מדרש על ישעיהו 4:3

(Lev. 19:2:) “You shall be holy.” Why? Because I have made you cling to My loins, as stated (in Jer. 13:11), “For as the girdle clings unto one's loins, [so I have made all the House of Israel and all the House of Judah cling to Me, says the Lord].” Therefore, “You shall be holy, because I, the Lord am holy.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, [i.e.,] to Israel, “I am not like flesh and blood. With a king of flesh and blood, mortals have no right to be called by his name. You yourself know that, when someone wants to accuse¹²Gk.: kategorein. his fellow, he calls him Augustus¹³Lat.: Augusta. The text should read Augustus. See Jastrow, s.v., Agusta (‘GWST’). so-and-so; and there is no life for him. But Israel is called by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He.” He is called God (Powers); and He has called Israel powers, as stated (in Ps. 82:6), “I said, ‘You are powers.’” He is called wise, as stated (in Job 9:4), “One wise of heart and mighty in strength”; and He has called Israel wise, as stated (in Deut. 4:6), “surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” God is called beloved, as stated (in Cant. 5:10), “My beloved is bright and ruddy”; and He has called them beloved, as stated (Cant. 5:1), “eat, friends, [and drink to excess, beloved ones].” He is called chosen, as stated (in Cant. 5:15), “stately (literally: chosen) as the cedars”; and He has called them chosen, as stated (in Deut. 7:6), “the Lord your God has chosen you.” He is called pious, as stated (in Jer. 3:12), “’For I am pious,’ says the Lord”; and He has called them pious, as stated (in Ps. 50:5), “Gather to me, my pious ones.” He is called holy, as stated (in Is. 6:3), “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts,” and also (Ps. 99:9), “for the Lord our God is holy”; and He has called Israel holy, as stated (in Lev. 19:2), “You shall be holy.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In this world you have been called holy. In the world to come (according to Is. 4:3), “And it shall come to pass that the one who is left in Zion and who remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy.”

(Lev. 19:2:) YOU SHALL BE HOLY. Why? (Ibid., cont.:) BECAUSE I< , THE LORD YOUR GOD, > AM HOLY; for I have made you cling to my loins, as stated (in Jer. 13:11): FOR, AS THE GIRDLE CLINGS UNTO ONE'S LOINS, < SO I HAVE MADE ALL THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND ALL THE HOUSE OF JUDAH CLING TO ME, SAYS THE LORD >.¹⁶Tanh., Lev. 7:5. The Holy One said to them, < i.e., > to Israel, I am not like flesh and blood. With a king of flesh and blood, mortals have no right to be called by his name. You yourself know that, when someone wants to accuse¹⁷Gk.: kategorein. his fellow, he calls him Augustus¹⁸Lat.: Augusta. The text should read Augustus. See Jastrow, s.v., Agusta (‘GWST’). so-and-so; and there is no life for him. But Israel is called by the name of the Holy One. He is called God; and he has called Israel gods, as stated (in Ps. 82:6): I SAID: YOU ARE GODS. He is called wise, as stated (in Job 9:4): ONE WISE OF HEART AND MIGHTY IN STRENGTH; and he has called Israel wise, as stated (in Deut. 4:6): SURELY THIS GREAT NATION IS A WISE AND UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE. God is called beloved, as stated (in Cant. 5:10): MY BELOVED IS BRIGHT AND RUDDY; and he has called them beloved, as stated (Cant. 5:1): EAT, FRIENDS, AND DRINK TO EXCESS, BELOVED ONES. He is called chosen, as stated (in Cant. 5:15): STATELY (literally: CHOSEN) AS THE CEDARS; and he has called them chosen, as stated (in Deut. 7:6): [THE LORD YOUR GOD] HAS CHOSEN YOU. He is called pious, as stated (in Jer. 3:12): FOR [I] AM PIOUS, SAYS THE LORD; and he has called them pious, as stated (in Ps. 50:5): GATHER TO ME, MY PIOUS ONES. He is called holy, as stated (in Is. 6:3): HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD OF HOSTS; and he has called Israel holy, [as stated (in Lev. 19:2): YOU SHALL BE HOLY.] The Holy One said: In this world you have been called holy, but in the world to come (according to Is. 4:3): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THAT THE ONE WHO IS LEFT IN ZION AND WHO REMAINS IN JERUSALEM SHALL BE CALLED HOLY.

