Orson Hyde and the Voice of the Turtledove

[volgadon]

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

-Song of Songs 2:12.

The year 5600 (1839-40) was of the deepest significance throughout the Jewish world, as the following quotes will make clear.

Apart from the urgent need to revive the kolel [after the earthquake of 1837][1], R. Moshe Magid, like many others, looked forward to dramatic changes which were to take place in the people of Israel's condition, with the year of 5600 (??"?, 1840) drawing near, which was considered a year of eschatological potential, [a year] which would commence the process of the "gathering of Israel."

-Aryeh Morgenstern, A Leader in Time of Crisis, Et-Mol 207, pg. 5.

Eschatological expectations played an important part among the Jewish community of Jerusalem, particularly towards the year 5600 (1840), in which the arrival of the Messiah was expected both by the Ashkenazi Jews, particularly the Prushim, disciples of the Vilna Gaon, and also the North-African immigrants, on the strength of hints in the Zohar and other midrashim. The very existence of Egyptian rule seemed to them proof of the tradition that the rule of Ishmael will be superseded by that of Edom- and then dominion of the land will be handed over to the people of Israel.

[Palerider]

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

-Song of Songs 2:12.

The year 5600 (1839-40) was of the deepest significance throughout the Jewish world, as the following quotes will make clear.

5600, then, was the year which would bring about the redemption of Israel. This belief was based on interpretations of the Bible and other Jewish works, such as the Zohar. Song of Songs 2:12 was particularly important for those those calculating the end times. At least since the 12th century (and probably earlier than that) this verse was seen as an allegory of salvation and redemption.

In Hebrew, turtledove is tor (???), which is nearly identical with the numerical value of 600 (?"?). In the Zohar there is a passage[2] that reads, "In the six hundredth year of the sixth [millenium], springs of wisdom will open above, springs of wisdom below, and the world will prepare to enter the seventh, just like a person preparing on the sixth day, as the sun is about to set, to enter Sabbath." The six hundredth year is the year 5600, or 1839-40, and it is an "appointed time" (et-peqidah). Such an understanding was essential to the teachings on redemption of Rabbi Elijah, the Vilna Gaon (1720-1797). The Gaon was the leading figure in Lithuanian Jewry from the 18th century to this very day. An ascetic and somewhat of a recluse devoted to his studies, the Gaon possesed a photographic memory and considerable erudition in all aspects of Jewish life, even mathematics. He wrote many commentaries, redacted the Sefer Yetzirah, attempted to create a golem(!), and came up with new traditions, including a symbolic order for items on the Passover plate.

For redemption to occur, there had to be an "awaking below" (itaruta dilatata) to bring about an "awakening above" (itaruta dile'ela).In other words, doing the right actions at the right times causes a heavenly reaction. Man needs to engage in practical actions, such as emigrating to the Holy Land and building up Jerusalem. This was the stage of redemption associated with the Messiah ben Joseph.

The standard approach in Judaism of the time to taking any practical steps in order to bring about redemption was that of the "three vows." A talmudic statement interpreted as a prohibiting any hastening of the Messiah.[2] This prohibition, according to the teachings of the Gaon, did not apply during an apointed time. Under his influence, the disciples of the Vilna Gaon emigrated to Israel, settling first in Safed, and then in Jerusalem. They engaged in what could be described as messianic activism.[3]

Aryeh Morgenstern says of the ideology of the Gaon's disciples that, "'Raising the Shechinah from the dust' will not be accomplished merely by means of worshiping the Lord; keeping Torah and commandments, but by way of emigrating to and settling in the land of Israel."[4]

When Mehmet Ali captured Palestine in 1831, he abolished the humiliating poll-tax (jizya) required of all non-Muslims. Eliezer Vasila Bergman wrote that "By divine grace the commencement of redemption has arrived and soon in our day a redeemer will come to Zion."[5]

After the peasen'ts revolt in 1834 was suppressed by Mehmet Ali's son, Ibrahim Pasha, permission was given the Christians and Jews to rebuild their houses of worhsip, something forbidden by the Ottoman authorities. This turned into rumours of an edict by Ibrahim Pasha to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

There followed various proposals to renew sacrifices on the Temple Mount, which would involve a purchase of the mount from the Muslims, and a messenger was dispatched to Arabia in search of the lost ten tribes, who, as tradition had it, preserved the right to ordain people to the sanhedrin by the laying on of hands (semicha). Any event, be it rains, cholera epidemics, or astrological phenomena, was given apocalyptic interpretations in the years leading up to 1840[6].

