Y'shayahu / Isaiah 61:1 - 2 is speaking of the prophet Isaiah -- not the messiah, and definitely not Jesus. Who is speaking in the book of Isaiah? The prophet Isaiah. In the very first sentence of this chapter he uses the word "me." He is speaking of himself. "The spirit of the L-rd Gd was upon me, since the L-rd anointed me to bring tidings to the humble, He sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to declare freedom for the captives, and for the prisoners to free from captivity. To declare a year of acceptance for the L-rd and a day of vengeance for our G-d, to console all mourners." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 61:1 - 2
Not Jesus. None of Isaiah's prophecies in this chapter have yet come true. They all speak of the real messianic age when the world will be at peace, when the Jewish exiles will all be returned to the land of Israel, the Temple will be rebuilt and the entire world will know G-d. Although Y'shayahu / Isaiah 61:1 says that Isaiah was anointed this term is not literal. Kings and priests were anointed (or inherited the anointing in an unbroken chain), prophets were not anointed. אַהֲרֹן / Aaron (Moses' brother) and the first כהן גדול / kohein gadol / high priest) and his four sons − נָדָב / Nadav, אֲבִיהוּא / Avihu, אֶלְעָזָר / El'azar and אִיתָמָר / Itamar − were all "anointed" by Moses in the desert (Vayikra / Leviticus 8:12-13), with a special mixture of spice and olive oil that was used for “anointing” of kings and priests. It is called שֶֽׁמֶן מִשְׁחַת קֹדֶשׁ shemen mish'ḥat kodesh (“Oil of Anointment of Sanctity”) in the passage of Sh'mot / Exodus 30:22-33 which gives the formula for making it and how to properly use it. . . "G-d spoke to Moses, saying: 30:23 You must take the finest fragrances, 500 [shekels] of distilled myrrh, [two] half portions, each consisting of 250 [shekels] of fragrant cinnamon and 250 [shekels] of fragrant cane, 30:24 and 500 shekels of cassia, all measured by the sanctuary standard, along with a gallon of olive oil. 30:25 Make it into sacred anointing oil. It shall be a blended compound, as made by a skilled perfumer, [made especially for] the sacred anointing oil. 30:26 Then use it to anoint the Communion Tent, the Ark of Testimony, 30:27 the table and all its utensils, the menorah and its utensils, the incense altar, 30:28 the sacrificial altar and all its utensils, the washstand and its base. 30:29 You will thus sanctify them, making them holy of holies, so that anything touching them becomes sanctified. 30:30 You must also anoint Aaron and his sons, sanctifying them as priests to Me. 30:31 Speak to the Israelites and tell them, 'This shall be the sacred anointing oil to Me for all generations. 30:32 Do not pour it on the skin of any [unauthorized] person, and do not duplicate it with a similar formula. It is holy, and it must remain sacred to you. 30:33 If a person blends a similar formula, or places it on an unauthorized person, he shall be cut off [spiritually] from his people." Sh'mot / Exodus 30:22-33. Thus Aaron and his sons (and heirs), David and Solomon were all messiahs -- anointed kings and priests. If the line is unbroken and uncontested the physical anointing need not be done. Every one of Aaron's male descendants from that time until the present has also had the inherited status of being an "anointed" person. For this reason, our kohanim / priests today continue to be "anointed" without the need for any of them to undergo the actual ceremony of anointment personally. This is not true for Jewish kings. Solomon was personally anointed even though his father was King David. Why? Because Solomon's kingship was contested. There was a 600 year gap between Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who was forced out by Nebuchadnezzar in the siege of Jerusalem (Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 32:4-5) and Jesus supposed birth. A 600 year gap = a contested lineage which means that Jesus would have to have been anointed with the special oil to be a messiah-- and he never was so anointed. Prophets were not anointed. Rashi, the great Torah commentator, wrote "This anointing is nothing but an expression of nobility and greatness." Think of anointment as used in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 61:1 as a term meaning the dedication of something or someone to the service of G-d,. Want proof? Read M'lachim Alef / 1 Kings chapter 19 -- Eliyahu (Elijah) appoints (anoints) Elisha to replace himas prophet -- and he does not anoint him with oil -- but simply thrown his cloak over him.
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