One of the meanings of the letter shin is pressed which is also the first letter in the word SHeMeN (essential oils). As the Messiah was pressed through tribulation in order to regain the inheritance of eternal life and for the Bride, so plants are pressed to produce SHeMeN oil for light, food and as essential oils.
In fact, YeHuSHuWaH (Yeshua/Jesus) was on the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane (GethSHeMeNe) when he was praying to the Father with all His might with so much passion and pressing of breath in prayer that his sweat came out as drops of blood. He, who was the light of the world, like oil was being pressed through tribulation just as the olives were pressed there, in that very location, to produce olive oil (SHeMeN) for healing and light for the nation of Israel.
The comparison of the Messiah being pressed to produce life and light is notable when we can look at the pictograph of SHeMeN and see that it can literally mean “pressed fluid from the seed or life” or “pressed fluid from that which sprouted.” Exodus 25:6 and 35:8 tells us that SHeMeN (oil) is for light, anointing and a sweet aroma incense. The Messiah is the Moshiach (anointed one) who is the light of the world who will be known by His aroma and who will know us by our aroma.**
Let’s look at the Ancient Hebrew pictographs for the words SHeM and SHeMeN (oil/essential oil) to see how they paint a picture of their own definition:
SHeM contains the letters shin and mem. The shin pictograph looks like a squared “W” or two front teeth and can be denoted to mean pressed, teeth or white.
The mem looks like a squiggly stretched out cursive “M” with three humps and represents water, fluid, chaos, or blood or something that “flows.”
At first, the mem may look like waves of water. However, it could also be seen as three mountain tops or a range of mountains from which the headwaters originate and flow downstream. The water from the tops of the mountains may flow down gently giving life to the valley or, like during a hot Spring melt, the water can come rushing and roaring chaotically down the mountain to the valley.
(Note: actually looking at a pictograph chart of the Ancient Hebrew shin and mem will give you a better visual than seeing it typed herein as “W” or “M”).
Thus, it is easier to see how SHeM can be denoted as “pressed breath which flows.”
By adding the letter nun to the end of SHeM we get the word SHeMeN. The nun is a picture of a seed or sprout. Thus, it’s easy to see how SHeMeN can be denoted as the “PRESSED FLUID or life water that flows or comes forth from a SEED, SPROUT or LIFE.”
Individually, we are likened to a green olive tree which goes through pressing and tribulation to produce SHeMeN (olive oil) used to illuminate His light. If we are pressed like the olive to make olive oil (SHeMeN) then we will be used to illuminate and demonstrate His SHeM – NAME, POWER, CHARACTER and AUTHORITY throughout the earth! Like the psalmist, it behooves us to trust in His good SHeM – NAME, POWER, CHARACTER and AUTHORITY!
Psalm 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
Psalm 52:9 I will praise you forever, because you have done it: and I will wait on your name/SHeM; for it is good before your saints.
Note to “wait” upon His SHeM (name) can mean to gather and collect on what His DaBaR — His Living Vibrating Word says which has his breath, spirit, power, character and authority behind it. Therefore, His DaBaR WILL act and perform coming to pass viz. manifested!
Corporately, we are also likened to a green olive tree which when pressed through tribulation to produce SHeMeN illuminates His light to the nations. Consider the two olive trees in Zechariah 4:11 – 14 which refers to the menorah between them that gives light by the source of olive SHeMeN (oil). In Revelations, the same two olive trees, representing the two houses of Israel, are the two witnesses who prophesy and have the light/fire to devour their enemies BECAUSE they have the SHeM and SHeMeN which is the spirit, breath, power, character and authority of HaSHeM — the NAME!
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees and the two menorahs (candlesticks) standing before the G-d of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
The TaNaKH and the Jewish Sages liken the Moshiach’s SHeM (SPIRIT, BREATH, NAME, POWER, CHARACTER and AUTHORITY) to a delightful and pleasant aroma of SHeMeN. In fact, it’s thought that when He returns, He will smell like the perfect aroma*** of eternal life that was in the Garden of Eden derived from the undefiled plant life. It’s also believed that the aroma of the KeToReT incense has the same aroma and life preserving properties. How can we forget its life preserving properties when we consider that it was the KeToReT incense being diffused that stopped the plague amongst the Israelites?!
