Rabbi Yitzchak: “The year that Messiah is revealed, Persia (in our days, Iran) destroys the world and there is great fear in Israel”
Pesikta Rabbati (Ish Shalom) Piska 36 starting with the word, Kumi
Rabbi Yitzchak stated in the year that the Messianic King is revealed within it, all the Kings of the nations are provoking each other in a hostile fashion, the King of Persia provokes against the Arabian King, and the King of Arabia goes to Edom to get advice from them and then the Persian King reacts and destroys the entire world; and all the nations of the world are trembling and afraid and fall on their faces and pangs will seize them that are similar to birth pangs, and Israel is trembling and frightened and saying, to where will go and to where will we arrive; and he will say to them, my sons, do not be afraid [ all that I have done, I have only done on your account, why are you scared, do not be afraid ] the time of your redemption has arrived and not like the first redemption is the last redemption; for the first redemption was followed by pain and the subjugation to kingdoms afterwards, but in the final redemption, you will have no pain and subjugation to kingdoms afterwards.
Yalkut Shimoni to Yishayahu, Remez 499 brings down the same idea of Rabbi Yitzchak with the exception that the Yalkut Shimoni version has the Arabian King going to Aram to get advice, instead of mentioning Edom. The Bible speaks of 2 countries by the name of Aram. One is Aram Naharayim (which is in modern day, Iraq) and the other is Aram Tzova (which is in modern day, Syria).
Just like it was difficult for Mordechai to completely undo Haman’s decree, but he did have the ability to have the decree fall upon the enemies of the Jews, instead of the Jews, I at least will offer a prayer, that the future Persian destruction will fall on the enemies of the Jews instead of the Jews, but I can not guarantee this. After all in World War II, we see the Jews did suffer a Holocaust in Europe.
פסיקתא רבתי (איש שלום) פיסקא לו – קומי אורי
אמר רבי יצחק שנה שמלך המשיח נגלה בו כל מלכי האומות העולם מתגרים זה בזה, מלך פרס מתגרה במלך ערביא, והולך מלך ערביא לאדום ליטול עצה מהם (והחזיר) [וחוזר] מלך פרס (והחריב) [ומחריב] את כל העולם כולו, וכל אומות העולם מתרעשים ומתבהלים ונופלים על פניהם ויאחוז אותם צירים כצירי יולדה, וישראל מתרעשים ומתבהלים ואומרים להיכן נלך ולהיכן נבוא, ואומר להם בניי אל תתייראו [כל מה שעשיתי לא עשיתי אלא בשבילכם, מפני מה אתם מתייראים אל תיראו] הגיע (ימי) [זמן] גאולתכם, ולא כגאולה ראשונה כך גאולה אחרונה, כי גאולה ראשונה היה לכם צער ושיעבוד מלכיות (אחרים) [אחריה], אבל גאולה אחרונה אין לכם צער ושיעבוד מלכיות (אחרים) [אחריה].
ילקוט שמעוני ישעיהו רמז תצט
א”ר יצחק שנה שמלך המשיח נגלה בו כל מלכי אומות העולם מתגרים זה בזה, מלך פרס מתגרה במלך ערבי והולך מלך ערבי לארם ליטול עצה מהם וחוזר מלך פרס ומחריב את כל העולם וכל אומות העולם מתרעשים ומתבהלים ונופלים על פניהם ויאחוז אותם צירים כצירי יולדה, וישראל מתרעשים ומתבהלים ואומר להיכן נבוא ונלך להיכן נבוא ונלך, ואומר להם בני אל תתיראו כל מה שעשיתי לא עשיתי אלא בשבילכם מפני מה אתם מתיראים אל תיראו הגיע זמן גאולתכם, ולא כגאולה ראשונה גאולה אחרונה כי גאולה ראשונה היה לכם צער ושעבוד מלכיות אחריה אבל גאולה אחרונה אין לכם צער ושעבוד מלכיות אחריה
The Bar Ilan Responsa project says this about Pesikta Rabbati:
PESIKTA RABBATI
The Pesikta is a midrash aggadah composed of long segments, based upon verses from the weekly Torah portion and from the Haftorah for special Torah portions. The regular Pesikta was referred to as Pesikta Rabbati, and was redacted during the Geonic period. It is very influenced by the Midrash Tanchumah. The Pesikta was first published in Prague, 1653, and the most popular edition is the Vienna, 1880, one. Sometimes it’s referred to as Pesikta Rabbati deRav Cahana, thus confusing it with the older Pesikta deRav Cahana, which had been redacted in the Land of Israel during the Amoraic period (like the Midrash Rabbah on Genesis and Leviticus). Pesikta deRav Cahana was first printed in 1868 by Shlomo Buber based upon manuscripts, and again in a more scholarly edition by D. Mandlebaum (N.Y., 1962).
The Bar Ilan Responsa project says this about Yalkut Shimoni
YALKUT SHIMONI
Yalkut Shimoni is an anthology of midrashim on the entire Bible, and is attributed to R. Shimon haDarshan of Frankfort-am-Main in the mid-13th century. This is an extensive and comprehensive collection of the literature of the Sages including the talmudim, Sifra, Mechilta, Midrash Rabba, Midrash Tehilim, Avot deRabbi Nathan, minor tractates, Pesikta, Midrash Tanchumah, and minor midrashim, some unknown, thus being a treasury of midrashim arranged according to the biblical verses. It was first printed in Salonika (1521-1526), but the best known publication is that of Warsaw, 1878. The paragraphs are divided into numbered remazim, sometimes a few sentences and sometimes large segments. At first these remazim were references to sources, etc., but eventually their order became disrupted and they became paragraph signs. Accompanying standard editions is the abbreviated commentary Zayit Ra’anan, by R. Abraham Gombiner, author of the Magen Avraham on Shulchan Aruch Orach Haym. A new and corrected edition based upon manuscripts with the entire Zayit Ra’anan has recently been published.
Appendix: In Rabbinic literature, the term Edom is often used as nickname for either the Roman Empire or the Christian World (which became the official religion of the Roman Empire and was hostile to Judaism like Pagan Rome). This association is in part due to the prophecy of Ovadia against Edom chapter 1 verse 11 “On that day you stood from afar, on the day strangers captured his possessions, and foreigners came into his cities, and on Jerusalem they cast lots; you, too, are like one of them”.
In Biblical times Edom was a region located in the south of modern Israel and the south of modern Jordan.
I do not know which Edom does Pesikta Rabbati refer to in the messianic scenario described above.
The permanent location of this post is at https://vilnagaon.org/messianic-scenario/