Mahx Note on Psalms 80:18
Hashem Stands With Mashiach
HASHEM STANDS WITH MASHIACH
GENESIS 22:13.
Sources: Midrash Rabah 68:14. Daniel 2:44
Our Sages tells us that Yaakov's dream, which hinted to the fall of the nations and the end of exile, was just like another famous dream. This was the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, described in the book of Daniel. In his dream, there was a large metal statue, which represented the nations which would rule over the Bnei Yisrael. He then saw a large stone smash the statue to dust. The stone then became a large mountain which covered the entire world.
The stone represents Melech HaMashiach, as Daniel said, "Hashem will make a kingdom stand which will never be destroyed and which will last forever."
This is also the meaning of the verse, "And behold, Hashem stood over him" (Beraishis 22:13). This refers to Hashem making the kingdom of Melech HaMoshiach stand firmly, may it come speedily in our days!
http://www.congregationlubavitch.org/page.asp?pageID=%7B237A4A9D-D039-4FC4-8E89-3230AC803BF9%7D
"Who is the 'man of Your right hand' and the "man" spoken of in verse 18?
The People of Israel as a whole?
"But why should the nation be referred to by the terms 'ish' and 'ben adam'?"
The king of Israel?
"... but we have already demonstrated that our psalm was composed during the period that preceded the monarchy. Moreover, there has been no previous mention of a king in our psalm."
Dr. Moshe Seidel, z"l, in his article, "Adam – Zeh Yosef," explains:
Midrash Shemot Rabba, chapter 20 teaches: In Bamidbar 9:6, where it says that certain people were defiled by "the dead body of Adam", this Adam is Yoseph.
Also:
In Tehillim 78:60, where we read, "The tent where He made His dwelling in Adam," this Adam is also a reference to Yoseph. For in v. 67 of the same psalm it says, "And He rejected the tent of Yoseph."
Seidel adds:
Their proof is based on the chiastic structure of two verses in Tehillim 78:
“So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shilo, the tent where He made His dwelling in Adam” (v. 60).
“And He rejected the tent of Yosef, and chose not the tribe of Efrayim” (v. 67).
He then goes on:
In Psalms 80, the "psalmist seeks God's help for Efrayim, Binyamin, and Menasheh – and there is no mention of the other tribes. "
Explaining:
As the Ibn Ezra comments: "The psalmist mentions a war that the descendants of Rachel fought with the nations."
We already find these tribes united under a single banner in the wilderness, the banner of the camp of Efrayim; see Bamidbar 2:18-24. When did this war take place? This cannot be determined. And since the prayer is on behalf of Efrayim and Menashe – along with Binyamin...
Psalms 80 therefore mentions at the beginning Yosef parallel to Israel:
"O shepherd of Israel, listen, You who tend Yosef like sheep; before Efrayim, and Binyamin, and Menasheh, stir up your might…"
Coming from a different approach, Seidel adds:
It may be assumed that the name of Yosef brought the psalmist to use the metaphor of the grapevine: "You brought a vine out of Egypt" (verses 9-17).
For Yosef was likened to a vine in Ya'akov's blessing: "Yosef is a fruitful ben, a fruitful ben by a well" (Bereishit 49:22), which means "Yosef is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a well."
Seidel then comes to his conclusion:
The word "ben" in our psalm is used in the same sense as "ben porat:" "Look down from heaven and see, and be mindful of this vine. And the sapling that Your right hand planted, and the branch that You planted for Yourself" (verses 15-16).
The word "ben" is synonymous with "kana" and "gefen."
The psalmist seems to have chosen three synonymous terms corresponding to the three tribes on behalf of whom he prays, as he himself explains in verse 18:
"Let Your hand be with the man of Your right hand, with the man whom You have attached strongly to Yourself" – that is, Binyamin, Efrayim and Menasheh.
"The man of Your right hand" corresponds to Binyamin - Ish-yamin, Ben-Yamin, Binyamin, and Ish-yamini (Esther 2:5) = Binyamin = Ben Yamini, as the term is written in I Shemuel 9:21.
"With the man (ben adam)" – refers to Efrayim and Menasheh, each one of which is ben adam, the son of Yosef, who is called Adam! And he says "ben adam" in the singular, so that it parallels "and the branch (ben) that You planted for Yourself" in verse 16.
After bringing this commentary from Dr. Moshe Seidel, Rav Elchanan Samet of Etzion asks:
What is the unique meaning of the designation "Adam" and why was it used in reference to Yosef? For this as well we must turn to Chazal, who say in Vayikra Rabba 2:8: "'Adam' is a term of endearment, brotherhood and fellowship." And see Gesenius' Lexicon, s.v. adam, that the word adam in southern Arabic is also used in the sense of friend, fellow. The word adam already parallels the word ahava (love) in Hoshea 11:4: "I drew them with the cords of a man (adam), with bands of love (ahava)."[16]
It turns out, then, that the prayer at the end of our psalm brings us back to the prayer at the beginning. Corresponding to the prayer that was not accepted, "Before Efrayim, and Binyamin, and Menasheh, stir up your might," our psalmist offers a prayer that God be mindful of these three tribes: "Let Your hand be with the man of Your right hand (ish yamin=Binyamin), with the man (ben adam, the son of Yosef) whom You have attached strongly to Yourself."
http://etzion.org.il/vbm/english/archive/tehillim70/41tehillim.htm#_ftnref4
Mahx Note:
If we combine the thought of the Midrash on GENESIS 22:13, as given above, with this contribution from Etzion on PSALMS 80:18, we can ask a focused question: In what aspect when Hashem was standing over Yaakov was He standing over Yoseph as Mashiach? That is to say, in what aspect might Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh be seen in a Messianic role?
Here in Psalms 80 we can, perhaps, glimpse a picture of Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh going out to war against the Philistines and for reasons that they do not comprehend failing to win the battle. But in Isaiah 11 we have this:
11:13 The envy also of Efrayim shall depart, and the adversaries of Yehudah shall be cut off: Efrayim shall not envy Yehudah, and Yehudah shall not vex Efrayim.
11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Plishtites toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moav; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
Here the past failure of Yoseph is rectified. Yehudah and Yoseph are one, as in the day when Yoseph was reunited with Benjamin in Egypt.
And we can see prophetically that it is this very same reunification which is the power of the victory of Yoseph over the whole land of Israel. It is not the power of the arm or armies of the natural Adam, but here Yoseph is Adam. And it is already accomplished. For it is Yehoshua HaMashiach himself working in concealment in Yehudah who brings about this work and accomplishment both in Yehudah and in Yoseph, by the reunification of Yoseph with Benyamin.
This is the meaning of that word of Yehoshua:
Yochanan 14
…11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.…