The ReNEWed Testament (B’rit Hadashah) tells us that, to Elohim, we who intimately know the Moshiach carry his aroma everywhere! Remember the Messiah was the one anointed with SHeMeN and is the one who leads us to triumph spreading his fragrance. Thus, to Abba Father, we are the aroma of the Moshiach. It further tells us that some will resonate with our aroma as if it was life while others will respond to our aroma as though it were death (2 Corinthians 2:14 – 16).
In turn, as the student is not above or better than his master teacher and the Bride must be a match for her Groom, we will be known and judged by our aroma. Our aroma is a combination of our obedience and response to SHeMaH and our works. Upon the return of the Moshiach, we will be united (echad) with Him, our aroma with His, to create one big beautiful aromatic bouquet. This aromatic bouquet will be most pleasing to the nostrils of Elohim — just as it was in the beginning before the fall.
Like the pressed SHeMeN, the Moshiach was pressed through tribulation and poured out His life in order to be a healing and restoring balm for His Bride – Israel.
Psalm 52:8 – 9 I will trust in your good name/SHeM . . .
I will trust in His SHeM – breath, spirit, power, character and authority even when I am pressed.
Songs 1:3 Because of the savour/aroma (reyach/ruach/breath) of your good ointment/SHeMeN, your name/SHeM is as ointment/SHeMeN poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. I will trust in His SHeM – breath, spirit, power, character and authority.
Songs 1:3 Because of the savour/aroma of your good SHeMeN/ointment, your SHeM/name is poured forth; therefore the virgins do love you.
In contrast, we can see that we “stink” when we are disobedient and/or have no good works. In Amos 4:10, YHWH brought pestilence upon Israel to cause her to teshuvah (repent/return) to Him and His Torah. When she refused, He caused their camp to become a stench into their own nostrils. As a result of what Simeon and Levi had done to Shechem, Jacob told his sons they had made his NAME (breath, power, character and authority) to become a stench to the inhabitants of the land (Genesis 34:30). They did not honor their father’s words and made him an aroma that stunk. How, then, do we make our Abba Elohim’s SHeM (Name) become a stink when we don’t honor and do His Word?!
The daughters of Zion became haughty and seductive. Therefore, Elohim told them He would take away their linen and sweet aromas and exchange them for sackcloth and stench (Isaiah 3:16 – 14).
We, His Bride Israel, have served idols and, like Jacob’s sons did to him, we have profaned our Heavenly Father’s SHeM (Name) causing it to be a stench to the nations. In turn, we have become a stench also. However, thousands, around the world have been returning to our Father’s Word — His Torah and making teshuvah. What could be the results of such?! Well, actually the prospect of our returning to Torah gets quite exciting as we consider His promise to the House of Israel in Ezekiel 20:39 – 44!
“. . . you will no longer profane my QaDoSH (holy) SHeM (Name) . . . For on MY holy mountain, the high mountain of Isra’el,” says YHWH Elohim, “the WHOLE house of Isra’el, ALL of THEM, will serve me IN the LAND. I will accept them there . . . I will accept you with your SWEET AROMA when I bring you OUT from the peoples and GATHER you OUT of the countries where you were SCATTERED; and THROUGH you, I will manifest my holiness in the sight of the nations . . . You will know that I am YHWH when I have dealt with you in a manner that PRESERVES my SHeM (Name/reputation) . . . !!!”
Thus, when our aroma is good because of our obedience to SHeMaH along with evidence of loving and serving others with good works, we no longer profane His SHeM (breath, spirit, power, character and authority)!
Because of the aroma of His NAME, like SHeMeN, His breath, spirit, power, character and authority is poured out onto those who are undefiled by idolatry and show their love for Him by their SHeMaH (obedience)!
Today, we know that SHeMeN (essential oils) made from bark and resins are known to be the most powerful and beneficial for physical healing. The external bark protects the resin within which is the plant’s life force and blood by surrounding and covering it. In comparison, essentials oils made from the external skin or bark and the internal life blood resin can be massaged or anointed into the human body’s external skin (bark) and penetrate into its bloodstream (human resin). Note that the Torah oils such as frankincense, myrrh and cinnamon are made using the resin or bark of the plant.
While physical and visible essential oils penetrate the skin to heal the physical visible human body, their unseen vapors rise up into the nostrils via the olfactory system to the brain to heal the invisible emotions and spirit of a person. Thus, essential oils made from bark or resin are the most powerful for healing the physical body while essential oils which are extracted from flowers are noted to be the most healing for the emotions and spirit as they delight the soul when inhaled. Since they delight the soul, they are worn mostly for the extreme pleasure they provide and are called perfumes.
