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HighlightsChoosing War and Dishonour (Perek 30)
In Perek 30, Yeshayahu describes the misplaced trust of the nation of Israel in their ally in the South - Egypt. They place so much trust in that coalition but ultimately it bears no fruit. In fact, Hashem orchestrates it in such a way that Egypt is exiled even before Israel and watches on helplessly. Hashem admonishes them for trusting in Egypt. If they had chosen trust in God, they would have avoided the war they ended up in.
โYeshayahu 30:15-16
ื,ืื ืึผึดื ืึนื-ืึธืึทืจ ืึฒืึนื ึธื ืึฐืืึดื ืงึฐืืึนืฉื ืึดืฉืึฐืจึธืึตื, ืึผึฐืฉืืึผืึธื ืึธื ึทืึทืช ืชึผึดืึผึธืฉืึตืขืึผื--ืึผึฐืึทืฉืึฐืงึตื ืึผืึฐืึดืึฐืึธื, ืชึผึดืึฐืึถื ืึผึฐืืึผืจึทืชึฐืึถื; ืึฐืึนื, ืึฒืึดืืชึถื. ื,ืื ืึทืชึผึนืืึฐืจืึผ ืึนื-ืึดื ืขึทื-ืกืึผืก ื ึธื ืึผืก, ืขึทื-ืึผึตื ืชึผึฐื ืึผืกืึผื; ืึฐืขึทื-ืงึทื ื ึดืจึฐืึผึธื, ืขึทื-ืึผึตื ืึดืงึผึทืึผืึผ ืจึนืึฐืคึตืืึถืโ
For thus said my Lord GOD, The Holy One of Israel, โYou shall triumph by stillness and quiet; Your victory shall come about Through calm and confidence.โ But you refused
โโNo,โ you declared. โWe shall flee on steedsโโ Therefore you shall flee! โWe shall ride on swift mountsโโ Therefore your pursuers shall prove swift!
My friend, Alan Steinmetz, pointed out a recent occurence of this type of mismanaged trust. In the 1930s the League of Nations witnessed and enabled the rise of Germany as a terrifying power in Europe. But instead of taking careful action, they chose pacifism, which ultimately led to the war they were trying to avoid.
"You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, and you will have war."
Winston Churchill to Neville Chamberlain Pesach: The Festival of Hovering (Perek 31)
Yeshayahu makes it clear that Hashem will protect the nation of Israel from enemy onslaught. He uses a curious phrase to describe this.
Yeshayahu 31:5
ืึผึฐืฆึดืคึผึณืจึดืื ืขึธืคืึนืช--ืึผึตื ืึธืึตื ืืณืฆึฐืึธืืึนืช, ืขึทื-ืึฐืจืึผืฉืึธืึธึดื; ืึผึธื ืึนื ืึฐืึดืฆึผึดืื, ืคึผึธืกึนืึท ืึฐืึดืึฐืึดืื
Like the birds that fly, even so will the LORD of Hosts shield Jerusalem, shielding and saving, protecting and rescuing.
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HighlightsTwo Worlds, Two Dimensions (Perek 26)
Yeshayahu describes trusting in Hashem in a beautiful poetic line (Yeshayahu 26:4)
ืึผึดืึฐืืึผ ืึทืืณ, ืขึฒืึตื-ืขึทื: ืึผึดื ืึผึฐืึธืึผ ืืณ, ืฆืึผืจ ืขืึนืึธืึดืื
Trust ye in the LORD for ever, for the LORD is GOD, an everlasting Rock.
The Gemara in Menachos 29b teaches us that there is much more being described than simply trusting in Hashem. Yeshayahu is actually describing the difference between the dimension of this world and the next.
