There is so much to write in regards to some of qwerty’s and philosopher’s weird claims.
1. Just because I happen to be in agreement with Menachem – despite being totally opposed to absolutely every Lubavicher who thinks that their rebbe was the leader of Torah Jewry – regarding the understanding of Rashi in both the gemoro and Chumash, I am now a loke’ach shochad! I suppose I’ll just have to take qwerty’s word on that as he has testified that he is not arrogant and that he is humble. (Is it possible he hasn’t been taking his medication, and that that has been causing him to rant?)
2. As regards to the “expired” and “dying” discussion. What does the word ויגוע mean? If, as philosopher keeps claiming, it means he expired, then that means he died, doesn’t it? Certainly, that is the dictionary definition of expiring! (I looked it up.) So what does it mean elsewhere when it says ויגוע… וימת? He expired and then died?! That’s meaningless. Clearly גויעה is not expiring.
After doing some research I see that the Malbim (Bereishis 25:8) writes:
הגויעה מציין אפיסת כחות הגוף, והמיתה מציין פירוד הנפש מן הגוף – gviah refers to the lack of any physical strength, while misah refers to the departure of the soul from the body.
So according to that, when the gemoro says that Yaakov lo meis – and Rashi clearly says that he is alive forever – it seems to mean it in a physical sense. He was still alive, but without any physical strength. And that, by the way, is how the gemoro in Sotah 13a can say that Yaakov opened his eyes and smiled.
Of course, nowhere do Chazal say that the LR did not die, and I have been clear about than in many of my earlier posts. In fact, I feel stupid having to reiterate my stance here, and I only do so because of the possible future ravings of some.
3. There may be other meforshim who say otherwise, but I have not found any Rishon (if I am wrong please correct me) who says that the gemoro in Sanhedrin 98b allows the possibility of any dead person other than Daniel Ish Chamudos being Mashiach. As I have posted a number of times, according to one pshat in Rashi, if you are looking for a person who has died as the type of person that the live Mashiach will be, then it is Daniel. According to the other pshat, if Mashiach is someone who has died, then it must be Daniel. Based on this gemoro, then, there is no room for anyone else who is not alive to be Mashiach.
4. The gemoro itself – the part that was censored in Sanhedrin 43a – says that yeshu was a maisis umaidiach. What other reason did the Sanhedrin have to execute him?