One of the basic tenets of Judaism is the belief that the messiah (Mashiach-מְשִׁ֥יחַ in Hebrew) can arrive at any moment. Three times a day, orthodox Jews pray that everything required for Mashiach’s arrival will happen imminently.
These include the ingathering of the Jewish people from the four corners of the world back to the Holy Land, the restoration of religious courts of justice, an end of wickedness, sin and heresy, reward to the righteous, the rebuilding of holiness in Jerusalem, and restoration of Temple services in the rebuilt third Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
“Jews and Christians alike often do not know that mashiach is a central theme in traditional Judaism,” stated Roni Segal, academic adviser for The Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, an online language academy specializing in Biblical Hebrew, to Breaking Israel News.
“This is due in part to the fact that Mashiach is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah. However, there are several references to the ‘End of Days’, called acharit ha-yamim, which our Sages teach refers to the messianic era.”
Mashiach literally means “the anointed one”. The mashiach will be a world-recognized leader and King whose status is achieved through being anointed with oil.
“The Jewish idea of Mashiach is that this human being will bring the world to recognize the One God,” explained Segal.
Additionally, the Sages teach that in every generation a potential Mashiach is born. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all Jews to learn the special blessings which will be said upon his arrival.
There are seven blessings in all.
1. The blessing to recite when one hears that Mashiach has arrived:
Baruch Attah Adonoy Eloheinu Melech HaOlam HaTov V’HaMeiteiv.
ברוך אתה ה’ אלוהינו מלך העולם הטוב והמטיב
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe who is good and does good.
2. The blessing to recite when one sees 600,000 Jewish people or more gather in one place to greet Mashiach:
Baruch Attah Adonoy Eloheinu Melech HaOlam chacham harazim.
ברוך אתה ה` אלוהינו מלך העולם חכם הרזים
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe who knows all secrets.
3. The blessing to recite upon seeing the third Holy Temple in Jerusalem rebuilt (literally, seeing a Jewish home in Israel restored to its rightful owner):
Baruch Attah Hashem Eloheinu Melech HaOlam matziv gvul almanah.
ברוך אתה ה` אלוהינו מלך העולם מציב גבול אלמנה
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe who reestablishes a widow to her border.
The next blessings are recited upon actually seeing the Mashiach.
4. Baruch Attah Adonoy Eloheinu Melech HaOlam She’chalak M’kvodo L’rei’av.
ברוך אתה ה` אלוהינו מלך העולם שחלק מכבודו ליראיו
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe who has granted His honour to those who fear Him.
5. Baruch Attah Adonoy Eloheinu Melech HaOlam She’chalak Me’chach-ma-toe l’rei’av.
ברוך אתה ה` אלוהינו מלך העולם שחלק מחכמתו ליראיו
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe who has granted of His wisdom to those who fear Him.
6. Baruch Attah Adonoy Eloheinu Melech HaOlam go’el Israel.
ברוך אתה ה` אלוהינו מלך העולם גואל ישראל
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe who redeems Israel.
7. Baruch Attah Adonoy Eloheinu Melech HaOlam shehechianu ve’kimanu ve’higeeyahu l’zman ha-ze
ברוך אתה ה` אלוהינו מלך העולם שהחינו וקימנו והגענו לזמן הזה
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe who has given us life and sustained us and allowed us to reach this occasion.
“Learning these blessings in Hebrew helps to make the imminent arrival of mashiach a reality in our lives,” shared Segal with Breaking Israel News. “That amazing time in the world will be characterized by world peace and coexistence, may it happen speedily in our days.”
To study Hebrew online, please visit here.
