Tag Archives: Seven Shepherds

Seven Names or Seven Messiahs?

In this week’s parasha, Tzav, we find the interesting term hakohen hamashiach, the “anointed priest”, referring to the kohen gadol, “high priest”. This term appears a total of four times in the Torah; three times in last week’s parasha, and once at the beginning of this week’s parasha. These happen to be the only four instances of the term mashiach anywhere in the Chumash. Superficially, they do not refer to the Messiah, but rather to the high priest. The Chumash itself never explicitly speaks of hamelekh hamashiach, the anointed messianic king of Israel at the End of Days. However, it does allude to a messianic figure here in the parasha, because one of those future figures whose arrival we expect is the Kohen Tzedek, the “righteous priest” who will serve as the first kohen gadol in the rebuilt Jerusalem Temple.

At the start of the Second Temple era, the hope was that Zerubbabel would be Mashiach. Continue reading →

Secrets of Sukkot

What is the real meaning of the mysterious holiday of Sukkot? What does it have to do with the End of Days and the Final Redemption? Why does the prophet Zechariah describe God as “touching down” on the Mount of Olives? And what does it all have to do with current events in Israel and the recent hostage deal? Find out in this class as we uncover the true meaning of Sukkot. Plus: What is the secret of the number 91? Where does the notion of the “Seven Shepherds of Israel” come from? And what role do the Shepherds play in the End of Days?

For more on the Ushpizin, see here.
For more on the Ketoret and its psychoactive ingredients, see here.

Understanding Mashiach ben Yosef, Part 2

What does the Talmud really mean when it mentions a dying messiah? Why did Maimonides completely ignore this Talmud when codifying Jewish law? And did the death of Jesus have anything to do with the subsequent destruction of the Jerusalem Temple? Find out in this class as we continue to explore the ancient sources about Mashiach ben Yosef. Plus: who are the 15 ancient souls that return to help Mashiach? What did King Solomon say about the Torah of Mashiach? And who is the mysterious Rabbi Dosa?

For Part 1 of the series, see here.
For more on Judaism vs. Christianity, see here.
This class is based on a set of essays in the recently-published third volume of ‘Garments of Light’, available on Amazon and here.