In honor of Israel’s 75th birthday, Israel365 is excited to launch a new series of essays that will unlock the secrets of the Hebrew Bible!
Excerpted from Rabbi Akiva Gersh’s forthcoming book, 75 Hebrew Words You Need to Understand the Bible (available soon!) these essays illuminate the connection between related Hebrew words, revealing Biblical secrets only accessible through Hebrew.
Enjoy the series – and happy 75th birthday to the State of Israel!
מָשִׁיחַ
MASHIACH
MA-SHEE-ACH
MESSIAH
“The priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the Tent and anointed Solomon. They sounded the horn and all the people shouted, ‘Long live King Solomon!’” (1 Kings 1:39)
ויקח צדוק הכהן את קרן השמן מן האהל וימשח את שלמה ויתקעו בשופר ויאמרו כל העם יחי המלך שלמה.
“And the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the Tent of Meeting.” (Leviticus 4:5)
ולקח הכהן המשיח מדם הפר והביא אתו אל אהל מועד.
Mashiach, Hebrew for “Messiah,” literally means “the anointed one,” for the Messiah will one day be the king of Israel and will be anointed with oil, as kings were once anointed in ancient Israel. Like his father David, Solomon was anointed when he became king, as it says, “The priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the Tent and anointed Solomon. They sounded the horn and all the people shouted, ‘Long live King Solomon!’” (1 Kings 1:39).
The oil used to anoint kings in ancient times was also used to anoint the high priests who served in the holy Temple in Jerusalem. Oil represents wisdom and is meant as a blessing for the nation’s leaders to serve righteously and according to the wisdom they receive from God.
The vessels of the Tabernacle were also anointed with oil, consecrating them and transforming them into something sacred to be used to serve and worship God.
Jewish tradition teaches that the original oil that was used to anoint kings and priests in ancient Israel still exists, though it is hidden. At the end of days, it will be revealed and used to anoint the King Messiah and the High Priest in the rebuilt Third Temple. This will be a fulfillment of the verse, “Take us back, God, to Yourself, and let us come back; renew our days as of old!” (Lamentations 5:21). At that time, leaders from all over the world will come to Jerusalem to learn from the Mashiach how to govern and lead their people in the ways of God.
