"Know that Mashiach must die, it's unfortunate, I'm sorry to say this" - Words of the holy tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

A very powerful lesson discussing the greatness of the tzaddik and the matter of King Mashiach, delivered by the holy tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a on Motzei Shabbat Vayishlach, 17th of Kislev, 5779. These are his holy words.

According to Chayei Mohara"n 272[1]

"[-] Mashiach ben David, and therefore the connection of Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David is now the 17th of Kislev, a level, because they reached all the levels, knew all the Talmud by heart and Mishnayot by heart, and also [-] kedushah is the neshamah, and therefore they say purify the defilement of deeds, because the rectification that a person does teshuvah (repentance) on the 17th of Kislev, this was now Parshat Vayishlach."

"He said I am the grandfather of grandfathers, the Rebbe revealed that he is the grandfather of grandfathers, that he rectifies everything, and the beggar who was blind, because the ultimate purpose of a person is to be blind, a person comes to the world to be blind, this is his entire purpose, like Matya ben Charash, he took heated skewers and put them in his eyes, a person comes to the world to thrust heated skewers, a person needs to acquire heated skewers, and such a burner, and go with a burner, and every time he wants to open his eye to thrust a heated skewer in the eye, heated skewers. And then when he is very old – then he will merit to live up to a thousand years, if a person does not open his eyes he will live up to a thousand years, like Serach bat Asher, who has already lived 3,000 years, because in her life she never opened her eyes, the work of a person is not to open his eyes, this is his work from the day he is born – not to open his eyes, that he was blind. And the eagle – renew your youth like the eagle, because the eagle is the oldest, already 5,779 years, when it was 777 it was the most important number – it is light, water, firmament and another hundred blessings, a hundred amens which also comes out to 777."

"A person comes to the world to be the blind beggar, to be the most blind in the world, a person needs to be blind – not to see anything, there is nothing to see here, charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, Solomon says this, all beauty is from the other side, the Rebbe says that the more beautiful a woman is, the more foolish she is, the mind is disgusted by beauty, the intellect is disgusted by beauty and she becomes foolish, the Rambam says that a foolish person has a beautiful wife, as it is brought in Shivchei HaRan, because all his intellect goes into her beauty, so a person needs to get used to not looking at the beauty of a woman, not to seek it at all, because it is all from the other side, it is written that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah was the ugliest in the world[2], so the daughter of the emperor came and said: why are you so ugly? Also Samuel was the ugliest in the world, so she burst and died[3]. Because Samuel was a reincarnation of Saul who was the most beautiful in the world, so he could not nullify himself to Samuel, a beautiful person cannot nullify himself to a tzaddik, charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, so now he came as Samuel, he was fat and short and his teeth protruded. He was blind, the Rebbe explains here in Ra"b that all the work of a person is to be blind, charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, a woman who fears Hashem shall be praised (Proverbs 31:30), not to see anything, to be blind."

"Until the great eagle told him that he is very old, if a person does not look – he will be blind he will see nothing, therefore he came to the world – to be blind, and this is all his work, this is all his purpose, to rectify the sin of the Tree of Knowledge – and it was a delight to the eyes, so the more a person is blind, the more he merits that the light of Hashem shines upon him, therefore a person needs to be blind, and to be born blind, and to ask Hashem to be born blind, it is still possible to ask to be blind, he has not started to be at all, so if a person is blind he has not started to live at all, I have not yet started to live, because when a person comes to the world he has not started to live at all, he has nothing to live for, he says every Friday night charm is deceitful and beauty is vain he does not fulfill it, he says a woman who fears Hashem shall be praised. And he was old against all the elders mentioned there, understand a little of this matter. According to this, understand that the Rebbe is the grandfather of grandfathers, if a person wants to be the grandfather of grandfathers he needs to be completely blind, like Isaac was completely blind, it is written in the Gemara Shabbat that the redemption will be in the merit of Isaac, (Shabbat 89b)[4] through Isaac our father, if a person wants to bring the redemption he must be blind, a person comes to the world to be blind, a person is born to be blind, his purpose is to be blind, and then he can live a thousand years – two thousand years, like Batya the daughter of Pharaoh, Serach bat Asher, already living 3,700 years."

