This week’s haftorah (Yeshayahu 54:11–55:5) “Aniya so’ara,” is the third in the series of seven haftarot of consolation. The first in the series of haftarot of consolation, read immediately after Tisha B’Av, turned to the people of Israel with words of encouragement, followed by last week’s haftorah wherein the prophet related to the nation’s claim that Hashem had abandoned them. Similarly, this week’s haftorah offers additional words of consolation following the prophet’s assertion —“O you afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted”! This lack of comfort stems from the painful rift and alienation sensed between Hashem and His people in times of exile. The suffering that ensues in exile defines Am Yisrael as “poor and afflicted” and therefore, the prophet consoles us this week with promises of ultimate prosperity: “Behold, I will lay your stones with fair colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires. And I will make your windows of rubies, and your gates of beryl, and all your borders of the choicest stones” (54:11–12).
Yeshayahu’s prophetic visions of material wealth, including windows and streets paved and plated with precious stones, are meant to instill hope that redemption will surely come in a “rags to riches” manner (either literally or metaphorically). It will not, however, occur automatically; it is conditioned on fulfilling Hashem’s will —“Hearken diligently to Me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure loving promises of David” (55:2–3). In the previous haftarot of consolation, the prophet promised redemption based on an everlasting connection between God and Israel and as a historical and existential consequence of exile. This week’s haftorah, read in a timely fashion before Rosh Chodesh Elul, introduces redemption through repentance; when man assumes responsibility for his actions and mends his ways, he will be redeemed. Subsequently, when Am Yisrael is properly righteous, then we may confidently stand culturally and religiously triumphant against nations seeking to condemn us.
In addition to appreciating the introduction of repentance as the essential component for redemption post-exile, this week’s haftorah also shares connections and parshanut for this week’s parsha, Re’eh. In the parsha we hear of Am Yisrael referred to as children: “You are children to the Lord your God” (14:1) which reverberates in the haftorah – “And all your children will know God, and there will be great peace among your children” (54:13). Additionally, the parsha, like the haftorah, elaborates on themes of righteousness, particularly with the indigent in society —one must share food with the Levi, who does not receive a portion of land (12:12, 12:18, 14:27, 14:29), the poor, the stranger, the orphan and the widow (14:29). We are taught to cancel debts at the end of seven years (15:1–3), open one’s hand to one’s impoverished brother, and provide gifts to the Hebrew man- and maid-servants at the end of their respective periods of indenture.
This week’s parsha promises: “And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you” (15:6). In the haftorah we are told that if Israel will repent and follow the will of Hashem, then “I [Hashem] shall make an everlasting covenant with you, the everlasting loving promises of David. Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of nations… and nations that did not know you will run towards you” (55:3–5). Righteousness will provide religious-cultural supremacy for Am Yisrael and inspiration for the nations of the world!
Rabbanit Shani Taragin is educational director of World Mizrachi and teaches at Matan and other educational institutions in Israel. She is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers). The RZA-Mizrachi is a broad Religious Zionist organization without a particular political affiliation.
