“So I ascended higher, until I was within arm’s reach of the golden dove. But just as I reached for it, the ladder of prayers collapsed.”
In this Hasidic tale, “The Ladder of Prayers,” the Ba’al Shem Tov ascends into Paradise on a quest to capture the golden dove of the Messiah, certain that this will cause the Messiah to follow, initiating the messianic era. The failure of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s Hasidim to provide the support needed for this great endeavor, as symbolized by the collapse of the ladder of prayers, causes him to lose the opportunity to bring the Messiah. That makes this one more tale about why the Messiah has not come. Dozens of other such tales record lost opportunities to bring about the messianic era, or attempts to force the Messiah’s hand, and hasten the End of Days.
This tale, and virtually the entire body of rabbinic, kabbalistic, folk, and Hasidic lore, exists in a mythological framework. The ladder of prayers the Ba’al Shem Tov ascends was surely inspired by the heavenly ladder in Jacob’s dream. He climbs this ladder of prayers into Paradise, a mythological realm with its own order, its own geography, its own history, and its own inhabitants—not only God and the angels, but the Bride of God and the Messiah as well. It is understood that the Messiah is waiting for the sign to be given that the time has come for the messianic era. All the same, Jewish mysticism contains the secret of how to hasten the coming of the Messiah, secrets that the Ba’al Shem Tov has at his command.
In addition, this tale draws on a rich tradition of tales about heavenly ascent, from the ascent of Elijah in a fiery chariot to the famous tale of the four who entered Paradise. Indeed, “The Ladder of Prayers,” a Hasidic tale of eighteenth century origin, is a direct descendant of the legend of the four sages, which dates from the second century. As did the four sages, the Ba’al Shem Tov ascends to heaven because he seeks greater knowledge of the divine realm.
The Zohar tells of a dove that makes its nest outside the palace of the Messiah in Paradise. That is why the palace of the Messiah is also known as the “Bird’s Nest.” “The Ladder of Prayers” builds on the earlier legendary accounts of the golden dove, reporting an attempt by the Ba’al Shem Tov to ascend on the ladder of prayers of his Hasidim into Paradise to capture the dove. The failure of the Ba’al Shem’s Hasidim to provide the spiritual support needed for this great endeavor, as symbolized by the collapse of their ladder of prayers, is offered as the reason for the failure to bring the Messiah in their generation. Thus the tale illustrates the interdependency of the Tzaddik and his Hasidim. This attempt to capture the golden dove and its failure marks one of the basic types of mystical tales, those concerning an attempt to hasten the coming of the Messiah. Several such tales are found in the Talmud. See, in particular, “Forcing the End,” p. 496. Subsequently such tales are found in virtually every generation, explaining that there is a potential Messiah who, had all gone well, would have served as Messiah ben Joseph, preparing the way for Messiah ben David. In this tale of the Ba’al Shem, however, he ascends directly to the palace of Messiah ben David, determined to initiate the End of Days. For a variant of this tale, see “The Messiah and the Ba’al Shem Tov,” following.
Sources:
Midrash Ribesh Tov; Or ha-Hokhmah, Parashat Beha’alotekha.
621. THE MESSIAH AND THE BA’AL SHEM TOV
The Messiah once came to the Ba’al Shem Tov and said: “I make my home in a heavenly palace known as the Bird’s Nest. Except for me, no one has ever entered there. If only you were to travel there and open that gate, redemption would surely come to Israel. I don’t know whether or not you will succeed in opening the gate, but I heard God’s voice saying to me, ‘What can I do for you, since I must fulfill your wish.’”
This brief account about the Messiah speaking to the Ba’al Shem Tov is attributed to Rabbi Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl (1730-1797). Here the Messiah strongly hints to the Ba’al Shem Tov that he can bring about the messianic era—and set the Messiah free from his waiting—by making his way to the heavenly Garden of Eden and opening the gate to the secret abode of the Messiah, known as the Bird’s Nest. Further, the Messiah suggests that God will look favorably on the efforts of the Ba’al Shem Tov, because God feels that he must fulfill the Messiah’s wish—which is to initiate the messianic era. Thus, in this brief tale, the Messiah not only gives the Ba’al Shem Tov the key hint of how this can be done, but strongly suggests that the time is right. This fragmentary tale does not inform us of what happened next, which would be a heavenly journey by the Ba’al Shem Tov to fulfill the quest. But the fact that the Messiah has not yet come speaks for itself.