โืืืืขื ืืื ืื ืจืื ืืืืื ื ืฉืืื ืืจ' ืืื ืืื ืืืชืื (ืืฉืขืืื ืื, ื) ืืืื ืืื' ืขืื ืขื ืื ืืื ืื' ืฆืืจ ืขืืืืื ืืืจ ืืื ืื ืืชืืื ืืืืื ื ืืืงื"ื ืืจื ืื ืืืกื ืืขืืื ืืื ืืืขืืื ืืื ืืืจ ืืื ืื ื ืืื ืงื ืงืฉืื ืื ืืื ืฉื ื ืืืชืื ืืื ืืื ืืชืื ืื ืืืืจืฉ ืจ' ืืืืื ืืจ ืจ' ืืืืขืื ืืื ืฉื ื ืขืืืืืช ืฉืืจื ืืงื"ื ืืื ืื"ื ืืืื ืืื"ื ืืืื ื ืืืืข ืื ืืขืืื ืืื ืืื"ื ืืืขืืื ืืื ืื"ื ืื ืืขืืื ืืื ืืื"ื ืืืขืืื ืืื ืื"ื โ
Rabbi Yehuda Nesia asked Rabbi Ami: What is the meaning of that which is written: โTrust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord [beYah] is God, an everlasting [olamim] Rockโ (Isaiah 26:4)? Rabbi Ami said to him: Anyone who puts their trust in the Holy One, Blessed be He, will have Him as his refuge in this world and in the World-to-Come. This is alluded to in the word โolamim,โ which can also mean: Worlds.
Rabbi Yehuda Nesia said toRabbi Ami: I was not asking about the literal meaning of the verse; this is what poses a difficulty for me: What is different about that which is written: โForin the Lord [beYah],โ and it is not written: For the Lord [Yah]? โRav Ashi responded: It is as Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Elai taught: The verse โFor in the Lord [beYah] is God, an everlasting Rock [Tzur olamim]โ is understood as follows: The term โTzur olamimโ can also mean Creator of worlds. Theseletters yod and heh that constitute the word yah are referring to the two worlds that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created; one with [be] the letter heh and one with [be] the letter yod. And I do not know whether the World-to-Come was created with the letter yod and this world was created with the letter heh, or whether this world was created with the letter yod and the World-to-Come was created with the letter heh. Songs of Victory (Perek 26)
How many contemporary Jewish songs did you find in perek 26? I found three.
Accepting Charity from non-Jews (Perek 27)
Poetically Yeshayahu relates a description of the fall of the enemies of the Israelites (Yeshayahu 27:11)
ืึผึดืืึนืฉื ืงึฐืฆึดืืจึธืึผ, ืชึผึดืฉึผืึธืึทืจึฐื ึธื, ื ึธืฉืึดืื, ืึผึธืืึนืช ืึฐืึดืืจืึนืช ืืึนืชึธืึผ: ืึผึดื ืึนื ืขึทื-ืึผึดืื ืึนืช, ืืึผื--ืขึทื-ืึผึตื ืึนื-ืึฐืจึทืึฒืึถื ึผืึผ ืขึนืฉืึตืืึผ, ืึฐืึนืฆึฐืจืึน ืึนื ืึฐืึปื ึผึถื ึผืึผ.
When its crown is withered, they break; Women come and make fires with them. For they are a people without understanding; That is why Their Maker will show them no mercy, Their Creator will deny them grace.
This verse is actually one of the foundations for an immensely complex topic about receiving charity from non-Jews based on Chazal's explanation of this pasuk in Bava Basra 10a. For an excellent shiur on this topic, Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz addresses this topic on YUTorah.org
The Strength of Lions (Perek 29)
Yeshayahu uses a beautiful description of the Mizbeiach, the alter, in the temple. He calls it: Ariel - the lion of God. (Yeshayahu 29:1)
ืืึนื ืึฒืจึดืืึตื ืึฒืจึดืืึตื, ืงึดืจึฐืึทืช ืึธื ึธื ืึธืึดื; ืกึฐืคืึผ ืฉืึธื ึธื ืขึทื-ืฉืึธื ึธื, ืึทืึผึดืื ืึดื ึฐืงึนืคืึผ
Ah, Ariel, Ariel, City where David camped! Add year to year, Let festivals come in their cycles!
Lions are the focus of Jewish tradition in many ways. Famously, the Shulchan Aruch begins with the statement (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 1:1)
ืืชืืืจ ืืืจื ืืขืืื ืืืืงืจ ืืขืืืืช ืืืจืื ืฉืืื ืืื ืืขืืจืจ ืืฉืืจ
One should strengthen himself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve his Creator, so that it is he who awakens the dawn.
