Ki Savo

Yeshaya 60:1–22

Rise and Radiate Your Heavenly Glow

This week’s Haftarah presents the close to last dimension of Hashem’s consolation to the Jewish people. It revolves around the Jewish people’s radiance that they will project to world nations and the unprecedented results it will produce. The message is glaring and gives us a strong sense of our future role at the time of redemption.

Projecting Truth to World Nations

Yeshaya Hanavi shared a glimpse of the glorious era of Mashiach and quoted Hashem’s future message to Yerushalyim. Hashem will say, “Rise and radiate, for your light has come…Hashem will shine on you…the nations will walk to your light.” (60:1-3) At the time of redemption Hashem will invite Yerushalyim’s residents to radiate, because their light will be  coming to them and the nations will walk to their light. These words convey conflicting messages, because for the inhabitants of Yerushalyim to radiate they must possess a light source. Yet, the words that follow, “for your light has come” imply that they will receive their light from an outside source. In addition, it states that Hashem will shine upon them, yet it follows with the words that the nations will walk to the Jewish People’s light.

Chazal apparently address these points and therefore quote Rav Yochanan’s analogy to explain this. A careful analysis of his words will bring us profound insight into the Jewish people’s role in bringing the world to its fulfillment. He compares the Jewish people’s radiance to the light provided for a traveler. Rav Yochanan said that the Jewish people’s situation is likened to a person travelling at dusk when someone lit a candle for his sake, but the candle blew out. Another person came and lit a candle for his sake, but that candle also blew out. At that point, the person resolved that he would wait until the light of day to continue his travels.

Rav Yochanan concluded that in this same manner, the Jewish people say to Hashem that they produced a Temple Menorah for Him that was lit in the Tabernacle, but it was extinguished. Then in Shlomo’s times they produced ten additional Temple Menorahs that were lit in the Bais Hamikdash, but they were also extinguished. After that point, the Jewish people resolved to wait for Hashem’s light, as it states in Tehillim (36:6) “Through Your light [Hashem] we will see light.” It also states, “Rise and radiate, for your light has come.” (Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshaya 999)

Enduring Light for the Traveler

When reviewing this analogy, we realize that the Jewish people are not the traveler, rather they are the one lighting the way for him. Apparently, they lit the way for the traveler during two periods of Jewish history but each time the light did not endure. Finally, they resolved to wait for an outside source of light to illuminate the way for the traveler, and in the meanwhile the traveler’s path was suspended. At the point of redemption, they will be invited to resume lighting the way for the traveler since they will then have an enduring source of light to radiate.

Although Rav Yochanan did not identify the traveler, we can deduce his identity through the light source that Rav Yochanan mentioned. He explained that the Jewish people lit the Temple Menorah in the Tabernacle and afterwards in the Bais Hamikdash for the traveler to continue his path during the night. But, when the Temple Menorah ceased to be kindled, the traveler suspended his travels until the enduring light would appear for the Jewish people to radiate. To appreciate Chazal’s words and to place them in perspective, let us briefly study the function of the Temple Menorah and discover the secret traveler’s identity and his path of travel at night.

Bringing the Divine Radiance Outwards

Chazal deduce from the Torah’s wording in Parshas B’ha’aloscha, “When you bring up (rather than kindle) the lamps,” (Bamidbar 8:2) that the kindling of the Temple Menorah lamps was an act of elevation, and that the Torah alludes with this to the Jewish people’s elevation through their kindling the Temple Menorah. They explain that although Hashem is the source of all light and could always use His own light, He elevates the Jewish people by using only their light. Chazal add that the Bais Hamikdash windows were constructed narrow on the inside and wider on the outside to project the light of the Sanctuary outward. (Yalkut Shimoni, Tetzaveh 378)

The collective message here is that the Temple Menorah that the Jewish people kindled daily in the Sanctuary, projected outward Hashem’s radiance from His Divine Presence located in the innermost chamber. Although Hashem is the source of that radiance, He nevertheless elevated the Jewish people by channeling His radiance through the radiance of the Temple Menorah that the Jewish people kindled daily.