In Hebrew, perfume is derived from the word KeToReT (incense) which is noted in Scripture to go straight up from the altar like our prayers to HaSHeM Elohim. If we are crooked in any of our ways, then the aroma of our prayers do not go up straight to the Heavenly Throne to be heard. In the same way, when anyone mixed and ground the spices for the KeToReT incense who were not from the proper distinctive Levite family, the incense did not go up straight. Rather, it wavered. Israel needed their prayers to go straight up to the nostrils of Elohim and they needed Him to receive them so that He might answer their prayers. Only when it was made by a certain highly skilled Levite family, of which the sacred skill was passed down through the family, did the KeToReT go straight up and waver not when burned.
Plants, spices and fruits such as olives were used to make dry incense or oil/SHeMeN and was used for light, anointing oil and as a sweet aroma to delight the soul. We can see this clearly as stated in the following verses:
Exodus 25:6 SHeMeN/Oil for the light, bosem/spices for anointing SHeMeN/oil, and for sweet/aroma incense/KETORET/perfume . . .
Exodus 35:8 And SHeMeN/oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet/aroma/KeToRet incense . . .
These verses pertain to the building and care for the Mishkan viz. the dwelling place for Elohim. The building and care of the Mishkan illustrates the pattern and care for our bodies as the Living Stones Tabernacle and dwelling place of Elohim.
Thus, in Scripture, we can see 3 main purposes for the pressed life from the fluid of plants or SHeMeN:
1. LIGHT – to dispel the darkness and for our physical and spiritual eyes to perceive and discern what is truth. Psalm 115:6 tells us that the heathen idolaters have noses but do not smell viz. they do not perceive truth. How then, will they perceive and smell the return of the Messiah? The Torah (Law) and the DaBaR (Word) are both likened to the light of SHeMeN as Proverbs 6:23 states that the Torah is light and Psalms 119:105 tells us that the DaBaR is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
2. ANOINTING – which is a topical application wherein SHeMeN or essential oils are rubbed on or massaged into the body for healing, restoration and to set one apart. It’s believed that the SHeMeN Tov (anointing oil), as prescribed by Elohim, contained oils which are now known to be able to change and correct DNA. Thus, this may account for the reason that, to this day, all cohenim/priests have the same genetic DNA code markers to distinguish the lineage of Levites from the house of A’aron.
3. SWEET AROMA – made from ground spices and essential oils to be inhaled via diffusion to delight the soul. It’s very interesting to note that SHeMeN contains such small molecules that it’s able to cross the blood brain barrier and, by just smelling its wave offering vapors, it’s absorbed into the blood stream via the olfactory system and reaches the part of the brain that deals with emotions and memories. Frankincense is not only good for the physical body but is used by many for depression and other emotional and mental issues. Scientists have discovered that it triggers certain proteins in the body to bring balance and healing.
Jewish Sages teach that to be unable to smell is to be emotionally and spiritually impaired. I would agree based on the fact that SHeMeN affects the emotions, spirit and one’s ability to perceive.
To bring this writing back to full circle, we can now recognize that SHeMeN contains the breath, spirit, power, character and authority of Elohim — the Name — the SHeM. And like Him (the SHeM), SHeMeN can light our path, give us discernment, set us apart and restore our soul and spirit. This is a thought process that should cause us to reconsider the predicament in which the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins find themselves. The wise ones had SHeMeN (oil) and the foolish ones did not. Did the 5 wise virgins have the oil, the breath, the spirit, the power, the character, and the authority of Elohim?!
So, again, I ask you in a different way,
“Are we and will be as the wise virgins? Do we and will we have the SHeMeN? That is to say, do we have the oil, breath, spirit, power, character and authority to be witnesses to PRAY, PRAISE and PROCLAIM the Mighty Elohim?!!!
May it be so. AMEIN!
For His Kingdom,
Nitza
LISTEN to the TEACHING based on this article.
*To understand more about frequencies and how they relate to DaBaR – the Word of Elohim – Listen to The Battle of DaBaR.
**Look for the Upcoming Remnant Radio teaching, SHeMeN in the Tabernacle: What Aroma are You Offering? This teaching is a result of research, studies and gleanings from the book, MYSTICAL AROMATHERAPY: The Divine Gift of Fragrance.
***This article is the basis of the radio teaching HIS NAME is in SHeMeN which Nitza taught during Messianic LAMB Radio’s 3rd Annual G-d Week and Virtual Conference (October 29, 30 – November 1,2015).