R. Chama b. Chanina said: "Ten Chupas were made by the Holy One, praised be He! for Adam the first in paradise, as it is said (Ezek. 28, 13) In Eden the garden of God didst thou abide; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the chrysolite, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold." Mar Zutra said: "Eleven," — as he counts all the precious stones. R. Jochanan said: "The gold was less in value than all, for it is placed last." What do the workmanship of thy settings and of thy sockets, mean? R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "Thus said the Holy One, praised be He! to Hiram, the King of Tyre: When I created the world, I looked at the land and observed that thou wouldst rebel, deeming thyself a god. I therefore created holes and apertures in men." And according to others. He said thus: "I saw that thou wouldst rebel (Ib. b) and I have therefore decreed death over Adam the first." What do the words (Is. 4, 5) Upon her places of assembly, mean? Rabba, in the name of R. Jochanan, said: "Jerusalem in the future world will not be like Jerusalem in this world. In the latter every one who likes to enter does so, but in that of the future world only those who shall be invited will enter." Rabba said again in the name of R. Jochanan: "In the future world, the righteous will be named with the names of the Holy One, praised be He! as it is said (Ib. 43, 77) Every one that is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed; yea, whom I have made." Samuel b. Nachmeni said in the name of R. Jonathan: "The following three will be named with the name of the Holy One, praised be He — the righteous, Messiah and Jerusalem. The righteous, as said above; the Messiah, as it is written (Jer. 23) And this is his name whereby he shall be called — the Lord our Righteousness; and Jerusalem, as it is written (Ezek. 48, 35) And the name of the city from that day, 'The Lord is there.' Do not read shamah there, but shmah (her name)." R. Elazar said: "In the future, 'holy' will be said before the righteous as now it is said before the Holy One, praised be He! as it is said (Is. 4, 3) And it shall come to pass that whoever is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall he called holy — every one that is written down unto life in Jerusalem." Rabba said again in the name of R. Jochanan: "The Holy One, praised be He! will elevate Jerusalem three parsas, as it is said (Zech. 14, 10) And she herself shall be elevated, and be inhabited on her former site." What does former site mean? It means that it will be increased to its former size. And whence do you know that the size of the former Jerusalem was three parsas? Rabba said: "There was a certain old man who told me that he had seen the first Jerusalem, and the size thereof was three parsas." And lest one say that it would be difficult to ascend, therefore the passage reads (Is. 60, 8) Who are these that are like a cloud, etc. R. Papa said: "Infer from this that the clouds are at a height of three parsas from the ground."

Rabbi Tanḥuma in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great, and Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This midrash came up with us from the Exile:¹⁸From Babylonia. Presumably, this is a way of stating that it is an ancient tradition. Any place that “It was [vayhi]” is stated, [it alludes to] trouble. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great: Any place that “It was [vayhi]” is stated, it can serve [to allude to] either trouble or joy. If it is trouble, there is none like it. If it is joy, there is none like it. Rabbi Shmuel said: There are five [instances of] “during the days of [bimei].” “It was [vayhi] during the days of [bimei] Amrafel” (Genesis 14:1) – what was the trouble there? They waged a war. [It is analogous] to the friend of a king who was located in a certain province. Because of him, the king took care of the province. One time, barbarians came and beset him [the king’s friend]. They say: Woe for us, the king will no longer care for the province as he had done. Likewise, the entire world was created only due to the merit of Abraham our patriarch; that is what is written: “They turned back and came to Ein Mishpat,¹⁹Ein Mishpat literally means ‘eye of justice’. which is [hi] Kadesh” (Genesis 14:7). Rabbi Aḥa said: They came to beset the eyeball of the world.²⁰Abraham. The eye that overcame the attribute of justice in the world you seek to blind?²¹The midrash is rhetorically addressing the kings that attacked Abraham. “Which is [hi] Kadesh” – Rabbi Aḥa said: Hu Kadesh.²²The word hi, meaning ‘which is,’ is spelled with a vav as the middle letter, which could be read as the masculine hu. The midrash is reading hi Kadesh as hu kidesh, he sanctified. He [Abraham] sanctified [kidesh] the name of the Holy One blessed be He in the fiery furnace.²³See Tanḥuma, Lekh Lekha 6. When everyone saw that all the kings came to beset him, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; that is, “It was [vayhi] during the reign of Amrafel.”
