Commentary for Terumot 34:1

רבי שמואל בר אבא בעי מעשר ראשון שהקדימו בשיבלין עובר או אינו עובר אלא על סדר תניין קומי דרבי אבוהו תרומה אינה מעכבת את הביכורים אמר לון דאבא פנימון היא רבי יוסי בעי היידא דאבא פנימון א"ל רבי מנא שמעית אבא תני ביכורים בימינו ותרומה בשמאלו אית תניי תני עובר אית תניי תני אינו עובר מאן דמר עובר רבנן מאן דמר אינו עובר אבא פנימון:

The Rabbis say : As for the King Messiah, whether he be among the living or the dead. He shall be called David (meaning whether he exist or no, he will be of a royal stock). According to R. Tunhooma, the reason would be this (Ps. xviii. 60) : " Great deliverance giveth lie to His king, to David His anointed '." R. Joshua ben Levi says : His name shall be Tsemah; and according to R. Judan, son of R. Aibo: It shall be Menahem (comforter). ' R. Hanina, son of Abahoo, says : You must not conclude that these two opinions contradict each other, for m fact these two names are the same ^ The following tale which we have from R. Judan, son of R. Aibo, proves it : One day, an Israelite, whilst cultivating his held, heard his cow cry out; an Arab, who was passing, also heard her : Son of Juda, cried he, son of Juda ! quit thy cow, quit thy plough, for the Temple is destroyed (and thou shalt either mourn or flee, instead of till the earth). The cow bellowed a second time. Son of Juda, said the Arab, son of Juda ! take back thy cow and thy plough, for the King, the Messiah, has just been born. What is his name? Menahem. And what is his father's name? Ezeckiel. And from whence does he come? From the royal town of Eethlem in Judea^ The Hebrew sold his cow and his plough and bought some baby's clothes. He went from town to town; when he arrived at the town mentioned, he saw that all the women were buying clothes, excepting Menahera^s mother. And he heard the women say : Mother of Menahem, come and buy clothes for thy child. Oh, said she, I should like to see the enemies of Israel strangled ^, for on the day of he infantas birth, the Temple of Jerusalem is destroyed. We are certain, answered the traveller, that if, because of his advent, the Temple is destroyed, it will also be rebuilt b\^ him (therefore, be comforted, and make thy purchases). But, said she, I have not a groat. Never mind, said he, come, buy what thou needest ; if to-day thou hast not the necessary money before thee, I will come to be paid another day. Two days afterwards, he came back into the town. "What hast thou done with thy child? he asked of the woman. I know not, answered she; since thou wast hero there has been storm and tempest, and my child has been taken from me". Aboon says : Why all that from a tale concerning the Arab ? A verse of the Bible sanctions it (Isa. x. 33) : " Behold the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, shall lop the bough with terror ; and the following : ''And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse" (meaning, that the birth of a Messiah of the line of David shall make up for the destruction of the Temple).

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