If so, where is the anointing oil today? The Gemara says (Yoma 52b), when the Aron was hidden at the end of the period of the First Beit Hamikdash, hidden with it was the jar of manna that was placed within for safekeeping, the flask of anointing oil that Moshe prepared in the desert, Aharon’s staff with its almonds and blossoms, and the chest that the Plishtim sent as a gift to Elokei Yisrael.
From this, sefer Emunat Itecha says something most wonderful. The soul of the Kohen Gadol is rooted in the place of the Kodesh Hakodashim, which is his essence, and thus only he was permitted to enter. In the aspect or realm of the Kodesh Hakodashim, mourning has no place: עֹז וְחֶדְ וָה בִּמְקֹמוֹ – Strength and joy are in His place, for where the Shechinah rests is a place of joy and happiness. Therefore, in the Kodesh Hakodashim, the place of the Shechinah’s resting, it is a place of joy, and there is the aspect of life, with no connection to the aspect of death or mourning. This aspect also extends to Yerushalayim, as brought in the Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 52:4) – there was a place outside Yerushalayim where anyone with business accounts would go so as not to deal with those matters in Yerushalayim proper, lest they incur a loss and become distressed; because in Yerushalayim, one must not be distressed, for it is the joy of the entire earth, a city of joy, fitting only for happiness: הָ אָ רֶ ץ מָ שׂוֹשׂ לְכׇל. Thus, for the Kohen Gadol, who is in the aspect of, or on the level of, the Kodesh Hakodashim, impurity does not affect him through the death of a relative. External forces and powers of impurity have no hold over the Kohen Gadol, and mourning has no place.
For this reason, the Kohen Gadol is anointed with the anointing oil. The שׁ ֶ מ ֶ ן ה ַ מּ ִ שׁ ְ ח ָ ה is a liquid that is in the aspect and realm of Olam Haba, such that when mixed with other liquids, it rises to the top, as it drifts toward its shoresh. The word “shemen” (oil) is from “shemini” (eighth), indicating the eighth world, which is the aspect of Olam Haba, as known from the Maharal. It is above the seven days of Creation and beyond the aspect of time, which is in the number of seven days. Thus, the Kohen Gadol, serving in the Kodesh Hakodashim – a realm beyond time, akin to the heavens where time holds no dominion – is suited to be anointed with the oil, a liquid embodying the essence of Olam Haba.
The letters of שׁ ֶ מ ֶ ן ה ַ מּ ִ שׁ ְ ח ָ ה also spell שׁ ֶ מ ֶ ן ה ַ ש ּׂ ִ מְ ח ָ ה – the oil of joy. As explained regarding the Kohen Gadol, he is in the realm of strength and joy in his place. For this reason, the Kohen Gadol wears eight garments, which is the aspect of the eighth world to which he pertains. The spices of the anointing oil and the Ketoret were also eight: in the anointing oil there were four and, in the incense, there were four. The poles were also eight: two poles for the Aron, two for the table, two for the golden altar, and two for the altar of burnt offerings. Also, the Korbanot offered were not valid until after eight days. Also, the songs that the Levi’im sang for the Korbanot were eight. Therefore, וְעַל כָּל נַפְשׁ ֹת מֵת לֹא יָבֹא לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ לֹא יִטַּמָּא – the Kohen Gadol shall not come near any dead bodies; as in his realm, mourning and impurity have no place; external forces are repelled – they all flee and are removed from him.
From these learnings it emerges that the שׁ ֶ מ ֶ ן ה ַ מּ ִ שׁ ְ ח ָ ה symbolizes the matter of joy and the spiritual elevation of the Kohen Gadol to a level beyond the bounds of nature!
