Commentaire de citation sur Isaïe 45:11

A Midrashic approach, Tanchuma Pinchas 11: The reason that the passage dealing with the daily communal sacrifices adjoins the one in which Moses asked for his successor to be appointed is to show that G’d told Moses: “before you tell Me what to do for My son (the Israelites) tell them what they have to do for Me.” This is also the meaning of Isaiah 45,11: האותיות שאלוני על בני ועל פעל ידי תצוני, “Will you question Me on the destiny of My children, will you instruct Me about the works of My hands?” The matter can best be illustrated by a parable. A king married a certain lady. The king had a friend who, whenever the king was angry at his wife, interceded on her behalf and calmed him down. When this friend was close to death (seeing he was an elderly man) he asked the king to tell him what he really thought of his wife. The king replied: “before I tell you what I think of my wife, i.e. before you tell me how to treat her, you better find out what she thinks of me and warn her not to insult my dignity.”

מה תצעק אלי WHEREFORE CRIEST THOU UNTO ME? — there is no mention that he prayed to God concerning this, but this teaches us that Moses stood in prayer. Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “It is no time now to pray at length, when Israel is placed in trouble”. Another explanation of מה תצעק אלי (taking it in the sense of “Wherefore criest thou? אלי it is to Me — concerns Me”) — upon Me rests this matter and not upon thee. The idea contained in this explanation is similar to what is expressed elsewhere: (Isaiah 45:11) “Concerning My sons and concerning the work of My hands will ye command Me?” (Mekhilta)

their molten images Heb. נִסְכֵּיהֶם. Comp. (supra 40:19) “The graven image the craftsman melted (נָסַךְ).” Jonathan renders this section differently: [27] The first one to Zion etc. The words of consolation that the prophets prophesied concerning Zion, from before, behold they have come. And according to the Targum, the entire section speaks of the King Messiah and of the last redemption, but I see that the prophecy that Isaiah prophesied concerning Cyrus is all in the same language as this section. Comp. (infra 45:13) “I aroused him with righteousness”; (Infra 46:11) “Calling from the east a bird of prey”; (infra 45:11) “The signs ask Me;” (infra 46:10) “Who tells from the beginning the end.” All of this resembles the topic of this section.