What Does Moshiach Mean?
Moshiach (משיח) means “the anointed one”: the king from the House of David anointed to redeem the Jewish people and the world. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, King Moshiach, taught that “Moshiach is called by this name because he is anointed with holy oil,” and that every Jew carries a spark of Moshiach in his soul.
What does the word Moshiach mean?
The Hebrew word Moshiach comes from the root mashach, to anoint, and means “anointed one.”
In the Torah, kings and kohanim were consecrated with oil. The prophet Shmuel anointed King Shaul and King David. After G-d chose David, He promised that the kingship would stay in David’s family forever, so his descendants who inherit the throne do not need a new anointing.
The Rambam finds Moshiach in the Torah itself. In the portion of Bilaam, he writes, the Torah prophesies about two anointed kings: “The first anointed king was David, who saved Israel from her enemies and the last anointed king is Mashiach who will arise from his sons and save Israel in the end of days” (Hilchos Melachim 11:1, as translated in Sichos In English). The Rebbe explained that this mention “in the portion of Bilaam” points to the theme of the Redemption: a curse turned into a blessing.
Why did the Rebbe say Moshiach is called “anointed”?
The Rebbe said Moshiach bears this name “because he is anointed with holy oil” (Hisvaaduyos 5751, vol. 2).
The Minchas Chinuch leaves open whether Moshiach will be anointed. The Rambam rules that a king of David’s house is anointed only when he does not succeed his father, or when there is a dispute over the throne (Hilchos Melachim 1:12). The Ramban is decisive: “On the day that Elijah anoints Moshiach with the command of G-d, he will be called Moshiach.” The Rebbe upholds this view. So the anointing by Eliyahu Hanavi is part of the meaning of the name.
The Rebbe also drew a lesson from the word. Anointing marks a radical change in a person’s level, like David, whom G-d took “from following the ewes” to “shepherd Yaakov His people” (Psalms 78:71). The very word Mashiach, the Rebbe said, implies such a change.
Why is he called King Moshiach?
The Rambam calls him King Moshiach because he restores the kingdom of David (Hilchos Melachim 11:1).
Appointing a king is a mitzvah, and the people play a part: they accept his kingship. The Rebbe put it this way: “The existence of the king depends on the nation… when they proclaim, ‘Long live the king.’” This is the root of the declaration Yechi Adoneinu.
A human king does not compete with G-d. In the Rebbe’s words, “The kingdom of G-d is bound up with and will be revealed to its fullest extent through King Moshiach.” The prophets also call Moshiach a nasi. Geulah Weekly explains, from Likkutei Sichos vol. 35, p. 208, that as king (melech) he leads the people, and as nasi he teaches Torah to the whole world.
What is the spark of Moshiach in every Jew?
The Rebbe taught that every Jew has a spark of Moshiach, the yechidah at the soul’s core.
In the talk adapted as “Mashiach in Every Generation” (Sichos In English), the Rebbe explained that the revelations of the Redemption belong to every Jew, “for every Jew possesses a spark of Mashiach.” The texts of Kabbalah identify this spark with yechidah, the innermost dimension of the soul.
Children show it most openly. The verse “Do not touch My anointed ones” (Psalms 105:15) is read by our Sages as referring to Jewish schoolchildren (Shabbos 119b). The Rebbe explained why: they “have no other genuine concern besides Mashiach.” That is one reason Jewish education is so closely tied to the Redemption.
What does it mean that Moshiach equals shaliach plus ten?
The Rebbe taught that Moshiach (358) equals shaliach, “agent” (348), plus ten.
Every Jew is G-d’s agent to fill the world with the light of Torah. When a person dedicates all ten faculties of his soul to that mission, he brings the coming of Moshiach closer. This is a practical way to hasten the coming of Moshiach.
The Rebbe applied the same gematria to Moshiach himself on Shabbos Chayei Sarah 5752, when shluchim from around the world had gathered: “the ultimate revelation of Mashiach will come when he fulfills his shlichus with all of his ten powers” (Sichos In English).
What is Moshiach’s name?
The Talmud gives Moshiach names, including Menachem, and the Rebbe’s edited talks say his name is Menachem.
One opinion in the Talmud says that Moshiach’s name is Menachem ben Chizkiyah (Sanhedrin 98b). In talks he edited for publication, the Rebbe wrote in the footnotes that the name of Moshiach is Menachem (Tazria-Metzora 5751, Yisro 5752 and Tetzaveh 5752) and Mendel (Naso 5751), as documented in the booklet Yechi HaMelech.
That booklet also notes the Rebbe’s remark that 770, the number of his headquarters, is the gematria of Beis Moshiach, “the House of Moshiach.” These are among the statements in which the Rebbe is identified as Moshiach.
What will the anointed king do?
Moshiach will rebuild the Beis Hamikdash, gather the exiles and perfect the world (Hilchos Melachim 11:4).
The Rambam rules that King Moshiach will build the Third Beis Hamikdash on its site and gather the dispersed of Israel. He will then bring all the nations to serve G-d together. In that era, the Rambam writes, “the occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d” (Hilchos Melachim 12:5).
Geulah Weekly adds a gematria: Moshiach (358) has the same value as nachash, the serpent that brought the first sin. Moshiach will repair what the serpent damaged, uncovering the good hidden in what now looks like evil. That is the world transformed that the name Moshiach promises.