VA’ESCHANAN — NACHAMU
Yeshaya 40:1–26
Only Your Appeasement, Hashem
This week’s Haftarah introduces the seven-week series of Haftarah readings related to our final redemption. Although Chazal reveal that the redemption will result from the repentance of the collective Jewish nation, it is difficult to fathom how any modern-day degree of repentance will achieve that goal. The Jewish people’s history of straying from the path leaves so many stains, how will they return to being Hashem’s beloved ones? Yeshaya Hanavi alludes to this issue and shares with us Hashem’s perspective on this matter.
Compensation Through Increased Suffering
Yeshaya began and expressed warm, comforting words to the Jewish people. He projected far into the future—a period that has now surpassed two thousand years since his times—and captured the coveted moment when Hashem will invite His people to return homewards. But the Jewish people will feel uneasy facing Hashem after all their years of defiance and indifference. Yeshaya said that at that crucial moment Hashem will appease His beloved nation and express warm words of comfort. Hashem initially instructed Yeshaya and said, “Comfort My people. Speak to the heart of Yerushalayim and call her because her term is full, and her sin has been reconciled. She has received double measure from Hashem for all her sins.” (40:2) Malbim explains that there are two ways Hashem redeems His people from exile earlier than the set time: if they fully repent and increase their meritorious acts or if they severely suffer in a shorter period to compensate for their remaining years of prescribed time. The potential result of the latter is a nagging feeling of fault for having severed the relationship.
Uneasiness to Face Hashem
Yeshaya therefore told the Jewish people that even if at the time of their redemption they would conceivably feel uncomfortable facing Hashem, He will remove from them any trace of their previous actions in the merit of their enormous suffering throughout their long exile. Malbim interprets the words, “Her term is full… she received double measure for all her sins,” to mean that the Jewish people’s persecution over thousands of years will compensate for all their imperfections. Hashem’s beloved truly deserve their redemption after enduring, with steadfast faith, all their horrifying and tragic experiences. Even in their darkest moments, they consistently displayed unwavering commitment to Hashem and His Torah. Chazal share with us a startling perspective about the consolation process. They explain that Hashem will begin the process through His loyal earlier prophets. He will send each prophet to console the Jewish nation for its long harsh exile, but one by one they will return unsuccessful. The Jewish people will respond to each prophet and repeat his earlier words of reprimand to them. For example, Malachi will say in Hashem’s name, “All nations will praise your fortune, for you will be a desirable land to Me.” (3:12) But the Jewish people will reiterate his earlier prophetic words in Hashem’s name, “I have no desire in you!” (1:10) They will then turn to Malachi and ask him which of his prophetic messages should they believe?! After the futile attempts of all the prophets to console the people, Hashem will send the Patriarchs to console their children, but even they will return unsuccessful. Finally, Hashem will (personally) approach His nation and offer them warm words of comfort and console.
Redirecting the Jewish People’s Thinking
Chazal continue and quote the Jewish people’s response to Hashem’s comforting words as expressed in Shir Hashirim. They will entreat Hashem, “If You could only make Yourself like a brother to me!” (8:1) Chazal explain that the brotherhood they refer to here is the incredible compassion Yosef displayed towards his brothers. After their infamous sale of Yosef, albeit based at the time on their mistaken impression of his endangering their lives, they could never forgive themselves for their grave misjudgment. Although Yosef showed them unconditional love and total acceptance, they could not overcome their guilt. They therefore pleaded with him for the sake of their father to forgive them and not to harbor any ill feelings towards them. The Torah records Yosef’s response to this and states, “Yosef comforted them and spoke to their hearts.” Chazal explain that Yosef realized that mere words of comfort and assurance would not erase his brothers’ guilt-pangs. He therefore spoke to their hearts and redirected their line of thinking. He showed them their true value to him and how their safety and prominence were key factors in his glorious position. He successfully convinced them how essential it was for him to maintain a perfect relationship with them and how their closeness to him was critical for his prestige. Yosef’s point penetrated his brothers’ self-imposed barriers, and it removed all their guilt-pangs.
