Sanhedrin 97b

וּבַעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁרַבּוּ, יָצְאוּ מֵהֶם מָה שֶׁיֵּצְאוּ.

That is the course that history was to take, but due to our many sins, the Messiah did not come after four thousand years passed, and furthermore, the years that elapsed since then, which were to have been the messianic era, have elapsed.

אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֵלִיָּהוּ לְרַב יְהוּדָה אֲחוּהּ דְּרַב סַלָּא חֲסִידָא: אֵין הָעוֹלָם פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁמוֹנִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה יוֹבְלוֹת, וּבַיּוֹבֵל הָאַחֲרוֹן בֶּן דָּוִד בָּא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: בִּתְחִילָּתוֹ אוֹ בְּסוֹפוֹ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ. כָּלֶה אוֹ אֵינוֹ כָּלֶה? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ. רַב אָשֵׁי אָמַר: הָכִי אֲמַר לֵיהּ: עַד הָכָא לָא תִּיסְתַּכֵּי לֵיהּ, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ אִיסְתַּכֵּי לֵיהּ.

Elijah the prophet said to Rav Yehuda, brother of Rav Sala Ḥasida: The world will exist no fewer than eighty-five Jubilee cycles, or 4,250 years. And during the final Jubilee, the son of David will come. Rav Yehuda said to Elijah: Will the Messiah come during the beginning of the Jubilee or during its end? Elijah said to Rav Yehuda: I do not know. Rav Yehuda asked: Will this last Jubilee cycle end before the Messiah comes or will it not yet end before his coming? Elijah said to him: I do not know. Rav Ashi says: This is what Elijah said to him: Until that time do not anticipate his coming; from this point forward anticipate his coming. Elijah did not inform Rav Yehuda of the date of the coming of the Messiah.

שְׁלַח לֵיהּ רַב חָנָן בַּר תַּחְלִיפָא לְרַב יוֹסֵף: מָצָאתִי אָדָם אֶחָד וּבְיָדוֹ מְגִילָּה אַחַת כְּתוּבָה אַשּׁוּרִית וּלְשׁוֹן קֹדֶשׁ. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: זוֹ מִנַּיִין לָךְ? אָמַר לִי: לַחֲיָילוֹת שֶׁל רוֹמִי נִשְׂכַּרְתִּי וּבֵין גִּינְזֵי רוֹמִי מְצָאתִיהָ. וְכָתוּב בָּהּ: לְאַחַר אַרְבַּעַת אֲלָפִים וּמָאתַיִם וְתִשְׁעִים וְאֶחָד שָׁנָה לִבְרִיאָתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, הָעוֹלָם יִתּוֹם. מֵהֶן מִלְחֲמוֹת תַּנִּינִים, מֵהֶן מִלְחָמוֹת גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג, וּשְׁאָר יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ. וְאֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְחַדֵּשׁ אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ אֶלָּא לְאַחַר שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים שָׁנָה. רַב אַחָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרָבָא אָמַר: לְאַחַר חֲמֵשֶׁת אֲלָפִים שָׁנָה אִיתְּמַר.

Rav Ḥanan bar Taḥlifa sent a message to Rav Yosef: I found one man, and in his hand there was one scroll written in Ashurit script and in the sacred tongue, Hebrew. I said to him: From where did this scroll come into your possession? He said to me: I was hired to serve in the Roman army and I found the scroll among the Roman archives. It was clear that the scroll was written by Jews, not Romans. And it is written in the scroll: After 4,291 years have elapsed from the creation of the world, the world will end; during those years there will be the wars of the sea monsters between the leviathan and the animals, and among those years there will be the wars of Gog and Magog and the remaining years of the messianic period. Then the world will be destroyed. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, will renew His world only after the passage of seven thousand years. Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, says that it was stated: After the passage of five thousand years.

