Musar su Isaia 38:78

A real love for one's children must be in this path — that he thinks always to guide his children in the paths of Justice, and teach them the manner of serving God. Blessed is He, according to what is said: "The father shall make known to the children Thy truth" (Is. 38:19). And it is written: "And you shall make known (the lessons of Sinai) to your children and your children's children" (Deut. 4:9). And, as it is said concerning Abraham, "For I know him to the end that he should command his children and his household after him" (Gen. 18:19).

There are several kinds of mercy and each rather far apart from the other. The mercy of a father on his child — this is a mercy that comes from the very nature of all creatures that live, as in the case of dogs and cattle. And then there is the case of the master who has mercy on his servant and the man who has mercy on his friend. Even though he expects some benefit from his act, nevertheless, it is very good that he should grasp and hold in his heart the quality of mercy. But the best and most lofty manifestation of the quality of mercy is when a man has mercy upon his son in order to bring him to the service of the Creator, may He be Blessed, as it is written; "The father shall make known Thy truth to his children" (Is. 38:19), and has more mercy upon his son's soul than upon his body. For it is necessary to strike him with the rod of chastisement in order to make him walk in the right path, yes, even if he chastises him harshly, for this apparently cruel conduct is in reality sublime mercy. And if he should withhold the rod of chastisement from his son because he feels too much pity for him to strike him and lets his son go on in the hardness of his evil heart — then this type of mercy drives out and destroys the son from life in the world to come. And even one who raises an orphan of whom it is said: "Ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child" (Exod. 22:21), it is a commandment to give stripes even to him in order to make him go upright in the upright path. Nevertheless he must, in spite of this command, (to correct the orphan) conduct himself with this orphan with more mercy than with all others, but he must not permit him to go on in the obduracy of his heart.

In the meantime Rabbi Yitzchak awoke. He was smiling and his countenance was shining. Rabbi Shimon noticed and looked into Rabbi Yitzchak’s face. He asked, “Have you heard anything new?” He said to him, “Most certainly,” and he related to him all that he had seen. Then Rabbi Yitzchak prostrated himself before Rabbi Shimon and refused to leave him, but toiled continually in Torah. From that day forward Rabbi Shimon never separated from Rabbi Yitzchak. When Rabbi Yitzchak would enter Rabbi Shimon’s presence he would call out, “Hashem, steal me away and be my guarantor!” (Yeshayahu 38:14). [This was the prayer of King Chizkiyahu at the time of his illness, but Rabbi Yitzchak said it as an expression of praise and thanks to the Holy One Blessed is He, who stole him away from the Angel of Death and delivered him.]

Likewise Chizkiyahu said: "to peace it is bitterness for me" (Isaiah 38:17) since the Holy One, blessed be He, answered him: "I will defend this city to save it, for My sake and for the sake of My servant David" (Isaiah 37:35). This is as the statement of our sages: "whoever makes his request depend on his own merit, is shown that it was dependent on the merit of others" (Berachot 10b).

And when he contemplates further and pictures in his mind the moment he enters before the great Beit Din of the heavenly host, when he finds himself before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who is absolutely pure and holy, in the midst of the assembly of holy ones, mighty servants, strong in power, obeying His word, without any blemish whatsoever, and he stands before them, base, lowly, and petty in and of himself, defiled and polluted due to his deeds. Will he then raise his head? Will he have what to answer? And when they ask him: "where has your mouth gone? Where is the pride and honor which you assumed in your world?"

What will he answer? What will he reply to this rebuke? Behold, certainly if for one moment, a person were to visualize in his mind this truth with a true and strong picture, all of his arrogance would blast off in flight, never to return.

Our sages in Sanhedrin 94 discuss how G–d had intended to appoint king Chiskiyahu as the Messiah and to make the battle against Sancheriv the one the prophets describe as the war of Gog and Magog. When apprised of this, the Attribute of Justice demurred, saying that if King David, who had composed so many hymns to G–d, had not been found worthy to become the Messiah, how could G–d appoint Chiskiyahu, for whom He had performed so many miracles, and who had not composed a single song of thanksgiving in return as the Messiah? This objection is hard to understand in view of Isaiah 38,9 which introduces a "letter" (poem) from Chiskiyahu in which he expresses his thanks to G–d for his recovery in very lyrical terms. We must therefore assume, that the Attribute of Justice faulted Chiskiyahu for having waited until after he had recovered before composing his poem of gratitude. A man whom we associate with the stature of the Messiah should have thanked G–d immediately after having been told by G–d that he would recover, especially since that promise had been accompanied by a sign from G–d (the sun dial turning backwards).