The funny thing about this is that lions do a great deal of sleeping. They don't seem to be the best example of strength when it comes to waking up. What is being learned from the lion?
Rabbi Natan Slifkin, in his 'The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom', has an insightful idea which helps explain the uniqueness of the lion and why, perhaps, it plays such an important role in Jewish imagery.
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HighlightsThe Keys to the Heavens (Perek 22)
In this perek, Yeshayahu describes a most unusual image. It talks of the priests on the rooftop of the temple. Here are Yeshayahu's words: Yeshayahu 22:1
ืึทืฉึผืึธื, ืึผึตืื ืึดืึผึธืืึนื: ืึทื-ืึผึธืึฐ ืึตืคืึนื, ืึผึดื-ืขึธืึดืืช ืึผึปืึผึธืึฐ ืึทืึผึทืึผืึนืช
The โValley of Visionโ Pronouncement. What can have happened to you That you have gone, all of you, up on the roofs
What are the people doing up on the rooftops exactly? It is unclear. Chazal give us the subtext in a most stunning idea to be found in Talmud Bavli, Taanis 29b
ืชื ื ืจืื ื ืืฉืืจื ืืืืช ืืจืืฉืื ื ื ืชืงืืฆื ืืืชืืช ืืืชืืช ืฉื ืคืจืื ืืืื ื ืืืคืชืืืช ืืืืื ืืืื ืืขืื ืื ืืืืื ืืืืจื ืืคื ืื ืจืืื ื ืฉื ืขืืื ืืืืื ืืื ืืืื ื ืืืืืช ืืืืจืื ื ืืื ืื ืืืื ืืคืชืืืช ืืกืืจืืช ืื ืืืจืงืื ืืืคื ืืขืื ืืืฆืชื ืืขืื ืคืืกืช ืื ืืงืืืืชื ืืื ืืื ืงืคืฆื ืื ืคืื ืืชืื ืืืืจ
ืืขืืืื ืงืื ื ืืฉืขืืื ืื ืืื (ืืฉืขืืื ืื, ื) ืืฉื ืืื ืืืืื ืื ืื ืืืคืื ืื ืขืืืช ืืืื ืืืืืช ืชืฉืืืืช ืืืื ืขืืจ ืืืืื ืงืจืื ืขืืืื ืืืืื ืื ืืืื ืืจื ืืื ืืชื ืืืืื ืืฃ ืืืงื"ื ื ืืืจ (ืืฉืขืืื ืื, ื) ืืงืจืงืจ ืงืืจ ืืฉืืข ืื ืืืจ:
The Sages taught: When the Temple was destroyed for the first time, many groups of young priests gathered together with the Temple keys in their hands. And they ascended to the roof of the Sanctuary and said before God: Master of the Universe, since we did not merit to be faithful treasurers, and the Temple is being destroyed, let the Temple keys be handed to You. And they threw them upward, and a kind of palm of a hand emerged and received the keys from them. And the young priests jumpedfrom the roof and fell into the fire of the burning Temple.
And the prophet Isaiah lamented over them: โThe burden of the Valley of Vision. What ails you now that you have all gone up to the roofs? You that were full of uproar, a tumultuous city, a joyous town, your slain are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battleโ (Isaiah 22:1โ2). This is referring to the young priests who died by throwing themselves off the roof into the fire.
That fateful day of the destruction of the Mikdash does have a silver lining. The keys of access to the Mikdash were not left in human hands. Although the hosts of the enemy callously trampled every inch of it, they did not have the keys to access the spiritual epicenter of the Mikdash. They were lacking the keys.