"And he has not started to be at all, and he was old this is against all the elders mentioned. The Rebbe says: there are eight elders, one of them is the Noam Elimelech (Shishak 4:25), and the Rebbe is the elder of elders, who has not started to live at all, he has not started to live at all."

"[5]And therefore the Rebbe said he did not do anything until he knew his secret, until he knew the secret in this conduct, and similarly in other conducts he did not start to do anything until he knew the secret of the matter. And even though he knew the secret regarding smoking tobacco, nevertheless he warned us greatly to stay away from it very much, and once he spoke a lot about this matter that the world practices smoking tobacco and said it is a great folly, and for cleanliness it does not help at all. And also the smell of tobacco is even worse, as this conversation is explained elsewhere."

"What does Jacob say to him? "And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died unto me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath"[6], a little way – Rashi says this is two thousand cubits, two thousand cubits is ten minutes, at most twelve minutes, two thousand cubits a person does in a run five kilometers per hour, a fast walk four kilometers, a medium walk three kilometers, so two thousand cubits is a matter of twelve minutes, he did not worry at all to bring her in. He says: no, I know, maybe you will say it was raining, that there was snow. No rain and no snow, there was nothing there, it was dry – like a sieve, the land was dry like a sieve, the air was dry air, there was wonderful weather, it was not hot it was not cold, in Cheshvan it is no longer hot it is already a bit cool, there was wonderful air, I could easily bring her to Bethlehem, but I did not want to, because it was all according to the word, what the tzaddik does everything is according to the word, every movement of the tzaddik is according to the word, every movement, everything the tzaddik does, everything the tzaddik says, everything the tzaddik thinks – everything is according to the word, every movement of the tzaddik is all according to the word, wherever the tzaddik goes it is according to the word!"

"Therefore the Rebbe says all the work of a person is always to know that Mashiach must come at any moment, Chayei Mohara"n 275[7] Mashiach must come at any moment, but: know that Mashiach must die, it's unfortunate, I'm sorry to say this, I know it's hard to hear, but what can we do, we must tell the truth, Mashiach will die. Where do we learn this from? It is written in the Rambam, it is written in the Rambam that Mashiach will die and his son will die. The Rambam here[8], that in the days of Mashiach worries will cease, there will be no subjugation of kingdoms, but the world will continue as usual, only there will be no subjugation of kingdoms, Mashiach will rule with a strong hand, and wisdom will increase as it is said for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea, and wars will cease as it is said nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and Mashiach... it is unpleasant to say this, the Rebbe says: Mashiach will die his son will die, why does the Rebbe say that Mashiach will die? The Rambam writes this here in the introduction to the tenth chapter, that when Mashiach comes the world will continue as usual, Mashiach will come there will be evil inclination, everything the same. Only a person will not commit sins of the Torah punishable by stoning or burning, he will not go with a married woman, but with his wife he will have great trials, if he is with his wife like a rooster then he will become a rooster, he will be a rooster, if he wants to be a human being he needs to be holy of holies. The Zohar says that in the future the evil inclination will be like Rachel and Leah, not like the daughters of Lot, the daughters of Lot committed a sin, they thought the world was destroyed, go look, take a tour outside, see the world is standing."

"The Rambam says: Mashiach will die, and his son will die - his son who will reign after him, and his grandson, after that will be his grandson, and this is already mentioned in the prophets, this is already hinted at in the words of the prophets, he will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth, and his reign will be prolonged for many days, people will live a hundred years, for the youth will die at a hundred years, a hundred years will be a regular thing. Today there are only a hundred people in all of Eretz Yisrael who live a hundred years - who have passed a hundred, one was Rav Shach, and one was Rav Elyashiv, and Bibi's father, maybe a hundred people, in the whole world there are maybe four hundred people at most who have passed a hundred, maybe in the Caucasus there in Pz people have passed a hundred forty, and people will live long lives, and there will be no worries, we see that what the Rebbe says everything is written, on one hand what the Rebbe says is new insights, but what the Rebbe says is written in some book, the Rebbe says things people think the Rebbe maybe exaggerates, the Rebbe maybe invents..."

