Haftorah Re’eh
Isaiah 54:11-55:5
Commentary for Third Week of Consolation
First, let’s read this short text itself…
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 54
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11O poor tempestuous one, who was not consoled, behold I will set your stones with carbuncle, and I will lay your foundations with sapphires. |
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12And I will make your windows of jasper and your gates of carbuncle stones, and all your border of precious stones. |
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13And all your children shall be disciples of the Lord, and your children's peace shall increase. |
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14With righteousness shall you be established, go far away from oppression, for you shall not fear, and from ruin, for it will not come near you. |
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15Behold, the one with whom I am not, shall fear, whoever mobilizes against you shall defect to you. |
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16Behold I have created a smith, who blows on a charcoal fire and produces a weapon for his work, and I have created a destroyer to destroy it. |
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17Any weapon whetted against you shall not succeed, and any tongue that contends with you in judgment, you shall condemn; this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their due reward from Me, says the Lord. Notice how Adonai, through His prophet, shows understanding that we. The people of Israel, have not accepted His consolation during these past two weeks of being consoled by His previous words. And so, now, He further assures us with facts that we may actually see, precious stones. And, He assures us that no weapon formed against us may prosper… |
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 55
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1Ho! All who thirst, go to water, and whoever has no money, go, buy and eat, and go, buy without money and without a price, wine and milk. |
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2Why should you weigh out money without bread and your toil without satiety? Hearken to Me and eat what is good, and your soul shall delight in fatness. |
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3Incline your ear and come to Me, hearken and your soul shall live, and I will make for you an everlasting covenant, the dependable mercies of David. |
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4Behold, a witness to nations have I appointed him, a ruler and a commander of nations. |
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5Behold, a nation you do not know you shall call, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, for the sake of the Lord your God and for the Holy One of Israel, for He glorified you. This last promise seems to me, during almost a year of warfare, that nations like the United States, Great Britain and their allies are now rushing to serve the smallest of all nations with strength. Now, let’s peruse Conservative Jewish thinking from MyJewishLearning.com Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 54
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 55
Now, let’s peruse the teaching from a Conservative Jewish perspective as we read commentary from MyJewishLearning.com Haftarah for Re’eh God promises to rebuild and restore Zion. The haftarah selection is from Isaiah 54:11-55:5. Isaiah’s prophecy in the haftarah selection for Re’eh focuses on how the downtrodden Israelites will once again rise to glory. Their buildings will be made of precious stones, their children will be raised in peace, and their cities will be safe. God reminds the people that no harm can come to them without His consent. If He decides that they will be strengthened and restored, this will happen. Isaiah promises that with the God’s help, the people of Israel will be invincible. In the second half of the haftarah, God continues in the same vein, but adds a stipulation: the people must turn to Him in order to reap the rewards He promises. “Give heed to Me, and you shall eat choice food and enjoy the richest dishes” (55:2). God promises that just as He brought David up from his common roots, and made him royalty, so shall the people be lifted out of their destitute situation. This haftarah is also part of the haftarah for Parashat Noach. Next, we’ll look at the words from Torah.org Yeshaya 54:11 This week’s haftorah is directed towards Zion displaying her illustrious future in the time of Mashiach. The haftorah begins with the disturbing thought that Zion refuses to be consoled by anyone. Although the ingathering of the exiles will have occurred and the land of Israel will be rebuilt, Zion herself will remain without comfort. Her thousands of years of laying in ruins will beg to be accounted for. In her illustrious past, she was accustomed to being the center of the world, the most beautiful site on earth. But for ages her respect, dignity and appreciation were stolen from her. In place of her splendor and glory she consistently faced shame, degradation and ruins. Remembering her glorious past she will be unable to clear her mind from all her shameful years of desolation, and will remain inconsolable. The prophet Yeshaya addresses Zion and says to her in the name of Hashem, “You afflicted, stormy city who is not comforted, behold I will lay your floors with precious stones and set your foundation with sapphires.” (54:11) Hashem will respond to her concern and assure Zion that she will be totally restored to her previous glory. But Hashem won’t stop at that and therefore pledges to establish Zion even more desirable than ever. Her splendor will be so magnificent that even her floors and walls will be studded with precious jewels and sapphire stones. Her physical beauty will transcend all existing structures and the city will literally sparkle