“It was during the days of Aḥaz” (Isaiah 7:1) – what was the trouble there? “Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west” (Isaiah 9:11) – [it is analogous] to the son of a king who had a tutor who sought to kill him. He [the tutor] said: If I kill him, I will be condemned to death by the king; instead, I will withhold his wet nurse from him, and he will die on his own. So did Aḥaz say: If there are no kids, there are no rams, and if there are no rams there is no flock, and if there is no flock there is no shepherd. So Aḥaz thought to say: If there are no children, there are no adults, and if there are no adults there are no students, if there are no students there are no scholars, if there are no scholars, there are no synagogues and study halls, if there are no synagogues and study halls, the Holy One blessed be He, as it were, cannot rest His Divine Presence in the world. Therefore, I will seize all the synagogues and study halls. That is what is written: “Bind the testimony, seal the Torah in my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16).
Rabbi Ḥanina said: Why was he named Aḥaz? It is because he seized [aḥaz] the synagogues and study halls. Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Avin: Isaiah said: “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob” (Isaiah 8:17). There was no time that was as difficult for Israel as that time, as it is stated: “I will conceal My face” (Deuteronomy 31:18) – in this world. But from that moment, “I hoped for Him” (Isaiah 8:17), as it is written: “As it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants” (Deuteronomy 31:21). Was it [this verse] fulfilled for him [Isaiah]? “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord gave me” (Isaiah 8:18) – were they his [Isaiah’s] children? Were they not his students? It teaches that they were as dear to him as his sons. Once everyone saw that he seized the synagogues and study halls, they began screaming: Woe [vai]: that is, “It was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥaz.”
“It was during the days of Yehoyakim” (Jeremiah 1:3) – what was the trouble there? “I saw the land, and behold, it is emptiness and disorder, and the heavens, and their light is not” (Jeremiah 4:23) – [it is analogous] to a king who sent a proclamation to a province. What did the residents of the province do to it? They took it, ripped it, and burned it in fire. They said: Woe to us when the king becomes aware of these matters. That is what is written: “It was, as Yehudi would read three columns or four” (Jeremiah 36:23) – three or four verses. When he reached the fifth verse: “Its besiegers are ascendant” (Lamentations 1:5),²⁴This is the fifth verse of the first chapter of Lamentations. immediately: “He would cut it with a scribe’s razor and cast it into the fire that was in the fireplace, until the end of the scroll, upon the fire that was in the fireplace” (Jeremiah 36:23). Once they saw that it was so, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; that is, “it was [vayhi] during the days of Yehoyakim.”
“It was during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1) – what was the trouble there? [It was] “to kill, and to eliminate all the Jews” (Esther 3:13). [It is analogous] to a king who entered a vineyard and three enemies beset him: The first began picking unripe grapes, the second began trimming the clusters, and the third sought to uproot all the vines. Likewise, the wicked Pharaoh begin picking the unripe grapes; that is what is written: “[Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying:] Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile” (Exodus 1:22).
