Through the ages, a subject of much discussion and controversy has been over the two traditions of Jewish thought describing the style in which the Messiah will arrive.
The first concept appears in Zechariah 9:9, which describes the appearance of the Messiah on a donkey: “Your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The second concept, taken from Exodus 19:4, understands the miraculous arrival of the Messiah on “eagle’s wings.” In addition, the concept of Messiah as “a son of man came with the clouds of heaven…” (Daniel 7:13) is ephemeral and transcendent.
These two concepts seem to be at odds. However, Torah sages say that both are possible.
The central rabbinical text known as the Talmud teaches that the manner in which the Messiah will appear is dependent on our actions (Sanhedrin 98:A). If we are deserving, if our actions are deemed meritorious by God, the messiah will come dressed in splendor and glory. If our actions are less worthy, he will arrive accompanied by the smell of sweat and labor.
The Hebrew word for donkey, chamor (חמור), is also the term for material, chomer (חומר). The concept of the messiah riding a chamor is understood as a process oriented, material version of the messiah, more in line with what Jewish tradition refers to as Moshiach ben Yosef, the Messiah from the House of Joseph.
This involves physically restoring the land, rebuilding the Third Temple and restoring the rule of God and the Bible. The process of a final redemption brought about in this matter implies hard work and pushing forward slowly until we arrive to a new messianic reality with very few surprises. Breaking IsraelNews
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