Who Are Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David?
Moshiach ben David is the King Moshiach of the Rambam’s laws, the descendant of David who completes the Redemption; Moshiach ben Yosef is a forerunner from the tribe of Joseph named in the Talmud (Sukkah 52a). The Lubavitcher Rebbe, King Moshiach, taught that Yaakov awaited Yosef’s kingship as Moshiach ben Yosef, the spiritual precursor of Moshiach ben David.
What did the Rebbe teach about Moshiach ben Yosef?
The Rebbe taught that Yaakov saw in Yosef’s dreams the future Moshiach ben Yosef (Likkutei Sichos vol. 25, p. 204).
When Yosef dreamed that the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed to him, Yaakov rebuked him in public but “guarded the matter” in his heart. The Rebbe explains that Yaakov anticipated two kinds of greatness in Yosef. The first was Yosef’s rule in Egypt, where he stayed loyal to G-d despite the burden of government. The second was greater: Yosef would be “Moshiach son of Joseph,” a forerunner of the true Moshiach ben David (Likkutei Sichos vol. 25, p. 204; vol. 35, p. 156, as presented in Geulah Weekly).
Yaakov’s quiet hope, the Rebbe says, gives us strength to keep waiting for the Redemption despite the delays, with full trust that G-d will redeem us.
How does the Rebbe connect Yosef with our generation?
The Rebbe called the Previous Rebbe, whose first name was Yosef, “the Yosef of our generation” (Likkutei Sichos vol. 30).
In a talk on Parshas Vayigash the Rebbe explains Yosef’s two missions in Egypt. First, he gave the Jewish people strength to stay bound to G-d in exile. Second, he ruled over Egypt itself, so that exile was subdued and even transformed into holiness. The Rebbe compares this to the Rambam’s description of King Moshiach, who will not only restore David’s kingdom for Israel but also “perfect the entire world to serve G-d together.”
The Rebbe then draws a lesson for our time. The leader of our generation, the Previous Rebbe, whose first name was Yosef, opened the way for his students and shluchim to spread Torah and Chassidus everywhere, even in the furthest “Egypt.” Their work even includes teaching the nations the seven Noahide laws, as the Rambam rules (Likkutei Sichos vol. 30, pp. 226–228).
Who is Moshiach ben David?
Moshiach ben David is the King Moshiach, a descendant of King David who completes the Redemption.
All the halachic rulings about Moshiach refer to him. The Rambam rules that he restores the kingdom of David, builds the Beis Hamikdash and gathers the exiles (Hilchos Melachim 11:1). The signs by which he is recognized, from bechezkas Moshiach to Moshiach vadai, are set out in the Rambam’s laws of King Moshiach (11:4).
Geulah Weekly sums up the difference in roles: Moshiach ben Yosef battles the forces that obstruct the Redemption, while Moshiach ben David’s mission is mainly constructive, building the Beis Hamikdash and uniting the Jewish people, until G-d’s unity is recognized by all. This is the Moshiach we await every day, and the one the Rebbe’s talks speak of as the Moshiach of our generation.
What does the Talmud say about Moshiach ben Yosef?
The Talmud says Moshiach ben Yosef precedes Moshiach ben David and falls in battle (Sukkah 52a).
One opinion in the Talmud reads the verse “And the land shall mourn, every family apart” (Zechariah 12:12) as mourning for “Moshiach ben Yosef who was killed.” The Talmud then relates that G-d offers Moshiach ben David whatever he asks, quoting “Ask of Me and I will give” (Psalms 2:8). Having seen Moshiach ben Yosef killed, he asks only for life. G-d grants it, as the verse says: “He asked of You life and You granted it” (Psalms 21:5).
The Talmud also names the “four craftsmen” of Zechariah’s vision (Zechariah 2:3) as Moshiach ben David, Moshiach ben Yosef, Eliyahu and the Righteous Kohen (Sukkah 52b). Each plays a part in the process of the Redemption, including Eliyahu Hanavi’s announcement.
Must Moshiach ben Yosef die?
Rav Saadia Gaon rules that Moshiach ben Yosef’s battles are needed only without teshuvah.
Rav Saadia Gaon (Emunos V’Deos, Maamar HaGeulah) writes that if the Jewish people return to G-d, Moshiach ben David arises at once, with no need for the wars of Moshiach ben Yosef. Only if they do not repent does Moshiach ben Yosef come first to prepare the ground. Geulah Weekly adds that his death is not inevitable, since prayer can cancel that outcome.
This fits the Talmud’s principle that the Redemption can come “in its time” or be hastened (Sanhedrin 98a). The way to bring Moshiach is teshuvah, Torah and mitzvos, not suffering.
Are Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David two people?
The Zohar describes the two as one person revealed in two phases, as Geulah Weekly explains.
A Midrash on the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird links it to the verse “Who sent forth the feet of the ox and the donkey” (Isaiah 32:20). Commentators read the ox as Yosef, who fights Israel’s enemies, and the donkey as Moshiach ben David, who comes “riding on a donkey.” According to the Zohar, these are two phases of one revelation. The first phase fights evil and paves the way. The second builds the Beis Hamikdash and gathers the exiles.
The Maharal (Netzach Yisrael, ch. 37) explains why the final kingdom belongs to Yehudah. Yehudah is like the brain, the seat of intellect; Yosef is like the heart, the seat of emotion. Yosef’s leadership serves in times of stress, while the kingdom of David is the lasting perfection of Israel and will never be subdued.
The Rambam does not mention Moshiach ben Yosef in his laws. As he writes of all these details, they “are not known to man until they happen” (Hilchos Melachim 12:2).