תַּנְיָא: רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר, מִקְרָא זֶה נוֹקֵב וְיוֹרֵד עַד תְּהוֹם: ״כִּי עוֹד חֲזוֹן לַמּוֹעֵד וְיָפֵחַ לַקֵּץ וְלֹא יְכַזֵּב אִם יִתְמַהְמָהּ חַכֵּה לוֹ כִּי בֹא יָבֹא לֹא יְאַחֵר״.

§ It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Natan says: This verse penetrates and descends until the depths; just as the depths are unfathomable, so too, the period depicted in the following verse is unquantifiable. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; and it declares of the end, and does not lie; though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3).

לֹא כְּרַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהָיוּ דּוֹרְשִׁין: ״עַד עִדָּן עִדָּנִין וּפְלַג עִדָּן״.

The Messiah will come not in accordance with the opinion of our Rabbis, who would interpret the verse: “For a period and periods and a half period” (Daniel 7:25), to mean that the duration of the ultimate exile will be three and a half times the duration of the period of the exile in Egypt.

וְלָא כְּרַבִּי שִׂמְלַאי, שֶׁהָיָה דּוֹרֵשׁ: ״הֶאֱכַלְתָּם לֶחֶם דִּמְעָה וַתַּשְׁקֵמוֹ בִּדְמָעוֹת שְׁלִישׁ״.

And the Messiah will come not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Simlai, who would interpret the verse: “You have fed them with the bread of tears and have given them tears to drink in great measure [ shalish ]” (Psalms 80:6), to mean that the duration of the ultimate exile will be three times the duration of the period of the exile in Egypt.

וְלָא כְּרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, שֶׁהָיָה דּוֹרֵשׁ: ״עוֹד אַחַת מְעַט הִיא וַאֲנִי מַרְעִישׁ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ״.

And the Messiah will come not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Akiva, who would interpret the verse: “Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth” (Haggai 2:6), to mean that the redemption would transpire soon after the destruction of the Temple.

אֶלָּא מַלְכוּת רִאשׁוֹנָה – שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, מַלְכוּת שְׁנִיָּה – חֲמִשִּׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם, וּמַלְכוּת בֶּן כּוֹזֵיבָא – שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים וּמֶחֱצָה.

Rather, the first, great, Hasmonean monarchy ruled seventy years. The second kingdom, of Herod and his descendants, ruled fifty-two years, and the duration of the monarchy of bar Koziva, or bar Kokheva, was two and a half years. The duration of the exile that follows is unknown.

מַאי ״וְיָפֵחַ לַקֵּץ וְלֹא יְכַזֵּב״? אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן: תִּיפַּח עַצְמָן שֶׁל מְחַשְּׁבֵי קִיצִּין, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ (אֶת) הַקֵּץ וְלֹא בָּא – שׁוּב אֵינוֹ בָּא. אֶלָּא חַכֵּה לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אִם יִתְמַהְמָהּ חַכֵּה לוֹ״. שֶׁמָּא תֹּאמַר: אָנוּ מְחַכִּין וְהוּא אֵינוֹ מְחַכֶּה? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וְלָכֵן יְחַכֶּה ה׳ לַחֲנַנְכֶם וְלָכֵן יָרוּם לְרַחֶמְכֶם״.

The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the phrase “And it declares [ veyafe’aḥ ] of the end, and does not lie”? Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: May those who calculate the end of days be cursed [ tippaḥ ], as they would say once the end of days that they calculated arrived and the Messiah did not come, that he will no longer come at all. Rather, the proper behavior is to continue to wait for his coming, as it is stated: “Though it tarry, wait for it.” Lest you say we are expectantly awaiting the end of days and the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not awaiting the end of days and does not want to redeem His people, the verse states: “And therefore will the Lord wait, to be gracious to you; and therefore will He be exalted, to have mercy upon you; for the Lord is a God of judgment; happy are all they who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).

