YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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THE WEEKLY HAFTORA
By Rav Yehuda Shaviv
Haftora for Shabbat Para
(Yechezkel 36:16-38)
The third of the four special parshiot deals with the purification from the impurity of death. This is achieved through sprinkling special water mixed with the ashes of a burned red heifer, as specified at the beginning of parashat Chukat. This reading is meant
"to remind Israel to purify themselves, in order that they may (be ready to) bring the Pesach sacrifice in purity" (Rashi on Megilla 29a).
a. Impurity vs. Purity
The haftora, too, speaks of impurity and purity. It begins with impurity:
"When Bnei Yisrael dwelled in their land, they defiled it with their deeds; like the impurity of a nidda was their way before Me." (17)
It progresses towards purification:
"And I will sprinkle over you waters of purification and you will be purified, from all your impurities and from all your idolatry I will purify you." (25)
However, there is a great difference between these two types of impurity. The parasha describes real impurity contracted through contact with a corpse or remaining under the same roof as a corpse, while the haftora is describing a symbolic, metaphoric impurity. Here it is not the person who is defiled because of his location (i.e., under the same roof as the corpse); rather, it is Bnei Yisrael themselves who have defiled their land through idolatry; they have become the cause of impurity. The haftora speaks not of impurity of the body but rather of impurity of the soul.
Thus, the common theme lies not in the impurity but rather in the purification.
b. Two Types of Purity
There are two actions that bring about purification. One is common to all types of impurity – immersion in a mikva. The individual who has become ritually impure immerses himself (for some types of impurity living waters are required), and he emerges purified (in some cases he must wait a whole day and then bring a sacrifice). The impurity brought about by contact with the dead is unique in that immersion is not sufficient to cancel it; a mixture of water with ashes of the red heifer must be sprinkled over him on the third day and on the seventh day, and only thereafter is his immersion effective. What is the difference between immersion and sprinkling? Immersion is in the hands of the individual himself. If he is at the sea or at a river or at a mikva, he may immerse himself, of his own initiative. Sprinkling, on the other hand, requires someone other than himself who will sprinkle the waters over him. In the act of sprinkling, it is the other person who is active while the individual who is impure is passive. This would seem to imply that the gravity of the impurity of death is so great that the individual himself is actually incapable of acting for his self- purification; he requires someone else to assist him. The encounter with death leaves the individual helpless; he needs those around him to help him regain his strength, his purity.
It is this second type of impurity that is discussed in the haftora: "And I will sprinkle over you waters of purification and you will be purified."
c. Two Types of Correction
Just as we distinguished two possibilities for purification from impurity of the body, so there are two possibilities for purification from impurity of the soul. One is well known – teshuva. In the process of teshuva the sinner is active; he regrets what he has done, corrects his deeds and commits himself not to repeat his sin, confessing verbally. Doing teshuva is like immersing oneself in a mikva (and hence the imagery of the Rambam in his Laws of Teshuva, chapter 2 law 3, based on Taanit 16a:
"Anyone who confesses verbally but does not commit himself in his heart to abandon his evil way is like someone who immerses himself (in a mikva) while holding an insect in his hand; his immersion is of no avail until he throws the insect away."
But sometimes the sinner is so bound up in the impurity of his sins that he is powerless to extricate himself, and he needs active help from Hashem. His own heart has turned to stone and he is devoid of all feeling; how can he give himself a new heart?
Here we find the second possibility, as promised in the prophecy of the haftora:
"And I will sprinkle over you waters of purification... and I will give you a new heart, and I will place within you a new spirit, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and will give you a heart of flesh, and I will place My spirit within you and I will make you walk in My statutes." (25-27)
d. Exile and Redemption
The haftora describes a process of dwelling in the land, exile and return, with neither the exile nor the return done willingly, but rather forced from Above. With respect to exile this is obvious: exile is perceived as a punishment; Bnei Yisrael defiled their land with the blood that they shed upon it and with the idolatry that they performed (18), arousing Hashem's anger, and He therefore dispersed them among the nations.
But – and this is an innovative idea introduced by the prophecy – even the redemption will be at Hashem's initiative:
"And I will take you from among the nations and I will gather you up from all the lands, and I will bring you to your land." (22)
Not only are they not returning on their own, but even the fact that Hashem is bringing them back is not in their own merit: "Not for your sakes do I do this," the prophet emphasizes twice (22,32), for the sins that brought upon them the disaster of exile have not yet been corrected.
Thus the redemption itself is also a sort of sprinkling of waters of purification from Above, the fruits of external initiative. Likewise we find in the case of the first redemption, the redemption from Egypt. According to Chazal Bnei Yisrael were so immersed in the impurities of Egypt that there was no possibility whatsoever of their being redeemed on their own merit. The Holy One had to reveal Himself to them and extricate them from Egypt just as they were, in their impurity – and then to undertake the process of purification after their redemption.
Thus the haftora is connected in another way to Pesach, the festival of the redemption from Egypt. Just as in the redemption from Egypt it was emphasized over and over that the exodus, with all its miracles, was in order that both Bnei Yisrael and the Egyptians would know that "I am Hashem," so, too, in this prophecy "the nations will know that I am Hashem" (23), "And the nations that are left around you will know that I am Hashem" (36). And the haftora concludes with these words: "And they will know that I am Hashem."
e. The "Trap" of Exile
In case we had any illusion that exile had some element of curing or purification, the haftora comes to teach us that the opposite is true. Not only does exile not bring any benefit, it in fact makes the situation worse. The dispersion of Israel among the nations without any improvement in their ways brings about a terrible "chillul Hashem" (desecration of Hashem's name):
"And they profaned My holy name, for they said of them, This is Hashem's nation, and they have gone out of His land" (20).
In order to put a stop to this great desecration of Hashem's name there is an urgent need to gather the scattered nation of Israel and to return them to their land, even though they have not yet repented for their sins.
This being the case, it is difficult to understand the reason for the exile and all the suffering that it entails. Moreover, according to the description in the haftora, Hashem's ways of punishment for sins have already been sealed, for punishment will only make the situation worse. Apparently, Hashem's guidance of His nation contains some elements that are beyond human understanding. And perhaps this, too, connects the prophecy with the Torah reading, for parashat Para concerns a "chok," a statute, a law for which no reason is provided: "I have made a statute and decreed a decree" (Tanchuma and Midrash Rabba, beginning of Chukat). It is as if we are being told,
"You wish to understand the meaning of exile and its explanation? Look at the (laws of the) red heifer: just as in that instance you are unable to descend to the secret of its meaning, so with regard to the painful exile (you will not understand)."
f. "The Flock of Jerusalem at her Appointed Times"
The conclusion of the prophecy (according to Ashkenazi custom; Sefardim do not read pesukim 37-38) echoes with the joy of the Pesach sacrifice in Jerusalem. Hashem promises that in the future He will increase Bnei Yisrael like a human flock. Like which flock? "The sheep of the sacrifices; like the flock of Jerusalem at her appointed times." The Targum Yonatan explains: "Like a holy nation, the nation that is purified and comes to Jerusalem at the festival of Pesach."