The wicked Nebuchadnezzar began trimming the clusters; that is what is written: “[He exiled Yehoyakhin.…] and the artisans and the smiths, one thousand” (II Kings 24:15–16). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Yehuda said: One thousand artisans and one thousand smiths; Rabbi Yoḥanan said: All of them were one thousand. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the notables. Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Simon said: These are the Torah scholars.
Haman the wicked sought to uproot the entire egg;²⁵Egg, in the sense of the very origins of Israel. [as] they say buy [the hen] with the egg²⁶A aphorism meaning that he sought to complete the task, leaving no future. – “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). When they saw that it was so, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh.”
“It was during the days when the judges judged” (Ruth 1:1) – what was the trouble there? “There was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1) – [it is analogous] to a province that owed a tax to the king. What did the king do? He sent a tax collector to collect it. What did the residents of the province do? They took him, struck him, and extracted it [the money] from him. They said: What he sought to do to us we did to him. Likewise, during the days when the judges judged, an Israelite person would worship idols, and a judge would seek to bring him to trial, and he would come and flog the judge. He would say: What he sought to do to me, I did to him. Woe unto a generation whose judges are judged;²⁷The midrash is reading the verse to mean that it was in the days that the judges were judged, i.e. punished. that is, “It was during the days when the judges judged.”
Shimon bar Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Everywhere that it [“it was,” vayhi] is stated, [it alludes to] trouble or to joy; if trouble, there is no trouble like it, if joy, there is no joy like it in the world. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman came and suggested a [different] distinction: Everywhere that it says, “it was [vayhi],” [it alludes to] trouble, everywhere that it says “it will be [vehaya],” joy.
But it is written: “God said: Let there be light, and there was [vayhi] light.” He said to them: Even that is not light of joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. By the light that was created on the first day, a person could look out and see from one end of the world to the other end. When He perceived that the wicked were destined to appear, like the generation of Enosh, the generation of the Flood, and the generation of the Dispersion,²⁸After the Tower of Babel. and like the people of Sodom, He took it [the light] away. That is what is written: “From the wicked their light is withheld” (Job 38:15). He sequestered it for the righteous in the future, as it is stated: “Light is sown for the righteous” (Psalms 97:11).
They objected to him: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as the heavens are destined to wither; that is what is written: “As the heavens will be eroded like smoke” (Isaiah 51:6).
They objected to him: Is it not written: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, a second day.… third.… fourth.… fifth.… sixth” (Genesis 1:8–31). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created during the six days of Creation requires action, e.g., it is necessary to sweeten mustard, lupines must be sweetened, and wheat requires grinding.
But it is written: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it is written: “For they placed me in the pit” (Genesis 40:15). But it is written: “It was [vayhi] on the day that Moses completed [assembling the Tabernacle]” (Numbers 7:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it was sequestered when the Temple was built, as it is stated: “Moses was not able to enter into the Tent of Meeting” (Exodus 40:35).²⁹The verse does not seem to be related to the point. Perhaps it is brought to communicate that even on the day that the construction of the Tabernacle was completed, the celebration was tempered by the fact that Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] when Joshua was [at Jericho]” (Joshua 5:13). He said to them: That too is not joy, as Joshua rent his garments, as it is stated: “Joshua rent his garments” (Joshua 7:6).³⁰After the setback at Ai. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] on the eighth day” (Leviticus 9:1).³¹The day of the dedication of the Temple. He said to them: That too is not joy, as on that day Nadav and Avihu died.³²See Leviticus 10:1–2. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] when the king³³David. dwelled in his house” (II Samuel 7:1). He said to them: That too was not joy, as it was then that Natan the prophet came and said to him: “However, you will not build the House” (I Kings 8:19).
