Talmud Bavli, Sukkah Reader

Mishnah: At first the lulav was taken in the Temple for seven days, and in the rest of the country one day. After the Temple was destroyed, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai instituted that the lulav should be taken throughout the country for seven days, as a remembrance of the Temple. And he instituted that the entire day of the waving should be forbidden. Gemara: From where do we derive that we make a remembrance of the Temple? Rabbi Yohanan said: As the verse states: "For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says the LORD; because they called you an outcast, saying, This is Zion, there is none that seeks her" (Jeremiah 30:17). "There is none that seeks her" implies that she requires seeking. "And that the entire day of the waving should be forbidden." What is the reason? It is a concern that the Temple will speedily be rebuilt, and people will say: Last year, did we not eat the new grain as soon as the eastern horizon grew light? Now too let us eat. And they would not know that last year, when there was no Temple, the lighting of the eastern horizon permitted the new grain, whereas now that there is a Temple, the omer offering is what permits it.

This eulogy, what is its nature? Rabbi Dosa and the Rabbis disagree about it. One said: it is over the Messiah son of Joseph, who was slain. And one said: it is over the evil inclination, which was slain. Granted, according to the one who said it is over the Messiah son of Joseph, who was slain, this is as it is written: "And they shall look unto me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son" (Zechariah 12:10). Our Rabbis taught: To the Messiah son of David, who is destined to be revealed speedily in our days, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Ask of me anything and I will give it to you, as it is said: "I will tell of the decree... You are my son; this day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance" (Psalms 2:7-8). And when he saw that the Messiah son of Joseph was slain, he says before Him: Master of the Universe! I ask of you nothing but life. He says to him: Life? Even before you spoke, David your father already prophesied concerning you, as it is said: "He asked life of you; you gave it to him" (Psalms 21:5).

Our Rabbis taught: The Messiah son of David, who is destined to be revealed speedily in our days, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: Ask of Me something and I will give it to you, as it is said: "I will tell of the decree... You are My son, this day I have begotten you. Ask of Me, and I will give the nations as your inheritance" (Psalms 2:7-8). And once he saw that the Messiah son of Joseph had been killed, he says before Him: Master of the Universe! I ask of You nothing but life. He says to him: Life, even before you asked, your father David already prophesied concerning you, as it is said: "He asked life of You, You gave it to him" (Psalms 21:5).

He too once saw a skull floating upon the surface of the water. He said to it: Because you drowned others, they drowned you; and in the end those who drowned you will themselves be drowned. Rabbi Yohanan said: A man's feet are his guarantors; to the place where he is summoned, there they carry him. There were those two Cushites who used to stand before Solomon: Elihoreph and Ahiyah, the sons of Shisha, who were the scribes of Solomon. One day the Angel of Death saw that he was sad. He said to him: Why are you sad? He said to him: Because they have demanded of me these two Cushites who sit here. Solomon handed them over to demons and sent them to the city of Luz. When they reached the city of Luz, they died. The next day the Angel of Death saw that he was cheerful. He said to him: Why are you cheerful? He said to him: To the very place where they were demanded of me, there you sent them. Immediately Solomon opened his mouth and said: A man's feet are his guarantors; to the place where he is summoned, there they carry him.