There is no more beautiful description to be found for the approaching festival.
[Translated by Kaeren Fish]
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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Themes and ideas in the haftara
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This haftara series is dedicated in memoryof our beloved Chaya Leah bat Efrayim Yitzchak(Mrs. Claire Reinitz), zichronah livracha,by her family.
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PARASHAT PARA
ON SIN AND REDEMPTION
Rav Mosheh Lichtenstein
SIN AS UNCLEANNESS
The haftara of Parashat Para (Yechezkel 36:16-38) opens with a description of the serious transgressions of Israel:
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way was before Me as the uncleanness of a menstruous woman. So I poured My fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. (vv. 17-18)
The prophet describes two types of sin that are likened to two kinds of uncleanness, that of a menstruous woman and that of a corpse. These two types of uncleanness differ one from the other. The uncleanness of a menstruous woman comes in fixed cycles, whereas the uncleanness of a corpse is a deviation from the ordinary course of life.
THE UNCLEANNESS OF A MENSTRUOUS WOMAN
Chazal find consolation in the fact that the sins of Israel are likened to a menstruous woman, who, by the very nature of her uncleanness, is routinely restored to her state of cleanness, and even while she is unclean, remains connected to her husband:
"Their way was before Me as the uncleanness of a menstruous woman" (Yechezkel 36:17) – just as a menstruous woman becomes defiled and [later] purified, so too the Holy One, blessed be He, will purify Israel, as it is stated: "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you" (ibid. v. 25).
Another explanation: "As the uncleanness of a menstruous woman" – and not as the uncleanness of a corpse. Just as [when there is a corpse] in the house, the High Priest may not enter therein, but with a menstruous woman, he may enter the house, and sit with her on a couch, provided that it does not rock – so too had Israel been likened to the uncleanness of a corpse, you would say that the Shekhina will never return to them. But [since Israel was likened to] a menstruous woman, just as a priest may remain with her in the house, without concern, so too the Shekhina rests upon Israel, even when they are unclean. As it is stated: "That remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness" (Vayikra 16:16).[1]
And furthermore, the sins that are likened to a menstruous woman are not so severe, for they are sins that are implanted in man's soul and are part of human nature. Such transgressions are not severe enough to be regarded as a corruption of the soul that totally veers from human nature. Sin that is likened to a menstruous woman testifies to human weakness rather than moral corruption.
On the other hand, the cyclical nature of the uncleanness of the menstruous woman which diminishes its gravity also aggravates it. It is not a one-time uncleanness that disappears over the horizon after the woman purifies herself, but rather uncleanness that is built in to the female body, and reappears periodically. Just as it is clear to us that the woman will return to her clean state, so too is it clear to us that she will once again become unclean. This seems to be the reason that Scripture refers to the uncleanness of a menstruous woman as a "way," for we are dealing with sins that have become a fixed way and are no longer accidental. The use of the expression "way" is also not by chance and the prophet repeats it several times in order to establish this point. The fact that these sins are implanted in man's soul indicates not only that they are less severe, but also that they are likely to recur. A person cannot overcome them and make them disappear, but rather they remain as part of his fixed conduct. The hope that the people of Israel will internalize God's will and change their nature by making their own will correspond to His will fails to be realized.
The prophet rebukes the people precisely for the fact that sin has become second nature to them and that they are incapable of breaking out of the periodicity of the expected sin.
THE UNCLEANNESS OF A CORPSE
Yechezkel's second reproach likens Israel's sins to the uncleanness of a corpse. While it is true that the uncleanness of a corpse is accidental,[2] rather than expected or built in to nature, it is, however, more severe than other types of uncleanness, for it testifies to the total failure of nature and matter to maintain themselves, and to the cessation of man's capability of breaking out of his world. It therefore requires stronger atonement, namely, the atonement of the red heifer. This is not the place to go into a detailed analysis of the idea of the purification process connected to the red heifer.[3] For our present purposes we can say that it differs in its very essence from the purification process of a menstruous woman. A menstruous woman immerses in a mikve filled with water in its natural state and in abundance. A reservoir of rain water or a natural spring can be arranged in most places. In contrast the "waters of sprinkling" (mei chatat) that purify a person from the uncleanness of a corpse are extremely rare and precious, and not available in all places and at all times. More importantly, they do not achieve cleanness through a restoration of the natural state, for the uncleanness that they wish to remove does not reflect a deficiency within the framework of nature, but rather a failure of the natural world in its entirety. This requires a purification process that breaches the boundaries of nature and repairs it by connecting to elements found beyond it. Since we are dealing with a corruption of the entire natural system, it is necessary to destroy a natural object and rebuild it.
The same applies to sins that are likened to the uncleanness of a corpse. The prophet relates to such sins with extreme harshness, saying: "So I poured My fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it" (v. 18). We are not dealing here with an ordinary sin, but with a sin that testifies to moral or religious corruption, and with a person who veers from ordinary disobedience.
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MURDER AND THE UNCLEANNESS OF A CORPSE
With his metaphoric comparison between sin and uncleanness, Yechezkel draws a comparison between bloodshed and the uncleanness of a corpse. The connection is based not only on the common denominator of death, but on the fact that murder is the crime that deviates most from the human norm and from the feelings of mercy and compassion implanted within man. The sin of idolatry might be more severe, but murder testifies to extreme moral corruption. The Rambam's famous words in Hilkhot Rotze'ach (4:9) give fine expression to this idea:
For although there are worse crimes than bloodshed, none causes the destruction of civilized society as bloodshed. Not even idolatry, nor immorality, nor desecration of the Sabbath, is the equal of bloodshed. For these are crimes between man and God, while bloodshed is a crime between man and man. If one has committed this crime, he is deemed wholly wicked, and all the meritorious acts he has performed during his lifetime cannot outweigh this crime or save him from judgment…
IDOLATRY AS A MENSTRUOUS WOMAN
It is interesting to note that Chazal likened idolatry to the uncleanness of a menstruous woman, and not to the uncleanness of a corpse, and decreed that idols are unclean like a menstruous woman, as is stated in the Mishna in Shabbat (9:1):
Rabbi Akiva said: Whence do we know that an idol defiles by carriage (masa) like a menstruous woman? Because it is said: "You shall cast them away [= the idols] as a menstruous thing; you shall say unto it, Get you hence" (Yeshayahu 30:22). Just as a menstruous woman defiles by carriage, so does an idol defile by carriage.