They said to him: We said ours, now you say yours.³⁴Prove that every place it says vehaya it is an expression of joy. He said to them: It is written: “It will be [vehaya] on that day, the mountains will drip with nectar” (Joel 4:18). “It will be [vehaya] on that day that spring water will emerge [from Jerusalem]” (Zechariah 14:8). “It will be on that day that the Lord will set His hand again the second time, [to recover the remnant of His people]” (Isaiah 11:11). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, each man shall keep [a calf of the herd and two sheep] alive” (Isaiah 7:21). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, that a great shofar will be sounded, [and they will come…and bow down to the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem]” (Isaiah 27:13). “It will be that one who is left in Zion and he that remains in Jerusalem [will be called holy]” (Isaiah 4:3). They objected to him: It is written: “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28). He said to them: Even that is not trouble but joy, as on that day, Israel made complete penance for their iniquities, on the day that the Temple was destroyed.
Conclusion of the prologue to Rut Rabba

At the school of Elijah, it was taught: The righteous who will be restored in the future by the Holy One, praised be He! will never return to their dust, as it is said (Is. 4, 3) And it shall come to pass that whoever is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, everyone that is written down into life in Jerusalem. And as the Holy One exists forever, so also those who are mentioned in this verse will live forever. (Ib. b) And let one ask, What will they do during the one thousand years when the Holy One, praised be He! shall renew his world? For it is said (Ib. 2, 17) And exalted shall be the Lord alone on that day. The righteous in question will be supplied with wings similar to the wings of the eagles, and they will fly over the world, as it is said (Ps. 46, 3) Therefore will we not fear when the earth is transformed, and when mountains are moved into the heart of seas. And lest one may say that they will grieve, it is therefore said, (Is. 40, 31) Yet they that wait upon the Lord shall acquire new strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not become faint. But why not infer from the dead who were restored by Ezekiel, and who died again? He (Elijah) holds with him who says that in reality Ezekiel did not restore any dead to life at all, and the whole prophecy was only a parable [prophesying that the Jewish nation would be restored again], as we are taught in the following Baraitha: The dead whom Ezekiel restored arose on their feet, sang a song, and died again. And what kind of a song was it? The Lord makes one die justly, and mercifully restores him to life. Thus says R. Eliezer. But R. Joshua says: "The song was from (I Sam. 2, 6) The Lord killeth and maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up." R. Juda, however, says: "It was a real parable." R. Nechemiah said to him: "If it is real, then it is not a parable; and if a parable, then it is not real." Say, then, in reality it was only a parable. R. Eliezer b. R. Jose, the Galilean, however, says: "The dead who were restored by Ezekiel went to the land of Israel, married, and begat sons and daughters." Then arose R. Juda b. Bathyra to his feet, and said: "I myself am a descendant of them, and these are the phylacteries which I inherited from my grandfather, who told me that they were used by those restored." But who were they that were restored to life? Rab said: "They were the sons of Ephraim who erred concerning the promised time of the redemption from Egypt, as it is said (I Chron. 7, 20-23) And the sons of Ephraim: Shuthalach, and Bered his son, and Thachath his son, and Eladah his son, and Thakhath his son, and Zbad his son, and Eladah his son, and Eser and Elad whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew… . And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him." Samuel, however, said: "They were the men who denied resurrection, as it is said (Ezek. 37, 11) Then said he unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, Dried are our bones, and lost is our hope; we are quite cut off." R. Jeremiah b. Abah said: "They were the bodies of men in whom, there was no essence of any meritorious act, as it is said (Ib. ib. 4) O ye dry bones, hear ye the word of the Lord." And R. Isaac of Nabhar said: "They were the men concerning whom it is said (Ib. 8, 10) So I went in and saw; and behold there was every form of creeping thing, and cattle, abominations, and all the idols of the house of Israel, engraven upon the wall all round about. And it is written (Ib. 37, 2) And he caused me to pass by them all round about, etc." R. Jochanan said: "They were the dead of the valley of Dura, whom Nebuchadnezzar killed." This is what R. Jochanan said elsewhere, that from the river Achar to the city of Rabath in the valley of Dura there were young men of Israel who were exiled by Nebuchadnezzar the wicked, who were so beautiful that there were none similar to them under the sun; and the women of Chaldea became sick when they looked upon them. The king then commanded to slay them all and to tread upon their faces.

