Musar zu Jeschijahu 49:78

Just as we know that when an artisan does a task he has only one intention, to do it to the very best of his ability, and that according to the greatness of his skill will be the accuracy of his work, and since we see that the world is created with the utmost accuracy, we know that God created it with the utmost wisdom. Just as the good artisan has but one intent, to do lovely and good work, and just as a good and wise potter* whose whole intention is to fashion very beautiful vessels; if one of them should come forth unattractive, crooked or imperfect, he will reject it and he will not include it with the beautiful vessels, but he will cast it aside or will break it—so, too, the Creator, blessed be He, had only one intent, to create in His world the good and the pious. And if there exists sinners, God rejects them, for they do not perfect the work of creation. Just as the wise artisan when he produces a beautiful piece of work boasts of it to all who see him, so does the Creator, blessed be He, glory in His pious ones, as it is said (Isaiah 44:23), “And he doth glorify Himself in Israel.” And it says further (ibid., 49:3), “Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” He vaunts Himself in His pious ones, for they testify to the perfection of His work and offer clear evidence to the righteousness of His deeds. As for the wicked, they are the opposite of which we have spoken. They place a blemish on His creation. They are a cause of the profanation of His glorious name. So that those who see them say that the work of the Creator, blessed be He, is not good, as it is said (Ezekiel 36:20), “And when they came unto the nations, whither they came, they profaned My holy name; in that men said of them: These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His land.”

The fifth path is [that] on the ten days of repentance, the heart of one who fears the Lord will pine inside himself, knowing in his mind that all of his deeds are written in a book and that at that time, God brings all of His creation to judgement about all that is hidden - whether for the good or for the bad. For man is judged on Rosh Hashanah and his final verdict is sealed on Yom Kippur. And at a time that he knows that they will bring his case in front of a king of flesh and blood, does he not tremble greatly, seek counsel for himself and scurry industriously to find a way to escape? And it does not come to his spirit to turn to the right or to the left or to occupy himself with the rest of his business. And he will not break up and furrow his land nor turn through the vineyards. And on a day of distress, he will not falter from preparing his heart to escape like a deer from the hand [of the hunter]. Therefore how foolish are those who go out to their labors and their work until the evening on the Days of Awe - days of judgement and verdict - and do not know what their verdict will be. Is it not that their hearts are preoccupied [even] about their sister on the day when she will be spoken for - as it is stated (Song of Songs 8:8), "What shall we do for our sister when she is spoken for?" And it is fitting for anyone that fears God to reduce his affairs, so that his ideas are at ease; to fix times during the day and night to seclude himself in his rooms, search his ways and investigate; to be early to the watches and occupy himself with the ways of repentance and the refinement of action; and to pour out speech, raise prayer and song and to lay down supplication. And this time is a time of [good] will, and prayer will be heard on it - like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 49:8), "In an hour of favor I answer you, and on a day of salvation I help you." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Rosh Hashanah 18a), "'Seek the Lord while He can be found' - these are the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur." And it is a positive commandment from the Torah for a man to arouse his spirit to repent on Yom Kippur, as it is stated (Leviticus 16:30), "of all your sins, you shall be pure before the Lord." Therefore Scripture warned us that we should purify ourselves before God with our repentance; and He will atone for us on that day to purify us.

