The kohen gadol -the great kohen- or kohen moshiach -the annointed kohen, is the greatest of the kohanim in all aspects Chazal require him to be great in wisdom, strength, wealth, height, and handsomeness. Traditionally the position was handed down from father to son.
Rashi, along with other commentaries, explain that the kohen gadol is to be a patrilineal descendant of Pinchas and later of Tzadok, the first kohen gadol to serve in the bet hamikdash in yerushalayim.
Shalom with הקדוש ברוך הוא
The kohen gadol is a great man, period. It is he who obtains atonement for the entire nation of Israel and appeases any wrath G-d may have with his nation. Describing the greatness of the kohen gadol, the rokeach says that he is greater than malach michoel as even he, the greatest of angels, cannot enter the holy of holies on yom kippur as the posuk says וכל אדם לא יבא באהל whereas the kohen gadol enters multiple times (rokeach to vayikra p. 276).
The ability of the kohen gadol to mediate between the highest spiritual realms and mankind is explained by one medrash in the form where the advisers of king nevuchadnezzar complained of not having the kohen gadol around when he was sorely needed to appease nevuchadnezzar:
וּמִלְּתָא דִי מַלְכָּה שָׁאֵל יַקִּירָה וְאָחֳרָן לָא אִיתַי דִּי יְחַוִּנַּהּ קֳדָם מַלְכָּא לָהֵן אֱלָהִין דִּי מְדָרְהוֹן עִם בִּשְׂרָא לָא אִיתוֹהִי
כָּל קֳבֵל דְּנָה מַלְכָּא בְּנַס וּקְצַף שַׂגִּיא וַאֲמַר לְהוֹבָדָה לְכֹל חַכִּימֵי בָבֶל
Daniel, 2:11-12
The medrash switches the letter ח of ואחרן with ה, thereby turning it into -Ahron- (herein referring to any and all kohanim gedolim who are titled Ahron) in place of אחרן -“another”, at which point nevuchadnezzar becomes angry and instructs the execution of all his advisers for prior advice to destroy the bet hamikdash (quoted by rabbeinu bachye, b’midbar 41:1.
Kohen moshiach
The basic term for the kohen gadol is actually kohen moshiach, this is the term used in vayikra אם הכהן המשיח יחטא. The term “moshiach” -anointed- refers to his being anointed with the shemen hamishcha with the intent of him becoming the kohen gadol, since essentially every kohen is anointed with the shemen hamishcha at his inauguration to service.
Torah instruction
The kohen moshiach, as mentioned above, is required to be a man of great wisdom. This being true to the extent that he is equal in most aspects to the entire sanhedrin. (Mishna) This being the case as it is the intent of the torah for the kohen gadol -along with the entire bet din hagadol- to be the authority of הוראה and קבלה, this is shown by the kohen’s potential korban for erring in torah instruction is listed in chumash vayikra in tandem with the potential korban of the sanhedrin erring in torah instruction. (malbim to vayikra, minor ch. 204)
Similarly, some commentaries place the appeal of the kohen gadol in the eyes of הקדוש ברוך הוא as greater than that of the entire nation of Israel. (Zvachim; rokeach and maharsha)
The joyous state of all of בני ישראל is related to the kohen gadol, as the talmud says “when the mitznefet is on the head of the kohen gadol -an atarah is on the head of each man”.
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