Often, when I sit down to write this blog, I stumble on a word, phrase, sentence, or theme in the week’s reading that catches my attention. I research it a little, massage the idea in my head before sharing it with you, and then sometimes add a little “spice” or “fragrance” at the end. I think you’ll see what I mean. :-) This week, we’re learning about the garments, behaviors, and practices of Aaron, the High Priest, and the other Kohanim (priests) in the ancient Tabernacle in the desert. They had a lot of rules. A lot of regulations, expectations, strictures, parameters, and guidelines. It definitely wasn’t an easy job, and being the intermediaries to connect with the Divine for the ENTIRE people certainly didn’t make the stakes any lower either! And it was the initiation ritual - to really *grease* the wheels and gears of the whole operation, and get it up and running - that peaked my interest this time.
In Exodus 29:7, having read that Aaron and his sons were clothed in all the ritual garb prescribed, and that they’re FINALLY ready to get to work, Moses actually *anoints* them to complete their transformation into holy priests: “Take the anointing oil, and pour it on his [Aaron’s] head.” (Also mentioned in Ex. 28:41) Interestingly, the word for “anoint” in Hebrew is “limshoch,” and this root gives us the word “Mashiach,” or “Messiah,” meaning “anointed one.” Of course, when many of us think of the word “Messiah,” we may jump to a very Christian, Christ-filled context, or drift off into the world of
eschatology, meaning End of Days theology, and the questions of an ultimate Redeemer or Savior coming to rescue us all on Judgment Day. In other words, it’s a pretty loaded term. Which is also why I often like to point out that the word itself just means “rubbed [with oil].” It was originally a technical term for installing the ancient High Priest (from our
parashah), then became a ceremony for proclaiming a new king (from the First Book of Samuel), and eventually morphed into this notion of an Ultimate King, a Sovereign - chosen by God - to save us at the End Of It All.
Then I got to thinking: why oil? Why this particular ritual, and not some other way of initiating someone into a high position of authority? Like a knighting ceremony, or a swearing in with a Holy Text, or perhaps just a hazing ritual; why oil, and why poured over the head and rubbed into the skin? I was fascinated to read (under the topic of “
Holy Anointing Oil”) that our ancient ancestors associated foul odors with disease, decay, rotting processes, and death. Even then, they didn’t mean it was awful or evil, just a reminder of mortality, of how transient life is, and that all (mundane) things die. Conversely, pleasing aromas were both associated with cleanliness and vitality, but also food production, harvesting, abundance, and immortality. Fragrances in ritual worship became a necessity, because they would elevate the experiences of the people, and remind them of holiness and divinity, and were also seen as “pleasing” to God. Throughout the Torah, and even in later books like Psalms, the text refers to Adonai enjoying the “rayach nichoach,” “pleasing aroma” of the sacrificial offerings.
I have also recently been learning more about meditative practices, yoga, energy, and other ways to connect to our inner selves and to spiritual aspects of the world beyond ourselves. One of the practices in this discipline revolves around - you guessed it - essential oils. Not just the oil itself, but specifically FRAGRANT oil, just like we read about in the Bible. In this world of spiritual healing, essential oils “bypass the brain” and connect to a higher, yet deeper side of ourselves. I'm not saying you have to rush out and smear yourselves in essential oils, but just sit with the concept for a second. How often do we think of spirituality through the olfactory sense? Not too often, I venture to say. And the physical aspect of actually *rubbing* oil into the skin definitely has calming and relaxing benefits. How crazy is this really? Just ponder it, without judgment. Notice how we can engage our senses in so many different ways. We sometimes call this New Age-y stuff, but how fascinating to see it date back to the Torah! It is always good to challenge ourselves to see something in a new way. I hope that my pointing out the connection between Aaron's ritual, then anointing a king, to Messianic hopes, to spiritual self-healing has opened your mind a little. And maybe your nostrils too! :-)
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