The Gemara says that in the times of Moshiach there will be “a Caesar (emperor) and a half-Caesar (viceroy).” Why would Moshiach need a viceroy?
Dear Reader sh’yichyeh:
THE SOURCE
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b) relates, “Rav Yehudah said in Rav’s name: The Holy One, blessed be He, will raise up another Dovid for us, as it is written, But they shall serve the L-rd their G-d, and Dovid their king, whom I will raise up unto them: not ‘I raised up,’ but ‘I will raise up’ is said. R. Papa said to Abayei: But it is written, And my servant Dovid shall be their prince [nasi] forever – for example, a Caesar (emperor) and a half-Caesar (viceroy).”
DUAL ROLES
Why would Moshiach need a viceroy?
The Rebbe (Likkutei Sichos Vol. 35 Parshas VaYigash) gives a fascinating explanation: When the Gemara says that in the times of Moshiach there will be “a Caesar (emperor) and a half-Caesar (viceroy),” it is not referring to two separate people. Instead, it is referring to two distinct responsibilities of Melech HaMoshiach.
Firstly, he is the king of Klal Yisroel. The job description of a king is (Rambam Hilchos Melachim 4:10): “In all matters, his deeds shall be for the sake of Heaven. His purpose and intent shall be to elevate the true faith and fill the world with justice, destroying the power of the wicked and waging the wars of God. For the entire purpose of appointing a king is to execute justice and wage wars, as Shmuel I 8:20 states: ‘Our king shall judge us, go out before us, and wage our wars.’”
Moshiach is the ultimate king. He is a person like the Rambam describes (Ibid 11:4): “If a king will arise from the House of Dovid who diligently contemplates the Torah and observes its mitzvos as prescribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law as Dovid his ancestor did, will compel all of Israel to walk in (the way of the Torah), and rectify the breaches in its observance, and fight the wars of God, we may, with assurance, consider him Moshiach. If he succeeds in the above, builds the Temple in its place, and gathers the dispersed of Israel, he is definitely the Moshiach.”
Secondly, he will be a teacher to all of Klal Yisroel. It is as the Rambam describes (Hilchos T’shuva 9:2): “In that era, knowledge, wisdom, and truth will become abundant. Isaiah [11:9] states, ‘The earth will be full of the knowledge of G-d.’ Jeremiah [31:33] states: ‘One man will no longer teach his brother or a man his colleague… [for all will know Me].’ And Ezekiel [36:26] states: ‘I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.’”
“[These changes will come about] because the king who will arise from Dovid’s descendants will be a greater master of knowledge than Shlomo and a great prophet, close to the level of Moses our teacher. Therefore, he will teach the entire nation and instruct them in the path of God.
“All the gentile nations will come to hear him as [Isaiah 2:2] states: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of God’s house shall be established at the peak of the mountains… [and all the nations shall flow to it].’”
Moshiach’s main novelty will be in his job as king. As the Rambam writes at the end of his magnum opus, the Yad HaChazaka, during the era of Moshiach “there will be neither famine nor war, envy or competition, for good will flow in abundance and all the delights will be freely available as dust. The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know God.
“Therefore, the Jews will be great sages and know the hidden matters, grasping the knowledge of their Creator according to the full extent of human potential, as Isaiah 11:9 states: ‘The world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the ocean bed.’”
Regarding the first job he is called a king (Caesar). Regarding his job as the teacher of Klal Yisroel he is called a viceroy. The reason is that one cannot add to Torah; one can only reveal things that were previously hidden.
WHY USE A NON-JEWISH TITLE?
There is another obvious question: Why are we calling Melech HaMoshiach with the title Caesar, who was a non-Jewish emperor?
Tosafos (Avoda Zara 10b) explains the source of the name Caesar. It explains that the emperor’s mother did not give birth to him in a natural manner but rather through a procedure known today as a Caesarean.
What does this have to do with Moshiach? We explained earlier that the kingship of Moshiach will be novel. It will not follow the natural course of the kings who preceded him. Under his rule, the entire world – including the non-Jews – will be serving Hashem, hence the non-Jewish title Caesar.
THE CONNECTION TO PESACH AND YUD-ALEF NISSAN
The following are some of my own thoughts:
This theme is connected to the holiday of Pesach. The main protagonist in the story of Pesach is Moshe Rabbeinu. We find something fascinating about Moshe: He did not get a formal Jewish education! He was raised – and probably received his doctorate – in the palace of Pharaoh! Is this your stereotypical Jewish leader?
The same question can be asked about the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach – whose 110th birthday is this week on Yud-Alef Nissan: How can we believe that Melech HaMoshiach will be someone who did not learn formally in any Yeshiva, yet took courses at the Sorbonne?
There are a few points that must be explained:
1) There is a common historical background that we find concerning the first and final redeemer. They both grew up at a time when a madman (Pharaoh/Hitler YM”SH) wanted to destroy Klal Yisroel. There was a spiritual war to destroy and kill the redeemer of Klal Yisroel. The best place to hide them was in “the house of Pharaoh” i.e. the Sorbonne University.
It is also written that “Just as Moshe was brought up in the house of Pharaoh among the enemies of his people, so too will Moshiach dwell in the city of Rome, among the destroyers of his land.” (Shmos Rabba, Chap. 1)
2) While Moshiach is both a leader and a teacher – and the Rebbe definitely has both those qualities – his main novelty is that he is a Caesar, one who will cause world-perfection. To elevate the world, it must be elevated “from the bottom up.” It needs to be elevated by someone “of the world,” hence the “degrees” that Moshe and the Rebbe received.
Thus we see that the Rebbe re-instituted the Seven Noachide Laws campaign. He often quotes the Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 8:10): “By the same regard, Moshe was commanded by the Almighty to compel all the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments given to Noach’s descendants.”
The Rebbe has given over to us the obligation to bring Moshiach. Let’s all do our part to make it a reality now!
Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a well sought after speaker and lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on Inyanei Geula u’Moshiach can be accessed at http://ylcrecording.weebly.com/moshiach-what-we-believe.html. Weekly shiurim on Moshiach topics given by Rabbi Avtzon can be viewed at chabad.info.