Mashiach
Mashiach (the Messiah) — literally "anointed one" — generally refers to a savior or liberator figure believed to be a future redeemer of Jews, who ushers in the messianic era. Generations of Jewish texts debate what the messianic era entails, as well as the role that belief in the Messiah should play in Jewish practice. In the Bible, the word mashiach is used to refer to kings or high priests, selected by God and anointed with oil.
Awaiting the Messiah
The belief in the coming of the Messiah is seen by many as fundamental to Jewish faith. Rambam, a twelfth-century Jewish legal and philosophical thinker, included this belief among his Thirteen Principles of Faith, recited daily during the morning prayer service.
A Humble King for a Peaceful World
The Messiah — literally, “anointed one” — is the term in the Jewish tradition for the figure who will bring about the ultimate redemption. The book of Zechariah describes the arrival of such a figure: a humble and peaceful king who will banish warfare and extend his rule universally.
The Predestined Messiah
While the Messiah’s task is to bring about the end of history, some Jewish sources argue that the Messiah existed before history as well. In Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, an eighth-century midrashic work, the Messiah’s name is listed among seven things created before the world.
One Messiah or Two?
Some voices in the Jewish tradition speak of two different messianic figures: one from the lineage of King David and one from Joseph. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Sukkah describes the Davidic Messiah’s dialogue with God after witnessing the fate of the messiah from the line of Joseph.
The End of Exile
One of the achievements of the Messiah will be to end the Jewish exile. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Megillah remarks on the ways that Cyrus the Great — the Persian king who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to build the Second Temple — played a Messiah-like role in Jewish history but notes that he failed to fulfill God’s mission.
Messiah's Hopeful Symbol of Renewal
The messianic redemption to come is linked throughout the Jewish tradition with the past the destruction of the Temple. The Jerusalem Talmud in tractate Berakhot tells a story of a rabbinic sage who seeks out the Messiah and learns more about when the Messiah will be born.
Where the Messiah Sits
The sages of the Talmud are full of curiosity about the Messiah, and in several talmudic stories, some sages actually even meet him. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin depicts the Messiah sitting among the poor — ever ready to bring about the redemption.
Unveiling the Truth of Torah
One of the Messiah’s central virtues, according to many Jewish texts, is his supreme wisdom. According to the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chasidism, the Messiah’s wisdom will be directed toward interpretation of the Torah, wherein the messiah will reveal new insights.
Mashiach ben Yosef
The Mashiach ben Yosef — the Messiah descendant of Joseph — is a secondary messianic figure whose role is to prepare the world for its redemption. In Kol HaTor, an esoteric work about the future redemption, the Vilna Gaon’s student, Hillel Rivlin explores the role of the Mashiach ben Yosef in the future redemption of the Jewish people.
Praying for the Redeemer
The future arrival of the Messiah is a central theme in Jewish prayer. Birkat hamazon, the blessing recited after eating bread, includes a short prayer expressing hope for the coming of the Messiah and the peace he will bring.
Redemption and Resurrection
The messianic redemption and the ingathering of exiles, according to many Jewish thinkers, will be followed by the resurrection of the dead. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, outlines a sequence of events characterizing the messianic era, including resurrection.
Exodus in Messianic Times
What the messianic era will be like is largely subject to our collective imagination. This passage from the Haggadah, the guiding text of the Passover seder, debates the scope of the commandment to remember the Exodus and whether it will endure after the messianic redemption.
The Greatness of the Messianic King
Explicit biblical references to the Messiah are few and far between, but later interpreters understand many verses to contain subtle allusions to the Messiah or the messianic era. The early medieval Midrash Tanchuma finds allusions to the Messiah throughout biblical texts and emphasizes his greatness and kingship.
Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 11:5
Radak on Jeremiah 23:5:1
Haamek Davar on Numbers 24:17:3
Radak on Zechariah 9:10:4
Kitzur Ba'al HaTurim on Numbers 23:9:8
Kitzur Ba'al HaTurim on Numbers 25:12:3-4
Sefat Emet, Genesis, Vayeshev 27:3
Targum Jonathan on Jeremiah 33:16
Otzar Midrashim, Midrashim on The Messiah, Otot Mashiach (Signs of the Messiah) 13
Aramaic Targum to Psalms 80:16
on Jumat, 03 Mei 2024
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