Chapters on the Messiah

Ships will embark for Edom from Eretz Israel, and Israel will announce: “Who is for us, and who is for Edom?” For scripture states: Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me unto Edom? (Psalms 60:11). Israel will go and encamp against “Tyre” for forty days, and at the end of forty days they will stand up at the time for the recitation of the Shema and say: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God; the Lord is One! (Deuteronomy 6:4).” Then the walls of the city will collapse, and the city will be conquered by them. They will leave within it all the gold, silver, and the rest who are despoiling it and [proceed] from there to Rome. They will procure the Temple vessels, and King Nehemiah the Messiah will come out with them, and they will come to Jerusalem.

Israel will say to the ruler of the Arabs: “The Temple is ours! Take [this] silver and gold and leave the Temple!” The ruler of the Arabs will respond: “You have nothing to do with this sanctuary! However, if you choose, first [offer] for yourselves a sacrifice as you formerly used to do. We too will bring an offering, and [in accordance with] whoever’s offering is accepted, we will all become one people!” Israel will present offerings, but they will not be accepted because Satan will be denouncing [them] before the Holy One, blessed be He. Then the sons of Qedar [i.e., the Muslims] will present offerings and they will be accepted, for scripture says: every flock of Qedar will be collected for you (Isaiah 60:7). At that time the Arabs will say to Israel: “Come and believe in our religion!” But Israel will answer them: “Either we kill or wind up slain: we will never commit apostasy!” Immediately swords will be drawn, bows stretched, and arrows sprayed, and corpses will be strewn from the Gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate (2 Kings 14:13). [ . . . ]

To what is this situation comparable? To that of a ruler who allowed thieves to enter his palace. The ruler thought: “If I arrest them while they are still in my house, they will think: ‘The ruler only has power within his house!’ Instead, I will be patient and wait for them to come outside.” Thus did the Holy One, blessed be He, reason: “If I kill them while they are still in Jerusalem, they will think ‘He only has power in Jerusalem!’ Instead, I will be patient and wait for them to come out to the Mount of Olives!” There the Holy One, blessed be He, will reveal Himself over them in His glory and wage war against them until not a single one of them remains, as scripture states: and the Lord will go forth and wage war against those nations as at the time He fought on the day of battle (Zechariah 14:3). Then the Holy One, blessed be He, will assemble all the wild animals and birds to feast on their flesh, as scripture says: Say to every winged bird and every wild animal: Collect yourselves together and come; gather yourselves from all sides for My festival victim, for I have slaughtered for you a great meal upon the mountains of Israel, and you will eat flesh and drink blood (Ezekiel 39:17). Israel will spend seven years burning the wooden components of their bows, shields, and spears [see Ezekiel 39:9]. [ . . . ]

The future Jerusalem that is built will have castles spread over an area a thousand times larger than Tefef, towers covering an area a thousand times larger than Qefel, gardens occupying an area a thousand times larger than Tefef, a thousand magnificent mansions, and each and every one [will be like those] in Sepphoris during her time of prosperity.¹ [ . . . ] There are going to be three thousand towers in the midst of Jerusalem, and each tower will have a height of seven thousand [measures]. She [Jerusalem] will sit on the peaks of three mountains: upon Sinai, Tabor, and Carmel. [ . . . ] How will they be able to go up to it? They will soar and fly like clouds and doves, as scripture states: Who are these who fly like a cloud; like doves [returning] to their cotes (Isaiah 60:8). The Temple will expand unto Damascus, for scripture says: Burden of the word of the Lord: in the land of Hadrakh and Damascus will be His resting place (Zechariah 9:1). Seven walls will encompass Jerusalem which will be composed of silver, gold, jewels, bright stones, sapphire, carbuncle, and fire; and its brilliance will cast light from one end of the world to the other. The Temple will be built on four mountains [from] refined gold, purified gold, beaten gold, and the gold of Parvaim,² like gold that produces fruit, set in sapphire [and] fixed in [bdellium]. It will extend high into the heavens and reach up among the stars and to the spheres of the circuit of the Divine Chariot, as scripture says: above the highest elevations of the city (Proverbs 9:3). [ . . . ]

At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will arrange tables, slaughter Behemoth, Leviathan, and the wild Ziz, and prepare a great banquet for the righteous. Each one of them will be seated [at the table] in accordance with their honor. The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to them: “Do you wish to drink wine made from apples, pomegranates, or grapes?” The righteous will respond: “The authority is Yours to do whatever You decide!” The Holy One, blessed be He, will bring them wine made from grapes that has been reserved since the six days of the initial creation-week, as scripture states: I will serve you spiced wine (Song of Songs 8:2).