"In Chayei Mohara"n section 275, 35 in the old: that Mashiach will die and his son will die, and you need to accept this with love, what can be done?! You want Mashiach to live forever? True, the Rambam says everything will be the same: a person will need to strive to learn, he thinks that when Mashiach comes it will be easy for him, no, it will be the same difficulty, what is today will be then, only there will be no burden of livelihood, but to learn, to activate the mind, to remove the screens from the mind, it will be even more difficult than today, it will be even more difficult, then there will be no heresy, there will be no apostasy, people will not commit sins with a married woman but will need to distance themselves from desires, otherwise a person cannot learn Torah, and depart from evil, and when he does this the human matter will be completed in him, Mashiach will be the perfection of the human species, and separated from the animal, he will have no point of animality, of desires, and when a person is complete and departs from evil, he has no hindrance, there will be no trials of desecrating Shabbat but there will be trials to overcome desire, until the time of the resurrection of the dead, at the resurrection of the dead we will receive a new body but we need to constantly fight with desire, if a person is immersed in desire he cannot learn."

"He has no hindrance that his neshamah should live and be maintained in its known existence, and this time is the World to Come, and what is written that there will be a World to Come means there will be a world without desires, do not be like a horse, the Rambam brings the verse from Michtam to David for I have taken refuge in You, do not be like a horse or a mule without understanding, meaning: do not be animals and do not immerse in desires, when a person is within desire he is an animal, therefore we say in Psalm 32 for the conductor a psalm of David at the end of the psalm: do not be like a horse or a mule without understanding, that a person should be far from desires, with bit and bridle to hold him back lest he come near you, because the animal has no control over itself, it behaves by instincts – reflexes, like the hindrance from the animal is something external, because the animality is something external. Because now we see how Joseph prophesies about the sheaves, and behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf, that all the sheaves bowed down to Joseph's sheaf, and it is not fitting for a person to be like this, but his hindrance should be from himself and from within himself, that is to say the human form when it is complete it will prevent him from those things that prevent him from perfection, and they are called bad traits, and therefore Mashiach will already be the exclusive perfection that has no perfection after him, that he will be clean from all desire, and it will hasten him and push him to what will bring him to perfection, and nothing will prevent him from perfection, if only he wants, a person needs to reach perfection to be clean from desires, and these are the good traits."

"And I will connect and bring many more proofs of what Mashiach is, what the days of Mashiach are. [9]And I will reveal completely new things, the discourses, what is from the discourses in their simple meaning and what is from them a parable and what is from them was in a dream and they mentioned it in a simple absolute statement, as if it was in wakefulness, and in that composition I will explain to you many skills and there I will explain all the things I have given you from them, how the world continues as usual, they will need to overcome the evil inclination, even then there will be an evil inclination but not the evil inclination of today that incites a person to commit actual sins, and do not challenge me."

"On what came in this statement now he has an introduction to the thirteen attributes, the thirteen attributes he says: I measured it, I sifted it with a sieve and every word here is precise, in the thirteen attributes – thirteen foundations, and I shortened as much as I could shorten, although it needs to be lengthened, and what I omitted in some words and matters that the scholars take hold of, because I omitted this lesson to understand for someone who has not had any education in any of this important matter which is not comprehended by all people. Whoever wants to understand what the thirteen attributes are, that Moses is mouth to mouth I speak with him, that Moses is a truly divine matter, the tzaddik is a truly divine matter, he has no body and no semblance of a body, and he has already torn and nullified all matters of the body completely, and this is the seventh foundation that the tzaddik who is the aspect of Moses has already nullified all matters of the body, nullified completely, the artificial elevation he reached the level of angels, and included – this is the language of the Rambam, every word of his here is precise, and as much as he shortens he needed to explain a little, and included in the level of angels, he has already nullified the body completely, this is the matter of Moses our teacher, this is in choice in work, and included in the level of angels, and no screen remained that he did not tear, and no bodily hindrance prevented him, and no deficiency mixed with him, the body has no influence on him, no screen remained that he did not tear it and no bodily hindrance prevented him, and no deficiency mixed with him between much and little, he has no deficiency between much and little, and all the forces were nullified from him, Moses who is the tzaddik nullified all the bodily forces, and all the imaginative and sensory and perceptive forces, he has no senses anymore, and all the foundations of the body, and his arousing force, and all the forces of desires which is the arousing and yearning force – the tzaddik nullified everything, he has no body and no matter of body, no desire of body, and only intellect remained, the tzaddik who is Moses only intellect remained, he nullified all matters of the body, all bodily matters, and on this matter it is said about him that he spoke with Hashem, he saw Hashem face to face, as a man speaks to his friend, he already had no body, he nullified all matters of the body, so he could see Hashem face to face, without mediation from the angels."

