Pesikta Rabbati states that
the “light” in Isaiah 60:1 is the light of
the Moshiach that the congregation of Israelis looking for as from a
watchtower…he will swallow up Satan and
his princely counterparts:
Pesikta Rabbati, Piska 36:
“‘Arise, shine, for thy light
is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, darkness
shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but upon thee the Lord
will arise, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.’” (Isaiah 60:1,2).
“These words are to be considered
in the light of what David king of Israel was inspired by the holy spirit to
say: ‘For with thee is the fountain
of life; in Thy light do we see light.’ (Psalm 36:10)… What is meant by ‘in Thy light do we see light?’ What light is it that
the congregation of Israel looks for as from a watchtower? It is the light of the
Messiah of which it is said ‘And God saw the light that it was good’ (Genesis 1:4). This verse proves that
the Holy One, blessed be He, contemplated the Messiah and his works before
the world was created, and then under His throne of glory put away His Messiah
until the time of the generation in which he will appear.
Pesikta Rabbati (Jerusalem:
Dovidovitz,1880; reprint, photographed,1960, tel.
02-286337),
Piska 36.
“…Satan said: ‘Master of the
universe, show him to me.’ God replied: ‘Come and see him.’ And when he saw him,
Satan was shaken, and he fell on his face and said: ‘Surely, this is the Messiah
who will cause me and all the counterparts in heaven of the princes of the
earth’s nations to be swallowed up in Ghenna, as it is said He will swallow up death
forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces’ (Isaiah 25:8). In that hour all princely
counterparts of the nations in agitation, will say to Him: ‘Master of the
universe, who is this through whose power we are to be swallowed up? What kind
of being is he?’ The Holy One, blessed be He, will reply: ‘He is the Messiah…’”
Rabbi William G. Braude, trans. (Rabbi, Congregation
Sons of Israel and David; Providence Rhode Island), Pesikta Rabbati (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1968), Piska 36, p.
677.
