Sanhedrin Daf 98 סַנהֶדרִין דַף 98

Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi once met Eliyahu, and asked if he would enter עולם הבא. Eliyahu answered, “If this Lord wills it,” referring to the Shechinah, which was with them. Rebbe Yehoshua asked when Moshiach would come, and Eliyahu told him to ask Moshiach himself. He told Rebbe Yehoshua that he sits at “the gate of the city,” among the poor people afflicted with צרעת. Everyone else unties and ties all their bandages at once, but Moshiach does one at a time, saying: דילמא מבעינא – “Perhaps I will be needed at any moment דלא איעכב – so I should not be delayed at all.” Rebbe Yehoshua greeted him, and Moshiach responded, שלום עליך בר ליואי – “Peace be upon you, son of Levi.” Rebbe Yehoshua asked when he was coming, and he replied, "היום" – today. Later, Eliyahu told Rebbe Yehoshua that Moshiach’s greeting indicated that he and his father would enter עולם הבא. Rebbe Yehoshua protested that Moshiach lied to him, since he said he was coming “today” and he did not. Eliyahu explained that he meant: היום אם בקלו תשמעו – “Today, if you heed His voice!”

Ulla said: ייתי ולא איחמיניה – “Let [Moshiach] come, but I should not see him!” Rabbah said the same, but Rav Yosef said: ייתי ואזכי דאיתיב בטולא דכופיתא דחמריה – “Let him come, and I should merit to sit even in the shadow of his donkey’s dung.” Abaye asked Rabbah why he did not want to see Moshiach. If it because of חבלו של משיח – the suffering preceding the arrival of Moshiach, but the talmidim of Rebbe Eliezer asked him: מה יעשה אדם וינצל מחבלו של משיח – what should a person do to be saved from the suffering before Moshiach? And he responded: יעסוק בתורה ובגמילות חסדים – he should involve himself in studying Torah and in acts of kindness. Abaye concluded his question, that since Rabbah certainly excelled in both, why was he afraid to see Moshiach? Rabbah answered: שמא יגרום החטא – “I am afraid that perhaps sin will cause me to lose my protection from חבלי משיח.”

Two sources are provided for the principle of חטא taking away what a person already earned: Rebbe Yaakov bar Idi asked that although Hashem told Yaakov, “Behold, I am with you and will guard you wherever you go,” yet when Yaakov heard that Esav was marching towards him with an army, the passuk says: ויירא יעקב מאד ויצר לו – and Yaakov was greatly afraid and it distressed him. The reason is: שהיה מתיירא שמא יגרום החטא – that he was afraid that perhaps a sin may cause him to lose the protection Hashem promised him. A Baraisa darshens: "עד יעבר עמך ה'" – until Your people passes, Hashem, זו ביאה ראשונה – this refers to the first entering Eretz Yisroel, under Yehoshua. "עד יעבר עם זו קנית" – Until this people You have acquired passes, זו ביאה שניה – this refers to the second entering, under Ezra. This comparison teaches: ראויים היו ישראל לעשות להם נס בביאה שניה כביאה ראשונה – Yisroel deserved for a miracle to be performed for them in the second entering like in the first entering, when they experienced great miracles, and came of their own accord, אלא שגרם החטא – but sin during the first Beis Hamikdash caused the loss of this benefit, and they required permission to return.