Parshas Vayikra: "moshiach" ie hakohen hamoshiach.My FB post, answer to question whether messiah is a regular human moshiach
What's this with the "messiah" mentioned in this week's portion? And what can we learn from this about the expected eventual arrival of the messiah?
Well of course messiah is the English version of moshiach which means anointed, and the relevant passages in this week's portion speak about a person who was annointed but also about: a cake and a wafer:
חַלּוֹת מַצּוֹת
בְּלוּלֹת בַּשֶּׁמֶן, וּרְקִיקֵי מַצּוֹת מְשֻׁחִים בַּשָּׁמֶן
"unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with ("meshukhin") oil"
[where "spread with" is the equivalent of "annointed with"].
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However at the beginning of Ch 4 we find reference several times to "hakohen hamoshiach", the priest moshiach!
An expert in Biblical Hebrew grammar would be able to explain why the word is not "ha'moshuach". In any case, it simply means "the annointed priest", ie the "high priest".
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Aharon was the first priest, and was the first high priest, and the later priests were his descendants, and in each period one was selected to be 'high priest", and I'm avoiding capitals to avoid the impression that this term implies some aspect of divinity God forbid. The high priest was 'annointed' ie had olive oil poured on his head (by the prophet of the time when there was one). The first such was Ahron and forever afterwards of course he was a regular human being. So that's what the word 'moshiach' means, annointed, as are cakes and wafers.
And so these passages teach us very clearly that the expected 'moshiach' is fully human. When God decides the time is right, a human being will emerge who will lead the Jewish People to return - to both full Jewish observance and the Land of Israel - and he will be proclaimed king of Israel. The prophet Samuel annointed king Saul (in other words established him as king by pouring olive oil on his head), and later annointed David as king of Israel (ie poured oil on his head). Perhaps Elijah the prophet will be on hand to annoint the person who arises in the future to be the king who leads the Jewish People to return to observance and to the land of Israel.
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Moses was the humblest person ever, but though Moses's humility led him to object to assuming leadership, it was precisely BECAUSE he was so humble that God wanted him as leader! And to lead the Jewish People in time of war. So too with the expected moshiach - he will take a leadership role, he will be king but not because of his ego desire to rule. . And how can it be that the expected moshiach is fully human and yet will be so holy? The answer is simple. I would call it a mystical secret of Judiasm expect for the fact that it is written clearly explicitly in the very beginning of the Torah - humanity was created in the image of God, and we are all of us material ('dust of the earth') plus God's breath/spirit. So any human can be holy. And so someone will emerge who is humble and holy and yet a warrior, and he will be annointed as king, a holy and humble annointed warrior-king who will usher in world peace and prosperity and a universal pursuit of holiness.
So this is really a message to all of us, we all have the greatest potential, we are all of us human, where human means we have well-known weaknesses, but being human also means having as our essence a divine spark.
May we be blessed to grow to realize our great potential, especially by treating others as walking divine sparks.
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What was Temple-sacrifice like? This week's portion, and most of the Biblical book we start reading this week (Leviticus - Vayikra) are about sacrifice. What was that like? . Well, imagine explaining to someone what it feels like to be at a music concert playing your favorite music along with thousands of others like you enthusiastically dancing to the music you all love, or gazing at master's painting at a museum filled with other art-lovers, or at a sports arena at an important game along with 50,000 other fans, etc. Experiences that are unique cannot be 'explained'. . Imagine the feelings when you are with someone you love deeply, or are having a deep religious experience with a community. Sacrifice in the Temple was unique - as described in the Torah there were fires coming down from Heaven, and in general other miracles were evident, and it involved the participation of a high priest with garments having special 'powers' and other priests playing holy music and ....
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I don't feel that Temple-sacrifice is meant to be 'understood', it needs to be experienced. And in any case I know very little about it. So I won't offer commentary.
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Note: Speaking of sacrifice - which was always in the Temple (or mishkan in the desert) - Yesterday was the first day of the first month of the Biblical calendar, "Nisan/Aviv", the day that the Torah - last week's portion and then again in coming weeks - tells us was the dedication of the mishkan (note that the holy day known "colloquially" as Rosh Hashanah = "New Year Day" is the first day of the 7th month of the Biblical calendar - [I say "colloquially" because for a reason now clear to you this is not its Biblical name; there are 4 'new year' days annually (easy to find info re this online)].
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And we know that the mishkan/Temple was a place which was designed to enable God's spirit to rest in US, in those present there..
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May we be blessed to endeavor - in the absence of the Temple - to transform ourselves to manifest our true essence as of being a temple for the spirit of God, and thereby usher in the messianic era and re-building of the actual Temple where all nations of the world will come to experience the presence of God - as in the prophetic words of Isaiah (56:7-8):
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for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Saith the Lord GOD who gathereth the dispersed of Israel:: כִּי בֵיתִי, בֵּית-תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל-הָעַמִּים. נְאֻם ה', מְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: עוֹד אֲקַבֵּץ עָלָיו, לְנִקְבָּצָיו.
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Aleph nissan: mishkan dedication!
happening today...
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דקדוק שורוק הַכֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ
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vayikra 4
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יא וְזֹאת תּוֹרַת, זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים, אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיב, לַיהוָה.
11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one may offer unto the LORD.
יב אִם עַל-תּוֹדָה, יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ--וְהִקְרִיב עַל-זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָה חַלּוֹת מַצּוֹת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשֶּׁמֶן, וּרְקִיקֵי מַצּוֹת מְשֻׁחִים בַּשָּׁמֶן; וְסֹלֶת מֻרְבֶּכֶת, חַלֹּת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשָּׁמֶן.
12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked.
יג עַל-חַלֹּת לֶחֶם חָמֵץ, יַקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹ, עַל-זֶבַח, תּוֹדַת שְׁלָמָיו
4:16
טז וְהֵבִיא הַכֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ, מִדַּם הַפָּר, אֶל-אֹהֶל, מוֹעֵד.
16 And the anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bullock to the tent of meeting.
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Vayikra 7
יא וְזֹאת תּוֹרַת, זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים, אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיב, לַיהוָה.
11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one may offer unto the LORD.
יב אִם עַל-תּוֹדָה, יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ--וְהִקְרִיב עַל-זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָה חַלּוֹת מַצּוֹת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשֶּׁמֶן, וּרְקִיקֵי מַצּוֹת מְשֻׁחִים בַּשָּׁמֶן; וְסֹלֶת מֻרְבֶּכֶת, חַלֹּת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשָּׁמֶן.
12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked.
יג עַל-חַלֹּת לֶחֶם חָמֵץ, יַקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹ, עַל-זֶבַח, תּוֹדַת שְׁלָמָיו
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The answer is in this week's Torah portion. All around the world, Jewish Communities are reading the beginning of Leviticus (beginning of Ch 4) which mentions (several times) "moshiach", the Hebrew term from which 'messiah" in English is taken.
The phrase there is "ha cohen (the 'priest') ha moshiach (who is annointed)", in other words "the high priest".