The third level is the negative commandment that is rectified by a positive commandment: Our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 141a) [that] we do not give lashes for a negative commandment that is rectified by a positive commandment - for example (Deuteronomy 22:6), “you shall not take the mother from over the young,” is rectified by a positive commandment, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 22:7), “You shall surely send away.” But even though they would not give lashes through the court [in such a case], there were some with weighty punishments, such that it would reach the heavens and their judgement would be raised to the clouds. For example theft - as it is stated (Leviticus 19:13), “you shall not rob” (Leviticus 5:23) - is rectified by a positive commandment, as it is stated “and returned what he robbed.” Yet they said (Sanhedrin 108a), “The final judgement of the generation of the Flood was sealed only because of robbery, as it is stated (Genesis 6:13), ‘The end of all flesh has come in front of Me, for the earth is filled with extortion.’” And even though sexual immorality is weightier than robbery, it is the characteristic of the punishment of robbery to bring close its day and to quicken the future [consequences] to it. And they [also] said (Vayikra Rabbah 33:2), “[If you have] a seah full of iniquities, there is no prosecutor among all of them like robbery.” And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said about treasures [acquired] from dishonesty and fraud (Proverbs 21:6), “Treasures acquired by a lying tongue are like driven vapor, heading for death.” The explanation is [that] treasuries [acquired from] dishonesty and fraud are vanishing vapor, for their end is destruction. And while they are still in his possession, they are his enemies and seek the life of their master and cause his death - like the matter that is stated, (Habakkuk 2:9-11) “Ah, you who have acquired gains to the detriment of your own house, etc. For a stone shall cry out from the wall.” And in [the case of] robbing the poor, one is liable for death at the hands of the Heavens on account of it, as it is stated (Proverbs 22:22-23), “Do not rob the indigent for he is indigent; and do not crush the poor man in the gate. For the Lord will take up their cause and despoil those who despoil them of life.” Its explanation is, “do not rob from the indigent” because “he is indigent” and has no one to help him; “and do not crush the poor man in the gate,” with shame and disgrace. And “in the gate,” is to say, in public. And it is like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 3:15), “How dare you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” “For the Lord will take up their cause,” since they have no support, or someone to argue and take up their cause. “And despoil those who despoil them of life” - since the cry of the indigent has been brought to Him, He will not take money from you in place of the loot that you robbed, but rather God will remove your soul. And it is stated (Job 27:8), “For what hope has the impious man when he is cut down, when God takes away his life?” And it is also stated (Proverbs 1:19), “Such is the fate of all who pursue unjust gain; It takes the life of its possessor.” And one who torments and pains a widow or an orphan - whether with robbery, or fraud or shame or any type of pain - is liable for death at the hands of the Heavens. And likewise the judges who are able to rescue someone robbed from him who defrauded him, and do not judge [the case of an] orphan, have a death sentence upon them - as it is stated (Exodus 22:21-23), “You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. If you do oppress them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me. And My anger shall blaze forth and I will put you to the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.” Its explanation is, “and your wives shall become widows,” corresponding to the oppression of the widow; “and your children orphans,” corresponding to the oppression of the orphan - measure for measure. And even though these punishments are not written [about the following], one who pains any Israelite transgresses a negative commandment - as it is stated (Leviticus 25:17), “A man shall not oppress (tonu) his kinsman.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 58b) the verse is speaking about verbal oppression. And that is from the contents of pain and torment, like the usage “(Isaiah 49:26), “I will make your oppressors (monayich) eat their own flesh.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, [also] said (Bava Metzia 59a), “All the gates [of prayer] have been closed, except for the gates of [one who is praying as a result of his] oppression.” And where Scripture was speaking about financial oppression, it mentioned buying and selling, as it is stated (Leviticus 25:14), “When you sell property to your kinsman.” And they said (Bava Metzia 58b) [that] verbal oppression is greater than financial oppression, for this is upon his body and that is upon his money - and about [the former] it stated (Leviticus 25:17), “but you shall fear your God,” but about [the latter (25:14)], “but you shall fear,” is not stated.

