And some of their answers… well, they're pretty wild.
One fascinating myth, collected orally and preserved in Howard Schwartz’s Tree of Souls, tells us that the Messiah was actually created at the very moment the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Think about the weight of that—destruction and potential redemption intertwined from the very beginning.
Now, here's where it gets really interesting. At that moment of destruction, God commands Elijah the Prophet—yes, that Elijah—to bring a set of scales. These aren't just any ordinary scales; these are cosmic scales, the kind that weigh the fate of the world.
On one side of these scales, Elijah places the captive Messiah. Imagine him there, waiting, along with the souls of the dead. A heavy burden indeed.
But what goes on the other side? What could possibly balance such a weight? According to the myth, Elijah fills the other scale with… tears, torture, and the souls of the Tzaddikim (righteous ones).
Tears, torture, and the souls of the righteous. Think about the imagery there. The suffering of the world, the pain of existence, weighed against the promise of redemption. It's a stark and powerful vision.
And then, God makes an announcement. When the scales are finally balanced, when the suffering is deemed equal to the potential for redemption, only then will the face of the Messiah be seen.
What does this balancing act really mean? It suggests that the coming of the Messiah isn't just a matter of divine decree, but a cosmic equation. The scales need to be level. The world's pain, its suffering, must reach a certain point before redemption becomes possible. It suggests that the world must need the messiah so desperately that the messiah balances with the world's pain.
This myth is a reminder that redemption isn't a passive process. It requires something of us. Our tears, our struggles, the dedication of the righteous – all of it contributes to the weight on that other side of the scale.
Perhaps, then, the question isn't just when will the Messiah come, but what are we doing to tip the scales? What are we doing to create a world that is ready for redemption? What tears, what acts of righteousness, are we contributing to this cosmic balance? It's a question worth pondering, isn't it?