The Arrival Of 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). Concerning whom does David speak this verse? He spoke it concerning 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 delight in Your light in the time to come. What is "in Your light we see light"? What is that light 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, foresaw the Messiah and his deeds before the world was created, and He hid him for His Messiah and for his generation beneath the throne of His glory. The Adversary said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, this 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 shame you 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 once 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 were agitated. They said before Him: Master of the universe, who is this one into 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. 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, look at 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" (Isaiah 60:1). 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). At that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, makes the light of the King Messiah and of Israel shine forth, and all the nations of the world are in darkness and gloom, and they all walk toward the light of the Messiah and of Israel, as it is said: "And nations shall walk by your light, and kings by the brightness of your dawn" (Isaiah 60:3).