In honor of Israel’s 75th birthday, Israel365 is excited to launch a new series of essays that will unlock the secrets of the Hebrew Bible!
Excerpted from Rabbi Akiva Gersh’s forthcoming book, 75 Hebrew Words You Need to Understand the Bible, these essays illuminate the connection between related Hebrew words, revealing Biblical secrets only accessible through Hebrew.
Enjoy the series – and happy 75th birthday to the State of Israel!
×Ö¶×ְשÖø××Öø×
MEMSHELA
MEM-SHA-LAH
KINGDOM
××עש ××××× ××Ŗ ×©× × ××××Ø×Ŗ ×××××× ××Ŗ ×××××Ø ×××× ×××ש××Ŗ ×××× ×××Ŗ ×××××Ø ×ק×× ×××ש××Ŗ ××××× ×××Ŗ ×××××××.
×××Ŗ× ××××× ×ק××©× ×ש×Ø×× ××ש×××Ŗ××.
Memshala is used throughout the Bible to refer to a āruling powerā or ākingdom.ā At the very beginning of Genesis, God created two equally āgreat lights,ā the sun and the moon, to rule the day and the night. The sages explain that the moon complained to God: “Sovereign of the universe! Is it possible for two kings to wear one crown?” God said, āYouāre right. Go then and make yourself smaller,ā causing the moon to cease shining its own light and to restrict itself to reflecting the light of the sun.
The children of Israel are also referred to as the āmemshala of God,ā as it says, āJudah became His holy one, Israel, His kingdomā (Psalms 114:2). This reflects the special relationship God established with the children of Israel and that no matter how many external powers try to rule over them, they are always and forever ruled by God alone.
Maimonides, the great medieval rabbi, wrote that āIn the future, the Messianic king will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial memshala.ā This will come together with the ingathering of all of the Jewish exiles and the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
In the modern State of Israel, the government is called the Memshala and the Prime Minister is referred to as the Rosh HaMemshala, the āHead of the Government.ā In modern Israel, we are blessed to witness the rebirth of Hebrew as a spoken language, an essential aspect of the Jewish peopleās return to Israel and the establishment of their own, independent memshala.