and glisten from diamonds. Every moment spent in Zion will be an unforgettable experience and everyone will be irresistibly attracted to her physical splendor and glory. This however only satisfies the physical dimensions of Yerushalayim – but what about her previous spiritual heights? For thousands of years Zion has ceased to function as the center of Torah knowledge. How can Zion be comforted from this loss? To this, the prophet adds a significant dimension and says, “And all of your children will be students of Hashem and much peace will be amongst them.” (54:13) The clarity of Torah perspectives will be so readily accessible that all of the children of Zion will become students of Hashem. Chazal in Yalkut Shimoni explain this reference and reveal that in the time of Mashiach ultimate peace and harmony will exist amongst Torah leadership. They explain that the present confusion and diversity amongst our people are the result of the limitations of our Torah study system. Until the era of Mashiach we must rely upon the finite human mind to transmit Torah from teacher to student. Realizing that the human intellect of the teacher has its limitations it follows naturally that the Torah knowledge absorbed by the student will have even greater limitations. But Yeshaya reveals that in the time of Mashiach all of Zion will be privileged to study Torah from its original source, Hashem Himself. As there are no limitations to Hashem one can readily understand that there will be few limitations to the absorption of the Torah knowledge by the student. The clarity resulting from such study will produce an unbelievable level of peace and harmony in the Torah world, everyone following the exact same path of Torah observance. The prophet expands his vision and even invites the nations of the world to participate in Zion’s renaissance. He calls to them and says, “All who are thirsty go and drink water without pay; go and acquire wine and milk.” (55:1) Chazal (Yalkut ad loc.) explain that the water here refers to Torah knowledge and the wine and milk to spiritual sustenance. Even the nations of the world will be invited to Torah study and unique spiritual experiences. The Radak explains here that the wondrous revelations of Hashem in the time of Mashiach will produce an unprecedented thirst for knowledge. The nations of the world will be so impressed by Hashem’s miracles and revelations that they will flock to Zion to study His word. This will ultimately yield the fulfillment of the prophetic words, “For from Zion will go forth Torah.” (Yeshaya 2:3) Zion will finally return to her previous spiritual greatness and serve as the Torah center of the world for the Jewish people. But in addition the Torah will be fully appreciated in the time of Mashiach even by the nations of the world recognizing the Torah as the absolute truth. Even they will view Torah as their true source of life and will absorb its every word as one does his bread and water. Finally, Yeshaya completes his picture and says, “Behold nations that never knew you will run to become your servants because the glory of Hashem will shine upon you.” (55:5) The inhabitants of Zion will be held in such high esteem that nations from near and far will flock to them to serve their every need. With this final detail, Zion will be totally consoled. She has been promised to return to her original splendor. In addition, she will become the most desirable spot on the face of the earth. Her children will even be privileged to study the words of Torah directly from Hashem. She’ll serve as the center of Torah for the entire world, nations of the world included. And finally, through her reflection of Hashem’s glory, she’ll even attract previously unknown nations which will display their total subservience to her. Her lonely forsaken past will be lost to history, and she will forever enjoy her well-earned glory being the most irresistible place both physically and spiritually in which one can be found. Now, we’ll conclude with insights from a woman’s perspective as taught at Mideret Berot… The Stones of the Holy Tribes Haftorat Re’eh Yesha’yahu 54:11-55:5 This week’s haftorah is the third of a series of seven “haftarot of Consolation,” which began on the Shabbat following Tisha b’Av and continue until Rosh Hashanah. I found the metaphor about the different stones that will build Yerushalayim very fascinating. Malbim explains how these stones represent the holy tribes of Israel. In this writing, I explain how the attributes of the assorted crystals, as explained in new age science, fit perfectly with Malbim’s commentary. Hashem comforts the “afflicted and storm-tossed” Yerushalayim. “O you afflicted tempestuous one, who are not comforted, behold I will set your stones with garnet, and I will lay your foundations with sapphires” (Yesha’yahu 54:11). Although the dispersed children of Israel are being ingathered from the Diaspora, Yerushalayim is still like a poor woman shaking in the stormy wind writes Metzudat David. This metaphor seems to perfectly describe the political situation in Israel today. Jerusalem is being pulled in different directions, by nations fighting for the right to her as their capital. For several years Israel has been forced by the nations to apply settlement freeze to Jerusalem, especially in East-Jerusalem. Therefore, there is a severe housing crisis in Jerusalem. While young couples are struggling to find affordable apartments in Jerusalem, our mother – Tzion – is helplessly striving to provide shelter for her beloved children. Despite the stormy winds from both North and East, threatening to break the frail mother, Hashem comforts Jerusalem, assuring her that in the end she will be rebuilt. Her foundation, walls and ground will be laid with precious stones. Any weapon pointed against her will eventually fail. Malbim explains, that following the beginning of chapter 54 in Yesha’yahu, about the barren woman who became blessed with children – alluding to the