SHOFTIM
Yeshaya 51:12–52:12
Assuring Hashem’s Permanent Return
This week’s Haftarah reveals a fascinating dimension of our final redemption.
Yeshaya Hanavi shared with the Jewish people Hashem’s future invitation to His children and foretold that Hashem will say, “I am your consoler” (51:12) and that they should therefore have no concern. Let us study their future concern and discover the incredible proportions of Hashem’s form of comfort and console.
Fear of Repeat Performance
Yeshaya began and quoted Hashem saying, “I, I am your consoler. Who are you [so dignified and meritorious] to fear a mortal being…I protected you with the shade of My hand.” (51:12–13). At the time of redemption, Hashem will assure the Jewish people their safe return, and that He will be their consoler.
Yeshaya continued, “Awaken, awaken, rise Yerushalayim who drank from Hashem’s wrath…Behold I have removed your toxic cup [of catastrophe]…and will place it in the hands of your oppressors.” (51:16, 22–23).
He then concluded, “How beautiful are…the feet of the announcer…announcing salvation…the entire world will see Hashem’s salvation.” (52:10).
These verses reflect hesitancy from the Jewish people about their return. Evidently, they will consider the fact that they were once privileged to dwell in Hashem’s palace but that their experience was not enduring, and therefore they will be concerned about a repeat performance with the possibility of returning to world-nation control. Hashem will respond that they need not worry because He will permanently destroy all opposing powers.
Doubling the Marriage Commitment
Chazal question Hashem’s double expression here of “I, I am your consoler” and quote Reish Lakish who explained it with an insightful analogy. A king became enraged over his queen’s abhorrent behavior and expelled her from his palace. After a short time, he reconsidered his violent reaction and sought to reunite with her. He informed her of his intention, but she responded that she would consent to return only if he doubled his financial marriage commitment to her.
Reish Lakish concluded that the Jewish people will ultimately undergo a similar experience. Hashem initially established His relationship with them through the Ten Commandments with His opening statement, “I am your Hashem”. That relationship progressively developed and reached its peak when He brought them into His palace, Eretz Yisrael to relate to them in a totally focused manner. However, shortly after their entry they were influenced by their pagan surroundings and after an extended period they strayed so far from His Torah path that He expelled them from His palace.
Reish Lakish explains that when the time comes for Hashem to renew His relationship with them, it will include a qualitative increase. Hashem pledged to double His commitment to them and to declare twofold, “I, I am your consoler!” When the Jewish people will hear that increase, they will readily accept Hashem’s comforting words and immediately consent to return to Zion. (Yalkut Shimoni 474)
Jewish People’s Semi-Incorporeal State
Let us probe the depth of Chazal’s analogy and gain profound insight into our final redemption. In Shir Hashirim, Shlomo Hamelech captures the Jewish people’s feelings about their initial experience and quotes their fond reflection on it. They say throughout their long dark exile, “[If only] He would kiss me [again] with the kiss of His lips, for Your affection is better than wine.” (Shir Hashirim 1:2). Chazal explain these words to refer to the Jewish people’s supreme prophetic experience at Sinai.
The Torah states regarding those moments, “Face to face Hashem spoke with you at the mountain amidst the fire.” (Devarim 5:4). During that experience Hashem revealed His Presence to them and clarified beyond question His total sovereignty over every aspect of creation. When Hashem prophetically spoke to them, they were temporarily transformed to a semi-incorporeal state. The Mabit explains that through this transformation they were cleansed from all impurities of self-pursuit and drives for self-indulgence, thereby rendering them befitting to receive the clearest prophetic message from Hashem. (intro to Kiryas Sefer).
Indeed, Rambam explains the intensity of the Jewish people’s prophecy at Sinai and states that through their incredible experience they attested to the authenticity of Moshe’s prophecy. They witnessed Moshe entering a thick cloud and prophetically heard a voice saying to him, “Moshe, Moshe, go to them and say the following words.” Since Moshe subsequently repeated to them those exact words with the same clarity and understanding that they had, they, in effect, “witnessed” his authenticity. (Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah 8:1, 3).
Magnetically Drawn to the Divine Presence
We learn from this that at Sinai, Hashem prophetically spoke to the Jewish people with the same clarity that He spoke to Moshe throughout his life. Shlomo therefore recounts that the Jewish people throughout their long, dark exile fondly refer to their Sinai experience as Hashem’s “kiss of His lips”. (Shir Hashirim 1:2). Vilna Gaon quantifies this and considers it Hashem’s fullest expression of love to His people, akin to one’s boundless expression to one’s beloved. (Vilna Gaon ad loc).
Rabbeinu Asher explains that when Hashem began the Ten Commandments and conveyed to His people, “I am Hashem your Elokim” He committed with those words to display interest in every step of their development and to respond to every nuance of theirs. (Orchos Chaim l’Rosh 26).