"I wanted to explain this wonderful matter and unlock the lock from all the verses of the Torah that speak of this matter: mouth to mouth I speak with him and in a vision and not in riddles and the form of Hashem he beholds, mouth to mouth I speak with him for this one needs to nullify all matters of the body completely, mouth to mouth I speak with him and all the verse besides it from its matter, if I had not seen that these matters require many proofs, and we would need many introductions and explanations and parables, to explain to you what Moses is then we would write hundreds of pages hundreds of pages to explain what the matter of Moses is that he nullified all matters of body, he has no shadow of body, and that we complete to explain what the angels are and what the tzaddik is that is above the angels (Sanhedrin 93b), and that we explain the soul and all its forces and the circle will expand until we speak of the forms that the prophets mentioned that are fitting for the Creator and the angels, Moses reached a level that he was closer to the Creator than the angels. And this will enter the measure of stature and its matter and it will not suffice in this matter alone, and all that I write is in the utmost brevity of brevity, because it is necessary to write hundreds of pages what the tzaddik is, he has no form of body and no matter of body, and no form of body, and even if it is in the utmost brevity a hundred pages, and therefore I will leave it in its place whether in the book of discourses that I intended to compose or in the book of prophecy that I am engaged in, then the Rambam wrote books of prophecy – how to attain prophecy, and all the pages that I will write how to attain prophecy will not explain what the tzaddik is, and all the books of prophecy that I wrote and I will write that I am engaged in – that I am going to compose a book on the matter of prophecy, or in the book that I will compose in the explanation of these foundations.

And I will return to explain and clarify what the seventh foundation is, that he has no body and no form of body and no senses of body, and I say that the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, is distinguished from the prophecy of all the prophets in four things: the first, that all the prophets prophesy in a vision that does not illuminate and this is called an intermediary way, but Moses is without an intermediary, as it is said mouth to mouth I speak with him and in a vision and not in riddles, he sees Hashem face to face, without an intermediary as it is said mouth to mouth I speak with him. And the second matter is that all the prophets do not prophesy except when they are asleep, and Moses even when awake, because no prophet receives prophecy except when he is asleep, as it is said in places in a dream of the night in a vision of the night, and many matters of this, or during the day after a deep sleep falls on the person in a manner that all his senses are nullified and his thought remains free, because a regular prophet needs to be asleep because at that moment the senses are nullified, he needs to be asleep, like a dream, and this matter is called a vision, in a dream I speak with him, the word of Hashem came to Abram in a vision, this is called in a vision and a vision, and it is said about it in visions of God, it is written in the chariot visions of God. And Moses does not receive prophecy in a dream when he is asleep, but the speech comes upon him during the day and he stands between the two cherubim, the whole matter of the two cherubim for this all the Tabernacle and this all the Ark, that Moses receives the prophecy he enters the Holy of Holies, every day he enters the Holy of Holies, every day, in the day in the evening at noon, every hour, between the two cherubim, as Hashem testifies and I will meet with you there between the two cherubim above the cover, Hashem says to him twice above the cover, not so my servant Moses mouth to mouth I speak with him, not so my servant Moses. All the prophets prophesied in a vision of the night, and about Moses it is said mouth to mouth I speak with him."