ingathering of the exiles, the prophet now describes how Tzion is still not rebuilt. Although Tzion is no longer barren, as the dispersed Jews are being ingathered and the land filled with her children from the Diaspora, Yerushalayim is still in ruins. However, Hashem renews the hope of Tzion “…behold I will set your stones with garnet…” Garnet is the stone upon which the foundation of Tzion will lay, while the foundation itself will be of sapphire. The garnet, the stone of Yehuda, is the sign of Kingdom, and the sapphire, the stone of Yissaschar, is the sign of wisdom and Torah. These two – the crown of kingdom and the crown of Torah – will become the foundation of the Temple. In The Secrets of Crystals, by Shani Toder, I found that the sapphire (סַפִּיר) creates balance, wisdom and stability. The blue sapphire, symbolizing the celestial, improves ones mood, and relieves pressure. It is good for communication. It lightens situations of deep hopelessness and increases intuition. White sapphire strengthens spiritual wisdom. Wearing a sapphire helps us talk from within with higher inner wisdom. These attributes ascribed to the sapphire fit perfectly with Yissashar who represents the wisdom of the Torah. The garnet (נוֹפֶךְ) strengthens self-confidence and is known as the stone of commitment because it strengthens determination and devotion to a cause or goal, to other people and to self obligation. This fits perfectly with the character-trait of Yehuda and kingdom. The garnet affects the lowest vertebra, the foundation of the body, and the nerves along the spine. This stone, which resembles blood by its color, strengthens, purifies and provides renewed energy to the body, especially to the blood system. During the transition between exile and redemption, we need purification and renewed energy. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the garnet and what it represents will serve as the foundation of the building of Tzion. “I will make your windows of onyx and your gates of beryl stones, and all your borders of desirable stones (Yesha’yahu 54:12). Malbim continues to elucidate the metaphor about the different stones that build up Yerushalayim. According to Chazal (our Sages), the כַּדְכֹד (Cadchod) is the onyx – Yosef’s stone, which is the sign of success and wealth. The windows, called in our verse שִׁמְשֹׁתַיִךְ (Shimshotayich) literally “your suns,” will be made from onyx. This symbolizes that Hashem will provide us with all kinds of sun-grown produce bringing wealth and success. According to The Secrets of Crystals, the onyx eases fears, pressure and depression, and is therefore recommended during times of pain and sorrow. This fits perfectly with “your windows of onyx,” as it is known that sufficient sunlight is one of the main keys to preserve happiness. Several studies have proven that people living in dark basement apartments, are predisposed to depression. Onyx is also the stone that protects against negative energy. It, therefore, makes sense that our windows, prone to outside influence, are made of the protective onyx stone. Malbim explains that our gates will be made out of beryl, which is Levi’s stone. These are the gates of Hashem, which the tzaddikim (righteous) enter. The beryl is a spiritual, physical, and mental healer. It is good to wear while working with others. Just like the Levites were involved with the holy worship of the heart, and played music in the Temple, the beryl increases the ability of self-expression and strengthens the heart. According to Malbim, “…all your borders will be desirable stones” refers to the stones of the rest of the tribes, which will be established in the complete building of Israel. This symbolizes that all the tribes will be unified in the Land, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. All your children shall be students of Hashem, and your children’s peace shall increase (Yesha’yahu 54:13). Living according to the Torah brings peace to Israel. It is the saddest thing when adult siblings don’t get along. The Torah naturally guides us to get along with our siblings, by teaching us never to gossip, bear a grudge or take revenge. More than her kids being physically close, it is the peace and love between the children that gladdens their mother. Baruch Hashem, my two sisters and I continually make our mother happy and honor her with our closeness. Sprouting forth from the same stem, we have a piece of each other within us wherever we go. Although there are more than fourteen years between my oldest son and his brother, their love and care for each other warms my heart. There is nothing that makes me happier than when I see my two sons studying Torah together. This is when I joyfully experience the greatest and deepest bond between them. The more we learn Torah, the more we refine our character and ability to love each other in the deepest way. The prophet comforts our mother, Tzion that her children – all of Israel – will come to Torah, and thereby find everlasting peace with one another. Each of her children contributes the necessary qualities for the greater, unified good. With the purification, self-confidence and devotion of Yehuda; Yissaschar’s wisdom, balance stability and communication; Levi’s heartfelt self-expression; the success and protection of Yosef; and all the qualities of the rest of the tribes, we will build the renewed reality of peace and redemption. Once we establish true peace among ourselves, despite our differences, then the prophecy: “You shall not fear, and from terror; then it shall not come near you” (Ibid. 14) will be fulfilled. May we all live to experience the end of terror in our Promised Land! My desire is for you to share this teaching with everyone you know and that you continue to pray that Debra & I remain in strength with good health so that we may continue to serve HaShem through Please check out & SHARE Debra’s music Or on Instagram at: debracohenmusicdotcom And please share this teaching with those |