“Mashiach is Hiding Amongst the Criminals” – The Kabbalist Rabbi Aharon Stern Shlit”a

“HOW DOES MASHIACH APPEAR?” “ANOTHER QUESTION – WHERE IS MASHIACH?” With these pointed questions, the Kabbalist Rabbi Aharon Stern Shlit”a opens and immediately begins to answer them.  These are his holy words: “I believe with complete faith in the coming of Mashiach, even though he may waver, in any case, I will wait for him every day that he should come.  A Jew doesn’t give up.  He is our Father, He is our King, He is our Savior, and He will save us, but come and I will describe to you the Mashiach. “Not from my [own] heart do I say this, rather from the prophet Yeshayahu 53: 'Who would believe what we have heard?' -- Something heard throughout the entire world, something heard in every means of communication. “'Upon whom has the arm of Hashem been revealed.  He rose like an infant before him' – like a baby, 'and like a root from a dry land' – he comes from a place of suffering. “'He had no form and no glory' – he doesn’t appear like someone with such a beautiful white beard, 'we saw him but without an appearance that [would cause us to] like him,' – he doesn’t appear at all to us like a pleasant man.  Is this Mashiach? “You know how he will appear? “'Scornful and isolated from men' – this isn’t me who says this, but the prophet. 'A man of pains' – full of wounds, full of suffering, 'known for sickness' – they’ll say about him: he’s been ill for years. “But what is the truth? “'One who they hide their faces from' – he is hidden.  Also King David was hidden.  Rabbi Leibowitz a”h said to me that Shmuel HaNavi came to King David.  About him [Shmuel] it’s said, 'Moshe and Aharon are among His priests, and Shmuel is among those who call His Name.'  Shmuel the Seer, and he thought that David was a criminal!  He didn’t identify David!  How can this be?  The great Shmuel doesn’t identify David? “Rather, King David was hidden even from Shmuel!  Also Mashiach will be hidden! “'Scorned and we had no regard for him' – we had no regard for him, but what is the truth?  'So our sicknesses he bore' – all the illnesses which we need to bear, he took onto himself. “'Our pains he bore' – and what did we think?  'We considered him diseased.'  Why does he have troubles?  Because he is 'stricken by G-d' – we suspect him of doing a lot of sins, but really, 'he is pained from our rebellious sins' – he suffers, 'oppressed from our iniquities, the punishment [for the sake of] our peace was upon him, and with his wounds we were healed.' – But where is he found? “Let’s go to the end of the chapter in Yeshayahu: 'He was counted amongst the criminals' – you want to search for Mashiach?  He is hiding amongst the criminals! “A friend told me that once there was someone who fled the police, and they needed escape.  What did they do?  They made a car of a bride and groom, dressed up like a bride and groom, and escaped.  I said how nice…  Why does the Kadosh Baruch Hu hide the Mashiach? “In Parashas Noach, the holy Zohar 74b – Sitrey Torah says: The generation of the division which built the Tower of Babel said, 'Come, let’s build for ourselves a city and tower' – a city opposite the city of Zion, and a tower opposite the Tower of David.  That is to say that the generation of the division already planned on obstructing King David, the city of Zion.  They planned on building something in impurity in order to nullify and destroy the city of Zion, King David, and the building of the Holy Temple. “The Kadosh Baruch Hu had to take Lot and his daughters in order to hide there King David, to hide him in Sodom – from there will come King Mashiach.  To hide him through the incident of Yehuda and Tamar.  To hide him through the incident of Boaz and Ruth.  When Boaz married Ruth, they said: Ruth is a Moabite and it’s forbidden to marry her.  From her, King Mashiach will emerge! “On the wedding night, Boaz died and they said of him: Boaz transgressed, so he died.  Only after all of this could King David emerge.  The Kadosh Baruch Hu had to hide him in a thousand concealments – Mashiach who is the pinnacle, who is the rectification of the world, to rectify the world in the kingdom of Sha-dai – the Kadosh Baruch Hu hides him amongst the criminals, where nobody will search. “Who prevents the Mashiach from coming? “The Samech-Mem!  The Satan and his soldiers! “What will the Kadosh Baruch Hu do?  'Your G-d will rejoice over you like a groom rejoices over his bride.'  The Kadosh Baruch Hu will bring a car of a bride and groom, and there will bring the Mashiach.  What happiness we will have then!  'As a groom rejoices over a bride, so will your G-d rejoice over you.  A voice of joy and a voice of happiness, a voice of a groom and the voice of a bride will yet be heard in the cities of Yehuda' when they bring the King Mashiach. “May it be His will that the Holy Temple will be built speedily in our days, and give us our portion in Your Torah.  Who will bring from Zion the salvation of Israel. “David, King of Israel, lives and endures.”