For the source text click/tap here: Sanhedrin 98
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Our daf focuses on Moshiach, the messiah. How will we know when the messiah has arrived? What will it take for the messiah to arrive? How might we hasten that coming? The rabbis share their ideas, all with prooftexts, of course. They have numerous thoughts about when the messiah will come, including when the vast majority of Jews are not interested in halacha any longer, or when all of the Jewish community is naive and innocent.
The rabbis take for granted that the messiah will be of the line of King David. They wonder if he might enter the community from the main gates in Rome. They also suggest that he might sit with other paupers on the steps of Rome, bandaging his feet differently from others because he will be working toward healing so many people for the remainder of the day.
We explore the Messiah and his Donkey.