Another matter: “My beloved spoke up, and he said to me” (Song of Songs 2:10). He answered me by means of Elijah and said to me by means of the messianic king. What did He say to me? Rise, my love, my fair one” (Song of Songs 2:10). Rabbi Azarya said: “For, behold, the winter [hasetav] is past” (Song of Songs 2:11), this is the kingdom of the Cutheans,¹¹³This is a reference to the Roman Empire. which incites [mesita] the entire world and misleads it with its lies, just as it says: “If your brother, son of your mother incites you […saying: Let us go and serve other gods]” (Deuteronomy 13:7). “The rain is over and gone” (Song of Songs 2:11), this is the subjugation. “The blossoms [hanitzanim] have appeared in the land” (Song of Songs 2:12), the administrators [hanatzoḥot] have appeared in the land. Who are they? Rabbi Berekhya [said] in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: It is written: “The Lord showed me four craftsmen” (Zechariah 2:3), these are: Elijah, the messianic king, Malki Tzedek, and the one anointed for war.¹¹⁴This term is generally used for the priest who would address soldiers before a battle (see Deuteronomy 20:2). However, in this context it presumably refers to Messiah ben Yosef, as stated explicitly in Sukka 52b (Maharzu).
“The time of the nightingale [zamir] has arrived” (Song of Songs 2:12), the time for Israel to be redeemed has arrived, the time for the foreskin to be cut off [shetizamer] has arrived, the time for the Cuthean kingdom to be eliminated has arrived, the time for the kingdom of Heaven to be revealed has arrived, as it is stated: “The Lord will be king over the entire earth” (Zechariah 14:9). “The sound of the turtledove [hator] is heard in our land” (Song of Songs 2:12), what is that? It is the voice of the messianic king who proclaims and says: “How pleasant are the footsteps of the herald on the mountains” (Isaiah 52:7).
“The fig tree has formed its unripe figs” (Song of Songs 2:13), Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: Just before the messianic era, a great pestilence will come to the world and the wicked will be eliminated. “The vines in blossom have emitted fragrance” (Song of Songs 2:13), these are those who remain, and in their regard it is written: “[Of] the remaining in Zion and the remnant in Jerusalem, [holy will be said]” (Isaiah 4:3).
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The Sabbatical cycle during which the son of David comes, in the first year it will be fulfilled what is stated: “I will bring rain upon one city and will not bring rain upon another city” (Amos 4:7). During the second, arrows of famine will be shot.¹¹⁵This means that there will be a partial famine; there will be food shortages, but not full-fledged starvation (Rashi to Sanhedrin 97a). During the third there will be a great famine, and men, women, and children will die, and pious individuals and men of action will become few, and the Torah will be forgotten from Israel. During the fourth there will be famine but not famine, plenty but not plenty.¹¹⁶It will not be a great year of famine or plenty but something in between. During the fifth there will be great plenty and they will eat, drink, and rejoice, and the Torah will be renewed and restored to Israel. During the sixth, sounds [kolot];¹¹⁷This term, which can also be translated as voices or thunderings, can refer to great world events, rumors of the coming of Messiah, or the sounds of the shofar associated with the coming of the Messiah. during the Sabbatical Year, wars;¹¹⁸The war of Gog and Magog will be waged, involving the Jewish people. during the year after the conclusion of the Sabbatical Year, the son of David will come.