In a variant of this mythic tale, “The Ladder of Prayers,” p. 490, the Ba’al Shem Tov ascends to Paradise and tries to capture the golden dove of the Messiah, which the Messiah cannot bear to be without, and in this way force the coming of the Messiah, a process known as “Forcing the End.” Here, too, the quest ultimately fails. Although this is considered a sin, it is the one sin the rabbis had tremendous sympathy toward, since they longed, above all, for the coming of the Messiah.
In both of these tales, the Ba’al Shem Tov is portrayed as the only figure in his generation capable of bringing the Messiah. This follows the pattern of Messiah ben Joseph, the earthly Messiah, who, it is said, will pave the way for the coming of the heavenly Messiah, Messiah ben David. Thus the Ba’al Shem Tov is identified in these tales with Messiah ben Joseph. In each generation the Tzaddik ha-Dor, the greatest sage of his generation, exists as a potential Messiah. If the time is ripe and the sage is able to fulfill his role, he will serve as the earthly Messiah who sets in motion the coming of the heavenly Messiah.
Sources:
Shivhei-ha Besht, story no. 42; Zohar 2:7b-9a, 3:196b.
622. THE MESSIAH AT THE GATES OF ROME
The Messiah sits at the entrance of the gates of Rome. Around him sit the poor, wrapped in bandages, suffering from disease. Like them, the Messiah is bandaged from head to toe. When the beggars are ready to change their bandages, they unwind them all at the same time. But the Messiah changes them one by one, in case he should be summoned, so that he will be ready.
Like the beggars and lepers around him, the Messiah is wrapped in bandages, suffering from some unstated disease, presumably leprosy. The story also suggests how close the Messiah is to coming—he’s already at the gates, waiting for the signal from heaven that the messianic era has finally arrived. This is one of the myths about a suffering Messiah. “The Captive Messiah,” p. 498, is another example of this type.
This myth about the Messiah emerges out of an unusual dialogue between Elijah the Prophet and Rabbi Joshua ben Levi. Rabbi Joshua is said to have once found Elijah standing at the entrance of the cave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai. Rabbi Joshua asked him, “When will the Messiah come?” Elijah replied, “Go ask him yourself.” Joshua ben Levi asked where the Messiah could be found, and Elijah answered that he sits among the beggars at the gates of Rome. The story goes on to relate that Rabbi Joshua sought out the Messiah there and asked when he would come. The Messiah’s enigmatic answer was, “Today.” Rabbi Joshua returned to Elijah and said that the Messiah had lied to him, because he had said he was coming that day and he did not. Elijah replied, “What he told you was that he would come, if you would but heed his charge this day” (Ps. 95:7). Thus, the Messiah is ready to come, but we are not ready for him. See by way of contrast, Franz Kafka’s “The Coming of the Messiah,” p. 518.
Sources:
B. Sanhedrin 98a.
623. THE CHAINS OF THE MESSIAH
Long ago, in the city of Hebron, there lived a man named Joseph della Reina whose longing for the Messiah was so great that he spent his life in mystical study and prayer, seeking to learn how the coming of the Messiah might be hastened. It was in those days that the holy book of the Zohar was discovered, and Joseph della Reina saw this as a sign.
Surely the gate of the Messiah’s palace was open, and the time had come for the Messiah to pass through that gate, so that his footsteps could be he
ard in the world.
Thus della Reina sought out ten other scholars who also devoted themselves to mystical meditation. Together they fasted and mortified themselves, so that they might purify their souls, Joseph della Reina more so than any of the others. They studied the kabbalah day and night, immersing themselves in its mysteries. And they scattered ashes on their heads, crying and mourning over the destruction of the Temple.
