Post by alon on Sept 15, 2016 23:00:31 GMT -8
Isaiah 54.1-10, Haftara for Par’shah Ki Tetze
We have this week in our haftarah reading a somewhat emotional and meaningful promise to Israel from El Elohe Yisro’el. That is the first thing we must keep in mind is that it IS a promise TO Yisro’el, not to the goyim (nations/pagans/Gentiles). It is one of seven haftarot of consolation and comfort read every year between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashanah.
This haftarah is however, like most prophecy presented metaphorically. As such, there are many different ways to interpret the reading, and many of those are at the same time correct. The Word of Gelah Raz- the Revealer of Mysteries is, after all, as infinite as He is. So while the Jewish interpretation of a national salvation is correct, so I think is the Christian interpretation that this speaks of Gentiles being admitted into God’s family. They went too far when they gave themselves primacy, but up to that point they did have a point!
Children themselves are the archetypical metaphor. Quoting just three verses further on from our haftarah reading, Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Haninah:
scholars increase peace in the world. As it says, "All of Your children are students of God; great is the peace of Your children" (Isaiah 54:13). Read this not banayich — 'Your children' — but rather bonayich — 'Your builders'. (Berachot 64a)
H1121 בֵּן bên bane a son (as a builder of the family name) From H1129 בָּנָה bânâh baw-naw' A primitive root; to build (literally and figuratively): - (begin to) build (-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.
So we see “children” can be read metaphorically or even somewhat literally as “builders of.” awareness, scholarship, and obedience. Even contemporary English calls an inventive and productive scholar “prolific”- literally, “one who creates life.” Therefore when we read this passage, we should keep in mind that children can be a metaphor for an increase in observance. And salvation has always come through (not from or by) the Jews. Goyim are meant to observe the blessings of El Emunah- The Faithful God as He bestows them on His obedient children, the Israelites.
I think this speaks prophetically not only to the near future when the Jews returned to Tzion and rebuilt their city, their Temple and even their country. But also to the Olam Haba, when Yeshua has returned, the nation of Israel (those remaining) have turned to Him and many Gentiles are added to them.
In the first three verses, an exiled Israel is compared to a woman who suffers the
of never having born a child. The first verse says "Sing [Shout], O barren one!" because she will soon be blessed with children. She is to enlarge her tent to make room for all the children she is soon to have.
Isa 54:1-3 (JPS) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
Tzion now lies empty and in ruins. But it is soon to be repopulated, as is also prophesied earlier:
Isaiah 49:17-19 (ESV) Your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you. Lift up your eyes around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the Lord, you shall put them all on as an ornament; you shall bind them on as a bride does. “Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land— surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
“You shall put them all on as an ornament.” I am reminded of a missionary (to places I wouldn’t want to go) who told me “different races and peoples are how God decorates the world.” Just an additional thought.
This is a reversal of the prophecy in Yirmeyahu where their tent (ohel), representing the Tabernacle (mishkan) had no one to spread it when they moved. This, by extension represents the Temple which had no one to rebuild it.
Jeremiah 10:20-21 (ESV) My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken; my children have gone from me, and they are not; there is no one to spread my tent again and to set up my curtains. For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.
This part of our haftarah could very well be a prophecy about Gentiles being admitted into the covenant by their trust in the God of Yisro’el. The seed would be the Word which was entrusted to the Jews:
Romans 3:1-2 (ESV) Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
Next Yeshayahu describes how God will bring Israel back to Him in mercy. Now Israel is as a widow who lost her husband, but she is promised that she will "forget the of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more." Her husband, El HaNe’eman- The God Who Is Faithful will lovingly take her back.
Isaiah 54:4-8 (JPS) Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed. Neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to; for thou shalt forget the of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. For thy Maker is thy husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, the God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; and a wife of youth, can she be rejected? saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassion will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
So Yisro’el is reassured. Her Elohim, her husband, will take her back. He will have compassion for her. And she will have many children ( builders). A husband was both provider and protector to his wife and family; and children, especially male children were the same for her in her old age. So the metaphor here goes much deeper than what we think of today as family responsibility. True, familial obligations are the same today, but nowhere near the extent they were back then. Likewise Meshiachim today have the responsibility of rebuilding , defending and providing for the message of obedience to be spread.
The last two verses compare these promises with the Noachide Covenant where El Racham- The Compassionate God promised that He would never again flood the earth; now He pledges never again to be angry with or rebuke Yisro’el. Obviously this part of the prophecy is yet to come, as they are even now being rebuked, but since ’48 we also can see they are not forgotten. Even if the mountains move and the hills are shaken from their moorings; even if all Islam should suddenly assault the modern nation of Israel at once, God’s covenant wit her will stand firm. His anger was only for a moment, but His love for His own will endure forever.
Isaiah 54:9-10 (JPS) For this is as the waters of Noah [some Mss times of Noah] unto Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath compassion on thee.
The picture of a future when Yisro’el is regathered and restored reflects the wondrous state we know when our trials and tribulations are over and we are restored to the Shalom of the Ruach. We know this darkly now when we have overcome some vexing circumstance. But there will come a time when we know it absolutely. Times of suffering, whether to chasten us, or the sorrows life can bring, or just so that the glory of El Elyon may be seen in us- all are unpleasant. We can rest in the fact that the covenant made with Yisro’el by YHVH Shalom- The Lord Our Peace, to which we are made heirs by adoption- that covenant stands as true today as when it was made to Noach, to Avraham, and to all Yisro’el, and every time it was renewed. There is a time coming when we will know true shalom in the One who said Anochi Anochi hu’Menachem- I, I Am He Who Comforts You (Isa 51:12).