In the context of our discussion, we must assume that the religious drive implanted in the human soul is liable to lead him to the perversion of idolatry, time after time, as indeed is documented by the prophets. This, however, falls into the category of the uncleanness of a menstruous woman – a natural phenomenon that doesn't breach the limits of nature, but is severe owing to its periodicity and constancy. The idolatry mentioned in the verse together with bloodshed is not "ordinary" idolatry, but more severe, stemming not from man's normal religious drive, but from other sources.
PURIFICATION FROM THE UNCLEANNESS OF A CORPSE
Fundamentally, there is no way to purify oneself of the uncleanness of a corpse, for nature indeed failed. The encounter with death reveals the cessation of matter, and there is no response to this, for indeed matter was routed by death, and there is no remedy. Unlike the periodicity of the uncleanness of a menstruous woman, which repairs itself once again every month, death cannot be repaired on the natural plane, and the key to resurrection is not found in the natural world.
This, however, is the great mystery of the red heifer, namely, that despite the fact that there does not appear to be any repair or remedy, the encounter with God by way of the red heifer and the Temple is capable of repairing the failure. The same applies to these sins. While it seems that they are not subject to repair, and that repentance on the natural plane cannot repair and achieve atonement for them, the mystery of repentance that involves God's purifying man is capable of removing the sin.
The connection between the haftara and the parasha becomes evident from the words of Yechezkel which reveal the mystery of repentance that involves purification from above:
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. (Yechezkel 36:25-26)
EXILE AND REDEMPTION
TWO MODELS OF REDEMPTION
Let us now consider the continuation of the haftara. The prophet briefly describes the exile, its significance as a profanation of God's name among the nations, and the need to redeem Israel as a result.
The parashiyot at the end of the book of Devarim present two models of redemption. The first one, found in Parashat Nitzavim, describes a process of destruction and exile that comes in the aftermath of sin, and in its wake repentance:
And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, into which the Lord your God has driven you, and shall return to the Lord your God, and shall obey His voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul; and then the Lord your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the nations, among whom the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts be at the utmost parts of heaven from there will the Lord your God gather you, and from there will He fetch you: and the Lord your God will bring you into the land which you fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will do you good, and multiply you more than your fathers. (Devarim 30:1-5)
Immediately afterwards, in Parshiyot Vayelekh and Ha'azinu, we find a totally different description of Israel's redemption. The nation sins, leaves God, and breaks the covenant, and God responds with the "hiding of His face." This situation of God's forsaking Israel is the closing point of Parashat Vayelekh and the opening point of the song of Ha'azinu. The tidings of the end of the exile appear at the end of the song, but there is no mention of repentance or return to God. Israel's spiritual state is not described as having improved and there is no stirring of repentance, yearning for God, or remorse about the sins of the past. Nevertheless, God intervenes and redeems Israel out of a different consideration, namely, the profanation of His name caused by Israel's subjugation to the nations. The people do not attain to redemption because of their actions and standing, but rather God is concerned about the glory of His name and therefore saves Israel from the nations and returns them to their land. This is not the first time that this argument appears in the Torah as a reason to have mercy upon Israel; it was already sounded by Moshe Rabbenu at the time of the sin of the golden calf: "Wherefore should Egypt speak, and say, In an evil hour did He bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Your fierce anger, and relent of this evil against Your people" (Shemot 32:12).
THE TWO MODELS IN THE WORDS OF CHAZAL
In a famous discussion in the Gemara in tractate Sanhedrin (97b), Chazal inform us of these two models, while disagreeing about the legitimacy of one of them:
Rav said: All the predestined dates [for redemption] have passed, and the matter [now] depends only on repentance and good deeds. But Shemuel said: It is sufficient for a mourner to keep his [period of] mourning.
This matter is disputed by Tannaim: Rabbi Eliezer said: If Israel repent, they will be redeemed; if not, they will not be redeemed. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: If they do not repent, will they not be redeemed! But the Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a king over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman's, whereby Israel shall engage in repentance, and He will thus bring them back to the right path.
Another [Baraita] taught: Rabbi Eliezer said: If Israel repent, they will be redeemed, as it is written: "Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: But is it not written: "You have sold yourselves for naught; and you shall be redeemed without money"? "You have sold yourselves for naught" - for idolatry; "and you shall be redeemed without money" — without repentance and good deeds. Rabbi Eliezer retorted to Rabbi Yehoshua: But is it not written, "Return unto Me, and I will return unto you"?…[4]
It is self-evident that the preferred model is that of repentance that leads to redemption. The people repent and draw near to God, God draws them near, and then redemption comes and actualizes the state of Israel being found under the wings of the Shekhina. And indeed, Rav and Rabbi Eliezer are unable to accept any other possibility, for if Israel is unfit, it is only right that they should not be redeemed, but rather they must continue to suffer in exile until they improve their ways.
According to Shemuel and Rabbi Yehoshua, however, redemption through repentance is not the only model of redemption. There is also a model of redemption without repentance. The rationale behind such redemption is twofold:
1) Preventing profanation of God's name.
2) "It is sufficient for a mourner to keep his [period of] mourning" – the difficulty of Israel's subjugation threatens Israel's very existence and the time has come to bring the exile to a close because of the needs of Israel.
In either case, redemption without repentance is a process that must be taken into account as a legitimate modus operandi of providence, which has pity on the glory of God's great name and/or Israel in exile.
THE PREFERENCE OF REDEMPTION THROUGH REPENTANCE
There are two points, however, that must be emphasized:
1) Despite the fact that both tracks lead to an ingathering of the exiles and Israel's return to its land, they are not two different models having the same value and leading to the same goal. On the contrary, they are utterly different, both with respect to the historical process that accompanies it, and with respect to the spiritual meaning of redemption. A people that is redeemed without repentance is not the same as a people that is redeemed by merit of its return to God. And the cost that must be paid by a nation that is redeemed without repentance is much greater than the cost that must be paid by a nation that repents and returns to God.
2) This being the case, it is clearly our hope and prayer that our redemption will come through repentance, and we do not say that we do not care how redemption will arrive, as long as we are redeemed.