The City of Tyre (Perek 23)
In this chapter, the concluding chapter relating to the nations of the world, Yeshayahu focusses on Tzor or Tyre. Interestingly enough, he spends less time describing Tyre than the impact its fall will have on the entire Mediterranean Sea trade. Yeshayahu 23:1
ืึทืฉึผืึธื, ืฆึนืจ: ืึตืืึดืืืึผ ืึณื ึดืึผืึนืช ืชึผึทืจึฐืฉืึดืืฉื, ืึผึดื-ืฉืึปืึผึทื ืึดืึผึทืึดืช ืึดืึผืึนื, ืึตืึถืจึถืฅ ืึผึดืชึผึดืื, ื ึดืึฐืึธื-ืึธืืึน
โThe โTyreโ Pronouncement. Howl, you ships of Tarshish! For havoc has been wrought, not a house is left; As they came from the land of Kittim, This was revealed to them.
To really appreciate this, one needs to be somewhat familiar with the Mediterranean Sea trade routes and the important port cities of the time.
Today, Tyre is still one of the port cities in Lebanon, albeit less of a center than Beirut.
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HighlightsMoav Perakim 15-16
This perek points to one of the reasons of Moav receiving such a devastating end was its lack of willingness to take in the fleeing Israelites from the destruction of Assyria of the Northern Kingdom. This repeated itself many times in Jewish history. One unfortunate episode occurred in 1938 at the Evian Conference in France.
Reflecting the opinion of many delegations, the Australian representative, T. W. White, explained: โAs we have no real racial problem, we are not desirous of importing one.โ
But the food was superb, and the vistas breathtaking, and everyone tried to exude good will. In fact, if success could be measured by good will alone, the Evian Conference would have been judged a roaring success. But day after day reporters sensed a failure all but inevitable. By the end it was clear to everyone, not just to the reporters, that little had been accomplished. Hopes had been raised, and then dashed. The Evian Conference went down in history as a complete flop. Only one nation, the Dominican Republic, agreed to accept 100,000 refugees. Hitler, not known for his humor, was supposed to have joked: โWeโฆare ready to put all these criminals at the disposal of these countries,โ adding: โfor all I care, even on luxury ships.โ โ - Refugee crises and the sad legacy of the 1938 Evian conferenceโ, Marvin Kalb Damascus
In this perek, although Damascus is given the prophecy of destruction, Yeshayahu turns to the destroyers of Damascus which is Assyria. Yeshayahu closes with a powerful line:
ืึฐืขึตืช ืขึถืจึถื ืึฐืึดื ึผึตื ืึทืึผึธืึธื ืึผึฐืึถืจึถื ืึผึนืงึถืจ ืึตืื ึถื ึผืึผ ืึถื ืึตืึถืง ืฉืืึนืกึตืื ืึผ ืึฐืืึนืจึธื ืึฐืึนืึฐืึตืื ืึผื
โAt eventide, lo, terror! By morning, it is no more. Such is the lot of our despoilers, The portion of them that plunder us.
Assyria is a metaphor for the many forces which tried over history to destroy the nation of Israel. Overnight they cease to exist.
In poetic terms, Lord Byron expresses this idea in his 1815 poem, The Destruction of Sennacherib
Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen: Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. โ For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! Gog Umagog - Perek 18
As we learned there is a debate between between the Malbim and the rest of the Mefarshim whether this perek refers to the destruction of Assyria during the time of Chizkiyahu or referring to the times of Mashiach in the future.
For the other accounts of this episode see Ezekiel 38-39 and Zechariah 14 Egypt - Perek 19
In this Perek, Egypt's destruction is captured in the conflicted term, Isaiah 19:22
ืึฐื ึธืึทืฃ ืึฐืืึธื ืึถืชึพืึดืฆึฐืจึทืึดื ื ึธืึนืฃ ืึฐืจึธืคืึนื ืึฐืฉืึธืืึผ ืขึทืึพืึฐืืึธื ืึฐื ึถืขึฐืชึผึทืจ ืึธืึถื ืึผืจึฐืคึธืึธืื
The LORD will first afflict and then heal the Egyptians; when they turn back to the LORD, He will respond to their entreaties and heal them.
Rav Chaim Cohen, in his Sefer Talelei Chaim, Shmos page 111-12, quoting the Zohar that this refers to the fact the plagues in Egypt had a duel audience. As Egypt was being smitten, that same action allowed for the healing of the nation of Israel and their ability to become a nation.
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