When the Jewish people prophetically heard those words directly from Hashem, they were magnetically drawn to Him and bonded with Him in their fullest possible way. Yirmiyahu Hanavi referred to their devout response and stated in Hashem’s name, “I [forever] recall your love of encirclement!” (Yirmiyahu 2:1). Rashi interprets this “love” to refer to Hashem’s encircling them at Mount Sinai like a bride under her marriage canopy, at the time that they committed themselves to unconditionally fulfilling every interest of Hashem, their groom. (Rashi ad loc).
Sinai’s Limited Experience
This describes the Jewish people’s initial experience entitled “I am your Hashem”. Regretfully, because their incredible revelation came in the earliest stages of their relationship, they did not fully absorb its intensity. In fact, Chazal reveal that they responded by fainting, jumping kilometers backwards, and even momentarily perishing. Due to those physical limitations, their experience did not fully transform them into an incorporeal state.
Therefore, at the end of Moshe’s forty-day ascent when they feared that he permanently departed from them, they succumbed to panic and considered replacing their vanished leader with a spiritual channel through which Hashem would direct them in their travels. (Ramban on Ki Sisa 32:2). That infamous error planted the seeds for subsequent fears and similar reactions that eventually led to the total breakdown of their moral and ethical code and to Hashem’s expelling them from His palace. (Rashi to Shelach 14:32 and Tehillim 106:27).
Intensified Eternal Relationship
Yeshaya prophesized that after what is now almost two thousand years, Hashem will reestablish His relationship with His children and invite them to return to His palace. Yeshaya foretold that they will hesitate to respond to the invitation, fearing a repeat of their previous experience. At that point, Hashem will silence their fear by increasing His relationship with them. In place of their initial Sinai revelation, He pledged to intensify His Presence amongst them, thereby doubling His commitment to them. The analogy is complete but, one question comes to mind. Since Hashem’s initial revelation to them did not secure their relationship, what will guarantee them an everlasting effect of their final one?
Perfect Perception of Hashem’s Presence
We can answer this with Yeshaya’s description here of redemption. He said, “How beautiful [the sights of]…the announcer, announcing…salvation, saying to Zion, ‘Your Hashem has come to reign’. The sound of your onlookers raising their voice in unison will sing, ‘For with eye to eye they will behold Hashem’s return…Hashem revealed His sacred arm…and the entire world will see our Hashem’s salvation.” (52:7–8, 10).
Chazal explain the phrase “eye to eye” to reflect the Jewish people’s spiritual capacity. Yeshaya said that they will ultimately perceive Hashem’s presence, in full. Until that time, one could not fully perceive Hashem’s Presence and continue to live. Malbim explains that although the Torah states in Parshas Shelach, “That [in the form of] eye to eye, you Hashem appeared [to them]”, that experience referred to and was limited to their prophetic Sinai state. (Bamidbar 14:14, Targum Yonasan ibid). One could explain that because they perceived Hashem in their semi-incorporeal state and their physical faculties were not part of their experience they therefore returned afterwards to their mundane life.
Chazal reveal that the Jewish people will ultimately undergo a total transformation and that when they ‘view’ Hashem’s Presence, this will bring them to a full incorporeal state. (Yalkut Shimoni 428). Malbim explains with this Yeshaya’s statement, “For with eye to eye they will behold Hashem’s return” and says that the first “eye” refers to the actual prophetic vision and the second “eye” refers to the onlooker’s sight. Yeshaya meant that when Hashem will fully display His salvation, His Presence will be so tangible to them that they will perceive Him in full. (Malbim 52:8, 10).
We now return to Chazal’s analogy and realize that since the Jewish people only prophetically received Hashem’s initial commitment to them “I am your Hashem”, it was not fully absorbed and therefore did not endure. But Hashem’s future commitment, “I, I am your consoler” that reflects their ‘tangible perception’ of Hashem’s Presence will transform them to a total incorporeal state with eternal results.
Once they attain that spiritual state, they will bond so tightly with Hashem that there will be no place or room for recourse. Understandably, once they fully absorb Hashem’s fullest expression of love and will respond to it in kind, could they ever want more in life!?
Hashem’s Fulfilment of His Sinai Plan
We read our Haftarah in conjunction with Parshas Shoftim wherein it states, “I will establish a prophet…as you requested…that you discontinue hearing Hashem’s [penetrating] voice…And Hashem said to me, ‘they are correct with all they said.’” (Shoftim 18:15–17). In a general sense, Moshe repeated here all that he previously said in Parshas Va’eschanan. However, he added there that Hashem said, “They are correct…If they would only retain in their hearts this degree of reverence for Me.’” (Va’eschanan 5:25–26).
K’li Yakar explains there that Hashem’s full intent was for them to continue drawing nearer to Him out of love, but instead they distanced themselves out of reverence. Hashem agreed that in their declined state they were correct with their request, and that He even doubted if their commitment would endure. Seforno adds that Hashem initially intended that after Moshe descended from the mountain with the stone tablets to transform them into a permanent incorporeal state. (Seforno to Ki Sisa 32:18). Our Haftarah completes the picture and foretells that Hashem will ultimately fulfill His true intent, and that during the Jewish people’s final redemption they will attain that elevated state of perfection and remain with it for eternity.
Oh! May we merit this experience soon!