A feverish excitement took hold of the Prushim in 1835, when they attempted rebuilding the Hurva synagogue, which had been demolished in 1721. This was percieved as a foreshadowing of the rebuilt temple. As a result, the exile of the Shechinah was considered at an end, and liturgical and other practices were altered. The line "Shake thyself from the dust, arise," was dropped from the Sabbath prayer, and the midnight tikkun no longer included lamentations for the destruction of Jerusalem[7].

Perhaps the most enigmatic and mysterious book in Judaism since the Zohar is the "Kol Hator" or Voice of the Turtledove. It was first published by the Rivlin family in 1946, but claimed as the work of Hillel Rivlin of Shklov, their great-grandfather, a disciple and relative of the Vilna Gaon. The book claims to be a systematic exposition of the Gaon's teachings on redemption. Rafael Shuchat, in his recent work "A World Hidden in the Dimensions of Time", devotes an entire chapter to Kol Hator, and shows that in its essentials this controversial work does reflect the teachings of the Gaon.

Whilst undoubtedly written after Hillel's death, the book likely consists of family traditions, ultimately tracing back to the teachings of the Gaon.

Due to its late date it contains the most developed traditions on the Messiah ben Joseph, a figure central to its understanding of redemption.

The war against Armilus is explained as a war against the shells of uncleanliness surrounding the truth.

The paths towards redemption are defined as follows.

The following quote brings us to Orson Hyde.

5600 was the very year in which Orson Hyde felt moved upon again to go on a mission to Palestine. This occured during April of 1840.

The text of his subsequent prayer on the Mount of Olives contains most of the things the Messia ben Joseph was to bring about, beginning in the year of the turtledove.

The Jewish community in Palestine at the time was in deep despair over the percieved failure of redemption to occur. Instead of the messiah, 1840 brought the Damascus Blood Libel, and a deep dissapointment and spiritual crisis. Some though, such as , saw 1840 as meaning, in retrospect, the awakening from above, which had not yet reached below[8].

I plan on expanding this in my blog, I still have many other sources I would like to quote, but I think this suffices for now. I would welcome any discussion and comments, criticism, etc.

[1]The administrative body of the Prushim community in Israel.

[2]See http://www.usc.edu/s...ern_Judaism.pdf

[3]Aryeh Morgenstern, Messianic Conceptions and the Settlement of Eretz-Israel, Cathedra 24, July 1982, pg. 53.

[4]Ibid.

[5]E. V. Bergman, Yiseu Harim Shalom, pg. 76.

[6]Aryeh Morgenstern, The Debate over the Renewal of Sacrifices and Building of the Temple in the Year 5600

[7]Aryeh Morgenstern, Messianic Conceptions and the Settlement of Eretz-Israel, Cathedra 24, July 1982.

[8]Ibid, pg. 65.

Not trying to start a spat here but I had read that the concept of a Messiah ben Joseph was a corruption of the early Rabbis trying to reconcile the scriptures describing a Messiah that was meek and lowly, that would bring great light and salvation to his people (as Joseph of old) and other scriptures describing Him as coming in His strength as a mighty King, destroying the wicked and gathering His people a second time and establishing His final kingdom (Lion of Judah). They came up with two Messiahs coming once each, because they could not concieve of one Messiah coming twice.

I'm sure you have more cultural knowledge of this situation than I do.

[Robert F. Smith]

I had read that the concept of a Messiah ben Joseph was a corruption of the early Rabbis trying to reconcile the scriptures describing a Messiah that was meek and lowly, that would bring great light and salvation to his people (as Joseph of old) and other scriptures describing Him as coming in His strength as a mighty King, destroying the wicked and gathering His people a second time and establishing His final kingdom (Lion of Judah). They came up with two Messiahs coming once each, because they could not conceive of one Messiah coming twice.

I'm sure you have more cultural knowledge of this situation than I do.

The Babylonian Talmud, Sukka 52a says that the Messiah ben Joseph will precede the Messiah ben David, and will be killed (re Psalm 21:5).

The Sefer Zerubabel says that the Messiah ben Joseph will be killed by the wicked Armilius and then resurrected by the Messiah ben David and the Prophet Elijah (see M. Himmelfarb in Stern & Mirsky, eds., Rabbinic Folktales [Phila.: Jewish Publication Society, 1990], 67-90).

That these are not actually late tales is suggested by modern Jewish scholarship showing that Judaism had a pre-Christian tradition of a dying Messiah based particularly on the Suffering Servant theme in Isaiah. See in particular, Israel Knohl, The Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Berkeley: U. C. Press, 2000), downloadable as an ebook at www.ebooks.com .

