Kaisipang Hudyo sa Isaias 65:17: Derush Chiddushei HaLevanah & Guide for the Perplexed

God, our Lord: How glorious is Your name throughout the earth! [This phrase was already stated in the second verse of this psalm, and is repeated here. Nevertheless,] the second half of the phrase, for You have placed Your glory above the heavens, is not repeated. Our Sages⁶²Shabbos 89a. noted this fact and explained that [the omission indicates that] the angels [acknowledged the validity of Moshe’s arguments, and] agreed that the Torah should be given on this material plane. According to our understanding – that [this portion of the psalm is a prophecy regarding the] Ultimate Future, when the evil inclination will cease to exist, for God will slay it⁶³Sukkah 52a. – at that time, our mouths and our tongues will be filled with joyous song, and we will proclaim God, our Lord: How glorious is Your name throughout the earth! even though God will not place His glory and might above the heavens. For then God will create a new heaven and a new earth, as prophesied by Yeshayahu.⁶⁴See Yeshayahu 65:17, 66:22. Then, there will be no need to fear from the heavenly forces, for mankind will all be righteous. Why then would there be [the phenomenon of] a righteous man who suffers? [In particular, the above is true] according to the Zohar,⁶⁵Zohar, Vol. I, p. 4b-5a. which explains that “the new heavens and the new earth” will be created through the new Torah insights that the Torah scholars will develop. Accordingly, the heavenly hosts will not oppose [the righteous], for the very existence of these heavenly hosts is the result of the Torah [study of the righteous]. Therefore, there is no need to state place Your glory above the heavens.

Our opinion, in support of which we have quoted these passages, is clearly established, namely, that no prophet or sage has ever announced the destruction of the Universe, or a change of its present condition, or a permanent change of any of its properties. When our Sages say, “The world remains six thousand years, and one thousand years it will be waste,” they do not mean a complete cessation of existing things; the phrase “one thousand years it will be waste” distinctly shows that time will continue: besides, this is the individual opinion of one Rabbi, and in accordance with one particular theory. But on the other hand the words, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles. 1:9), in the sense that no new creation takes place in any way and under any circumstances, express the general opinion of our Sages, and include a principle which every one of the doctors of the Mishnah and the Talmud recognises and makes use of in his arguments. Even those who understand the words “new heavens and a new earth” in their literal sense hold that the heavens, which will in future be formed, have already been created and are in existence, and that for this reason the present tense “remain” is used, and not the future “will remain.” They support their view by citing the text, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Do not imagine that this is opposed to our opinion. They mean, perhaps, to say that the natural laws, by which the promised future condition of Israel will be effected, have been in existence since the days of the Creation, and in that they are perfectly correct.