At last Joseph della Reina so purified his soul that the Prophet Elijah descended from on high and taught him mysteries that had never been revealed outside of heaven. In this way he learned that the soul of the Messiah was being held captive by the forces of evil, and not until those forces had been defeated could the chains of the Messiah be broken. Most of all, Joseph della Reina wished to know how to set free the captive soul of the Messiah. But Elijah was reluctant to tell him any more, for it was forbidden to reveal this mystery. Then Joseph della Reina said to Elijah: “If you yourself cannot reveal this secret, can you give me the name of an angel I might invoke?” And at last Elijah relented and revealed the holy names that invoke the angel Metatron, who once had been Enoch before being transported to heaven in a chariot and transformed into the fiery angel Metatron, the Prince of the Presence.
Then Joseph della Reina and his followers began to fast from the end of one Sabbath to the beginning of the next. And, as Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai had done, they ate only carobs and drank only water. Now it is said that at midnight on the eve of Shavuot the heavens split open, and any prayer said at that time reaches to the highest heavens. So Joseph della Reina and his followers waited until that moment, and then he pronounced the holy names that Elijah had given him to invoke the angel Metatron. Thunder rang out all around them and lightning split the sky, and the heavens parted and a great light shone from on high that so blinded them they fell on their faces in fear. And the voice of Metatron rang out so loudly that the earth shook beneath their feet. “What is it you want?” the voice demanded. At first Joseph della Reina was speechless, but he finally found the strength to prostrate himself before the Prince of the Presence and he said: “Surely the time has come for the Messiah to be set free from his chains. Tell us how this can be done, and we will set out to accomplish this quest, no matter how difficult.”
“The victory that you seek over evil would bring you into the gravest danger. Now is the time to turn back,” said Metatron. But Joseph della Reina refused to give up and begged the angel to assist them. And at last Metatron revealed this fateful secret: that the rulers of the forces of evil, Ashmedai, the King of Demons, and Lilith, his Queen, could be found in the form of black dogs living on Mount Seir. And if they could be captured and put in chains and led away from that mountain, which was their home and the source of their strength, they could be defeated. Then the chains holding back the Messiah would break, and the time of his coming would be at hand. But, Metatron warned him, those demons were very powerful, and the only way to weaken them was to deny them every kind of sustenance. They must be given nothing, neither food nor water, until they were led away from the mountain, or all would be in vain. So too did Metatron reveal the holy names that would transport della Reina and his followers to Mount Seir and permit them to capture the demons who reigned there.
When Joseph della Reina heard this, his soul exulted, for now the quest he had sought for so long lay open before him. And he thanked Metatron from the depths of his soul and vowed that he would do everything in his power to fulfill that quest. But before departing, Metatron warned him not to take on such a great responsibility unless he was certain he would not fail, for if he did, the time of the coming of the Messiah would be delayed much longer. And at that moment the heavens closed and the vision came to an end, but Joseph della Reina and his followers felt they had been reborn, for now the path of their destiny had opened before them.
Once again they fasted and prayed and prepared themselves for the day of reckoning. So too did they prepare many links of chain with which to restrain the demons. At last Joseph della Reina, surrounded by his ten disciples, pronounced the holy names in the proper combination, and an instant later they found themselves at the foot of Mount Seir. There they heard an unearthly howling, and certain that this must be a sign, they set out in that direction.
At last they caught sight of two great black dogs howling at the moon. That howling was so terrible it filled them with dread, but still they crept closer until they were right behind them. And just as they threw the chains around the dogs, Joseph della Reina pronounced the holy names that made them his prisoners. As soon as he did, Ashmedai and Lilith were restored to their true forms and tried to break free. But when the demons realized they could not, they no longer struggled but began to beg for something to eat or drink. Their pleas were piteous indeed, but Joseph della Reina spurned them, and he and his followers led them in chains down the mountain.
Now when they had almost descended the mountain, Ashmedai and Lilith became so weak that they had to be dragged, and their pleas for sustenance grew more urgent. But when they saw that della Reina would show them no mercy, they begged instead for a single whiff of incense to revive them. Then della Reina took pity on them, for he did not see any danger in that, and he lit the incense and let them each take a whiff of it. But at that instant Ashmedai shot up many times his size and the chains that held him shattered, as did Lilith’s. Ashmedai was filled with rage, and he picked up the ten followers of Joseph della Reina and cast them a great distance, so that all of them lost their lives. And when he found Joseph della Reina cowering behind a rock, he picked him up and cast him a distance of hundreds of miles, where he landed with a great crash.
