How Much Longer Must We Wait?

Weekly Sidra: Vayetze (and he left)
Torah Portion: Bereshit / Genesis 28:10-32:3
Haftorah: Hosea / Hosea 11:7-12:12
HaShem has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favour. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us—HaShem, the God of hosts, HaShem is his memorial name: "So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God." (Hosea 12: 2-6)
There is a story in the Talmud which illustrates the question posed above.
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (who lived in the first half of the third century), while meditating near the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, was visited by the Prophet Elijah. "When will the Messiah come?" asked Joshua. "Ask him," replied the Prophet. "The Messiah is at the gates of Rome, sitting among the poor, the sick and wretched. Like them, he changes the bindings of his wounds, but does so one wound at the time, in order to be ready at a moment’s notice."
Then Joshua went to Rome and met the Messiah and greeted him, saying "peace upon thee, Master and Teacher" and the Messiah replied "peace upon thee, O son of Levi." Joshua then asked "When will you be coming?" and was told "Today!” Joshua went back to Elijah and was asked what the Messiah said. ‘Peace upon thee, O son of Levi’, Joshua replied, and Elijah told him that that meant that he and his father would have a place in the world to come. Joshua then said that the Messiah had not told him the truth, because he had promised to come today but had not. Elijah explained "This is what he said to thee, To-day, if ye will hear his voice", a reference to Psalms 95:7, making his coming conditional with the condition not fulfilled. (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98)
In the Torah portion we read of Yaakov’s dream. “Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely HaShem is present in this place, and I did not know it!" 17 Shaken, he said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven." In the Haftorah portion it states how Yaakov had to strive with the angel until he was called Israel.
I think that is the answer to the question. Sometimes Hashem reveals himself to us and we are unaware of it. There are other times when we have to struggle to see Hashem. Finally, Messiah himself said in Talmud: To-day, if ye will hear his voice", a reference to Psalms 95:7, making his coming conditional with the condition not fulfilled.
Just as our Rabbi Yeshua was revealed in the proper time, so will his return also be in the perfect time. However, I believe that “, To-day, if ye will hear his voice", a reference to Psalms 95:7, making his coming conditional with the condition not fulfilled.”
I believe the condition which must be fulfilled is to unchain the Messiah from the gates of Rome and bring him home to Jerusalem. We must stop referring to Yeshua our Rabbi as the pagan Jesus. We must claim Yeshua as our Jewish Rabbi once and for all.
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Filed Under: Parasha Vayetze, Torah, Torah Video
Tags: bethel, bible commentary, deception, favour, genesis, HaShem, hosea, indictment against, Jacob, judah, Judaism, kabbalat shabbat, levi, manhood, Messiah, parshah, prophet elijah, quot, rabbi joshua, rabbi shimon bar yohai, shimon bar yohai, sidra, talmud, Torah, Torah Commentary, torah portion, Vayetze, Weekly Portion, womb
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