Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Isaias 55:4

The message in these words may also reflect what we have learned in Sotah 21: "when someone is actively engaged in performing a מצוה, this will protect him against impending disaster as well as save him from difficulties he finds himself in. When a person is not actively engaged in performing a מצוה, his merits will protect him against impending disasters but will not save him from troubles he is in already. When someone has not just one מציה to his credit but Torah itself (the whole range of מצוה observance), it will both protect him from impending disaster and save him if he finds himself in trouble already. The words שמוע תשמעו then mean: "if you are aware that listening to G'd's voice is useful on two levels, namely 1) to grant you life (compare Isaiah,55,4: 'listen so that your soul will live'), and 2) ושמרתם את בריתי, 'and observe My covenant,' it will protect you against the evil urge. We have expanded the meaning of G'd's דבור, speech whose function it is to be heard, to be listened to. The principal commandment described here (and in the Ten Commandments) is to absorb the meaning of the Torah by listening to it when it is presented. All the advantages of Torah are directly derived by people listening to its words. In this instance, the people would benefit by listening to the voice of the living G'd, and they would observe His commandments in order that the evil urge would not gain control over them. When the Torah adds the conjunctive letter ו before the word ושמרתם, this is to indicate that as the result of carefully listening to G'd's instructions, He would prevent the evil urge from leading them into sin. Listening to G'd's words would not only have intellectual benefits but immediate practical benefits.

We can now understand the relation of Pesach, matzah, and maror. At first, in the time of Adam, when the Pesach offering was offered, it became maror, bitter, because Cain killed his brother when God accepted Abel’s offering and not his. In the time of Jacob, the offering became a source of strife (matzah⁸⁶The word matzah also means contention. See Isaiah 55:4 and Proverbs 17:19 – “He who loves transgression, loves strife.” (matzah). The words are homonyms and not related grammatically.) between Jacob and Esau. Esau accused Jacob of stealing his blessing by bringing the offering before him. But in the time of the Exodus, the Pesach offering symbolized how God passed over the doorways of the Israelites saving them and telling them not to leave their homes so that the destroyer could smite Egypt.

THAT I MAY GIVE HIM [Joshua] A CHARGE. “This means that I may exhort him.” This is Rashi’s language. But there is no need for this, because G-d’s statement [to Joshua] for thou shalt bring [the children of Israel into the Land]¹⁶Further, Verse 23. is a command, and, if he were to be indolent and not do so, he would be liable to the death-penalty. It is possible that the meaning of that I may give him a charge is that I will appoint him a prince and commander¹⁷Isaiah 55:4. over Israel, and thou shalt give him a charge in their sight.¹⁸Numbers 27:19.