And a Torah scholar that does not act modestly is liable, because he distances the Torah from the love of the creatures. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 114a), “About this is it stated (Proverbs 8:36), ‘all who hate me love death.’” The explanation of haters is, those that cause hate - as they cause the creatures to hate the Torah. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 86a), “[When a man] reads [Torah], studies [Mishnah, ...]; and he speaks pleasantly with other people, is pleasant with [them] in his business transactions in the marketplace and gives and takes faithfully - what do people say about him? Fortunate is his father [and his mother] who taught him Torah, [...], woe to the people who have not studied Torah. So-and-so who was taught Torah - see how [beautiful] are his ways, how proper are his deeds. About him does the verse state (Isaiah 49:3), ‘You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ [But when a man] reads [Torah], studies [Mishnah, ...]; but he does not speak pleasantly with other people, is not pleasant with [them] in his business transactions in the marketplace and does not give and take faithfully - what do people say about him? Woe to so-and-so who studied Torah, woe to his teacher and to his father who taught him Torah. So-and-so who studied Torah - see how [ugly] are his deeds, and how [corrupted] are his ways. About him, the verse states (Ezekiel 36:20), ‘they caused My holy name to be profaned, in that it was said of them, “These are the people of the Lord, yet they had to leave His land.”’”

And if a man is careful in guarding himself from these things and if his words are gentle with all people and he is pleasant and sociable with them, is abused by them but does not abuse them, honors them — even those who make light of him — and deals with every person honestly and does not spend too much time in the gatherings of the ignorant and their parties, and is not seen flitting about, but occupies himself with Torah, wrapped in his fringed Tallit and crowned with his Tefillin, and does more than is required of him by the letter of the law, but at the same time, does not separate himself utterly from the community and make himself a hermit, and if as a result of his behavior every one will praise him and love him and long to emulate his deeds — such a person sanctifies the Name of God and about him Scripture says! "And he said to me 'You are my servant Israel through whom I will be glorified' " (Is. 49:3).

Also, when a man is plunged in pain or grief he has not the strength to fulfill the request of someone who is speaking to him or is asking him for a favor. And it is written : "In an acceptable time have I answered you" (Is. 49:8).

This solves all the problems in the Midrash we have quoted. Before addressing other parts of the פרשה, allow me some remarks about the פרשה in general, after which I will deal with specific matters raised in this portion. We shall be guided by the approach in Midrash Tanchuma which commences its commentary on our פרשה with the verse: ויגבה ה' צבאות במשפט, והאל הקדוש נקדש בצדקה, "The Lord of Hosts is exalted by judgment, the Holy G–d proved holy by righteousness" (Isaiah 5,16). The Midrash says: "When is G–d perceived as exalted in His world? When He performs justice with the Gentile nations." The Midrash, at the end of the paragraph, cites Isaiah 49,3: "He (G–d) said to me: 'You are My servant, Israel in whom I glory.'"

Nachmanides has this to say on the expression of לכבוד ולתפארת, in 28,2: "As far as the mystical dimension of these instructions, i. e. ועל דרך האמת, is concerned: They should make prestigious garments for Aaron so that he could perform service in them to the G–d who represents true glory and splendour and who dwells amongst the Israelites. The might and glory of the Jewish people is their G–d, as we know from Psalms 89,18: כי תפארת עוזמו אתה, "For You are their strength in which they glory." We also know this from Isaiah 64,10 בית קדשנו ותפארתנו אשר הללוך אבותינו, "Our Holy Temple and the site of our glory where our forefathers praised You." The word קדשנו refers to our כבוד, honour, the word תפארתנו to the glory of Israel. We also have a verse in Psalms 96,6: עוז ותפארת במקדשו, "Strength and glory in His Sanctuary." Isaiah 60,13 speaks of לפאר מקום מקדשי ומקום רגלי אכבד, "To glorify the site of My Sanctuary and the place where My feet rest." The prophet evidently describes that the site of the Temple is to reflect G–d's splendour and honour. G–d is glorified through Israel viz: Isaiah 49,3: ישראל אשר בך אתפאר, "I glory in you Israel."

Similar promises by G–d are quoted as rewards for our having constructed the table in the Tabernacle, as a reward for which Israel is told it would neither suffer hunger nor thirst. As a reward for making the candlestick, G–d is quoted as promising to ensure that we shall not lack light in the future, that the original light which illuminated the earth at the time Adam was created would be restored. Finally, in return for having constructed the Holy Ark to house the Torah, G–d promises all His goodness.