Abaye said: How many Sabbatical cycles like that have come, yet [the Messiah] did not come? Rather, it is as Reish Lakish said: In the generation in which the son of David will come, the assembly hall of the Sages will be for prostitution, the Galilee will be destroyed, the Gavlan¹¹⁹The Golan. will be desolate, and the residents of the Galilee will circulate from city to city and will receive no sympathy. The wisdom of scholars will be [considered] putrid,¹²⁰People will have no interest in or respect for their wisdom. those who fear sin and the people of kindness will be gathered,¹²¹They will pass away. truth will be lacking, and the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog.¹²²People will be brazen and have no inhibitions. From where is it derived that truth will be lacking? As it is stated: “Truth is lacking [nederet] and one who deviates from evil is deemed a fool” (Isaiah 59:15). Where does it go? The school of Rabbi Yanai says: It goes and sits in flocks [adarim] in the wilderness.¹²³Those who have the truth will be shunned and will gather in their own groups, apart from the rest of society.
The Rabbis say: In the generation in which the son of David will come, the Sages of the generation will die, the eyes of those who remain will fail due to sorrow and grief, many troubles and many evils will befall the public, and harsh decrees will be introduced and will be promulgated, [to the extent that] while the first one is extant another will come and be added to it.
Rabbi Nehorai said: In the generation in which the son of David will come, youths will humiliate elders and elders will stand before youths, “a daughter rises against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the members of his household” (Micah 7:6), and a son will not be ashamed before his father. Rabbi Neḥemya says: Prior to the messianic era, poverty will proliferate, prices will be high, the vine will produce its fruit but the wine will spoil, and the entire monarchy will be transformed to heresy, but there will be no rebuke. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: The son of David will come only in a generation whose face is like that of a dog. Rabbi Levi said: The son of David will come only in a generation whose face is impudent and which is deserving of elimination. Rabbi Yanai said: If you see generation after generation reviling and blaspheming God, anticipate the footsteps of the messianic king. That is what is written: “For Your enemies revile the Lord; they revile the footsteps of Your anointed one” (Psalms 89:52). What is written thereafter? “Blessed be the Lord forever, amen and amen” (Psalms 89:53).

E-lohim is known in Yehudah [in Israel His Name is great] (Ps. 76:2), Rabbi Yehudah bar Ilai said: When Israel was at the sea, the tribes were arguing with each other. One tribe said: 'I will go down first [into the sea]', and the other tribe said 'I will go down first.' Nachshon jumped first into the waves of the sea and went down, and on him David said, "Deliver me, O God, for the waters have reached my neck." Said the Holy One of Blessing to Moshe: My beloved is sinking in the sea and you are praying?! 'Tell the Israelites to get going!'(Ex. 14:15)"This is 'E-lohim is known in Yehudah', and therefore the Holy One of Blessing increased the name of Nachshon among Israel, that he merited to be the first to bring offerings [for the Mishkan] , as it says: 'And the bringer on the first day, etc' - this is 'and in Israel his name became great.' they said to him: we said ours, now you say yours! He said to them: everywhere that it uses the phrase ‘and it will be’ indicates joy. "And it will be on that day that the mountains shall drip with wine..." (Yoel 4:18) “And it will be on that day that living water shall come forth from Jerusalem..." (Zechariah 14:8) "And it will be that on that day, the Lord shall continue…” (Isaiah 11:11) “And it shall come to pass on that day, a man shall keep alive a heifer of the herd…” (Isaiah 7:21) "And it will be on that day, that a great shofar shall be sounded..." (Isaiah 27:13) “And it will be that every survivor shall be in Zion…” (Isaiah 4:3) But it is also written “…and he was when Jerusalem was taken.” (Jeremiah 38:28) He replied to them: this also is joy and not sorrow, because on that very day the comforter was born and on that very day Israel took full recompense for all of their sins. As R’ Shmuel bar Nachman said: Israel took their full recompense for their sins on the day that the Holy Temple was destroyed, as it says “Your iniquity is complete, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you into exile…” (Lamentations 4:22)

R’ Aba ben Elyashiv said: the statutes (chukkim) which bring a man to the life of the world to come, as it is written “And it shall come to pass that every survivor shall be in Zion, and everyone who is left, in Jerusalem; "holy" shall be said of him, everyone inscribed for life in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 4:3) Those who are occupied with Torah, which is the tree of life…