"The third matter is that every prophet when he receives the prophecy then all his senses are nullified, and he trembles, and he falls on his face, and even though he is in a vision and through an angel, all the forces are exhausted, he is nullified from all his senses, and he is ruined, and his structure is ruined, he receives a great fear, and a great terror comes upon him almost that his spirit leaves him, as it is said in Daniel when Gabriel spoke with him in a vision, Daniel received all the prophecies through the angel Gabriel in a vision, like Abraham and the word of Hashem came to Abraham in a vision saying, and Daniel said and no strength remained in me, no strength remained in him, and my splendor was turned upon me to corruption, so says Daniel and I retained no strength, and I was asleep on my face and my face to the ground, he lies on the ground and his face to the ground, and it is said in a vision my pains turned upon me. And Moses can speak with Hashem standing when all his senses are alert, and not like other prophets about whom it is said and my splendor was turned upon me to corruption and I was asleep on my face and my face to the ground and it is said about them in a vision my pains turned upon me. But Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, was not like this, he had no trembling and shaking, it is forbidden to have trembling and shaking, it is forbidden when receiving prophecy a person must be alert clear-minded bright without trembling and shaking in any way."

"As it is said and Hashem spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend (Exodus 33), meaning just as a person does not experience fear, he has no fear like a person speaks with his friend without fear, so was he Moses peace be upon him speaking with Hashem and he was not afraid of the speech, and even though he was face to face and he had no fear and trembling and shaking, he saw Hashem face to face, and this is due to the strength of his attachment to the intellect as we mentioned."

"And the fourth matter is that all the prophets do not have the spirit of prophecy rest upon them at their will, except for Moses who whenever he wants he receives prophecy, Moses wants prophecy he receives prophecy, as he says stand and I will hear what Hashem will command you, he receives prophecy every day. The prophet receives the prophecy when Hashem wants in a sudden manner, and Hashem said suddenly to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, only at the will of Hashem who informs him of the matter in prophecy and he stands until he prophesies or after days and years, to play with lyres and drums and he does not receive prophecy, there are prophets who prepare themselves for days to receive prophecy, and he stands until he prophesies after days or after months, and this will not help him, he prepares himself for months to receive prophecy and this will not help him, in any way, and there were already groups of them who prepared themselves and purified their thoughts, all the prophets go and play like Saul who encountered a band of prophets trying to prophesy, trying, not succeeding, they said: is Saul also among the prophets, he fell on his face to the ground, they prepare themselves for years upon years to play with lyres until he receives some prophecy after days or after months, or they will not inform him in any way, and there were already groups of them who prepared themselves, like Saul who encountered a band of prophets trying to prophesy, preparing themselves and purifying their thoughts like Elisha did, as it is written (Kings II 3) and now take for me a musician, the first thing is the melodies, whoever plays will eventually merit prophecy the first thing a person should start playing, this is the first thing, this is A, before everything, take for me a musician and then the prophecy came to him. And it is not like this with Moses – with Moses prophecy must come, Moses our teacher every moment enters the Holy of Holies, every second between the cherubim, and Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, whenever he wants, it is written about the daughters of Zelophehad and he brought their case that they merited the fifty gates of understanding – the great fifty, receives prophecy whenever he wants, stand and I will hear what Hashem will command you – he says to the daughters of Zelophehad: stand, a second stand, I am entering the room I am coming out I will tell you what Hashem said to you."

"Because the Gemara says: what? They did not know that a daughter inherits? Everyone knows that if there are no sons the daughter inherits, so Moses does not know, he exactly did not know, he forgot, when does the daughter inherit? When there are no sons, if there are no sons she receives the entire inheritance, and here there were no sons, what? For forty years there were no such cases that had only daughters who received the diamonds the jewelry, so what is Moses in doubt? So one explanation is the firstborn portion, if they are entitled to the firstborn portion of their father maybe it belongs to the brothers, and the second explanation says Tosafot that the spies and the assembly of Korach lost their portion in the land, so now the question is if maybe they also lost their portion, because he did a terrible thing – he gathered on Shabbat, so the Gemara says: no, that he gathered on Shabbat it was not a rebellion against Moses, on the contrary; he wanted to show the law that there is stoning, people did not know that if you place branch on branch then you are liable to stoning, they did not know this, even though they learned they did not believe, so he showed them that he places branch on branch, because on Shabbat it is forbidden to stack, if oranges fall it is forbidden to place one on top of the other, suddenly a mountain of oranges spills or a box so you cannot place one on top of the other, you need to sweep them to the corner and leave them scattered, you cannot build – one on top of the other, this is called stacking – a prohibition of stoning, so he came to show them that if you place branch on branch there is a prohibition of stoning, to teach, on the contrary he did not come to oppose Moses, but he came to strengthen Moses, but whoever opposes Moses – the tzaddik did not receive a portion in the land, only Caleb and Joshua received the portions of everyone."