RETURNING TO THE HAFTARA
At this point, let us go back and examine our haftara, whose concern is redemption without repentance. As stated in the verses, the objective of the ingathering of the exiles is to prevent the profanation of God's name; it is not the merit of Israel that brings about their redemption. It is based not upon repentance and good deeds, but rather upon the profanation of God's name:
But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, into which they came. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God; I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations, to which you came. And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord; says the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I shall take you forth among the nations, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. (Yechezkel 36:21-24)
If we examine the process of redemption described in the continuation of the prophecy, we will see that the people of Israel leave the exile and return to their land, even before they repent. Simply stated, the restoration of Zion as described in our haftara is executed when most of the people are "non-religious" and fail to observe Torah and mitzvot. This follows from the process that dictates the redemption (for they are redeemed because of the profanation of God's name, and not because they are worthy of redemption), and is explicit in the verses:
For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to follow my statutes, and you shall keep My judgments, and do them. (ibid. vv. 24-27)
As can be seen, the verse that speaks of taking Israel from the nations and bringing them to the land of Israel is the first stage, whereas giving them a new spirit and bringing them to follow God's statutes and observe His commandments appear only afterwards. The continuation of the prophecy speaks of an ever improving situation in which Israel rises spiritually and becomes established materially and politically, but the foundation of the redemption is Divine intervention that redeems Israel, despite the fact that they are unworthy.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE REDEMPTION IN OUR HAFTARA
It would seem that all is fine and good. The people of Israel are redeemed, they return to their land and are purified of their sins. Things, however, are not so simple, owing to the two points mentioned above. First, this is not the preferred situation. The situation in which Israel fails to repent but is redeemed for extrinsic reasons is not a situation that we strive for. Using the terminology found in the Gemara in Sanhedrin (98a), which states that "the [Messiah] son of David will only come in a generation that is entirely guiltless or entirely guilty," this is a redemption that resembles that of a generation that is entirely (or mostly) guilty. The redemption arrives, but Israel's primary interest is that it should come by way of repentance. More important than the question whether they are found in their land or on foreign ground is the critical question of the individual's/the nation's relationship with the Creator.
It is better to be less guilty and less redeemed than more guilty and more redeemed, for it is the acceptance of the yoke of heaven and conjoining with God that lie at the heart of the matter. From God's perspective, this type of redemption repairs the blemished world, but only the aspect of the profanation of God's name. The nation's relationship with God is not repaired in this manner, and thus this type of redemption does not solve the nation's problem vis-a-vis God.
It might still be argued that the prophet attests that God will return Israel to their land and draw them near to His service, so that this problem is resolved as well, and we are dealing here with a prophecy of great consolation. This argument, however, is also problematic, inasmuch as it ignores the process and the heavy price that it exacts. The verse in the passage dealing with repentance in the book of Devarim says that "you shall return to your heart" (Devarim 30:1), and not that God will take care of everything from up above. From a spiritual perspective as well, there is no comparing willing repentance to repentance imposed by Divine force.
THE MATERIAL PRICE
There is also a difference with respect to the material price. Anyone who reads the description of the redemption in the book of Yechezkel and contrasts it to that in the book of Yeshayahu will immediately discern the great difference between them. In Yeshayahu's prophecies, the redemption is a most pleasant and elevating experience. The following verses will serve as an example:
The wilderness and the arid land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom like the tulip. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of the Levanon shall be given to it, the excellency of the Karmel and the Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God…. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and singing shall flee away. (Yeshayahu 35:1-2, 10)
In the book of Yechezkel, on the other hand, the attribute of justice is stretched out against Israel, even during the period of redemption. Instead of the blossoming of the wilderness and the mountains ringing with joy that we saw in Yeshayahu, we encounter the war of Gog and Magog, with all the ruin and destruction that that involves. God rules over Israel with a mighty hand and an outstretched hand, and even when they are redeemed, this is the mode of governance. The reason for the difference between the two books follows from the course of the redemption. When redemption arrives for a generation that is wholly guiltless and Israel is redeemed following repentance, then they merit a pleasant and caressing mode of governance. But when redemption arrives without repentance, and owing to Divine "compulsion," the trait of justice remains in place, and the redemption leads neither to joy nor to happiness.
THE CONSOLATION
In summary, the haftara testifies that Israel is capable of being redeemed and purified even in grave situations of sin, but this is a difficult and problematic course, that does not resemble redemption by way of repentance and "stirring from below." When God sprinkles clean water on the nation, because they are unable to purify themselves on their own by way of immersion, this involves a consolation. For the people do not sink to the depths of sin, and even if their sins fall into the category of the uncleanness of a corpse and not that of a menstruous woman, they have the hope of being purified from above, since it has not been decreed that they will sink to the depths of sin for all time. So too, the haftara assigns religious value to the ingathering of the exiles even before the nation repents, this owing to the prevention of the profanation of God's name. This, however, is still not the full and noble redemption described by the other prophets and set aside for the situation in which Israel is redeemed in the wake of repentance.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
It goes without saying that the model of the ingathering of the exiles in our haftara for a nation that does not observe Torah and mitzvot, in order to prevent the profanation of God's nation, provides much food for thought about our present historical situation. Is it right to see the return to Zion in our generation, and especially in the wake of the terrible profanation of God's name during the years of the Holocaust, as corresponding to the model set down in the haftara, in which case the redemption does not follow from the nation and its religious connection, but from God's exaltedness? Or should we not demean the religious meaning of the Zionist project as worthy of redemption in its own right? I do not come to answer these questions, but only to present them to the reader as something to think about. As we have emphasized many times in the past, the function of the haftara is not only to teach Tanakh, but also to stir up thought in relation to man's existential state in the present time. Thus, our raising of these questions matches the objective of the haftara.
(Translated by David Strauss)
[1] Yalkut Shimoni (ad loc.).See also Shabbat 64b: "'And she that is sick shall be in her impurity.' The early Sages ruled: This means that she must not rouge nor paint nor adorn herself in dyed garments; until Rabbi Akiba came and taught: If so, you make her repulsive to her husband, with the result that he will divorce her! But what [then] is taught by: 'And she that is sick shall be in her impurity'? She shall remain in her impurity until she enters into water."
[2] Let us also remember the wording of the verse regarding the Nazirite: "And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he has defiled the head of his consecration…" (Bamidbar 6:9).
[3] I have related to this in the past in several articles published in Daf Kesher le-Talmidei Yeshivat Har Etzion. See Bi-Kedusha u-be-Tahara, Daf Kesher 432 (5754); Ba-Shamayim mi-Ma'al ve-al ha-Aretz mi-Tachat," Daf Kesher 487 (5755); Zahav va-Eifer – Bein Mishkan ve-ha-Egel le-Para Aduma," Daf Kesher 593 (5757).
