There is a tradition from the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov that the extraordinary length of the present severe galus has already made up for the troubles of that possible future battle and the trauma of the death of Moshiach ben Yosef. Therefore, these will certainly not take place.
Dear Reader sh’yichyeh,
A BRIEF BACKGROUND
In the blessings of Yaakov Avinu to the tribe of Yehuda, he stated (B’Reishis 49:10): “The scepter will not leave the tribe of Yehuda.” With this blessing, Yaakov conveyed Hashem’s promise that the kingship and royalty will eternally stay with the tribe of Yehuda. The fulfillment of this blessing began with the anointment of Dovid HaMelech. It continued in the lifetime of Shlomo HaMelech. But during the kingship of Shlomo HaMelech’s son, Rechavam, there was a rebellion, and ten of the Shevatim created their own kingdom. The first king of that breakaway leadership was Yerovam Ben Nevat from Shevet Yosef. Thus, the royalty of the Ten Tribes is named after the tribe of Yosef. These ten tribes were later exiled and taken away to distant lands and have not been identified since.
In the times of Moshiach, the Ten Tribes will be returned to the Jewish nation, and all the Jewish people will once again be under the dominion of Melech HaMoshiach, who is from the tribe of Yehuda. Yet, even regarding the era of Moshiach, our Sages speak of a Moshiach from the tribe of Yosef.
The Gemara says (Sukka 52b): “‘And the L-rd showed me four craftsmen’ (Zecharia 2:3). Who are these four craftsmen? R’ Chunuh ben Bizna, citing R’ Shimon Chasida, replied: Moshiach the son of David, Moshiach the son of Yosef, Eliyahu, and the Righteous Priest.”
The principal and final function ascribed to Moshiach ben Yosef is of political and military nature. He shall wage war against the forces of evil that oppress B’nei Yisroel. More specifically, he will do battle against Edom, the descendants of Eisav. Edom is the comprehensive designation of the enemies of the Jews, and it will be crushed through the progeny of Yosef. Thus it was prophesied: “The House of Yaakov will be a fire and the House of Yosef a flame, and the House of Eisav for stubble (Obadiah 1:18).” The Midrash explains this to mean that “the progeny of Eisav shall be delivered only into the hands of the progeny of Yosef.”
A TIMELY MESSAGE
Yosef had two sons, Menasheh and Ephraim. Moshiach Ben Yosef will be from the family of Ephraim. In the spirit of the holiday of Purim that we just celebrated, the holiday that commemorates the defeat of Amalek, I will share with you a nice explanation of the Ramban connected to this subject.
Regarding the original fight with Amalek, the Torah tells us (B’Shalach 17:8-11): “Amalek came and fought with Yisroel in Refidim. So Moshe said to Yehoshua, ‘Pick men for us, and go out and fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of G-d in my hand.’ Yehoshua did as Moshe had told him, to fight against Amalek; and Moshe, Aaron, and Chur ascended to the top of the hill.”
The obvious question is: Why did Moshe send Yehoshua and not lead the fight himself?
The Ramban answers: Yehoshua was from Shevet Ephraim. This war was the prelude to the war of Moshiach Ben Yosef from the tribe of Ephraim.
Yet, according to our Sages, Moshiach Ben Yosef will die in battle. The Navi Zecharia says (12:10), “And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. And they shall look to Me because of those who have been thrust through [with swords], and they shall mourn over it as one mourns over an only son and shall be in bitterness, therefore, as one is embittered over a firstborn son.”
On this Pasuk, the Gemara (Sukka 52a) asks: “What is the cause of the mourning [mentioned in the last cited verse]? R’ Dosa and the Rabbis differ on this point. One explained that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Yosef, and the other explained that the cause is the slaying of the Evil Inclination.
“Our Rabbis taught: The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to Moshiach the son of David (may he reveal himself speedily in our days!), ‘Ask of me anything, and I will give it to you,’ as it is said, ‘I will tell of the decree etc. this day have I given birth to you, ask of Me and I will give the nations for your inheritance.’ But when he will see that Moshiach the son of Yosef is slain, he will say to Him, ‘L-rd of the Universe, I ask of You only the gift of life.
“‘As to life,’ He would answer him, ‘Your father David has already prophesied this concerning you’, as it is said, ‘He asked You for life, You gave it him, [even length of days for ever and ever].’”
MOSHIACH BEN YOSEF IN HALACHA
The obvious question is: Is Moshiach ben Yosef an essential Halachic part of the Moshiach process?
R’ Saadia Gaon (one of the few to elaborate on the role of Moshiach ben Yosef) notes that this sequence is not definite but contingent! Moshiach ben Yosef will not have to appear before Moshiach ben David does nor will the activities prophetically attributed to him or his death have to occur. Everything depends on the spiritual condition of the Jewish people at the time the redemption is to take place.
The Rambam (the Halachic authority on Moshiach) does not bring down the concept of Moshiach Ben Yosef in his Mishneh Torah. This would strongly suggest that the prophecies regarding Moshiach ben Yosef will not necessarily unfold in a practical manner.
Thirdly, there is a tradition from the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov (quoted in the Shem Mishmuel) that the extraordinary length of the present severe galus has already made up for the troubles of that possible future battle and the trauma of the death of Moshiach ben Yosef. Therefore, these will certainly not take place.
“THE HOUSE OF YOSEF IN OUR GENERATION”
I will conclude this article with the words of the Rebbe (VaYishlach 5752): “The uniqueness of our generation is alluded to in the Haftarah of Parshas VaYishlach: ‘And the house of Yaakov will be a fire and the house of Yosef a flame and the house of Eisav straw… and the inhabitants of the South will inherit the mountain of Eisav… and the exiled… until Tzarfas … will inherit the cities of the South. And the saviors will ascend Har Tziyon [Mount Zion] to judge Har Eisav [the mountain of Eisav].’
“The ‘House of Yosef’ of our generation (my sainted father-in-law, the leader of our generation whose first name was Yosef) distinguishes itself in comparison to former generations, even that of the Alter Rebbe (‘The House of Yaakov’). The innovation of our Yosef is that through him the wellsprings spread to the farthest ends of the world, beyond which there is nothing further, such as the country of Tzarfas (France).
“In the times of the Alter Rebbe (and also in the times of our Rebbeim and leaders that followed) the revelation of the wellsprings of Toras HaChassidus was not so well established in France due to its lowly state (to such an extent that the Alter Rebbe feared it might be victorious). Precisely in our generation, through ‘the House of Yosef,’ the wellsprings were revealed and spread even in France, through the establishment there of the Yeshiva Tomchei T’mimim, just as in the city of Lubavitch. Therefore, we have actually reached the time of ‘they will inherit the cities of the South’ and ‘the saviors will ascend to Har Tziyon to judge Har Eisav.’”
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.