"So here we see that Moses says to the daughters of Zelophehad: stand and I will hear what Hashem will command you, and it is said (Leviticus 16) speak to Aaron your brother and let him not come at all times into the holy, and Moses can come at all times."

[1] Chayei Mohara"n 272

"Once his holy mouth spoke about himself and said in this language I am the grandfather of grandfathers. And if you look and understand in the awesome story of the seven beggars in the story of the first beggar who was blind who the great eagle said to him that he is very old, and yet he is nursing and has not started to be at all and so on and he was old against all the elders mentioned there, you will understand a little of this matter. And so from the other matters of the above story you can understand a little of the greatness of our Rebbe of blessed memory and to the wise it is hinted:‏"

[2] Nedarim 50b

The daughter of the emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah Torah in a beautiful vessel in an ugly vessel he said to her learn from your father's house in what do they store wine she said to him in earthen vessels he said to her everyone in earthen vessels and you in earthen vessels you put in silver and gold vessels she went and put wine in silver and gold vessels and it spoiled he said to her so too is the Torah and there are beautiful and learned he said to her if they were ugly they would learn more:

[3] Nedarim 50b

A woman came before Rav Yehuda of Nehardea for judgment and was liable from the judgment she said to him your teacher Samuel judges like this he said to her do you know him she said to him yes short and big belly black and big teeth he said to her you came to disgrace him let that woman be in excommunication she burst and died:

[4] Shabbat 89b

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said Rabbi Yonatan said what is the meaning of "for You are our Father, for Abraham did not know us and Israel does not recognize us, You Hashem are our Father, our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name" in the future Hashem will say to Abraham your children have sinned against Me he will say before Him Master of the Universe let them be erased for the sanctification of Your name he said say to Jacob who had the pain of raising children perhaps he will ask for mercy on them he said to him your children have sinned he said before Him Master of the Universe let them be erased for the sanctification of Your name he said not in the old is the taste and not in the young is the counsel he said to Isaac your children have sinned against Me he said before Him Master of the Universe my children and not Your children at the time they said before You we will do and we will hear You called them My firstborn now my children and not Your children and also how much have they sinned how many are the years of a person seventy years subtract twenty that You do not punish for them remain fifty subtract twenty-five of nights remain twenty-five subtract twelve and a half of prayer and eating and the bathroom remain twelve and a half if You bear all of them it is good and if not half on me and half on You and if You say all on me I have already offered my soul before You they opened and said (for) You are our Father Isaac said to them until you praise me praise Hashem and he showed them Hashem with his eyes immediately they lifted their eyes to heaven and say You Hashem are our Father our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name

[5] Chayei Mohara"n 273

Our Rebbe of blessed memory boasted that he did not start to do anything in the world before he knew the secret that is in it. And even what is customary to raise the smoke of tobacco by means of a pipe and smoke (which is called smoking tobacco) he did not start in this until he knew the secret in this conduct. And similarly in other conducts he did not start to do anything until he knew the secret of the matter. And even though he of blessed memory knew the secret in the matter of smoking tobacco, nevertheless he warned us greatly to stay away from it very much, and once he spoke a lot about this matter that the world practices smoking tobacco and said it is a great folly, and for cleanliness it does not help at all. And also the smell of tobacco is even worse, as this conversation is explained elsewhere:‏