[4] The discussion continues in the Gemara with each side bringing additional verses to prove its position.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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Understanding the haftarot
By Harav Yaakov Medan
SHABBAT PARA
Is repentance necessary?
The word of the Lord came to me: "Man, the House of Israel dwelled upon their soil and defiled it with their ways and their deeds – their ways were like the impurity of the menstrual woman before Me. I poured out My fury upon them for the blood they spilled upon the land and the idols they defiled her with. I scattered them among the nations – they were strewn across the countries – and I punished them according to their ways and their deeds. There, in whichever nations they came to, they desecrated My holy name because it was said of them, 'These are the Lord's people, and they have left His land.' And I am concerned for My holy name, which the House of Israel has desecrated among the nations to which they have come. So, say to the House of Israel: So says the Lord God: It is not for your sake that I do this, House of Israel, but for My holy name that you desecrated among the nations to which you came. I will sanctify My great name that has been desecrated among the nations – that you desecrated among them. The nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when I am sanctified through you before their eyes. I will take you from the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you to your land. I will sprinkle over you purifying waters, and you will be cleansed; I will cleanse you of all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you; I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh; I will put My spirit into you; make sure that you follow My decrees and that you keep My laws and fulfill them. You will live in the land that I gave to your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your impurities; I will summon the grain, make it plentiful; I will not bring famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the fields plentiful so that you will no longer have to endure the reproach of famine among the nations. You will remember your evil ways and your actions that were no good; you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. Not for your sake do I act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you; be ashamed, disgraced by your own ways, House of Israel.[1]
So says the Lord God: On the day when I cleanse you of all your iniquities, I will reinhabit the cities; the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be tilled there, where she was desolate in the sight of every passerby. They will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; its towns that were ruined, devastated, and destroyed have been fortified and inhabited.' And the nations that remain around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt what was destroyed, have sown what was desolated; I the Lord have spoken and will do it. So says the Lord God: This, too – I will respond to the House of Israel's request to do this for them: I will multiply their people like a flock of sheep, like the flocks for sacred offerings, like the flocks of Jerusalem during her holy times; this is how the ruined cities will be, filled with flocks of people, and they will know that I am the Lord." (Yechezkel 36:16-38)[2]
I. The Connection Between the Maftir Reading (Para) and the Haftara
Parashat Para deals with the purification of an individual from the ritual impurity contracted through contact with a corpse. In cases of minor impurity, it suffices to immerse in a mikveh (ritual bath) and wait for nightfall; in cases of severe impurity, "those who impart impurity to the places where they lie and sit," one must wait seven days of impurity, followed by immersion (a nida) or even a sacrifice (a zav or a zava), or a complicated process that we will not spell out here (metzora). In order to be cleansed from the impurity imparted by a corpse, in addition to the seven days of impurity and the immersion that follows them, water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer must be sprinkled upon the impure person, using a bunch of hyssops, on the third and the seventh days of the purification process.
The prophecy in the haftara deals with the purification of the entire nation of Israel from the impurity of its sins – including the impurity of bloodshed, which involves impurity contracted from a corpse (even touching a sword that had killed a person imparts such impurity), as well as the impurity of idolatry and the impurity of forbidden sexual relations (like the impurity of a nida mentioned in our haftara):
Their ways were like the impurity of the menstrual woman before Me. I poured out My fury upon them for the blood they spilled upon the land and the idols they defiled her with. (36:17-18)
The prophet connects the impurity of bloodshed to the impurity of idolatry.[3] It stands to reason that he is referring to the slaughter of young children in honor of Baal and to burning them in honor of Molekh, as was the practice of idolaters and as the Israelites did when they sinned and followed in their footsteps. In any case, he obligates them to undergo the sprinkling of purification water as is done in the case of impurity imparted by a corpse (though he makes no mention of the ashes of a red heifer):
I will sprinkle over you purifying waters, and you will be cleansed; I will cleanse you of all your impurities and all your idols. (36:25)
Perhaps the impurity contracted from a corpse that adheres to them, which requires the sprinkling of purification water, is connected to the "open heart surgery" that God will one day perform on the people of Israel:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you; I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (36:26)
This operation is like death followed by resurrection – as the prophet will spell out in detail in the next chapter (37), in his vision of dry bones. In any case, coming back to life from a state of dry bones and from open heart surgery requires, according to the prophet, the sprinkling of purification water on the people of Israel to remove the impurity contracted from a corpse.
II. Sanctification of God’s Name[4] As a Reason for Redemption Without Repentance
There, in whichever nations they came to, they desecrated My holy name because it was said of them, 'These are the Lord's people, and they have left His land.' And I am concerned for My holy name, which the House of Israel has desecrated among the nations to which they have come. So, say to the House of Israel: So says the Lord God: It is not for your sake that I do this, House of Israel, but for My holy name that you desecrated among the nations to which you came. I will sanctify My great name that has been desecrated among the nations – that you desecrated among them. The nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when I am sanctified through you before their eyes… (36:20-23)
Not for your sake do I act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you; be ashamed, disgraced by your own ways, House of Israel. (Ibid. v.32)
The prophecy in our haftara is distinctive in that the Lord redeems Israel for the sake of His name, so that it not be desecrated – as we state in our prayer (the Magen Avraham blessing in the Amida): "and who, in love, brings a redeemer to their children's children, for the sake of His name." In an extreme situation, this redemption comes even without repentance that would justify redemption according to the principle of due recompense, reward and punishment.
IIA. Concern About the Desecration of God’s Name
For the most part, the nations of the world do not really understand God's words in the Torah:
Know then in your heart that just as a parent disciplines his child, so the Lord your God disciplines you. (Devarim 8:5)
They have typically interpreted Israel's exile from their land in one of three ways:
a. Among idolaters, Israel's exile was interpreted as a failure on the part of the God of Israel to return the people to their land and to protect them against the "power" of their idols.
b. In Christianity, the exile was interpreted for nearly two thousand years as evidence that God had abandoned His people Israel and rejected them, and that He chose Jesus and his disciples and followers as His "chosen people.”
c. In Islam, Israel's exile was interpreted as support for the successors of their "prophet." A significant part of the expression of this support is giving them the ability to totally humiliate all their opponents.
