Malkitzedek: King of Jerusalem
Question
Dear Rabbi,
Shalom. I saw something unusual in a dream last night. There was a table with bread and wine on it and the name Malkitzedek was written on the table. I sort of recall there being a story about Melchizedek and Abraham in the Torah. But who was he and what does that image in my dream mean for me?
Answers
I apologize but I do not really know what the meaning behind your dream is. All I can do is give you a little information about Malkitzedek. Malkitzedek was the king of Salem, which was later on renamed Jerusalem.
After Abraham defeated the kings in battle, he traveled to Jerusalem, where he was greeted with great honor by Malkitzedek, Priest of God. Abraham, in recognition of Malkitzedek’s spiritual stature, gave him a tenth of his possessions as a tithe as in Genesis 14:18-20.
According to our Sages, Malkidtzedek was Shem, the son of Noah. The Ramban, Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, points out that the name Malkitzedek is a combination of two words in Hebrew: Melech means king, and Tzedek means righteousness. The Ramban explains that Malkitzedek was given that name because he was the king of the future site of the Temple, which is the center of righteousness.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team