A Stich in Time

May he be raised and uplifted, and lofty, he who is now debased; may he succeed through reproach; may he scatter the many (oppressor) nations. Bare your arm and proclaim the following: the voice of my Beloved; behold it (has come)! Passover Machzor, Piyut

He – [The following commentary and study is from my friend in England, Daniel].

Given the obvious, that the Jews have had all of the Old Testament texts from the time that they were first written, it is interesting for Gentile believers in Yeshua to consider some of the debates that have raged within the Jewish world amongst Rabbis and academics over the last 2,000 years, as to whether certain well know scriptures refer to the Messiah, or not, and if they do, whether they help one know what the basic characteristics would be when one tries to determine whether someone is the Messiah.

It will not surprise readers to learn that Rabbis have held conflicting views on some of these well known scriptures, especially since Christianity became the established religion of the Roman Empire, because the Rabbis often determined to interpret the texts deliberately to counter any possible argument that Jesus of Nazareth could be the true Messiah of Israel.

As the early “church” was really a community of predominantly Jewish believers in Yeshua as their Messiah, together with a few Gentile converts to Judaism, these Messianic Jews and converts worshipped in the Second Temple until it’s destruction in 70 AD and in the Synagogues up until the Bar Kochba revolt between 132 to 135 AD. From that time on, Messianic Jews separated themselves from the followers of Bar Kochba, because they believed Bar Kochba was wrongly declared to be the Messiah by the then renowned Rabbi Akivah.

However, up to that point in time the Messianic Jews had more than a century to influence Rabbinic thinking on the interpretation of key scriptures and this legacy still influences Rabbinic debate down through the centuries and even reveals itself in the established prayer books still used in the Synagogue today, especially for the main Festivals, such as the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Passover. And even if the early Jewish believers did not exert this influence, then clearly in every generation right up to today, many Rabbis believed of their own accord that certain scriptures clearly referred to the Messiah, and many accepted, for example that He would be rejected by His people. Further many Rabbis also believed the messiah referred to in these scriptures was Yeshua, but were not able to say it and perhaps it had to remain hidden in the text and within prayers, liturgy and poetry.

David Baron in his book “The Servant of Jehovah” first published in January 1922 and republished last in 1954, writes an exposition on the suffering servant in Isaiah Chapters 52 and 53. He refers to critical passages in the Festival Machzor (Festival Prayer Book) which is recognised and accepted by Jewish Communities the world over, in support of his view that many Rabbis accepted the idea of the suffering Messiah and that Isaiah Chapters 52 and 53 are about this.

The first is from the Passover Machzor (Passover Prayer Book) and a famous poem (Piyut) and the relevant stich as follows:-

“May he be raised and uplifted, and lofty, he who is now debased; may he succeed through reproach; may he scatter the many (oppressor) nations. Bare your arm and proclaim the following: the voice of my Beloved; behold it (has come)!”

The significant point is that in the Artscroll Passover Machzor (Page 320) there is a footnote of a disagreement between two very famous rabbis called Rashi (1040-1105) and the Radack (1160–1235) on the one hand, who both attribute this poem to Isaiah 52 v 13 and 53 v 1. However they say that Isaiah 52 and 53 refer not to the Messiah, but to the suffering nation of Israel. Whereas on the other hand, according to Matteh Levi, who did the first translation of the Machzor into Englishin 1827, he stated that the Targum’s interpretation of these scriptures do refer to the true Messiah. Some of the earliest Targumim on Isaiah 53 date back to the first century AD and it was not until Rashi applied it to the suffering nation of Israel, it had been universally accepted by Jews as referring to the Messiah.

Interestingly, the famous Rabbi Maimonides (1138-1204) found Rashi’s interpretation unsatisfactory.

Also in the 14^th Century Rav Mosheh Kohen Iben Crispin of Cordova, afterwards of Toledo, said that “it distorts the passage from it’s original meaning” and those who for controversial reasons applied the prophecy to Israel that by so doing:

“the doors of the literal interpretation of this Parashah (passage) were shut in their face, and that they wearied themselves to find the entrance, having forsaken the knowledge of our teachers and inclined after the stubbornness of their own opinions”. He also said that: “it was given by G-d as a description of the Messiah, whereby, when any should claim to be the Messiah, to judge by the resemblance or non-resemblance to it, whether he was the Messiah or not.”

Also Rav Eliyya de Vidas 1572 A.D. said:-

“the meaning of “He was wounded for our transgressions……bruised for our iniquities” is that since the Messiah bears our iniquities, which produce the effect of His being bruised, it follows that whoso will not admit that the Messiah thus suffers for our iniquities must endure and suffer for them himself.”

Last but not least, is a poem (Piyut) from the Day of Atonement Machzor (Day of Atonement Prayer Book).The writer of this Piyut is believed to be Eleazer ben Kalir who lived around the 7^th Century. This Piyut begins and ends with a reference to Psalm 72 v 17, but in all other respects it is based on Isaiah 53.

“Then, in the beginning (in creating) He set in place a dwelling (the heavenly Temple) and Yinon.

From the first citadels in the highest (heavens) before He designed all nations and languages

His dwelling (The Temple) was established there.

Unintentional (sinners) he guided there on straight paths.

When wickedness became like scarlet, He prefaced it with: “Wash and make yourselves clean.”

Even if He Threatened fury with rage – Yet Holy, He did not stir up all his anger.

We have been enslaved to our greed until now, but our Rock did not raise himself over us.

Messiah our Righteousness has turned away; we were perplexed and there is no one to justify us.

He bears our iniquities and the yoke of our sins upon himself.

He was burdened and crushed because of our transgressions.

He endured our sins on his shoulder, to find forgiveness for our iniquities.

We were healed by his wounds.

Oh Eternal one, create Him (the Messiah) as a new creation.

Lift Him up from the circle of the earth; Draw Him up from Seir (Edom)

to make us hear of Him on the mountain of Lebanon a second time by the hand of Yinom.”

This poem confirms the writers understanding that the Messiah preceded the creation of the world and also that G-d established the Temple and revealed the name of the Messiah before the creation of the world. It also confirms that the Messiah would be rejected and suffer and return a second time.

Topical Index: Passover Machzor, Maimonides, Rashi, Radack, Isaiah 52:13, Isaiah 53:1