Yechezkel himself was, of course, familiar with the first approach, which sees the exile as an expression of God's weakness, as it were. God waits for Israel's return to Him so their redemption will be based on merit, and not on unearned grace – but if their repentance is delayed, He will redeem them for the sake of His name, so that it not be desecrated among the nations. This may be likened to Israel's need to fulfill their oath in the name of God to the Givonites (Yehoshua 9), even though the oath was groundless since it was obtained by the Givonites by way of deception. The fear of the desecration of God's name that would ensue from their breaking the oath they had taken in His name prevailed over the need to expel the Givonites from the land and not give them a permanent inheritance in the mountains that dominate Jerusalem.
IIB. Two Types of Redemption in the Torah
The Torah refers to redemption for the purpose of preventing the desecration of God's name, rather than in response to repentance of the people of Israel, in its closing song, the song of Haazinu. The song describes the sins of Israel resulting precisely from all the good that God bestowed upon them, and then it moves on to the severe calamity that will befall them (in the song itself, the calamity appears without exile!) and to redemption, but does not refer at all to repentance. It describes redemption that will arrive because of God's concern, as it were, that Israel's oppressors will think they are stronger than God, the protector of Israel:
I thought I would scatter them, erasing their memory from man, were it not for fear of the enemy's taunts, lest their adversaries misunderstand and say, "Our hand has triumphed; it was not the Lord who did all this." (Devarim 32:26-27)
For the Lord will vindicate His people, bring solace to His servants, when He sees their strength has slipped away, no one remains, no bond nor free. He will say: Where are these gods of theirs, the rock they went to for refuge, that ate their sacrificial fat and drank their wine of libation? Let those rise up and help you now, let them be your protection! See now that I, I alone, am He; there is no god apart from Me. I deal death and I bring life; I wounded but will heal; and there is no rescue from My hand. (Ibid. vv. 36-39)
O nations, sing out of His people, for He will avenge His servants' blood, take vengeance upon His foes, and cleanse His land and His people. (Ibid. v. 43)
There were, indeed, redemptions of this kind. Scripture testifies about Yorovam son of Yoash, king of Israel, who did what was evil in the eyes of God but nevertheless overcame his enemies, expanded the borders of Israel, and enhanced their strength:
In the fifteenth year of Amatzyahu son of Yoash, king of Yehuda, Yorovam son of Yoash, king of Israel, became king in Shomron for forty-one years. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not turn away from all the sins of Yorovam son of Nevat, who led Israel to sin. He was the one who restored Israel’s border from Levo Hamat to the Arava Sea, fulfilling the word of the Lord, God of Israel, as He had promised through His servant Yona son of Amitai, the prophet from Gat Hefer. (II Melakhim 15:23-25)
For the Lord had seen the depth of Israel's bitter suffering, with neither bond nor free left and no helper for Israel. But the Lord had not decreed to blot out Israel's name from under the heavens, so He delivered them through Yorovam son of Yoash. (Ibid. vv. 26:27)
The reason, "with neither bond nor free left," is taken from the song of Haazinu cited above: "When He sees their strength has slipped away, no one remains, no bond nor free."
*
The song of Haazinu is exceptional in the Torah in that it heralds redemption without repentance. In contrast, the rebuke in the covenant at Mount Sinai briefly mentioned at least partial repentance as a condition for redemption:
Those of you who survive will waste away in their enemies' lands because of their sins – for their ancestors' sins also, they will waste away. But if they confess their sins and those of their ancestors – their trespass against Me and their walking contrary to Me, which made Me walk contrary to them, bringing them into their enemies' lands – if their obstinate hearts are humbled and they atone for their sin, then I will remember My covenant with Yaakov; and My covenant with Yitzhak and My covenant with Avraham I will also remember, and I will remember the land. (Vayikra 26:39-42)
This rebuke does not explicitly mention repentance, but it does mention confession and humbling of the heart. The rebuke at the wilderness of Moav (Devarim 28) is more explicit, describing in detail the process of repentance that will merit Israel’s redemption from destruction:
When all these things have come upon you, the blessings and the curses I have set before you, and you – amidst all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you – take them to heart, and return, you and your children, to the Lord your God, obeying Him with all your heart and all your soul, just as I am commanding you today, then the Lord your God will bring your captives back and show you compassion. He will bring you back together from all the nations among which the Lord your God has scattered you. (Devarim 30:1-3)
So too in another passage:
The Lord will scatter you among the peoples. Only a few of you will remain among the nations that the Lord will drive you away to. There you will worship manmade gods of wood and of stone, ones that do not see, do not hear, do not eat or smell. Yet there, if you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him: if you search after Him with all your heart and all your soul. In your distress, when all these things have happened to you, in the days to come, you will finally return to the Lord your God and heed His voice. For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not forsake or destroy you. He will not forget the covenant that He forged on oath with your ancestors. (Devarim 4:27-31)
The prophet Yirmeyahu followed the same style as the declarations regarding redemption in these verses:
But this is what the Lord has said: Only when Babylon's seventy years are completed will I take note of you and will I fulfill for you My good word, to bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans that I have in store for you - declares the Lord - plans for welfare and not for harm, to grant you a hopeful future. Then, when you call upon Me and follow and pray to Me, I will hear you. And when you search you will find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart. I shall be accessible to you – declares the Lord – and I shall bring back your captives and gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have driven you, declares the Lord. (Yirmeyahu 29:10-14)
IIc. Additional Biblical Passages that Speak About Redemption without Repentance
1. The exodus from Egypt is the most striking example of redemption without a clear process of repentance – and even despite the fact that the redeemed Israelites, as Chazal said, had sunk down to the forty-ninth of fifty levels of the impurity of idolatry. The brazen words of the two fighting Hebrews to Moshe, "Who made you a ruler and judge over us?" open a narrow window through which we can see the spiritual state of the enslaved Israelites. But we should note two reservations: a) There is no explicit mention in the Torah of a clear sin that led to Israel’s exile to Egypt. Therefore, reason dictates that repentance would not be necessary for their redemption, as the prophet said: "You were sold away for nothing, and it is not for silver that you will be redeemed" (Yeshayahu 52:3). b) In the end, before the redemption, the Israelites were required to stand a test of loyalty to God, with the Passover offering and all its laws. Those who did not bring the offering did not leave Egypt, and their sons died in the plague of the firstborns.
