Yeshayahu 49

0:00Good morning everyone. Today we are learning Perek Memtes, the 49th chapter of Sefer Yashayahu. According to Rev. Nune, this is the final chapter in the first unit of Yashayahu's prophecies of redemption and consolation for the Jewish people. The last nine chapters have essentially been one long speech or a series of thematically connected speeches and this one rounds it out. As we shall see though, it's a little bit more nuanced than that. This chapter also contains the beginning of the second of the Shivad-in-Khamta, the second of the seven haftoros of consolation that we read between Tishbav and Rashashana and this one is read in Parshash Akev. The haftor begins about halfway through the

1:00chapter and continues through Perek Nune and the first half of Perek Nune-Alev. So it really goes through three chapters spanning the way Rev. Nune organizes it two different units of prophecies of Yashayahu. Now that in itself is not problematic. As we've discussed many times the breakup of the chapters in Tanakh are not products of the Naviyyam, the editors, or even Jewish scholars, but rather these were Christian medieval scholars that had their own reasons or own opinions as to how to break up the chapters. So it could be that the actual division between the different units of prophecy are in the middle of chapter Mentez when the haftoros starts. So about halfway through the 49th chapter is where the first unit of consolation prophecies end and where the second one begins. That's one possibility and as we'll see when we read the

2:04chapter itself that there's a lot of linguistic evidence to support that because the style of the writing shifts indicating that this is a new topic. However another possibility is that the Khachamim when they were instituting which sections of Tanakh would be read for each haftora decided that for this haftora we would take a little bit from both the first and the second sections of Yashayahu's prophecies of consolation. Indeed one theme which goes through the entire chapter both the first half and the second half and perhaps this is why the non-Jewish editors grouped it into one chapter is the outward nature of the prophecy. Yashayahu is clearly talking to the Jewish people but it's also discussing the reaction of the nations of the world to the

3:04Jewish people and Hashem during the Messianic era. At that point the Jews will be in Orla Goyim a light unto the nations and the nations will recognize Hashem as the one and only God and the Jewish people as his chosen people. Now that has many implications one simply being acknowledging Hashem and the other is the facilitation of the return of the Jewish people from exile and these two elements are expressed in the first and second half of the chapter. Something that is a little different about the beginning part of this chapter is that it's written in first person which is not something that is common although it has come up several times in the Sefer it's not the most common form of prophecy. Most Mifarsim understand that the first person in nature is referring to Yashayahu himself and if that's the case this is Yashayahu

4:07reflecting on the success or failure of his role as a prophet in that generation which as we've mentioned many times was trying to improve that generation or several generations that he prophesized for. In some capacity he was successful, Chiskyahu was a righteous king and then he trusted in Hashem and Hashem saved him from Sanchairev but ultimately Chiskyahu's son Minesh murdered Yashayahu as part of his efforts to stamp out Judaism and inculcate idolatry and he was largely successful so Yashayahu could be looking back saying that maybe I didn't succeed, maybe I'm a failure and this also causes him to think about his prophecies towards the other nations of the world that we've mentioned in previous chapters as well. So that's one way to look at it and Mifarsim do read it that way. Roshwab in his Sefer Agnya Shayahu in his

5:09Yashayahu quote Roshamshana Rafaal Hirsh. Roshamshana Rafaal Hirsh has a unique approach to understanding the first part of this chapter that it's actually the first person is actually referring to the Jewish people essentially talking to the nations of the world and as we'll see that does seem to fit with other parts of the chapter, the middle part and some of the end part and so according to this interpretation Yashayahu in his prophecy is really speaking on behalf of the Jewish people trying to crystallize their role and mission as in Orla Goyim both in Golas and more specifically that this chapter talks about in the Messianic era what will ultimately happen when the Jewish people do Tashuva and are redeemed. Yashayahu begins, Shemu Iyim Eilai Vahakshivul Umem Me Rakhok Hashem Mibetan Kirrani Mimei Imi his Kirshimi Listen to me far flung lands and pay attention nations who are far away

6:11Hashem has called me from the womb from the innards of my mother he mentioned my name meaning even when I hadn't even been born yet he designated me with greatness and with purpose and with a mission so as we just said this could be referring to Yashayahu himself where he's taking stock of his life he's reflecting on his career and he's reflecting on it to the nations of the world because the Jews really aren't listening right now because of the persecution of Manashat according to Rev Shwab and Rev Hirsh this is actually the Jewish people talking to the nations of the world saying that even when we were in our infancy stage meaning Avraham Hashem called us and designated us for a mission Vajasem Pika Kherev Khada Bitsel Yadau Hihbiani Vajasemani Lekhates Barur Bash Paso Histirani and he made my mouth as a sharp sword something that could penetrate something that could be incisive and clear giving prophecy he hid me in the shade of his hands he protected me from harm

