Hello kollel!
Two questions. The Gemara counters a view of rabbi Hillel that moshiach already happened in the reign of king chizkiyahu
1) which Hillel was this?
2) can you explain how there could be any shita that moshiach has alrwsdy happened? Given the state of the world, lack of beit hamikdash and techiyas Harrison etc?
Thank you!
Josh
Shalom Josh,
1) It was the grandson of Rebbi who, in turn, was -- as I think you might know -- a descendant of Hillel ha'Zaken. See Sefer Toldos Tana'im v'Amora'im who discusses this on page 374, available online here: https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=43956&st=&pgnum=405&hilite=
2) Excellent question! We can touch on three basic approaches, but there are more.
a) Rashi (98a, DH Ein Mashi'ach l'Yisrael; 99a, DH Ein Lahem Mashi'ach l'Yisrael): The prophecies about Mashi'ach already did come to fruition under Chizkiyahu. The final Ge'ulah and Malchus which has yet to occur will be wrought by Hash-m Himself, not by a human Mashi'ach.
b) Yad Ramah: The redemption of the Jewish people foretold by the prophets has already occurred in the episode when Hash-m saved the Jewish people from Sancheiriv in the days of Chizkiyahu.
c) Ran: Rebbi Hillel agrees that the Jewish people will still eventually be redeemed in the future, but this Ge'ulah will be immediately followed by the resurrection of the dead. What Rebbi Hillel means is that there will be no period of physical prosperity in the meantime between the redemption and the Techiyas ha'Mesim. That period of fortune and blessing has already occurred during the days of Chizkiyahu.
By the way, as Rabbi Moshe Pessin pointed out to me, Rav Yosef Albo in his he Sefer ha'Ikarim uses this passage as evidence to indicate that this issue is not an Ikar of Emunah. He instead explains that our Sechar will be in Olam ha'Ba, not in Yemos ha'Mashi'ach.
Warmly,
Yishai Rasowsky