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Will Mashiach arrive 'with clouds of heaven' in glory or as 'a pauper riding a donkey'? The shiur develops a yesod about divine versus human kingship: when we don't merit redemption, Mashiach comes as an 'oni' - completely self-nullified so God alone gets credit. When we do merit, he can come with honor representing our partnership with Heaven.
This shiur analyzes a fundamental contradiction in the Talmud (תלמוד) regarding the arrival of Mashiach. The Gemara (גמרא) presents two seemingly opposing verses: one depicting Mashiach arriving 'with the clouds of heaven' (im ananei shamayim) suggesting glory and honor, while another describes him as 'a poor person riding on a donkey' (oni rochev al chamor) suggesting humility and poverty. The traditional resolution states that if we merit (zachu), Mashiach will come quickly with glory; if we don't merit (lo zachu), he will come slowly as a pauper. Rabbi Zweig challenges Rashi (רש"י)'s interpretation that this distinction is merely about speed (fast versus slow arrival), proposing instead a deeper understanding based on the nature of leadership and divine kingship. He examines the Gemara in Megillah (daf 9) regarding the Greek translation of the Torah (תורה), where the seventy-two sages miraculously avoided translating literally that Moshe returned to Egypt 'on a donkey,' instead writing 'on an animal that carries people' to avoid seeming disrespectful to royalty.
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Sanhedrin 98a
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