[volgadon]

Not trying to start a spat here but I had read that the concept of a Messiah ben Joseph was a corruption of the early Rabbis trying to reconcile the scriptures describing a Messiah that was meek and lowly, that would bring great light and salvation to his people (as Joseph of old) and other scriptures describing Him as coming in His strength as a mighty King, destroying the wicked and gathering His people a second time and establishing His final kingdom (Lion of Judah). They came up with two Messiahs coming once each, because they could not concieve of one Messiah coming twice.

I'm sure you have more cultural knowledge of this situation than I do.

It is important to bear in mind that there are traditions about the MBJ, not a monolithic block of beliefs. In many ways the role applies to Christ, in others it doesn't. By the Gaon's time the MBJ is clearly a prepatory role to the triumph of the Messiah ben David,, and according to him, anyone engaged in the MBJ's work shares in that spirit. He considered himself a spark of the MBJ's soul. This is an interesting topic, of course, but I would like to kep discussion on topic.

[Palerider]

It is important to bear in mind that there are traditions about the MBJ, not a monolithic block of beliefs. In many ways the role applies to Christ, in others it doesn't. By the Gaon's time the MBJ is clearly a prepatory role to the triumph of the Messiah ben David,, and according to him, anyone engaged in the MBJ's work shares in that spirit. He considered himself a spark of the MBJ's soul. This is an interesting topic, of course, but I would like to kep discussion on topic.

Thanks,

I'll do more reading.

[volgadon]

Thanks,

I'll do more reading.

If you'd like, we could start another topic.

[LeSellers]

Whenever I read one of these topics, I hope people recognize that "Messiah" does not uniquely refer to Jesus Christ.

It is a political title as well as a religious one. In its political meaning, it refers to the king (as when David called Saul "the Lord's anointed [messiah]", while he, himself, was also "the Lord's anointed" or "crown prince".

It has a religious connotation, too. The word means simply "anointed". It applies to anyone who is anointed by a legitimate representative of God (just as both David and Saul had been). Our prophets and Apostles are also anointed, and, in Hebrew would be called "messiahs", I am sure.

It is under this meaning that Joseph Smith is "the Lord's anointed", and could be the "messiah ben Joseph [the anointed son of Joseph [son of Israel]]" of whom we speak here.

Or so I read it.

Lehi

[USU78]

Volga: Your inbox is full, so I'm putting this here. I have a friend/neighbor/client who is ethnic Jewish, raised Jewish, and who converted, with whom I shared the OP, and he would like an introduction. Could you inbox me to let me know whether it's okay. Upon receipt of such a message, I'll give you his email, if that's okay. He says he'd love to meet another Mormon type who was raised in a two-Jewish-parent family.

Let me know.

[volgadon]

An English translation of Kol Hator. http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/index.htm

[USU78]

I've been messing around with a thought: "Tor" means gate [or fool, as in "dumb as a post"] in German . . . and Toier is the Yiddish cognate of German Tor. Since Messiah is "The Gate" (John 10:9 I am the gate: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.), we have a nice bilingual pun going on here . . . unless I'm inventing things . . . of "Tor" Dove and "Tor/Toier" Gate, both with profoundly Messianic meanings.

[mfbukowski]

I've been messing around with a thought: "Tor" means gate [or fool, as in "dumb as a post"] in German . . . and Toier is the Yiddish cognate of German Tor. Since Messiah is "The Gate" (John 10:9 I am the gate: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.), we have a nice bilingual pun going on here . . . unless I'm inventing things . . . of "Tor" Dove and "Tor/Toier" Gate, both with profoundly Messianic meanings.

Just found this thread- that is what I thought too when I saw the word "Tor"- and of course in MY head in this context, whenever I think of gates and doors ("tors") I think of Hebrews 10:20.

I have also heard that "Jonah" means "dove"?? Any links here to "Simon Bar Jonah"?

[volgadon]

I've been messing around with a thought: "Tor" means gate [or fool, as in "dumb as a post"] in German . . . and Toier is the Yiddish cognate of German Tor. Since Messiah is "The Gate" (John 10:9 I am the gate: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.), we have a nice bilingual pun going on here . . . unless I'm inventing things . . . of "Tor" Dove and "Tor/Toier" Gate, both with profoundly Messianic meanings.

I think you might be on to something, considering that o would often sound like an oi. I'll have to look for indications of such wordplay.