Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 2:4
תלמוד ירושלמי ברכות ב׳:ד׳
Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 2:4
The passage discusses the tradition that the Messiah is born on Tisha B'Av, framing the date of destruction as simultaneously the birth-time of consolation. It reinforces the idea that redemption emerges from the very point of exile.
רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר צֶמַח שְׁמוֹ. רִבִּי יוּדַן בְּרֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי אַיְיבוּ אָמַר מְנַחֵם שְׁמוֹ. אָמַר חֲנַנְיָה בְּרֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי אַבָּהוּ וְלֹא פְלִיגֵי חוּשְׁבְּנֵיהּ דַּהֲדֵין כְּחוּשְׁבְּנֵיהּ דַּהֲדֵין הוּא צֶמַח הוּא מְנַחֵם. וְדָא מְסַיְּיעָא לָהוּ דָּמַר רִבִּי יוּדַן בְּרֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי אַיְיבוּ עוּבְדָּא הֲוָה בְחַד יְהוּדָאֵי דַּהֲוָה קָאִים רְדִי [בְהָדֵי בִקְעַת אַרְבֵּל] גָעַת תּוֹרְתֵיהּ קוֹמוֹי עָבַר חַד עַרְבִיי וּשְׁמַע קָלָהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ בַּר יוּדָאֵי בַּר יוּדָאֵי שָׁרִי תוֹרָךְ וְשָׁרִי קַנְקַנָּךְ דְּהָא חָרֵיב בֵּית מוּקְדְּשָׁא. גָּעַת זְמַן תַּנְיִינוּת. אָמַר לֵיהּ בַּר יוּדָאֵי בַּר יוּדָאֵי קְטוֹר תּוֹרָיךְ וּקְטוֹר קַנְקַנָּיךְ דְּהָא יְלִיד מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ מַה שְׁמֵיהּ מְנַחֵם. אָמַר לֵיהּ וּמַה שְׁמֵיהּ דְּאָבוֹי אָמַר לֵיהּ חִזְקִיָּה. אָמַר לֵיהּ מָן הֵן הוּא. אָמַר לֵיהּ מִן בִּירַת מַלְכָּא דְּבֵית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה. אָזַל זַבִּין תּוֹרוֹי וְזַבִּין קַנְקַנּוֹי וְאִיתְעַבִּיד זַבִּין לְבָדִין לְמֵיינוּקָא וַהֲוָּה עַיּיָל קִרְיָיה וְנַפְקָא קִירְיָה. עַד דְּעָל לְהַהוּא קַרְתָּא וְהַוְיָין כָּל נְשָׁיָיא זְבָנָן וְאִימֵּהּ דִמְנַחֵם לָא זְבָנָה. שָׁמַע קָלָן דִּנְשָׁיָיא אָמְרִין אִימֵּיהּ דִּמְנַחֵם אִימֵּיהּ דִּמְנַחֵם אַיְתִיי זוֹבְנִין לִבְרָךְ. אָמְרָא בְּעָיָיא אֲנָא מֵיחְנְקוּנֵיהּ סַנְאֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל דִּבְיוֹמָא דְאִיתְיַלִּיד אִיחְרוּב בֵּית מוּקְדְּשָׁא. אָמַר לָהּ רְחִיצֵיא אֲנָן דִּבְרַגְלֵיהּ חֲרֵיב וּבְרַגְלֵיהּ מִתְבְּנֵיי. אָמְרָה לֵיהּ לֵית לִי פְרִיטִין. אָמַר לָהּ וּמַה אִיכְפַּת לֵיךְ אַיְתִיי זוֹבְנִין לֵיהּ אִין לֵית קוֹמֵךְ יוֹמָא דֵין בָּתַר יוֹמֵי אֲנָא אָתִי וְנָסִיב. בָּתַר יוֹמִין עָאַל לְהַהוּא קַרְתָּא אָמַר לָהּ מַהוּ מֵיינוּקָא עֲבֵיד. אָמְרָה לֵיהּ מִן שַׁעְתָּא דַחֲמִיתָנִי אָתוּן רוּחִין וְעַלְעוֹלֵיהּ וְחַטְּפִינֵיהּ מִן יָדַיי. אָמַר רִבִּי בּוּן מַה לָנוּ לִלְמוֹד מִן הָעַרְבִי הַזֶּה וְלֹא מִקְרָא מָלֵא הוּא וְהַלְּבָנוֹן בְּאַדִּיר יִפּוֹל. מַה כְתִיב בַּתְרֵיהּ וְיָצָא חוֹטֵר מִגֶּזַע יִשָׁי.
Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, his name is Ẓemaḥ. Rebbi Yudan, the son of Rebbi Aivu, said his name is Menaḥem. Ḥanina the son of Rebbi Abbahu said: they have no disagreement since the numerical value of one is the numerical value of the other: Ẓemaḥ is equal to Menaḥem. Since Rebbi Yudan the son of Rebbi Aivu said, it happened to a Jew who was plowing in the valley of Arbel that his ox was bellowing. An Arab passed by and heard the bellowing of the ox. He said to him: Jew, Jew, unharness your ox, unharness your plow because the Temple was destroyed. The ox bellowed a second time. He said: Jew, Jew, harness your ox, fix your plow because King Messiah has been born. He said to him: What is his name? Menaḥem. He said to him: What is his father’s name? Ḥizqiah. He said to him: Where is he? He said to him: At the king’s palace in Bethlehem in Judea. He went and sold his ox and plow and made himself a vendor of baby linens. He went to towns and left towns until he came to that town. All the women bought from him but the mother of Menaḥem did not buy. He heard the women say: Menaḥem’s mother, Menaḥem’s mother, come and buy for your son! She said: I would rather strangle him like a hater of Israel because he was born on the day the Temple was destroyed. He said to her: I like him, because for him it was destroyed and for him it will be rebuilt. She said to him, I have no money. He said to her, that does not bother me, come and buy for him! If you have nothing with you today, I shall return another day and I will take it then. After some time he went up to that town and said to her: How is your baby doing? She said to him: After you had seen me there came storms and raised him and tore him from my hands. Rebbi Abun said: We do not need to learn from that Arab, is it not a full verse (Is. 10:35): “The Lebanon will fall through a noble one”? And the next verse is (11:1) “A sprout will come from the stem of Jesse.”