7:16and he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver so this metaphor of the arrow is different from the sword a sword is for close combat whereas an arrow is for long distance in both of these metaphors there are metaphors as well of protections a hand covers the sword the quiver covers the arrow Hashem is protecting Isha Yahu but in addition to that the nature of engagement is also varied the sword is close quarter an arrow is distant so Isha Yahu's mission is both close quarters to the Jewish people as well as long range to the nations of the world according to Rev Shwab that this is talking about the Jewish people as a whole so there are two roles that the Jewish people play one as a sword close quarters for between them and God as well as long distance to influence the nations of the world by omarley Avdiyata Israal Asher Bikha Espaer and he said to me you are my servant Israal in whom

8:22I pride myself so this psa makes a lot more sense according to Rev Shwab's interpretation according to most Mfarshm though that it's referring to Isha Yahu when he says you are my servant Israal in whom I pride myself it could either mean that Isha Yahu is being equated to Klaal Israal or more likely it's you Isha Yahu are the vehicle in which you will address my nation Israal in whom I will take pride meaning I will take pride in you Isha Yahu because of what you will do for my nation Israal Vaney Amarty Lerik Yogati with so who the hevel Kohi Kheleisi Akhen Mishpati Esha Shem Uf Ulasi Es Elokai and I had said I toiled for emptiness I spent my strength for not and vanity indeed my justice is with Hashem and my reward is with God so if this is referring to Isha Yahu is Isha Yahu basically saying I tried but it didn't work I tried to help the Jewish people do Chuvah to repent and didn't work

9:26according to Rav Schwab and Rav Hirsch that it's referring to the Jewish people so it's the Jewish people lamenting that they had a mission and they squandered it Batam Ar Hashem Yosremi Beten Le Evid Lo Lyshovav Yakov I love these Israel Lo Yasef VEK KHABE VEVE VEVE VEVE Aene Hashem VE Elokai Haya Uzzi and now Hashem said who created me from the womb as a servant to bring Yakov back to him and to gather Yusra'el to him and I was honored in Hashem's eyes and Hashem's and my God was my strength and so in this Paslok even Rav Schwab and Rav Hirsch say that this is Isha Yahu talking and now Hashem created me as his servant to bring the Jewish people to bring Yakov and Yusra'el back to Chuvah and Hashem gave me strength to do that Vayomer and he said Nakhel Mios Kha'ali Evid Lo Yokeem Sifte Yakov Unitsu Re Israel Lo Yashiv Unitsa Tikh al-Aorgoyim lios Yusushu Asi Ad-Kitseh Ar-Rats

10:27and he Hashem said it is too small a thing for you to be my servant to just raise up the staffs of Yakov and to return the shoots of Yusra'el rather I will make you a light for the nations so that my salvation will reach the ends of the earth so whether this is talking about Yusya Yahu personally or the Jewish people as a whole it was not just enough for the navi and the Jewish people to do to Chuvah for themselves but also to be Mekadish Shem Shemayim to inspire and educate the nations of the world as well Khavu Leman Hashem Asher Nehaman Kedosh Yusra'el Vayiv Khareka So says Hashem the Redeemer of the Jewish people and its holy one to the one whom the soul despised the nations have heard the slave of rulers meaning the Jewish

11:29people whom individuals that's what souls mean individuals as well as nations of a whole they hated you throughout exile you've been the slaves to rulers that's all going to change when Mashiach comes kings will see an arise princes will bow before you for the sake of Hashem that he has proven true the holy one of the Jewish people and he chose you that's all going to change when Mashiach comes they will honor and recognize you Kalamar Hashem at the ace Raton Anisicha Lvivyom Yusua Azarticha Vets Archav Ettenchal Leveris Am Lakits Erats Lahanchil Nakhalos Shomemos So says Hashem at the time of favor meaning at the time of redemption I will answer you on the day of salvation I will help you I will protect you and make you into a covenant for the nations meaning to inspire them as well to elevate the earth and to inherit the desolate legacies meaning all the areas and kingdoms and cultures that were steeped in idolatry you will inherit them

12:35and uplift them how will that happen? Le more la surim tsayou la sharba khoshech hegalou aldrahim yuru uvkha shfa shfa yim marisa saying to the prisoners go out to those in darkness show yourself they will graze on the roads and in the highlands their pasture so this is talking about the redemption of the Jewish people the in gathering of the exiles they'll be taken out of all of the dark places and there'll be in pastures and it'll be really easy and pleasant to get back to the land of Israel loyir avu velo yitsmo veloya came shara vashemesh ki mirachamam yinahagim valma boy mayim yinahalim they will suffer neither hunger nor thirst and the heat and the sun will not smite them for the one who has mercy upon them meaning Hashem will guide them and upon springs of water he will lead them so as we said many times this could be understood either literally or metaphorically that the aliyah process will be pleasant vissemtih al-harayla dhurech umasilo sayy

13:37yirumun and i will make all mountains into a road and my highways will be raised it'll be easy for you to go heine eileme ra khok yavo feine eileme tsafan umayyam ve eileme eritz sinim and be hold roshwab says this is a language of surprise that there will be an end gathering of the exiles why will that be a surprise so he suggests that it also refers to converts people that have Jewish nashamos inside of them that have not been expressed when they see the redemption beginning they will want to join and convert to Judaism to express their Jewish nashamos inside of them the simple interpretation though is that it's just an exclamation that be hold they will come from afar and behold those from the north and those from the west and those from the land of sinim so this is a bit of an odd phrase we have two directions and a country north and west

14:38and the land of sin what mfarsham suggests and roshwab says this as well that may ra khok could refer to the east safoan is north yom is west and that would leave sin as being south what is the land of sin so in modern heber what means china and that's what some suggest what's more likely is that it's not referring to the land of china because people didn't really know that country so well in the middle east at the time they knew it existed but they didn't really know it and that's not what they called it the sub-tuogen to understand that it refers to some area of perja but what most scholars suggest now is that it refers to aswan the southern egypt area which would make sense because that is the final cardinal direction that we've mentioned we've mentioned east north and west so the last one is south and in fact there was a Jewish community in that area in the aswan dam they were known as the Jews of elephantan island they

15:43were not there when yashayahu was talking they came later on during the Babylonian and Persian exile all these Jews from the four corners and the four cardinal directions of the earth will all be engaithred back to the land of israel runu shama'im vege li arat zufitschuh harim reena jubilate meaning rejoice heavens and rejoice earth but the mountains break out with song for hashem has comforted his people and he has had mercy on his poor ones meaning the Jewish people now that is the end of the first half of the chapter the second now begins and this is where the haftaura for parasha's akev begins as well but tomur cion azavani hashem vasem shikh echani cion says hashem has forsaken me and my lord meaning hashem has forgotten me this is going to be a theme in the upcoming chapters of ishaya who reassuring the Jewish people that their relationship with hashem

16:49even though it is certainly strained during exile was never abrogated was never cut hashem never abandoned the Jewish people hashem never forgot the Jewish people and ultimately the Jewish people's relationship with hashem will be strengthened even stronger than it was before now while this may begin a new thematic idea in ishaya's prophecies of consolation and redemption one can also understand why it is juxtaposed to what we just said and as we shall see there is a theme that repeats itself in this half of the chapter as well and that is the nations of the world recognizing the Jewish people's special relationship with hashem and facilitating the in gathering of the exiles one might have thought that if hashem wanted to inspire the nations of the world then maybe he gave up on the Jewish people and chose some other nation or maybe he

17:52should choose some other nation god forbid and as we've seen throughout history there are many nations cultures and religions that claim that Judaism has been superseded and god has chosen another prophet or another nation or another culture to be that light unto the nations and so therefore hashem and ishaya are coming to tell the Jewish people no you will always be that or lagoim that light unto the nations and because of that hashem will never forget you hashem will never abandon you hashem ishya Allah me rechem ben bitna gam elas ishem kachna wa anohi lo eshkach eich could a woman ever forget her nursing child not having mercy on the son of her womb even if these were to forget even if they could possibly forget them i will never forget you hein al-ka pa yem hukosikh humo sayikh neg ditamid behold i have inscribed you on the palm of my hands meaning ashem will always see the Jewish people in his hands it's not going

18:56to forget them and your walls meaning the walls of your jalaim and the base amictash that have been destroyed are always before me i remember them always mi harubanayikh mi harisayikh umakh harivayikh mi meikh ye tsayuh your children are in haste your destroyers and though who laid you waste will go away from you the Jewish people will be able to quickly come home and all of the enemies and people that tried to stop them will go away when the redemption comes seisaviv a naikh uri kulam nik bitsu baul baul lah khai aani hashem nuhum hashem ki khulam kaadisilbashi ushakashrim kaqala lift up your eyes all around you and see they are all gathered they are coming to you as i live seis ashem you will close yourself with all of them as an adornment and you will tie them onto yourself as your bride thmafar shim have different ways to understand who this is talking about