The next thing Joseph della Reina knew, he found himself transformed into a large, black dog, wandering through the streets of a city. And the soul of Joseph della Reina, which was trapped in the body of that black dog, recognized that city at once as Safed. Now della Reina was horrified to discover himself in the body of that dog, and he suffered the pangs of hell. Now, too, all hope he had once held for the coming of the Messiah was shattered, and his singular longing was simply for his own soul to be set free.
So it was that the black dog that bore the soul of Joseph della Reina hid near the windows of the yeshivahs of Safed and listened to the teachings of the sages and learned, in this way, that there was a righteous man living in the city of Safed at that time who was known as the Ari, and that he alone possessed the mystical powers to set della Reina’s soul free.
Soon the Ari found that a black dog followed him everywhere. There was nothing he could do to get rid of it. At last the Ari’s disciples asked him about the dog that pursued him like a shadow, and the Ari replied: “That dog was once the holy sage Joseph della Reina, who sought to shake the heavens so that the footsteps of the Messiah might be heard. Instead he failed in his task and brought the wrath of heaven upon himself, and now he has been reborn as this black dog. He wants me to set him free, but that is not his fate. This is just the first of a thousand rebirths he will have to suffer through before his soul can be freed of the taint of his sin.” And when the black dog, who had listened carefully to every word, learned of his fate, he lost his mind and ran howling into the wilderness and was never seen again.
After the talmudic legend of the four who entered Paradise, this is probably the best-known kabbalistic tale of all. It exists in a number of versions and has been reprinted many times. The two primary versions are those of Eliezer ha-Levi and Shlomo Navarro. Ha-Levi’s earlier account presents Joseph della Reina as a sincere, if over-ambitious, prophet who is willing to take great risks to hasten the coming of the Messiah and suffers a terrible failure. Navarro’s version transforms the character of della Reina, emphasizing his hubris and adding a coda in which, having failed in his messianic quest, he becomes a student of black magic, taught by none other than Lilith, the demoness he originally sought to capture. His later exploits, in the version of Navarro, include using his powers to bring Queen Dolphina of France to his bed and
attempting to bring Helen of Troy back from the dead for himself. The present version of this tale is based primarily on the earlier version. For a version based primarily on that of Navarro, see “Helen of Troy” in Lilith’s Cave, pp. 42-52, and the accompanying note. Eli Wiesel’s novel The Gates of the Forest also includes a retelling of the story of Joseph della Reina, p. 18.
Just as the myth of the four who entered Paradise (p. 445) served as a warning tale about the dangers of kabbalah, so did the story of Joseph della Reina, and he became an archetype of the holy man driven mad by immersion in kabbalistic mysteries. The story of Joseph della Reina being reborn as a black dog, so full of poetic justice because of its echo of the forms taken by Ashmedai and Lilith when he sought to capture them, is associated with the legend of the Ari. It demonstrates that as early as the sixteenth century, della Reina became a despised figure even by those who themselves still sought to hasten the coming of the Messiah. See “The Captive Messiah,” p. 498.
Sources:
Iggeret Sod ha-Geulah; Sippur Rabbi Yosef della Reina; Eder ha-Yekar; IFA 14418.
Studies:
Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists and Early Modern Judaism by J. H. Chajes.
624. THE MESSIAH COMES FORTH FROM PRISON
At the end of the wars of Gog and Magog, the Messiah shall come forth from prison with nothing except for his staff and his sack. Then the Messiah will wrap himself in prayer and gird himself as a hero before God. The Messiah will say before Him: “Master of the Universe, remember on my behalf the suffering and grief and darkness and obscurity into which I was cast. My eyes have beheld no light and my ears have heard great reviling, and my heart broke with pain and grief. You know that I have not acted for my own glory, nor for the glory of my father’s house, but for Your glory have I acted, and for Your children who dwell in sorrow among the peoples of the world.”
Tree of Souls Page 104