2. When the people sinned with the golden calf, Moshe prayed for God's mercy for them (also) because His name might be desecrated if He destroys them:
Why should the Egyptians be able to say that You brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and purge them from the face of the earth? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing evil to Your people. (Shemot 32:12)
3. After the sin of the spies, Moshe prayed for God's mercy only because of the desecration of God's name that would follow from His destruction of the people of Israel:
But Moshe said to the Lord, "The Egyptians will hear about it, for by Your power You brought this people up from among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people, that You, Lord, are seen face-to-face, that Your cloud stands over them, that You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. If You kill this people like a single man, the nations that have heard of Your fame will say, 'It was because the Lord was unable to bring this people into the land He swore to them; that is why He slaughtered them in the wilderness.' So now, let my Lord's power be great, as You declared when You said: 'The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in kindness, forgiving sin and rebellion, though He does not acquit the guilty, but holds the descendants to account for the sins of the fathers; children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.'" (Bamidbar 14:13-18)
This is also how Yechezkel viewed the exodus from Egypt and Israel's sins in the wilderness:
But they defied Me; they were not prepared to listen to Me; none threw off the detestable things before their eyes; they did not relinquish their Egyptian idols. And I thought of pouring out My fury, exhausting My anger upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of My name so that it would not be desecrated in the eyes of the nations among whom they were – and before whose eyes I had made Myself known in taking them out from the land of Egypt. (Yechezkel 20:8-9)
But the House of Israel defied me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes; they rejected My laws, by which each person was to live; they wholly desecrated My Sabbaths. I thought of pouring out My fury upon them in the wilderness and destroying them, but I acted for the sake of My name so that it would not be desecrated in the eyes of the nations before whose eyes I had taken them out. (Ibid. vv. 13-14)
But the children defied me: they did not follow My statutes, they did not take care to keep My laws… and I thought to pour out My fury upon them, exhausting My anger upon them there in the wilderness. But I drew back My hand; I acted for the sake of My name so that it would not be desecrated in the eyes of the nations before whose eyes I had taken them out. (Ibid. vv. 21-22)
This is why God will redeem Israel from their exile, even against their will and without their wanting it; He will do it for the sake of His name in the eyes of the nations. At the same time, Yechezkel compares the future redemption to the redemption of the generation of the wilderness, who were taken out of Egypt without the merit of their good deeds, and who therefore died in the wilderness and never reached the land:
As I live, declares the Lord God, with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm, and with an outpouring of fury, I will rule over you. I will take you out from the nations; I will gather you in from the countries where you have been scattered; with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm, and with an outpouring of fury I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and I will enter into judgment with you there, face-to-face. Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. I will make you pass beneath the rod; I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge you of the rebellious and of those who transgress against Me; I will take them out of the land in which they are living, but they will not come onto the soil of Israel. (Ibid. vv. 33-38)
And you will know that I am the Lord when I act toward you for the sake of My name, not for your evil ways and your corrupt deeds, House of Israel, declares the Lord God. (ibid. v. 44)
This redemption, against the will of Israel and only for the sake of God's name, raises many points to think about with respect to our redemption today.
IId. Redemption for the Sake of God’s Name, Without Repentance, from the Point of View of Chazal
Chazal discussed the possibility of redemption without repentance:
Rav said: All the predestined dates [for redemption] have passed, and the matter [now] depends only on repentance and good deeds. But Shmuel said: it is sufficient for a mourner to keep his [period of] mourning. This matter is the subject of a Tannaitic dispute: Rabbi Eliezer said: If Israel repent, they will be redeemed; if not, they will not be redeemed. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: If they do not repent, will they not be redeemed! But the Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a king over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman's, whereby Israel shall engage in repentance, and he will thus bring them back to the right path. (Sanhedrin 97b)
Rav explicitly says as stated above in Yirmeyahu: Even after the seventy years of exile following the destruction of the First Temple, at the end of which God had promised redemption, Israel will only be redeemed if they repent, and the same applies to all the calculations of the end of the present exile. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua agree that Israel will only be redeemed if they repent, but Rabbi Yehoshua promises that God will bring them to repent by inflicting them with harsh decrees, as happened in the days of Haman. Shmuel asserts that it is enough for Israel to suffer the torments of their punishment, and when their torments are complete, God will redeem them.
The Jerusalem Talmud, however, records a different version of their dispute:
Rabbi Liezer says: If Israel does not repent, they will never be redeemed, as it is stated: "In stillness [or: in return] and in peace shall you be saved" (Yeshayahu 30:15). Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: If Israel stand [in their rebellion] and fail to repent, they will never be redeemed? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: The Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a king over them as harsh as Haman, and immediately they will repent and they will be redeemed. (Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 1:1)
This implies that according to Rabbi Yehoshua, Israel will be redeemed even without any repentance at all. Later in the discussion (and also in the Babylonian Talmud), Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua both cite verses that support their respective positions (and the Babylonian Talmud also records a different version, which presents the dispute as in the Jerusalem Talmud).
Similarly in another passage:
Rabbi Yochanan also said: The son of David will come only in a generation that is either altogether righteous or altogether wicked. In a generation that is altogether righteous, as it is written: "Your people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever" (Yeshayahu 60:21). Or altogether wicked, as it is written: "And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor" (Yeshayahu 59:16), and it is written: "For Mine own sake, even for Mine own sake, will I do it" (Yeshayahu 68:11). (Sanhedrin 98a)
Redemption in a generation that is altogether righteous is redemption based on the merit of Israel's actions and repentance, whereas redemption in a generation that is altogether wicked is redemption for the sake of God's name and in order to prevent its desecration, as in the verse brought as a prooftext.
But if redemption comes even without repentance, as stated in detail in our haftara, what motivation do the people have to return to God, and what is the value of the doctrine of retribution? We will deal with this question below, but even before that, let us examine how our prophecy relates to people who enjoy the benefits of redemption without the effort of repentance:
Not for your sake do I act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you; be ashamed, disgraced by your own ways, House of Israel.
The redemption described by Yechezkel is of the aspect of "nahama de-kisufa" ("bread of shame"). The people of Israel did not earn their redemption through their efforts, and therefore their legacy is shame and disgrace. This is sufficient reason our ambitions should go beyond redemption that is wholly "for the sake of His name," and not by merit of our actions.
III. The Price of Redemption Without Repentance
As mentioned, redemption without repentance seems to contradict the principles of the doctrine of retribution. In my opinion, Chazal address this problem with respect to the exodus from Egypt:
Because it is stated: "And the children of Israel went up armed [chamushim] out of the land of Egypt" (Shemot 13:18) – one out of five [chamisha]. And some say: One out of fifty [chamishim]. And some say: One out of five hundred [chamesh me'ot]. (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael masekhet de-Pischa 12)
It seems from here (and in my humble opinion, this is proven from the verses) that when Israel left Egypt, many died in a plague (perhaps in the plague of darkness). This may be the price of redemption without repentance.