There is yet another dimension, which, if properly understood also explains the words of Shemot Rabbah 21,4 on the question מה תצעק אלי. The Midrash quotes Psalms 65,3: שומע תפלה עדיך כל בשר יבואו, "All mankind comes to You, You who hear prayer;" Rabbi Pinchas, quoting a number of sages, says that the Jewish people do not offer their prayers at one and the same time or from one and the same location, but stagger the times of their prayers. Once all congregations have concluded, the angel in charge of prayers gathers them all up, forms them into "crowns," and places the crowns on the head of G–d. We know this because of the verse quoted from Psalm 65. The word עדיך means "crown," as per Isaiah 49,18: כלם כעדי תלבשי, "You don them all like jewels." We have a similar verse a few lines earlier (49,3) in the same chapter: "Israel I glory in you!" This refers to G–d putting on the phylacteries of Israel as: עטרת תפארת בראשך, "a beautiful diadem will crown Your head" (Proverbs 4,9). Thus far the Midrash.

We have now learned that the three parts of the Tabernacle correspond to the three parts of the universe concerning which King David said in Psalms 103,20: "Bless the Lord, O, His angels, mighty creatures who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding. Bless the Lord all His hosts, His servants who do His will; bless the Lord all His works, through the length and breadth of His realm." David's son Solomon also adopted his father's outlook when he alluded to this in three consecutive verses in Song of Songs 5,13-15. Three different parts of the human body form the subject of those verses, each one representing a different aspect of the universe and how man's composition reflects this division of the universe into three constituent parts. I (Rabbenu Bachyah) have explained this in detail when I discussed Jacob's dream of the ladder." Thus far the quotation from Rabbenu Bachyah.

Therefore, it is proper that everyone who reveres God should lessen his usual occupations and let his thoughts be calm, and let him fix hours, during the day and a night, when he can sit alone in his rooms and examine his ways and search them out, and arise even before the watches of the morning to occupy himself with the paths of repentance. And let him not do as in most cases where people fast, or rise early to pray, but they do not actually wage war against the sins in order to remove from themselves every ugly thing. For if a man prays and fasts, and confesses, and still clings to his former ways — this is not the path of repentance. But a man should arouse himself to do complete repentance during the Ten Days of Repentance, for this is a time when God accepts his plea and his prayer is heard, as it is said, "In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee" (Is. 49:8). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Seek the Lord while He may be found" (Is. 55:6) — these are the ten days that are between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (Rosh Hashana 18a). And they also said that the Day of Atonement, together with repentance, atones. Therefore Scripture has warned us that we should repent and make ourselves pure before God, Blessed be He, in our ways of repentance. As it is said, "From all your sins shall ye be clean before the Lord" (Lev. 16:30). And then he will atone for us with this day, to purify us (Yoma 85b).

When Isaiah 49,3 quotes G–d as saying of Israel: ישראל אשר בך אתפאר, "Israel, you, in whom I glory," the reference may well be to Jacob in his capacity of ישראל סבא who dons the phylacteries of the head. Those phylacteries are known as פאר, as glorious headdress, as is well known. I have already mentioned that the whole Torah is compared to תפילין. Torah itself is subsumed in the word את, which the Talmud in Shabbat 55 understands as referring to people who observe Torah from א-ת. The extra letters את in אתפאר refer to such people.

The reason that the Midrash also quoted the verse from Proverbs 4,9 describing the crown on G–d's head as His תפארת, glory, is, that it wishes to alert us to the fact that there are times -such as when Israel is on its own land- when G–d actively desires our prayers. At such a time the prayers are both עטרת and תפארת. During such times G–d is perceived as courting כנסת ישראל, the spiritual equivalent of the people of Israel, much as a groom courts a bride. This is understood in kabbalistic circles as the union of the emanation תפארת and מלכות.