Rabbinic passages that recognize the suffering of the Messiah, son of
David.
a. Midrash Song of Songs 6:10 (124B):
“Beautiful as the moon, pure as the sun, terrible as banners” (Song 6:10). How
is it that the sun and moon have nothing terrible like Israel? The Scripture
teaches, “terrible as the banners איומה כנדגלות.…” R. Huna (ca. 350) said in the name of R. Eleazar from Modiim
(† ca. 135), “It does not say here ‘like דְּגָלִים’ (‘banner’), but ‘like נדגלות’
(‘equipped with banners’), like a generation that sets itself in motion to go
into exile שֶנִּתְנַדְנֵד
לגלות (a notarikon interpretation of נד גלות = נדגלות), but did not go into exile. What kind of generation is this?
This is the generation of the king, the Messiah; see, ‘I will gather all the
heathen nations against Jerusalem to fight, … and half the city will go out
into exile’ (Zech 14:2). And from where is it said that he (the Messiah)
invokes fear? See, ‘He beats the earth with the staff of his mouth’ (Isa
11:4).”—Similar traditions are often found in Tanḥ. עקב 7B: How long do the days of the Messiah last? R. Aqiba († ca.
135) said, “Forty years, just as the Israelites spent forty years in the desert
(the most recent redemption is like the first redemption). And he (the Messiah)
drags them away and lets them go out into the desert and eat melde (saltwort)
and broom; see Job 30:4, ‘They will pick saltwort at the bush, and the roots of
the broom tree will be their food.’ ” ‖ Pesiqta 49B: R. Berekhiah (ca.
340) said in the name of R. Levi (ca. 300), “Like the first redeemer (= Moses),
so also the last redeemer (= Messiah). As the first redeemer revealed himself
to them and then again hid himself from them, so also the last redeemer will
reveal himself to them and then again hide himself from them. And how long will
he hide from them?” R. Tanḥuma (ca. 380) said in the name of R. Hama b.
Hoshaiah (ca. 260), who said in the name of R. Menahemah (ca. 370), who said in
the name of R. Hama b. Hanina (ca. 260209), “Forty-five days, see,
‘And from the time when the Tamid sacrifice is taken away and the desolation of
the abomination is set up, it takes 1, 290 days. Blessed is the one who waits
and reaches 1, 335 days’ (Dan 12:11f.)! How is it related to the more (with
reference to the days) here? These are the 45 days that the Messiah will hide
from them again after his revelation. And where does he lead them? Some say,
‘Into the desert of Sihon, Og’; see, ‘Therefore, behold, I will persuade them
(the congregation of Israel) and lead them into the wilderness’ (Hos 2:16).
Whoever believes in him (the Messiah) eats saltwort and broom roots; see Job
30:4 (as above), and whoever does not believe in him will go away to the
nations of the world, and they kill him.”—Parallel passages with deviations,
especially with deviations to the named authors, are in Midr. Song 2:9 (100A);
Midr. Ruth 2:14 (132B); Pesiq. Rab. 15 (72B); Num. Rab. 11 (162B). ‖ Midrash
Ruth 2:14 (132A): “Boaz said to her, ‘At mealtime’ ” (Ruth 2:14). R. Yohanan
(† 279, read instead R. Jonathan) has explained the passage in six ways. (The 5th
explanation is in 132B), “The passage speaks of the king, the Messiah. ‘Come
here,’ approach the kingdom; ‘eat of the bread,’ that is the bread of the
kingdom; ‘dip your morsel into the vinegar,’ those are the sufferings הייסורין; see Isa 53:5, ‘He is pierced by our
sins.’ ‘And she sat down at the side מִצַּד
of the reapers,’ because his royal rule will turn away from him for a while ליצד; see ‘I will gather together all the
gentiles against Jerusalem to fight, and the city will be conquered …’ (Zech
14:2). ‘And he gave her roasted ears of corn,’ for she/it (the kingdom) will
return to him; see, ‘He strikes the earth with the rod of his mouth’ (Isa
11:4).” (Following this is the tradition of the appearance and disappearance of
the first and last redeemer, etc., as above in Pesiq. 49B.)—According to all
these passages, the suffering of the Messiah consists in the fact that after
taking up his messianic office, he is deprived of dominion for a short time.
Consequently, according to one tradition, he withdraws again into hiding;
according to another tradition, he flees into the desert with those among his
people who believe, while the unbelievers go over to the nations in order to be
killed there. For biblical evidence, see especially Zech 14:2; Hos 2:16; and
Isa 53:5. Atoning power is not attributed to these sufferings of the Messiah,
though one could conclude it, at most, from the citation of Isa 53:5 in R.
Yohanan’s saying (Midr. Ruth 2:14). (Hermann L. Strack and Paul
Billerbeck, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash,
ed. Jacob N. Cerone, 4 vols. [trans. Andrew Bowden and Joseph Longarino;
Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2022], 2:331-32)