Another example: During the period of Israel's servitude to Amon, on the eve of the ascent of Yiftach, the Israelites worshiped idols and forsook God. When they cried out in their distress, God no longer wanted to save them:
The Israelites resumed doing evil in the eyes of the Lord; they worshipped the Be'alim, the Ashtarot, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moav, the gods of the Amonites, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not worship Him… The Israelites cried out to the Lord, wailing, "We have sinned against You, for we abandoned You our God and served the Be'alim." The Lord said to the Israelites, "Indeed, Egypt and the Amorites and the Amonites and the Philistines and the Sidonites and Amalek and Maon oppressed you; then you cried out to Me, and I saved you from their hands. But you abandoned Me and worshipped other gods – I will save you no longer. Go and cry out to the other gods you chose – let them save you in your times of trouble." "We have sinned," the Israelites said to the Lord. "Do to us as You see fit – but please, save us this very day." They purged the alien gods from their midst and worshipped the Lord, and He could not bear Israel's misery any longer. (Shoftim 10:6-16)
Their repentance was incomplete, but God could no longer bear seeing their distress and enslavement to the cruel Amonites, and He delivered them through the hands of Yiftach. The price of this redemption was terrible: forty-two thousand of the people of Efrayim were slaughtered by Yiftach and his men.
Even the redemption without repentance in Yechezkel bears a heavy price – the war of Gog and Magog, which will be waged in the Land of Israel against the people of Israel after the redemption:
After many days you will be summoned; at the end of years, you will come against the land which has been restored after the sword, which has been gathered back from many nations upon the mountains of Israel that long lay in ruins – she who will have been brought out from the nations, a people who all now live securely. You will advance, you will come like a devastating storm, and you will be like a cloud covering the land – you, all your forces, and the many peoples with you. (Yechezkel 38:8-9)
In this war as well, in the end, God's name will be sanctified, but the price is not specified in the prophecy. Perhaps that price will depend on the degree of innocence and culpability of the generation of redemption.[5]
IV. Free Choice at the Time of the Redemption
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you; I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh; I will put My spirit into you; make sure that you follow My decrees and that you keep My laws and fulfill them. (36:26)
The reader may ask: At the time of the redemption, will there no longer be free choice? Will we all turn into angels?
A similar prophecy was also delivered by Yirmeyahu, and it is more detailed:
In those days they will no longer say, "Fathers eat sour grapes, but the teeth of the children are set on edge." Instead, everyone will perish for his own sins; anyone who eats sour grapes, only his own teeth shall be set on edge. Days are soon coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Yehuda, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers at the time that I held fast to their hands in order to take them out of Egypt; they broke that covenant with Me although I was master over them, declares the Lord. For this covenant, which I will make with the House of Israel after these days, declares the Lord, I will deliver My teaching into their midst and inscribe it upon their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will each person teach a neighbor and each person a brother, saying, "Know the Lord!" For they will all know Me, from the least of them to their greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquities and no longer remember their transgressions. (Yirmeyahu 31:28-33)
The reality of "fathers eat sour grapes, but the teeth of the children are set on edge" – or, as this concept is formulated in the Torah, "holding descendants to account for the sins of the fathers [when they continue in the ways of their fathers]" (Shemot 34:7) – is true in relation to the entire nation. God delays punishment in the hope that the descendants will repent from the sins of their ancestors, and He punishes them if they fail to do so. We do not find that God holds an individual to account for the sins of his father or grandfather. For this reason, the Torah explicitly states: "Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents" (Devarim 24:16). The new covenant of which Yirmeyahu speaks is a covenant with the entire people, that it will not sin again as a nation, but each individual retains free will and will have to face a reckoning for his own deeds, good or bad. Even when all will know God, the freedom to choose and the possibility to rebel against God will remain, but there will not be a situation in which all of the people will do so.
These principles may also be the prophetic principles of Yechezkel regarding the future redemption, and according to his prophecy as well, each individual will retain his freedom to choose.
V. Redemption of the Land and its Cities
So says the Lord God: On the day when I cleanse you of all your iniquities, I will reinhabit the cities; the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be tilled there, where she was desolate in the sight of every passerby. They will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden; its towns that were ruined, devastated, and destroyed have been fortified and inhabited.' And the nations that remain around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt what was destroyed, have sown what was desolated; I the Lord have spoken and will do it. So says the Lord God: This, too – I will respond to the House of Israel's request to do this for them: I will multiply their people like a flock of sheep, like the flocks for sacred offerings, like the flocks of Jerusalem during her holy times; this is how the ruined cities will be, filled with flocks of people, and they will know that I am the Lord." (36:33-38)
In this passage, the prophet does not refer to the people of Israel but to the land of God and its cities, as in his prophecy at the beginning of chapter 36 and above in chapter 6. The desolation of the land evident to every passer-by causes a desecration of God's name, for this is the land that He treasures and that He chose to give to His people. The Torah (Vayikra 26:32) promises that when the people will be in exile, "I Myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle there will be appalled." The Ramban saw this as a blessing:
Similarly, that which He stated here, "so that your enemies who settle there will be appalled," constitutes a good tiding, proclaiming that during all our exiles, our land will not accept our enemies. This also is a great proof and assurance to us, for in the whole inhabited part of the world one cannot find such a good and large land which was always lived in and yet is as ruined as it is [today], for since the time that we left it, it has not accepted any nation or people, and they all try to settle it, but to no avail. (Ramban, Vayikra 26:16)
The desecration of God's name caused by the desolate land and cities will turn into a sanctification of His name when the land becomes like the Garden of Eden, as it was before the sin committed by Adam let the Garden of Eden to be hidden away, and the cities will be filled with flocks of sheep and become fortified.
(Translated by David Strauss)
[1] I have divided the haftara into two sections based on its contents, as will be explained below.
[2] Unless otherwise specified, all references are to the book of Yechezkel.
[3] In the Tosefta (Zavim 5:6, and see also Gemara Shabbat 82-83), Rabbi Akiva (based on another verse) compares the impurity of idolatry to the impurity of a nida, which in our verse precedes the impurity of idolatry.
[4] The prophecy clearly speaks about the profanation of God's name, about His concern for His name and the sanctification of His name. The same is true in the Torah and elsewhere in the Bible. People mistakenly write about the "sanctification of God" and the "desecration of God," but the correct expression is the "sanctification of God's name" and the "desecration of His name," as in our haftara.
[5] We will deal at length with the issue of Gog and Magog in the haftara for Shabbat Chol ha-Mo'ed Sukkot
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