“And the anointing oil” – Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai said: The anointing oil that Moses prepared in the wilderness, miraculous acts were performed in its regard from beginning to end. From the beginning, there were only twelve log, as it is stated: “This [zeh]23The numerical value of the word zeh is twelve. shall be the sacred anointing oil for Me” (Exodus 30:31). This was insufficient even to soak the branches.24Various types of branches in significant quantities were to be soaked in the oil so that it would absorb their scent.
See Exodus 30:22–25. How much was burned by the fire? How much was absorbed by the branches? How much was absorbed by the cauldron?
From it, Aaron and his sons were anointed for all seven days of the investiture. From it, the golden altar and all its implements were anointed. From it, the bronze altar and all its implements, the table and all its implements, the candelabrum and all its implements, and the basin and its base were anointed. From it, High Priests and kings were anointed.
Even a High Priest son of a High Priest for ten generations25Even if the high priesthood has been in his family for many generations. requires anointing. One does not anoint a king son of a king. Why then, did they anoint Solomon? It was due to Adoniyahu.26Adoniyahu attempted to position himself to take over as king after King David.
As a result, it was necessary to anoint Solomon in order to demonstrate that he was David’s true successor. See I Kings chapter 1. Yoash [was anointed] due to Atalya, and Yehoaḥaz due to Yehoyakim his brother, who was two years older than he. All of it will be intact in the future.
That is what is written: “This shall be the sacred anointing oil for Me.”27The verse is expounded to mean that “this [zeh]” sacred anointed oil shall be intact in the future in its original quantity of twelve log, implied by the numerical value of the word zeh. Thus, despite being used many times, the anointing oil miraculously did not decrease in quantity. One anoints kings only adjacent to a spring, as it is stated: “The king said to them: Take with you the servants of your lord, mount Solomon my son upon my mule, and take him down to Gihon” (I Kings 1:33).
One anoints a king only from a horn.28A horn-shaped receptacle for liquids. Saul and Yehu were anointed from a cruse, because their reign was a transient reign. David and Solomon were anointed from a horn because their kingdom is an eternal kingdom.