“King David himself prophesied in Psalms that when his descendant arrives to re-establish the kingdom of God, all of the nations will bring gifts to the king,” said Rabbi Yosef Berger, the rabbi of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion.

Speaking to Breaking Israel News in the midst of a month-long campaign to “prepare for the Messiah in the most practical manner” by creating a crown that will be presented to him as a gift upon his arrival in Jerusalem, Berger stressed the importance of universal participation in such a project. Berger believes making this crown will be the completion of the story of Jacob and Esau.

Rabbi Yosef Berger is the son of Rabbi Shalom Berger, the spiritual leader of thousands of members of the Mishkoltz sect of Hasidic Jewry. Their family can trace their lineage, from father to son, directly back to King David.

What does he mean the completion of the story of Jacob and Esau?

From Your temple above Yerushalayim. The kings bring You tribute. Psalms 68:30

This verse will be inscribed on the crown to emphasize this aspect of the gift. The rabbi explained that for this prophecy to materialize, the gift must come from the nations.

“Jacob gave presents to Esau that Esau initially did not want to accept,” Rabbi Berger said, citing the verse in Genesis.

Please accept my present which has been brought to you, for Hashem has favored me and I have plenty.” And when he urged him, he accepted. Genesis 33:11

 

“Esau then suggested they continue their journey together,” Rabbi Berger said. “But Jacob demurred, assuring his brother that they would meet in Seir. Esau continued on to Seir but Jacob went directly to Sukkoth.”

The verse has posed a difficulty for Torah scholars since Jacob and Esau do not, in fact, meet again.

“The Torah is entirely truth,” Rabbi Berger said. “When Jacob said that he would meet Esau in the future, he did not lie. The future he was speaking of is in the days of moshiach (messiah), when the nations will bring sacrifices in the Temple during the holiday of Sukkoth.”

Rabbi Berger cited a commentary on the Torah that prophesied that in the messianic era, the nation will return all of the gifts that Jacob gave to Esau.

“This process of Esau returning gifts to Jacob was initiated in Solomon’s Temple when the nations brought gifts from afar,” Rabbi Berger explained. “Esau and Jacob are twin brothers and this brotherhood is what brings them together in the Temple.”

The rabbi emphasized that the 70 nations brought gifts to the Temple not as a tribute to a conqueror but as a recognition that all men were united in their love for the one true god.

Let kings of Tarshish and the islands pay tribute, kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. Let all kings bow to him, and all nations serve him. Psalms 72:10-11

Rabbi Berger explained that the word in the verse translated as “pay” is יָשִׁיבוּ, which is more accurately translated as “to return.”

“This is not paying a debt,” Rabbi Berger emphasized. “Just as Jacob gave gifts to Esau as an act of love, a gift given when two brothers are reunited, the gifts brought to the king and to the Temple by the nations to the Messiah will be gifts given from one brother to another.”

“When the nations bring gifts to the Moshiach and the Temple, it will be the prophecy as written in Psalms and the embodiment of Esau returning the gifts from Jacob that he did not want to accept in the first place,” Rabbi Berger said.

This concept will be expressed in another verse from the Book of Zechariah that will likewise be inscribed on the crown.

And Hashem shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Hashem with one name. Zechariah 14:9

This emphasizes the belief in the one true God, a belief that Esau and Jacob shared and which will be embodied in the Third Temple.

Rabbi Berger noted that royal dynasties in Europe often claimed to be descendants of King David in order to justify their claim to rule.

“It was clear that their claims were false because they were built on self-interest,” Rabbi Berger said. “The proof was that the world was further divided by their rule. The true king unites people.”

The rabbi explained that unlike the monarchies that existed until now in European countries, the restored Davidic dynasty will unite all 70 nations in the service of Hashem, with each nation bringing its unique aspect to the messiah and the Temple.

“In this generation, when it is clear that the messiah is imminent, merely waiting to reveal himself, we need to prepare our hearts by performing acts that strengthen our belief,” Rabbi Berger said. “By preparing an actual crown, we are taking the first step toward bringing the inner vision of a king into reality.

“The beauty of a true king has not been seen in the world since the exile began and the prophets assured us that it would return,” he said.

After the crown is created, Rabbi Berger is planning to hold a ceremony dedicating the crown as the prophesied gift to the messiah-king from the nations. The crown will then be put on display until such time as its true recipient will arrive.

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