וְכִי מֵאַחַר שֶׁאָנוּ מְחַכִּים, וְהוּא מְחַכֶּה, מִי מְעַכֵּב? מִדַּת הַדִּין מְעַכֶּבֶת. וְכִי מֵאַחַר שֶׁמִּדַּת הַדִּין מְעַכֶּבֶת, אָנוּ לָמָּה מְחַכִּין? לְקַבֵּל שָׂכָר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אַשְׁרֵי כׇּל חוֹכֵי לוֹ״.

And seemingly, since we are awaiting the end of days and the Holy One, Blessed be He, is also awaiting the end of days, who is preventing the coming of the Messiah? It is the divine attribute of judgment that prevents his coming, as it is written: “For the Lord is a God of judgment,” and we are not worthy. And since the attribute of judgment prevents the coming of the Messiah and we are not worthy of redemption, why do we await his coming daily? We do so in order to receive a reward for awaiting his coming, as it is stated: “Happy are all they who wait for Him.”

אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: לָא פָּחֵית עָלְמָא מִתְּלָתִין וְשִׁיתָּא צַדִּיקֵי דִּמְקַבְּלִי אַפֵּי שְׁכִינָה בְּכֹל דָּרָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״אַשְׁרֵי כׇּל חוֹכֵי לוֹ״ – ״לוֹ״ בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא תְּלָתִין וְשִׁיתָּא הָווּ. אִינִי? וְהָאָמַר רָבָא: דָּרָא דְּקַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא תַּמְנֵי סְרֵי אַלְפֵי פַּרְסָה הָוֵאי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״סָבִיב שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר אָלֶף״! לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָא דְּמִסְתַּכְּלִי בְּאִיסְפַּקְלַרְיָא הַמְּאִירָה, הָא דְּמִסְתַּכְּלִי בְּאִיסְפַּקְלַרְיָא שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְאִירָה.

Apropos that verse, Abaye said: The world has no fewer than thirty-six righteous people in each generation who greet the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “Happy are all they who wait for Him [ lo ]” (Isaiah 30:18). The numerical value of lo , spelled lamed vav , is thirty-six. The Gemara asks: Is that so? But doesn’t Rava say: The row of the righteous before the Holy One, Blessed be He, extends eighteen thousand parasangs, as it is stated with regard to the city of God at the end of days: “It shall be eighteen thousand reeds round about, and the name of the city from that day shall be: The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35)? The Gemara answers: It is not difficult; this statement of Abaye refers to the thirty-six righteous people who view the Divine Presence through a luminous crystal [ be’ispaklarya ], and that statement of Rava refers to the multitudes who view the Divine Presence through a crystal that is not luminous.

וּמִי נְפִישִׁי כּוּלֵּי הַאי? וְהָאָמַר חִזְקִיָּה אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי: רָאִיתִי בְּנֵי עֲלִיָּיה וְהֵן מוּעָטִין. אִם אֶלֶף הֵם – אֲנִי וּבְנִי מֵהֶם, אִם מֵאָה הֵם – אֲנִי וּבְנִי מֵהֶם, אִם שְׁנַיִם הֵם – אֲנִי וּבְנִי הֵם.

The Gemara asks: And are those who view the Divine Presence through a crystal that is luminous so numerous? But doesn’t Ḥizkiyya say that Rabbi Yirmeya says in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: I have seen members of the group of the spiritually prominent, who are truly righteous, and they are few. If they number one thousand, I and my son are among them. If they number one hundred, I and my son are among them; and if they number two, I and my son are they. Apparently, it is conceivable that there are no more than two who view the Divine Presence through a luminous crystal.

לָא קַשְׁיָא, הָא דְּעָיְילִי בְּבַר, הָא דְּעָיְילִי בְּלָא בַּר.

The Gemara answers: It is not difficult. This statement of Abaye is referring to those who may enter to view the Divine Presence only by requesting and being granted permission [ bar ] from the angels. That statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai is referring to the select few who may enter to view the Divine Presence even without requesting permission, for whom the gates of Heaven are open at all times.

