Thursday, October 21, 2004

Haftarah for Lekh L'kha - The power and the glory

Isaiah 40:27 - 41:16

Isaiah again, but this time he is not merely telling the people what they want to hear. This time he is calling them to renew the covenant, to trust God, to believe in Him. In return, God will renew His covenant with Israel and restore them to greatness.

"But you, Israel, My servant,/Jacob, whom I have chosen,/Seed of Abraham My Friend...You are My servant;/I chose you, I have not rejected you - /Fear not, for I am with you...O men of Israel:/I will help you...I your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel...you shall rejoice in the Lord,/And glory in the Holy One of Israel."

The mention of Abraham is obviously what ties the haftarah to the parshah. God chose Abraham to bear His covenant, and it is still valid in Isaiah's time. God protected Abraham, and he will protect the Israelites. He chose us and has not rejected us. Not then, not ever.

God also declares His power: "Stand silent before Me, coastlands,/And let nations renew their strength...Who has roused a victor from the East,/Summoned him to His service?...Who has wrought and achieved this?/He who announced the generations from the start - /I, the Lord, who was first/And will be with the last as well./The coastlands look on in fear,/The ends of earth tremble."

But God's power is ultimately at the service of His people Israel. "Shamed and chagrined shall be/All who contend with you;/They who strive with you/Shall become as naught and shall perish./You may seek, but shall not find/Those who struggle with you;/Less than nothing shall be/The men who battle against you./For I the Lord am your God,/Who grasped your right hand,/Who say to you: Have no fear;/I will be your help."

That has always been the sustaining faith of Israel, that God is with us, that God will save us from our enemies. One may take this as metaphorical, that faith in God's redeeming power gives us the courage to save ourselves. We must be something special for God to love us so much; we must have some special mission on Earth, so we cannot allow ourselves to perish. That kind of belief, that faith, is what keeps us going. Isaiah knew it 2500 years ago, and his words mean nothing less to us now.

(Note: all citations from Eitz Chayim ("Tree of Life"), the official Chumash (printed version of the Torah) of the Conservative Movement (copyright 2001 by the Rabbinical Assembly; Hebrew text, based on Biblia Hebraica Stuttgarensia, copyright 1999 by The Jewish Publication Society; English translation copyright 1985, 1999 by The Jewish Publication Society).

(Except as otherwise specifically noted and referenced, all commentaries are mine.)

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