Isaiah 27:6 - 13 (Haftorah Parshat Shmot) - Gone With the Wind

בס"ד

 

Much of the haftorah for Parshat Shmot is from Isaiah chapter 27. It starts by comparing Israel to a plant that some day will root, blossom, bud, and produce fruit for the whole world. It also insinuates that they act like weeds and thorns against the Holy One, blessed be He. The weeds and thorns are the sins of the nation. The fruitful flower is the mature nation which has reached the state of perfection. This would be the days of the messiah. 

Here it mentions the sins of fetish trees and sun-pillars (אֲשֵׁרִים וְחַמָּנִים see verse 9). Later on the prophet condemns them as a people devoid of understanding. It seems that the offense is stubborn ignorant primitivism. In fact the times that Isaiah prophesied were generally good but the direction was bad, which would eventually cause a painful exile. At times it would seem that Israel was headed for extinction. However the experience is compared to a man threshing grain. So to speak Hashem will hit Israel with a stick until he separates out the seeds and the chaff will blow away with the wind. What remains will be gathered from among the nations to the land of Israel and will worship G-d at the Temple in Jerusalem.

The verse is, “In will be on that day, a great shofar shall be blasted; and they will come those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were expelled in the land of Egypt and worship the LORD on the holy mount, in Jerusalem”, (Ibid 13). It is also quoted in the liturgy for Rosh HaShana and was set to music by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.

לע"נ  האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח

העלון ניתן לקבל גם באתר  http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com