Displaying Hashem’s Divine Presence

We can now return to Rav Yochanan’s analogy and enrich our appreciation for our world mission. In the days of the Tabernacle that traveled with the Jewish people in the desert and was afterwards situated in Shilo, the Jewish people lit the Temple Menorah and displayed to world nations that Hashem’s Presence resided amongst His chosen nation. Chazal reveal that this was accomplished through the continuous, extended burning of the Western lamp of the Menorah. Its miraculous light reflected Hashem’s radiance from His innermost chamber shining on His beloved nation in recognition of their devout service to Him. (Shabbos 21b)

Rav Yochanan’s analogy alluded to this radiance that emanated from the Divine Presence housed in the Tabernacle and described it as travelling in the darkness. One could explain that the darkness referred to the emptiness of world nations, lacking direction and understanding of world purpose and its central focus. Rav Yochanan meant that during those times Hashem’s constant miracles that He displayed to His people brought world nations to recognize Hashem’s Presence in the world and to some degree Its light was projected to them. But that projection came to a sudden halt with the capturing of the sacred ark that housed Hashem’s Presence and with this the Jewish people’s candle was extinguished.

Sometime later when Shlomo built the Bais Hamikdash and added ten Temple Menorahs and lit them, the miracle light was rekindled and the Divine Presence’s radiance projected outwards in increased proportions symbolized through the ten additional Temple Menorahs. But with the destruction of the first Bais Hamikdash the light of all Temple Menorahs was extinguished, and Hashem’s concentrated Divine Presence did not remain with His people.

At that point the Jewish people resolved to wait for His Divine Presence to return to Zion when Hashem would shine His glaring light that will illuminate the way for world nations to follow. Yet, since Hashem’s Divine Presence is exclusively reserved for the Jewish People, world nations, at the very best, will be illuminated through the Jewish people’s radiance that reflects Hashem’s Divine Presence shining on them to be projected outwards through ‘their’ radiance. (based on Targum to Yeshaya 60:2-3)

Illuminating World Nations Through Divine Truths

These thoughts give us incredible insight into the Jewish people’s role at the time of redemption and help us appreciate our Haftarah’s wording. We now understand that when Yeshaya exclaimed, “Rise and radiate, for your light has come” he referred to a unique radiance, one coming from an everlasting light source that Zion will radiate. Yeshaya concluded this thought and said, “and His glory will appear on you,” thus identifying Zion’s future light source as the radiance of Hashem’s Divine Presence that He will shine on His people in appreciation of their devout service to Him throughout the generations.

This brings us to Yeshaya’s next words, “Behold the darkness will cover the land and a thick cloud will cover the nations, but Hashem will shine on you, and His glory [Divine Presence] will appear on you.” Malbim explains that ‘darkness’ here refers to the emptiness of the nations’ man-made religions and the ‘thick cloud’ refers to the falsehoods of the Islamic theology that although it includes their firm believe in Hashem, it is tainted with false principles that defy Hashem’s world-purpose.

Yeshaya continued, “World nations will follow your light and kings will be illuminated by the glow of your radiance.” (60:3) Malbim explains that the general world populace will be attracted to Torah’s truths, namely, ‘the Jewish People’s light’. In addition, their more elevated leaders will be drawn to the radiance of Hashem’s Presence that will be reflected through the shine on the faces of Hashem’s People.

Yeshaya continued, “Lift your eyes [Yerushalyim] and see all of them converging to come to you.” (60:5) Malbim explains that the nations won’t gather “against” you as in the past, rather, they will gather “to” you to study Torah principle and Hashem’s Divine word. Yeshaya concluded, “Hashem will be your everlasting light and your glory…Your people will all be righteous ones…My handiwork to be glorified [through them].” (60:19, 21) Yeshaya with these words completed his picture and stated that Hashem’s glowing radiance on His people will be their glory, reflecting Hashem’s appreciation for their thousands of years of service. But alongside this, Hashem’s radiance shining on their faces will also be His glory for molding and shaping such a devout people who merit for Hashem to shine His Divine Presence on them, setting their faces aglow.

Reciprocal Relationship of Exclusiveness

We read this Haftarah in conjunction with Parshas Ki-Savo that contains Hashem’s predicted blessings to His people for devout mitzvah observance and a detailed account of their predicted misfortune when straying from the Torah path. The Torah introduces this and says, “You dedicated Hashem to be your Elokim [to recognize Him as your exclusive source of providence]…and Hashem dedicated you to be His prize people.” (Devarim 26:17-18) Chazal explain these words to mean that Hashem relates to His people in a reciprocal manner. Since they establish Hashem as the exclusive power, He in turn, establishes them His exclusive nation.

Chazal add to this that the Jewish People and Hashem glorify themselves through each other. They glorify themselves by proclaiming Hashem’s exclusiveness and Hashem is glorified by proclaiming His people’s exclusiveness. Our Haftarah displays the perfect manifestation of this.

May we soon merit radiating Hashem’s radiance thereby projecting Hashem’s truth throughout the world.