[6] Rashi Genesis 48:7

7 And as for me, when I came from Padan etc., and even though I trouble you to bring me to be buried in the land of Canaan and I did not do so for your mother, for she died near Bethlehem. A little way, a measure of land, and they are two thousand cubits, like the measure of the Shabbat boundary, according to the words of Rabbi Moshe the preacher. And do not say that rains delayed me from bringing her and burying her in Hebron. It was the time of the grain, for the land was hollow and perforated like a sieve. And I buried her there, and I did not bring her even to Bethlehem to bring her into the land, and I knew that you have in your heart against me, but know that according to the word I buried her there, that she should be a help to her children when Nebuzaradan exiles them, and they will pass by there, Rachel will come out on her grave and cry and ask for mercy on them, as it is said: "A voice is heard in Ramah etc.", and Hashem answers her: "There is reward for your work says Hashem etc. and your children will return to their border":

[7] Chayei Mohara"n 275

The world thinks that when Mashiach comes they will not die, it is not so even Mashiach himself will also die. And he said this in public:‏

[8] Introduction of the Rambam to the tenth chapter

...However, the days of Mashiach are a time when the kingdom will return to Israel and they will return to Eretz Yisrael, and that king will be very great and his royal house in Zion will grow his name and his memory will be full among the nations more than King Solomon, and all the nations will make peace with him and serve him all the lands for his great righteousness and the wonders that will be through him, and whoever rises against him Hashem will destroy and deliver him into his hand, and all the verses of the scripture testify to his success and our success with him, and nothing will change in existence from what it is now except that the kingdom will return to Israel, and this is the language of the sages (Berachot 34b) there is no difference between this world and the days of Mashiach except the subjugation of kingdoms alone, and in his days there will be rich and poor strong and weak against others, but in those days it will be very easy for people to find their livelihood until with little effort that a person will exert he will reach great benefit, and this is what they said (Shabbat 30b) the land of Israel is destined to produce cakes and fine woolen garments, because people say when a person finds something ready and prepared so-and-so found baked bread and cooked stew, and the proof of this is what is said and foreigners will be your plowmen and your vinedressers, to inform that there is sowing and harvesting, and therefore this wise man was angry who said this statement to his student (there) when he did not understand his words and thought it was literal, and he answered him according to his understanding, and that answer was not the true answer, and the proof that he did not answer him according to its truth is what he brought a proof do not answer a fool according to his folly. And the great benefit that will be in those days is that we will rest from the subjugation of kingdoms which prevents us from fulfilling all the mitzvot, and wisdom will increase as it is said for the earth will be full of the knowledge, and wars will cease as it is said nation will not lift up sword against nation, and there will be great perfection in those days and we will merit the World to Come, and Mashiach will die and his son will reign after him and his grandson, and the prophet has already explained his death he will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth and his reign will be prolonged for many days, and the lives of people will also be prolonged because when worries and sorrows are removed the days of a person will be prolonged, and it is not surprising that his kingdom will last for thousands of years, because the sages said that the good gathering when it gathers will not quickly separate. And we do not desire and hope for the days of Mashiach for the abundance of produce and wealth nor to ride on horses nor to drink wine with musical instruments as the confused of mind think. But the prophets and chassidim desired the days of Mashiach and their longing for it was great for what will be in it of the gathering of the tzaddikim and the good leadership and wisdom and the righteousness of the king and his great uprightness and the abundance of his wisdom and his closeness to Hashem, as it is said (Psalms 2) Hashem said to me you are my son today I have begotten you, and the fulfillment of all the mitzvot of the Torah of Moses our teacher peace be upon him without negligence and laziness and not coercion as it is said (Jeremiah 31) and they will no longer teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother saying know Hashem for they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them etc. and I will put my Torah in their hearts etc. and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and many of these verses in this matter. And in these matters they will attain the World to Come with great attainment. And the ultimate goal is the World to Come and in contrast to them is the effort, and therefore this wise man held in the knowledge of the truth looked at the ultimate end and left what is besides it, and said all Israel have a portion in the World to Come, and with it being the ultimate sought goal it is not fitting for one who wants to be a servant out of love that he should be a servant to attain the World to Come as we explained in what preceded, but one should serve in the way that I say and this is because when he believes there is wisdom and it is the Torah that reached the prophets from the Creator may He be exalted who informed them with it the good attributes they are the mitzvot and the bad attributes they are the sins, it is fitting for him from the fact that he is a straight person in disposition to do the good and depart from the bad, and when he does this the human matter will be completed in him and he will be separated from the animal, and when a person is complete he is the nature of the complete person who has no hindrance that his neshamah should live and be maintained in its known existence and this is the World to Come as we said, and this is what is said (Psalms 32) do not be like a horse or a mule without understanding with bit and bridle to hold him back like the hindrance from the animals is something external like the bit and bridle and it is not fitting for a person to be like this, but his hindrance should be from himself and from within himself, I mean the human form when it is complete it will prevent him from those things that prevent him from perfection and they are called bad traits, and it will hasten him and push him to what will bring him to perfection and this is the good traits this is what is understood to me from the totality of their words in this important and exalted matter.

