The Messiah--Parashat Tzav

The weekly portion known as Tzav is a somewhat onerous narrative.   The general themes of Tzav consist of a description of a offerings and of the preparations and subsequent anointing of Aaron and his sons as the High Priests.

The anointing of Aaron can in many ways be seen as the antecedent of the idea of the Messiah.  In fact, the very word Messiah comes from a Hebrew verb that means 'to anoint.'  The Messiah is the 'anointed one.'

There are always many things to discuss in any Torah portion; this week, a brief discussion of the idea of the Messiah is warranted.

The idea of the Messiah as we know it today, either in Judaism or Christianity, did not exist in the Torah.  Aaron and his sons were the anointed ones, but they did not embody the vision of a person who foretold the end of days.  The term 'messiah' (mashiach in Hebrew) does not appear until the Prophets yet even there, it is not a reference to what we commonly consider the Messiah.

There is mention of a Messiah in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  However, here too, this really isn't the Messiah.  In the theology of the Hebrew Bible, an era of universal peace (e.g. the World to Come) is the product of human works and God's providence.

The idea of a 'personal' Messiah i.e. a specific individual chosen by God to herald the end of days is an idea that evolved after the Hebrew Bible.  This is a central issue for Christianity.  In Judaism, the Messiah is not so central.  Although a 'messiah' becomes part of the rabbinic world outlook, ultimately the coming of the end of days remains an event brought about by humans in partnership with God.