אָמַר רַב: כָּלוּ כׇּל הַקִּיצִּין, וְאֵין הַדָּבָר תָּלוּי אֶלָּא בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים. וּשְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר: דַּיּוֹ לָאָבֵל שֶׁיַּעֲמוֹד בְּאֶבְלוֹ. כְּתַנָּאֵי: רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין תְּשׁוּבָה – נִגְאָלִין, וְאִם לָאו – אֵין נִגְאָלִין. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: אִם אֵין עוֹשִׂין תְּשׁוּבָה אֵין נִגְאָלִין? אֶלָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַעֲמִיד לָהֶן מֶלֶךְ שֶׁגְּזֵרוֹתָיו קָשׁוֹת כְּהָמָן, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין תְּשׁוּבָה וּמַחְזִירָן לְמוּטָב.

§ Rav says: All the ends of days that were calculated passed, and the matter depends only upon repentance and good deeds. When the Jewish people repent, they will be redeemed. And Shmuel says: It is sufficient for the mourner to endure in his mourning to bring about the coming of the Messiah. Even without repentance, they will be worthy of redemption due to the suffering they endured during the exile. The Gemara notes: This dispute is parallel to a dispute between tanna’im : Rabbi Eliezer says: If the Jewish people repent they are redeemed, and if not they are not redeemed. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: If they do not repent, will they not be redeemed at all? Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will establish a king for them whose decrees are as harsh as those issued by Haman, and the Jewish people will have no choice but to repent, and this will restore them to the right path.

תַּנְיָא אִידַּךְ: רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין תְּשׁוּבָה – נִגְאָלִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שׁוּבוּ בָּנִים שׁוֹבָבִים אֶרְפָּא מְשׁוּבֹתֵיכֶם״. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר: ״חִנָּם נִמְכַּרְתֶּם וְלֹא בְכֶסֶף תִּגָּאֵלוּ״? ״חִנָּם נִמְכַּרְתֶּם״ – בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, ״וְלֹא בְּכֶסֶף תִּגָּאֵלוּ״ – לֹא בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים.

It is taught in another baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: If the Jewish people repent they are redeemed, as it is stated: “Return, wayward children, I will heal your iniquities” (Jeremiah 3:22). Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: But isn’t it already stated: “So says the Lord: You were sold for naught, and without money you shall be redeemed” (Isaiah 52:3)? Rabbi Yehoshua explains: “You were sold for naught” means you were sold for idol worship, which is a sin with no basis. “And without money you shall be redeemed” means you will be redeemed not through repentance and good deeds, but through the will of God.

אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר לְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר ״שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי וְאָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם״? אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר ״כִּי אָנֹכִי בָּעַלְתִּי בָכֶם וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אֶחָד מֵעִיר וּשְׁנַיִם מִמִּשְׁפָּחָה וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם צִיּוֹן״?

Rabbi Eliezer said to Rabbi Yehoshua: But isn’t it already stated: “Return to me and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7)? Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: But isn’t it already stated: “For I have taken you to Myself; and I will take you one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion” (Jeremiah 3:14), unconditionally?

אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר: וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר ״בְּשׁוּבָה וָנַחַת תִּוָּשֵׁעוּן״? אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר: וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר ״כֹּה אָמַר ה׳ גֹּאֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל קְדוֹשׁוֹ לִבְזֹה נֶפֶשׁ לִמְתָעֵב גּוֹי לְעֶבֶד מֹשְׁלִים

Rabbi Eliezer said to him: But isn’t it already stated: “In ease [ beshuva ] and rest shall you be saved” (Isaiah 30:15), indicating that redemption is dependent upon repentance [ teshuva ]? Rabbi Yehoshua said to Rabbi Eliezer: But isn’t it already stated: “So says the Lord, Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him who is despised of man, to him who is abhorred of the nation, to a servant of rulers: