Parshas VaEschanan always falls right after the fast of the Ninth of Av
and is called Shabbos Nachamu (consolation (נחמו.
This is the first word of the haphtarah in which words of consolation because
of the destruction of the Temple are given. So to speak the nation of Israel is
being comforted because of this national tragedy.
The prophet, Isaiah, lists a number of sins, however, the fact that they
were done so wantonly is what makes them particularly heinous. Their words and
deeds were blatant sacrileges, they knew what they were doing, and it could be
seen on their faces. He then laments the miserable situation of the malevolent
because the recompense of their hands has come upon them. The daughters of
Zion, a metaphor but not totally, are condemned for their vanity, brazenness,
and invective.
The prophet continues that after defeat in war, everything they did for
beauty will be ugly and putrid. The people will then publicly lament and mourn.
With this attitudes will drastically change, “Seven women
shall take hold of one man on that day, saying, ‘Our bread we will eat, and our
clothing we will wear. Only let your name be called on us; take away our
reproach’. On that day, the sprout of Hashem shall be for a prize and an honor,
and the fruit of the land for pride and beauty for the survivors of Israel,"
(see Isaiah 3:16 – 4:1). This is the repentance.
The haphtarah
is the consolation. The
prophet Isaiah is told to speak to the heart of Jerusalem and tell them that
they have been sternly punished but, holy One, blessed be He, is burying the
hatchet. He has been appeased and everything they lost will be recovered. The
prophet continues that the way to Hashem has been cleared. The wilderness has
become a straight path, the chasms have been raised, the mountains have been
flattened, and the scrub land has become a field (see Isaiah 40:2).
The basic idea seems to revolve around religious guilt. People will run
to do evil because it may be good for a very big laugh. Others will cling to
transgressions out of vanity, lust, or greed. There are those who assimilate
purely because of the serious sin of neglect of Torah. The first people to
point out these shortcomings are their family, friends, and teachers, because
they love them and desire their good.
Usually the violator can come up with a flawed rationale to justify errant
behavior, but over time even this is proved to be an absolute lie. The people
should change but never the less cling to their errors. At this point they become trapped. Even if
they try to follow the correct path they become clumsy and strange. A calamity
may even be welcome, because the attendant horrors may expiate guilt. After
that they can walk away from their old lives of stupidity and accept the
invitation extended to them for something better. All of their crooked ways
become straight. The thicket blocking them from their hearts vanishes. The
mountains and chasms become a plain.
The message of Shabbos Nachamu is that our crimes can indeed destroy the
Temple. However what we lost is recoverable. We should not view chastisements
as pointless pain but rather as a vehicle for purification because the time
will come when our past well-being and glory will be restored.
לע"נ, הדוד ,שמואל
בן נח ז"ל נלב"ע ט"ו אב תשס"ט,
Acknowledgements to websites:
תורת אמת, וויקיטקסט, http://dictionary.reference.com/,
http://hebrewbooks.org/,
וגם בדואר אלקטרוני
ניתן באתר http://dyschreiber.blogspot.co.il
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