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“Rabbi Yehuda ben Nekosa, the heretics [Christians] were harassing him. They would ask him and he would respond, they would ask him and he would respond. He said to them: ‘You are responding to me for naught. Let us agree between us that any person who prevails over his counterpart will wound the brain of his counterpart with a hammer.’ He prevailed over them and wounded their brains until they were filled with wounds upon wounds. When he came, his students said to him: ‘Rabbi, they aided you from Heaven and you prevailed.’ He said: ‘For naught [do you praise me], go and pray for that man [‘Oto HaIsh’] and for that skin, which was filled with gems and pearls, but is now filled with coals.’”
-Midrash Kohelet Rabba 1:8:4
Within this incredible section of the Midrash which discusses Judaism’s relationship with Christians, Rabbi Yehuda ben Nekosa defeats the Christians in every argument. However, this rabbi is not at all content to have constant victory in debate with Christians, but rather he tells his disciples to “go and pray for That Man.” Rabbi Yehuda then compares “That Man” to “a skin which was filled with gems and pearls, but is now filled with coals.”
In Judaism, the expression, ‘That Man’ (Oto HaIsh), is almost always a reference to Yeshua (Jesus). Partly since Jesus is a false god and the Torah forbids mentioning the names of idolatry, it is very popular to refer to Jesus simply as, ‘That Man’ (Oto HaIsh). ‘HaIsh’ (literally, ‘the man’) is the Gematria (numerical value) of, ‘Yeshu’ (‘Jesus,’ 316). This is also partly why this expression is so often used as a reference to Yeshua. Moses is also often called this in the Torah (‘the man Moses’). According to the Holy Zohar, ‘Oto’ is a reference to the Sefira of Yesod (and the Hebrew letter, Vav), which corresponds to Messiah son of Joseph. According to Rabbi Moshe David Valle, Yeshua was Messiah son of Joseph (Likkutim 1:242).
Where else in Judaism do we see a reference to praying for the Messiah son of Joseph? Actually, in the first source mentioning him…
“I saw in Likutei HaShas in the name of our master, the Arizal, of blessed memory, that Mashiach ben Yosef is from the soul-root of Aviyah son of Jeroboam [Same gematria as, ‘Yeshu son of David,’ 392]. And because Jeroboam rebelled against the kingship of the House of David, he was liable for death, and therefore [Mashiach son of Yosef] is killed — until David himself prays for him in the mystical sense of “He asked life of You; You gave it to him.” That’s the end of the quote (in Daf 11).
But there is room to question, because from other teachings it seems that David said “He asked life of You” about Mashiach ben David.
And it’s possible that what Mashiach son of David is requesting when he asks for “life” is primarily on behalf of Messiah son of Ephraim, who was killed — that he should be brought back to life. And G-d answers: “David your father already prayed on your behalf — He asked life of You, meaning for Mashiach son of Yosef, whom Mashiach son of David is requesting life for — You gave it to him, and he lives.” Look into this deeply.”
-Chida, Petach Einayim, Sukkah 52
Commenting on the Talmud, Chida writes that Messiah son of David, from the Tribe of Yehuda, prays for Messiah son of Joseph. Now we can understand why it is Rabbi Yehuda who says to pray for Yeshua, the Messiah son of Joseph. The Gematria of, “Messiah son of Ephraim,” is exactly, ‘Yeshua of Nazareth’ (741). Rabbi Moshe David Valle also strongly alludes to Messiah son of David praying for Messiah son of Joseph here…
““Dogs surround me; a pack of evil ones closes in on me, like lions [they maul] my hands and feet” (Psalm 22:17)… The aspect of the “hands” is the World of Yetzirah and “feet” is the World of Asiyah, where the feet reside. The ‘evil ones’ there are the secret of Babylon and Media, which surround the ‘hands.’ The ‘dogs’ are the secret of Greece and Edom, whose root is in Amalek, those who bite at the heels — and they are the “footsteps of the Messiah.” And therefore it was said, “The face of the generation is like the face of the dog.” And concerning them King David, peace be upon him, said: “Deliver my soul from the sword, my only one (Yechidah) from the hand of the dog” (Psalms 22:21). For then, in the time of the footsteps of the Messiah, at the height of the distress, the Messiah will be revealed to bring salvation [same root as ‘Yeshua’]. And the holy trunk will pray for the Netzer [‘shoot,’ same root as, ‘Nazarene’] from its roots that he be saved from the hand of the dog who pursues him. And the Messiah is the aspect of the Yechidah, as is known. Therefore he said, “From the hand of the dog — my Yechidah,” and understand this.”
-Rabbi Moshe David (Ramad) Valle, Likutim 1:274
Quoting Isaiah 11:1, Ramad Valle says that the holy “trunk (from Jesse)” refers to (Messiah son of) David, who is praying for the ‘Netzer,’ the same Hebrew root as ‘Nazareth,’ or, ‘Nazarene.’ He says that the Messiah son of David praying for the Netzer (a reference to Yeshua) is David praying for his ‘Yechidah,’ which is also a Jewish reference to the Messiah son of Joseph (“the only son” of Zechariah 12:10).
“… go and pray for that man [‘Oto HaIsh,’ Yeshu] and for that skin, which was filled with gems and pearls, but is now filled with coals.’”
-Midrash Kohelet Rabba 1:8:4
How else can we prove that the above Midrash is referring to Yeshua as the Messiah who needs prayer? The Gematria of ‘that skin’ (‘HaChemet’) in the story is exactly, ‘King Messiah’ (453). The Gematria of, “pray for That Man,’ is exactly, ‘Yeshua the Messiah son of Joseph, the Messiah son of David’ (1386). The Gematria of, “and [pray] for that skin, which was filled with gems and pearls,” is a perfect multiple of four times, ‘Yeshua of Nazareth’ (747). The Gematria of, ‘That Man’ (729), is exactly, ‘Yaakov’ (‘Jacob,’ 188), plus, ‘Israel’ (541), the quintessential Man. The Gematria of, “now filled with coals,” is exactly ten times the Hebrew name for Satan, ‘Samae-l’ (131).
A clear lesson from this analogy and these Gematrias is that Rabbi Yehuda taught Jews not to fight Christians (physically or verbally), but rather to pray for Yeshua, who was the Messiah (“gems and pearls”) turned into Satan (the Antichrist, “coals”). Just as precious pearls are taken out of undesirable shells, so too the righteous Messiah must be rescued from the evil Kelipot (‘shells’). How is this to be done? The Gematria of, “go and pray (for that man),” is exactly 613, the amount of commandments in the Torah. This teaches us that it is especially through prayer and the proper keeping of the Torah commandments that the Messiah will at long last be redeemed and restored to his rightful place in Holiness.
May it be immediately, ‘today.’ Amen.
“What greater exile can there be than this, “[a plunge] from a high roof [to a deep pit]!” … It is comparable, by way of example, to one who seizes the king’s head, drags it down, and dips his face in a privy full of excrement, from which there is no greater humiliation, even if he does it only for a moment. For the kelipot and sitra achara are called “vomit and excrement,” as is known.”
-Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim 24:17-18
“And behold, the Winnower [a term for the Messiah] in the final rectification, which involves “sacrificing his soul to death,” is the secret of descending from his highest level to the aspect of the “Heels.” And “they made his grave among the wicked” (Isaiah 53:9) because he descends directly into the Kelipah of the Uncircumcision to purify from there the holy sparks of the sinners, as it is said: “And with transgressors he was numbered.” And through him, the lost and the outcasts will come and worship the L-rd on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. And “he did the righteousness of the L-rd” (Deuteronmy 33:21), for there is no greater righteousness than this, to save the captured from death and to surrender his soul to death within the Kelipah in order to save the oppressed from the hands of their oppressors and to restore them to their root within the holiness. And behold, we have already mentioned in other places the many and severe troubles that befall him while he stands within the Kelipot, that all kinds of hell (“Gehinom”) dominate him and the external wars intensify against him, especially on weekdays, and all the more so on days of misfortune, when the kelipah gains additional strength from its root and he has no moment without encountering evil… And he was promised reward for his toil, that “I will give him a portion with the great” (Isaiah 53:12), may the compassionate One divide it to him, “and with the mighty he shall share plunder…” [acronym of ‘Yeshua,’] “and with the travail of his soul he shall see satisfaction,” for the G-d of justice, blessed be He, is the hope of all who await Him… At the beginning, the Messiah himself is rectified, as the verse says: “Righteous and saved is he” (Zechariah 9:9) — and only afterward the entire world, for the head of the people is rectified first, and afterward all the rest. And this is in the secret of the rectification of the supernal levels: that the Keter [Crown, corresponding to Yechidah] is rectified first, and afterward all the other levels beneath it. And just as the rectified Keter afterward rectifies all the rest, so too through the Messiah who is saved, afterward all the ends of the earth will be saved, and nations will walk by his light and kings by the brightness of his shining. “The people who dwell in darkness shall see a great light” — this is the light of the King Messiah.”
-Rabbi Moshe David Valle, Sefer Likkutim, p.227, 229
Eye To Zion 