At the end of time, the Jewish people will express to Hashem, if only He could act in a similar manner with them. They will entreat Him to help them see things through His perspective and to redirect their line of thinking. Chazal conclude that if Yosef allayed his brothers’ concerns and removed their guilt-feelings, Hashem will undoubtedly do the same for His people. To that end, Hashem charged Yeshaya in this week’s Haftarah to follow Yosef’s path and to speak to their hearts. (Yalkut Shimoni 443)
Hashem’s Personal Escort
The striking similarity of wording between Yosef’s efforts and those of Yeshaya — “to comfort” them and “speak to their hearts” — reflects a similarity in their comforting mannerism. It stands to reason then, that at the time of redemption Hashem will impress upon His people their great value to Him. How does one place this idea in proper perspective? We can attempt to do so through Yeshaya’s next message to them. Yeshaya exclaimed, “A voice says to call… Announcer of Zion, ascend a tall mountain and raise your voice forcefully…without fear and say to the Judean cities, ‘Behold your Hashem [is here]!’” (40:6, 9) Yeshaya added, “[Hashem will lead them] like a shepherd who tends to his flock, gathers them in his arm, carries them in his bosom and gently leads their mothers alongside them.” Yeshaya then concluded with an elaborate display of Hashem’s mastery over His world in order to substantiate Hashem’s ability to pluck every Jewish soul from the control of their oppressors. (40:11,12-26)
Radak explains that Yeshaya informed the Jewish people that Hashem cares for each of His children in the same way that a shepherd for each of his personally owned sheep that cannot walk on its own. At the time of redemption, Hashem will intensify His relationship with His beloved people to the degree that they will feel that Hashem is personally escorting them back to their homeland. (based on comments of Radak and Malbim ad loc)
Individual Roles in Hashem’s Majesty
We could offer to explain the analogy of the shepherd and each of his young sheep in the following manner. In truth, every Jewish person plays a significant role in Hashem’s world of glory. Chazal teach us that, “One is obligated to say, ‘The world was created for my sake.’” (Sanhedrin 37a) Rav Chaim Friedlander interprets these words to refer to one’s awareness of one’s individual contribution to Hashem’s glory in this world. Hashem charges each person with a unique mission of glorifying His ways in this world. Each person’s contribution to Hashem’s glory impacts on the world and enhances His glory in its fullest proportions. From that vantage point, the world was truly created for each person because the world is incomplete without his personal contribution. (Sifsei Chaim Mo’adim 1 p.101)
Accordingly, we can suggest that at the time of redemption, the world-picture will be completed and revealed. Every person will gain insight into his extended impact in the world and will be privileged to view and understand his personal global contribution to Hashem’s glory. (based on Targum to Koheles 12:13) Through this, the collective Jewish nation and every Jewish soul present at the time of redemption will feel warmly welcomed by Hashem to return with Him to His promised land. At that time, Hashem’s comforting words likened to Yosef’s words, will speak to the collective Jewish soul and help every one of Hashem’s children sense his value to Hashem through his personal contribution to Hashem’s majesty. That sense of appreciation will be so tangible that it will allay all fears and will allow each person to fully bond with Hashem and establish a perfect relationship with Him.
He’s Speaking Directly to Me!
Our Haftarah is read together with Parshas Va’eschanan, the Parsha that recounts Moshe’s description of the Jewish people’s incredibly elevated experience at Mount Sinai when Hashem spoke directly to them. The Torah states, “Face to face Hashem spoke with you at the [foot of the] mountain amidst the fire.” (5:4) Baal Haturim quotes here Chazal’s interpretation of the phrase “face to face” to mean Hashem’s radiating countenance and clear explanatory fashion. Indeed, the Jewish people at Sinai experienced their clearest revelation of Hashem conveyed to them through an extraordinary level of prophetic vision equal to that of all Moshe’s prophecies. Rabbi Yochanan in the Pesikta expands this message through his astounding analogy of a facial statue (or painting) of a king that was produced with such perfection that every person who looks at it says emphatically, “the king is staring directly at me!” Rabbi Yochanan explains that when Hashem said prophetically to each Jewish person, “I am your Hashem who liberated you from Egypt,” each one of them sensed Hashem speaking directly to him, “face to face.” (Pesikta 21:3) We can offer that although that experience only lasted through the first two Commandments, it laid the foundation for the Jewish people’s experience during their ultimate redemption, when they will sense Hashem’s ‘personal’ escort back to their homeland.
May all mourners over Zion and Yerushalayim soon merit their final redemption and to experience Hashem’s personal escort back to their precious homeland.