[9] There

The seventh foundation, the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, and it is that we believe that he is the father of all the prophets who were before him and who arose after him all of them are under him in rank, and he was chosen from all mankind who attained from his knowledge of Hashem more than any person who existed or will exist, and that he peace be upon him reached his elevation from humanity to the artificial level and included in the level of angels, no screen remained that he did not tear and enter from it and no bodily hindrance prevented him and no deficiency mixed with him between much and little, and all the imaginative and sensory and perceptive forces were nullified from him and his arousing force was separated and only intellect remained, and on this matter it is said about him that he spoke with Hashem without mediation from the angels. I wanted to explain this wonderful matter and unlock the lock from the verses of the Torah and explain the reason mouth to mouth and all the verse besides it from its matter, if I had not seen that these matters require many proofs and we would need many introductions and explanations and parables, and that we explain the beginning of the existence of the angels and the change of their levels from the Creator may He be blessed, and that we explain the soul and all its forces and the circle will expand until we speak of the forms that the prophets mentioned that are fitting for the Creator and the angels, and this will enter the measure of stature and its matter and it will not suffice in this matter alone and even if it is in the utmost brevity a hundred pages, and therefore I will leave it in its place whether in the book of discourses that I intended to compose or in the book of prophecy that I am engaged in or in the book that I will compose in the explanation of these foundations, and I will return to the intention of this seventh foundation and say that the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, is distinguished from the prophecy of all the prophets in four things. The first is that any prophet that was Hashem did not speak to him except through an intermediary, and Moses without an intermediary as it is said mouth to mouth I speak with him. And the second matter is that all prophets do not receive prophecy except when they are asleep, as it is said in places in a dream of the night in a vision of the night and many matters of this, or during the day after a deep sleep falls on the person in a manner that all his senses are nullified and his thought remains free like a dream, and this matter is called a vision and a vision and it is said about it in visions of God, and Moses the speech comes upon him during the day and he stands between the two cherubim as Hashem testifies and I will meet with you there, and Hashem said if there is a prophet among you etc. not so my servant Moses mouth to mouth I speak with him etc. The third matter is that the prophet when the prophecy comes to him and even though he is in a vision and through an angel his forces weaken and his structure is ruined and a great fear comes upon him almost that his spirit leaves him, as it is said in Daniel when Gabriel spoke with him in a vision he said and no strength remained in me and my splendor was turned upon me to corruption and I retained no strength, and I was asleep on my face and my face to the ground, and it is said in a vision my pains turned upon me, and Moses peace be upon him was not like this but the speech comes to him and no trembling and shaking reach him in any way, as it is said (Exodus 33) and Hashem spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend, meaning just as a person does not experience fear from the speech of his friend so was he Moses peace be upon him he was not afraid of the speech, and even though he was face to face and this is due to the strength of his attachment to the intellect as we mentioned, and the fourth matter is that all the prophets do not have the spirit of prophecy rest upon them at their will but at the will of Hashem who informs him of the matter in prophecy and he stands until he prophesies or after days or after months or they will not inform him in any way, and there were already groups of them who prepared themselves and purified their thoughts like Elisha did as it is written (Kings II 3) and now take for me a musician and the prophecy came to him and it is not necessary that he prophesies at the time he intends for this, and Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, whenever he wants says (Numbers 9) stand and I will hear what Hashem will command you, and it is said (Leviticus 16) speak to Aaron your brother and let him not come at all times into the holy, the sages said (Torat Kohanim beginning of Parshat Acharei) Aaron in not coming at all times and Moses in not coming at all times: