Messiah in Rosh HaShanah II & Chanukkah II Chapter 21
- Witness of the Prophet Yochanan
- Witness of the Works of Messiah
- Witness of the Father
- Witness of the Tanakh
- Witness of Moses
1. Witness of the Prophet Yochanan:
אַתֶּם שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֶל־יוֹחָנָן וְהוּא הֵעִיד עֵדוּת אֱמֶת׃ וַאֲנִי לֹא אֶקַּח לִי עֵדוּת מֵאָדָם אַךְ אָמַרְתִּי זֹאת לְמַעַן תִּוָּשֵׁעוּן׃ הוּא הָיָה הַנֵּר הַדֹּלֵק וְהַמֵּאִיר וְאַתֶּם רְצִיתֶם לָשׂוֹּשׂ כְּשָׁעָה לְאוֹרוֹ׃
“You have sent word to Yochanan (ben Zechariah), and he presented true testimony. Now I will not accept for Myself testimony from a human, but I have said this so that you may be saved. He was the lamp that kindles and illuminates, and you wanted to rejoice for an hour in his light.”
2. Witness of the Works of Messiah:
וְלִי עֵדוּת גְּדוֹלָה מֵעֵדוּת יוֹחָנָן הַמַּעֲשִׂים אֲשֶׁר נָתַן־לִי אָבִי לְהַשְׁלִימָם הַמַּעֲשִׂים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה מְעִידִים עָלַי כִּי הָאָב שְׁלָחָנִי׃
“But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of Yochanan (ben Zechariah); for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
3. Witness of the Father:
וְהָאָב אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחַנִי הוּא מֵעִיד עָלָי וְאַתֶּם אֶת־קוֹלוֹ לֹא־שְׁמַעְתֶּם מֵעוֹלָם וּתְמוּנָתוֹ לֹא רְאִיתֶם׃ וּדְבָרוֹ אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁכֵן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם כִּי אֵינְכֶם מַאֲמִינִים לִשְׁלוּחוֹ׃
“The Father who sent Me testifies about Me, and you have never heard His Voice or seen His Image. His word does not reside within you, because you do not believe in the One He sent.”
4. Witness of the Tanakh:
דִּרְשׁוּ בַכְּתָבִים אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמְרוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָכֶם חַיֵּי עוֹלָם בָּהֶם וְהֵמָּה הַמְּעִידִים עָלָי׃ וְאַתֶּם אֵינְכֶם רוֹצִים לָבוֹא אֵלָי לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם חַיִּים׃ לֹא־אֶקַּח כָּבוֹד מִבְּנֵי אָדָם׃ אָכֵן יָדַעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם כִּי אֵין־אַהֲבַת אֱלֹהִים בְּקִרְבְּכֶם׃ אֲנִי הִנֵּה בָאתִי בְּשֵׁם אָבִי לֹא קִבַּלְתֶּם אֹתִי וְאִם־יָבֹא אַחֵר בְּשֵׁם עַצְמוֹ אֹתוֹ תְקַבֵּלוּ׃ אֵיךְ תּוּכְלוּ לְהַאֲמִין אַתֶּם הַלּקְחִים כָּבוֹד אִישׁ מֵאֵת רֵעֵהוּ וְאֶת־הַכּבוֹד אֲשֶׁר מֵאֵת־הָאֱלֹהִים הַיָּחִיד לֹא תְּבַקֵּשׁוּ׃
“Search the Scriptures in which you say you have eternal life. They testify about Me. Yet you do not want to come to Me to have life. I will not accept honor from sons of men. I certainly know you—that you do not have the love of HaShem within you. I have come in the name of the Father but you have not accepted Me. If another comes in his own name, you accept him. How are you able to believe—you who accept the honor from one another but do not seek the honor that is only from the only Almighty One?”
5. Witness of Moses:
אַל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ כִּי אָנֹכִי אֶטְעֹן עֲלֵיכֶם לִפְנֵי אָבִי משֶׁה אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ תְיַחֵלוּ הוּא הַטֹּעֵן עֲלֵיכֶם׃ כִּי לוּ תַאֲמִינוּ לְמשֶׁה גַּם־לִי תַאֲמִינוּ כִּי הוּא כָּתַב עָלָי׃ וְאִם־לִכְתָבָיו אֵינְכֶם מַאֲמִינִים אֵיךְ תַאֲמִינוּ לִדְבָרָי׃
“Do not think that I will make a claim against you before My Father. Mosheh, in whom you hope, will make the claim against you. For if you would only believe Mosheh, you would also believe Me, for He wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
[This is the conclusion of our Rosh Hashanah and Yom Teruah study for this year. Four more chapters will be added regarding the five witnesses above, Lord willing, next year.”