Is the Moshiach Merely Mortal?
Recent Judaism has held the opinion that the Moshiach is to be a man like any other man – exceptionally righteous and holy, yes – but still merely flesh and blood. The Tenach depicts a far more exalted portrait of the Moshiach, however, as it says in Yeshayohu ha-novi [prophet] perek
ט
posek
ה
:
כִּי־יֶלֶד יֻלַּד־לָנוּ בֵּן נִתַּן־לָנוּ וַתְּהִי הַמִּשְׂרָה עַל־שִׁכְמוֹ וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ קאל גִּבּוֹר אֲבִי־עַד שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty G-d, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
Midrash Rabbah supports that this passage refers to the Moshiach: (Devarim) 1.20, Mid. Rab. Bemidbar 2.10-11 (Mah.). In Perek Shalom p. 101, we find “R. Yose the Galilean said, “Great is Peace, for in the hour in which Melech ha-Moshiach is revealed to Yisroel, he begins with peace… The name of the Moshiach is Peace (Yeshayohu
ט, ה
). Also in Mid. Rab. Lam. 1.51 we find, “What is the name of Melech ha-Moshiach? R. Abba bar Kahana said, “Hashem is his name” for it is written, “I will raise unto David a righteous shoot… In his days Judah shall be saved… And this is the name whereby he shall be called “Ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu is our Righteousness” (Yimeyohu
כג, ה-ו
).
In Zecharyo perek
יג
posek
ז
, Hashem refers to the Moshiach as his “equal!”
חֶרֶב עוּרִי עַל־רֹעִי וְעַל־גֶּבֶר עֲמִיתִי נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת הַךְ אֶת־הָֽרֹעֶה וּתְפוּצֶין ָ הַצֹּאן וַֽהֲשִֽׁבֹתִי יָדִי עַל־הַצֹּֽעֲרִֽים:
“Awake, oh sword, against my shepherd, and against the man who is my fellow [equal], smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered.”
Both Abarbanel and the Radak confirm that this shepherd who is ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu’s equal is the Moshiach.
We also see clearly, upon close examination of the Hebrew grammatical construction in Zecharyo perek
יב
posek
יב
, that ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu and the Moshiach are actually one and the same.
וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל־בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל ׀ יוֹשֵׁב יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ וְסָֽפְדוּ עָלָיו כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל־הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַֽל־הַבְּכֽוֹר:
“And they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one who mourns for his only son.”
It is undisputed that “ME” here refers to Hashem. The Talmud (Sukkah 52a) verifies that the one “pierced” is none other than the Moshiach.
In Tehillim perek
ב
posek
ז
, the Moshiach is called ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu’s son
אֲסַפְּרָה אֶל חֹק ה' אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ:
“I will declare the decree: ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu has said unto me, You are my SON, this day I have begotten you.”
The Talmud (Sukkah 52a) verifies that this “SON” is Moshiach ben Dovid.
“In `Yannah Shel Toras Hachassidus” (On the Essence of Chassidus) by R. Menachem M. Schneerson, the former Lubavitcher Rebbe, we find the following observations on the nature of the Moshiach (page 23, English edition):
“The essential idea of Moshiach is – (Yechida). As it is known, Dovid possessed the level of (Nefesh), Eliyohu of (Ruach), Moishe of (Neshama), Adam of (Chaya) and the Moshiach will possess the level of Yechida. These five names are the five levels of the soul. Nefesh (vitality) is the lowest frame and life-force of the body, the natural soul and simple life of man. Ruach (spirit) is the spiritual faculty vivifying man’s emotional attributes. Neshama (soul) is the divine force vivifying the intellect. Chaya (living) is an even more refined G-dly level. Yechida is the divine spark itself enclothed in the most refined spark of the soul, “United and one with G-d.” It represents total bittul (self-nullification)…..Yechida in this sense is expressed in Mesiras Nefesh (literal self-sacrifice) martyrdom…”
For additional study on this topic, you can examine Tehillim perek
מה
psukim
ז-ח
, where the Moshiach is called ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu and Yeshayohu perek
ז
posek
יד
where the Moshiach is referred to Immanuel, [G-d with us].
If the Moshiach is the same as Hashem or the Son of Hashem according to the Tenach and even some other sources from our chachomim [sages] of blessed memory, it is clear, therefore, that there is nothing “un-Jewish” about believing that Yeshua the Moshiach could be the Son of Hashem. Very few people have claimed to be the Son of Hashem, and only Yeshua has ever proved this claim to be true with his many miracles. In fact, we are absolutely obligated to believe in him and to follow him if these claims are true.
