Satan And The Messiah

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. [For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but upon you the LORD will shine, and His glory will be seen upon you]" (Isaiah 60:1-2). This is what was said by the Holy Spirit through David, king of Israel: "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light" (Psalms 36:10). Regarding whom does David speak this verse? He spoke it regarding none other than the Assembly of Israel. They said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, on account of the Torah that You gave me, which is called the fountain of life, I am destined to take delight in Your light in the time to come. What is "in Your light we see light"? What light is it that the Assembly of Israel awaits? This is the light of the Messiah, as it is said: "And God saw the light, that it was good" (Genesis 1:4). This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, gazed upon the Messiah and his deeds before the world was created, and hid him for His Messiah for his generation beneath the throne of His glory. The Satan said before the Holy One, blessed be He: [Master of the Universe, the light that is hidden beneath the throne of Your glory - for whom is it? He said to him: For the one who is destined to turn you back and to put you to shame with disgrace of face. He said to Him:] Master of the Universe, show him to me. He said to him: Come and see him. And when he saw him, he was shaken and fell upon his face, and said: Surely this is the Messiah who is destined to cast me and all the princes of the nations of the world into Gehinnom, as it is said: "He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces" (Isaiah 25:8). [At that hour the nations grew agitated.] They said before Him: Master of the Universe, who is this in whose hand we are to fall? What is his name? What is his nature? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: He is the Messiah, and his name is Ephraim, My righteous Messiah, who raises up his stature and the stature of his generation, and gives light to the eyes of Israel, and saves his people, and no nation or tongue is able to stand before him, as it is said: "The enemy shall not exact upon him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him" (Psalms 89:23). And all his enemies and foes flee, as it is said: "And I will beat down his foes before him" (Psalms 89:24). And even rivers cease in the sea, as it is said: "And I will set his hand on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers" (Psalms 89:26). The Holy One, blessed be He, began to make a condition with him and said: These who are hidden away with you - their sins are destined to put you under an iron yoke and make you like this calf whose eyes have grown dim, and they will choke your spirit under the yoke, and on account of the sins of these your tongue is destined to cleave to your palate. Is this your will? The Messiah said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Perhaps that suffering will be for many years? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: By your life and the life of My head, it is one week that I have decreed upon you. If your soul is grieved, I will banish them from now. He said before Him: Master of the worlds, with the gladness of my soul and the joy of my heart I take it upon myself, on condition that not one of Israel shall perish. Our Rabbis taught: At the hour when the King Messiah is revealed, he comes and stands upon the roof of the Temple, and he proclaims to Israel and says to them: Humble ones, the time of your redemption has arrived; and if you do not believe, see my light that has shone upon you, as it is said: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." And upon you alone has it shone, and not upon the nations of the world, as it is said: "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but upon you the LORD will shine, and His glory will be seen upon you" (Isaiah 60:2).