19:58meaning it refers to the Jewish people returning to the land of israel but who are being gathered and worn as clothing and jewelry so one explanation is that it refers to the Jewish people that the Jewish nation will return home and all of the Jewish souls all of the Jewish people will be jewelry and an adornment for the Jewish entity that's one explanation another explanation that the mafar shim says that it refers to who we mentioned in the previous pasok the enemies of the Jewish people that even the enemies that those that tried to stop us they will join us as we come to your rushalayim and they will be an adornment for the Jewish people which is thematically consistent with this chapter discussing the Jewish role of being an orlegoyim a light unto the nations. Rew Schwab as he explained earlier as well says that this may refer to the converts or the non-Jewish people that

21:00have Jewish nishamas inside of them that are moved to join the Jewish people. Ki khar voseikh vishaume mosaikh v eritz harisusikh kiyatatatari miyoshyev virachakul mivla aikh as to your ruins and your desolate places and your destroyed lands that's all going to change you will now become crowded with inhabitants and your destroyers have been distanced from you odyomru beoz naikh binneikh shikulayikh sarliha makom geshali ve eheva the children from whom you were bereaved who you lost or who were captured will get say in your ears this place is too crowded for me it's no longer abandoned there's too too little room there's so many people make room for me so i can sit down ve amart bil vaveikh and you will say then in your heart miyoladli s aile vanis ikhlua ve galmudah gola ve surah ve aile mi gideel hein anin esharti levadi aile aifohem

22:04then you will say in your heart who bore these for me for i was bereaved of children in alone an exile and a wanderer and who raised these children that are now filling the land behold i was all left alone so from where are all these children where did they come once again this could be referring to the gay rim to the non-Jewish people that have converted to Judaism that joined us throughout all of our wanderings and exiles throughout each stage where we were serving as an orla goyum and non-Jews were inspired to join the Jewish people so these could be the quote unquote children that have appeared out of thin air another explanation is that in a more simple way it's referring to the rebirth and repopulation of the Jewish people in the land of Israel and the survivors of the previous generation who had lost so many loved ones couldn't fathom how the nation and the land could be rebuilt so much that it would feel crowded and they'll

23:08exclaim out of surprise how could this happen how how did this grow so tremendously and barachashem we've merit to see that in the post-war generation where six million Jews were martyred al-Qaeda shashem you had survivors who had lost parents children, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands their lives were broken and somehow through superhuman strength and siat edishmayah they not only rebuilt their families but they rebuilt the land of Israel and so they would exclaim you have survivors and we have videos of survivors saying I'm surprised that this could happen how could the Jewish people bounce back to be even greater than they were before and that's what Yashayahu is prophesizing. Koamar Hashem al-Okim Hinei as saw al-Goyim Yodiv el-Amiyem Aris Nisi, Vehaviu, Wa Na'ach, Bechosen, Uvanosa'ach al-Khasef, Tino-Seah. So says my Lord Hashem

24:12God behold I will lift up my hands to the nations and to the peoples I will raise my banner and they will bring your sons in their arm and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders meaning the nations of the world will facilitate the engathering of the exiles. Aris Yashach al-Okim Hinei, Vehaviu, Wa Na'ach, Bechosen, Uvanosa'ach al-Khasef, Tino-Seah, Uvanosa'ach al-Khasef, Tino-Seah, Uvanosa'ach al-Khasef, Tino-Seah, Uvanosa'ach al-Khasef, Tino-Seah, Kins will be your nurturers and their noble women will be your nurses they will prostrate themselves to you with their faces to the ground they will lick the dust of your feet meaning they will recognize you as an oralvagoyim as God's chosen people and then you will know that I am Hashem and that those who place their hope in me, Hashem will not be disappointed have faith in exile. Ha'yukach mi-gibor malkoach, vi'm shavit sadik, ima-late, can the prey be taken away from the mighty

25:12or can the rightful captive escape meaning someone that has been captured so strongly are they able to escape the clutches of their captors usually not. But this time it will be different. Kikro amar Hashem gam shavit gibor yukach, umalkach arit, ima-late, ves yirivech, anochia-riv, ves banayach, anochia-o-shia. But Hashem did say even the captivity of the mighty will be taken away and the prey of the strong will escape and your war will I fight and your children will I save. Hashem will take out the Jewish people no matter what force is holding them back. Hul-bassar ki-ani Hashem, mo-shieikh, ve-gawaleh, avir-ya akov. I will feed your oppressors their own flesh and they will imbibe as juice their own blood and all flesh will know that I am Hashem your saver and your redeemer is the mighty one of yakov meaning Hashem will punish the captors and the abusers of the enemies of the Jewish people

26:19and through that everyone will know that Hashem is the savior of the Jewish people and the one true power.