Dip the morsel in the vinegar,' foretells the agony through which Messiah will pass, as it is written in Isaiah (cap. 51), 'He was wounded for our sins, He was bruised for our transgressions.' 'And she set herself beside the reapers' predicts the temporary departure of Messiah's kingdom. 'And he reached her a parched corn' means the restoration of His kingdom.--Midr. Ruth 5.

      To three individuals God said, 'Ask, and it shall be given to thee.' These are Solomon, Ahaz, and Messiah, to the last of whom it was promised, 'Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathens for Thine inheritance.'--Gen. Rabba 44.

      In a similar strain we read, Israel is to overcome ten of the heathen nations of the world; seven of them have already been conquered; the remaining three will fall at the advent of Messiah.--Gen. Rabba 44. But, despite all this, Messiah will not come till all those who are to be created have made their appearance in the world.--Gen. Rabba 24.

      In tracing the descent and history of the Israelites, the Bible enumerates the generations of the heads of the families of the earth whose history touched that of the chosen people. 'These are the generations of the heavens and the earth' is the first instance of the use of the word תולדות in such a connexion. If regard be had to the Hebrew text of the verse, it will be found that here the word referred to is written in full, i.e. spelt תולדות, with the additional ו, whilst in all other places where the word occurs the word is always spelt with one ו, thus, תלדות. This, it will be found, is the invariable usage until we come to, 'Now these are the generations of Perez' (Ruth 4. 18). Here we once again find the word תולדות spelt in full. These are the only two instances in the whole of the Bible. The first refers to the time before the sin and fall of Adam, which brought death into the world, and, inconsequence, all succeeding תלדות, 'generations,' were deprived of some of the possibilities of life, and this is indicated by the omission of the ו. But the enumeration of the descendants of Perez, bringing appreciably nearer the promised abolition of death through the agency of his descendant, the Messiah, is hailed as the occasion to celebrate the restoration to perfect man of what he had lost through the imperfection of the first of his kind, and hence the word תולדות is here spelt in full.--Exod. Rabba 30.

      A similar deduction is made with reference to the spelling of the word עתודים 'he-goats.' Each of the princes of Israel brought as a sacrifice at the dedication of the tabernacle five he-goats. This word is spelt without the ו, thus, עתדים in all the numerous repetitions of the details of the offerings, which are identically the same in all instances. There is but one exception, and that is (Numb. 7. 17) in the account of the offerings brought by Nachshon, son of Aminadab, because from him were to spring six (the numerical value of ו) of the great men of Israel, who were each to be distinguished by six special attributes. The Messiah and his ancestor David are among the six, and Isaiah thus enumerates the six distinguishing traits in the character of the descendant of Jesse, whose coming he foretells. 'And there shall rest upon him (1) the Spirit of the Lord, (2) the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, (3) the Spirit of counsel, (4) and might, (5) the Spirit of knowledge, and (6) the Spirit of the Lord.'--Numb. Rabba 13.

      Abraham, Job, Hezekiah, and Messiah found God out for themselves without being previously instructed.--Numb. Rabba 14.

      The great gifts of God, of which Adam was deprived by reason of his sin and fall--light being one of them--will all be restored through Messiah, who will appear from the North and rebuild the Temple in the South.--Numb. Rabba 13.

      The prophecy of Isaiah concerning Jerusalem, 'Behold, thy sons shall come from afar and thy daughters shall be nursed by thy side,' could not be hailed with the same satisfaction as the words of Zechariah, 'Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just and having salvation, lonely and riding upon an ass.' This latter prophecy will bring it about that the daughter of Zion shall greatly rejoice in the Lord, her soul shall be joyful in her God.--Midr. Song of Songs 1.

      So greatly shall Zion rejoice and so glorious will be the restoration of the Temple service in the days of Messiah, that three additional strings will be required besides the seven that were formerly upon the harps used by the Levites. In this way only will it be possible for the whole people to give expression to the depths of reverence for their God that shall then stir their hearts.--Numb. Rabba 15. and Tanchuma Behaloscho.

      It was indeed pre-ordained that Jerusalem should be lost to the Israelites, but only until the coming of him concerning whom it was said, 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.'--Gen. Rabba 56.

      And so the destruction of Jerusalem is to be locked upon as an event bringing joy in its train rather than as an irreparable loss or sorrow, for through it the coming of the Messiah and consequent expiation of Israel's sin were rendered possible. For, just as all sacrifices were formerly brought to Jerusalem, so in future shall messengers come with offerings to Messiah, and all kings shall prostrate themselves before him.--Midr. Esther 1.

      As you