Dan C
Resources: JPS Study TNK, W Weirsbe, my father, Rav S and others.
We have this week in our haftarah reading a somewhat emotional and meaningful promise to Israel from El Elohe Yisro’el. That is the first thing we must keep in mind is that it IS a promise TO Yisro’el, not to the goyim (nations/pagans/Gentiles). It is one of seven haftarot of consolation and comfort read every year between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashanah.
This haftarah is however, like most prophecy presented metaphorically. As such, there are many different ways to interpret the reading, and many of those are at the same time correct. The Word of Gelah Raz- the Revealer of Mysteries is, after all, as infinite as He is. So while the Jewish interpretation of a national salvation is correct, so I think is the Christian interpretation that this speaks of Gentiles being admitted into God’s family. They went too far when they gave themselves primacy, but up to that point they did have a point!
Children themselves are the archetypical metaphor. Quoting just three verses further on from our haftarah reading, Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Haninah:
scholars increase peace in the world. As it says, "All of Your children are students of God; great is the peace of Your children" (Isaiah 54:13). Read this not banayich — 'Your children' — but rather bonayich — 'Your builders'. (Berachot 64a)H1121 בֵּן bên bane a son (as a builder of the family name) From H1129 בָּנָה bânâh baw-naw' A primitive root; to build (literally and figuratively): - (begin to) build (-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.
So we see “children” can be read metaphorically or even somewhat literally as “builders of
.” awareness, scholarship, and obedience. Even contemporary English calls an inventive and productive scholar “prolific”- literally, “one who creates life.” Therefore when we read this passage, we should keep in mind that children can be a metaphor for an increase in observance. And salvation has always come through (not from or by) the Jews. Goyim are meant to observe the blessings of El Emunah- The Faithful God as He bestows them on His obedient children, the Israelites. I think this speaks prophetically not only to the near future when the Jews returned to Tzion and rebuilt their city, their Temple and even their country. But also to the Olam Haba, when Yeshua has returned, the nation of Israel (those remaining) have turned to Him and many Gentiles are added to them.
In the first three verses, an exiled Israel is compared to a woman who suffers the
of never having born a child. The first verse says "Sing [Shout], O barren one!" because she will soon be blessed with children. She is to enlarge her tent to make room for all the children she is soon to have.Isa 54:1-3 (JPS) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
Tzion now lies empty and in ruins. But it is soon to be repopulated, as is also prophesied earlier:
Isaiah 49:17-19 (ESV) Your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you. Lift up your eyes around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the Lord, you shall put them all on as an ornament; you shall bind them on as a bride does. “Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land— surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
“You shall put them all on as an ornament.” I am reminded of a missionary (to places I wouldn’t want to go) who told me “different races and peoples are how God decorates the world.” Just an additional thought.
This is a reversal of the prophecy in Yirmeyahu where their tent (ohel), representing the Tabernacle (mishkan) had no one to spread it when they moved. This, by extension represents the Temple which had no one to rebuild it.
Jeremiah 10:20-21 (ESV) My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken; my children have gone from me, and they are not; there is no one to spread my tent again and to set up my curtains. For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.
This part of our haftarah could very well be a prophecy about Gentiles being admitted into the covenant by their trust in the God of Yisro’el. The seed would be the Word which was entrusted to the Jews:
Romans 3:1-2 (ESV) Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
Next Yeshayahu describes how God will bring Israel back to Him in mercy. Now Israel is as a widow who lost her husband, but she is promised that she will "forget the
of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more." Her husband, El HaNe’eman- The God Who Is Faithful will lovingly take her back.Isaiah 54:4-8 (JPS) Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed. Neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to
; for thou shalt forget the of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. For thy Maker is thy husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, the God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; and a wife of youth, can she be rejected? saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassion will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. So Yisro’el is reassured. Her Elohim, her husband, will take her back. He will have compassion for her. And she will have many children (
builders). A husband was both provider and protector to his wife and family; and children, especially male children were the same for her in her old age. So the metaphor here goes much deeper than what we think of today as family responsibility. True, familial obligations are the same today, but nowhere near the extent they were back then. Likewise Meshiachim today have the responsibility of rebuilding , defending and providing for the message of obedience to be spread.The last two verses compare these promises with the Noachide Covenant where El Racham- The Compassionate God promised that He would never again flood the earth; now He pledges never again to be angry with or rebuke Yisro’el. Obviously this part of the prophecy is yet to come, as they are even now being rebuked, but since ’48 we also can see they are not forgotten. Even if the mountains move and the hills are shaken from their moorings; even if all Islam should suddenly assault the modern nation of Israel at once, God’s covenant wit her will stand firm. His anger was only for a moment, but His love for His own will endure forever.
Isaiah 54:9-10 (JPS) For this is as the waters of Noah [some Mss times of Noah] unto Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath compassion on thee.
The picture of a future when Yisro’el is regathered and restored reflects the wondrous state we know when our trials and tribulations are over and we are restored to the Shalom of the Ruach. We know this darkly now when we have overcome some vexing circumstance. But there will come a time when we know it absolutely. Times of suffering, whether to chasten us, or the sorrows life can bring, or just so that the glory of El Elyon may be seen in us- all are unpleasant. We can rest in the fact that the covenant made with Yisro’el by YHVH Shalom- The Lord Our Peace, to which we are made heirs by adoption- that covenant stands as true today as when it was made to Noach, to Avraham, and to all Yisro’el, and every time it was renewed. There is a time coming when we will know true shalom in the One who said Anochi Anochi hu’Menachem- I, I Am He Who Comforts You (Isa 51:12).
Dan C
Resources: JPS Study TNK, W Weirsbe, my father, Rav S and others.
