HaRav Shmuel Eliahu is Chief Rabbi of Tzfat
In order for the Jewish People to be in line with the process of Redemption we must open our eyes, ears, and hearts to the events unfolding in our time. In this week’s Haftorah of “Nachamu,” the prophet Isaiah sets forth the prophecies of Redemption and says:
"The deaf will hear, and the blind will look to see: Who is blind but my servant, and who is deaf like my messenger whom I send? Who is blind like the perfect one, and blind like the servant of the Lord? You have seen many things, but you do not observe; your ears are open, but no one hears" (Isaiah 42:18-20).
This is found in the Haftorah of “Comfort” after which the entire Shabbat is named. This Haftorah also discusses this vital key for us and for the whole world. Isaiah says, "Lift up your eyes on high and see who created these, who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name. Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, nothing is missing" (Isaiah 40:26).
Look at the immense vastness of the universe. See the incredible power required to move billions of galaxies in the vast expanse of the heavens. Contemplate the infinite wisdom by which this marvelous system has been operating in order for everything to remain in order for thousands and thousands of years.
God is great and there is none who can stand before Him
"All the nations are like nothing before Him, they are considered as less than nothing and emptiness."
"Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are counted as dust on the scales; behold, He takes up the islands as fine dust" (Isaiah 40:17-18). When people understand the vast difference between the size of creation and their own insignificance, they will not try to oppose the Redemption that God has promised and is fulfilling.
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 40:28).
The Redemption Will Not Stop Halfway
This reflection will make people realize that the laws of creation do not stop halfway. The law of gravity does not stop, nor does the rising of the sun. Similarly, Redemption will not be canceled or halted.
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth, making it bring forth and bud, so that it gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so will My word be that goes out from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Isaiah knows that some people from Israel will ask, "What will happen? Will the gathering of the exiles continue? Will Israel continue to prevail? Will the Temple be rebuilt? Will all the prophecies of Redemption continue to come true?" Isaiah answers and says, "Behold, the Lord God will come with strength, and His arm will rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd, He will tend His flock; in His arm He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young" (Isaiah 40:10-11).
He will not tire halfway through gathering the exiles. "He will not tire or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable" (Isaiah 40:28). "He neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Psalms 121:4).
From His infinite strength, He gives power to Israel after two thousand years of fatigue and weakness: "He gives power to the faint, and to those who have no might, He increases strength." - "And He will give, as He desires, strength and power to Israel, who are in exile and faint and weary from lack of strength." In contrast, He weakens the nations who have been trained for war from their youth.
"Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall utterly fall." - "The wicked of the world, who add strength every day, like the youths, will faint when it is God's will. They will become weary, their strength will fail, and they will have no strength even like the young men and youths (see Rabbi David Kimchi). This prophecy is something we have witnessed before our eyes for 75 years.
The Purpose of Redemption - Sanctifying God's Name
The purpose of the entire Redemption is that all the inhabitants of the world recognize and know that the Lord is God. The Lord is the King from eternity to eternity. This is important because, during the gradually unfolding Redemption, we may mistakenly think that all the new roads being built, the hillsides being cleared, and the highways being constructed are for us to travel easily and comfortably in the Land of Israel. Isaiah reveals a great secret in this chapter. All these roads are being opened and paved for the sake of the Lord.
"A voice cries out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" These roads are paved for the glory of Hashem. We travel on them, and through the life of the people of Israel and their travels on these roads, God's glory is revealed in the world. "And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
The Holiness of a Jew Entering the Land Will Be Like the Ark of the Covenant
Jeremiah also prophesies a wondrous prophecy, stating that during the Redemption, the holiness of every Jew entering the Land will be like the holiness of the Ark of the Covenant: "For all that enter will be holy, and I will dwell within as if it were the Ark" (Rashi). Therefore, "They will no longer say, 'The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord,' nor will it come to mind; they will not remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again" (Jeremiah 3:16).
This is because all of Jerusalem will become holy due to the holiness of the Ark in the Temple. "At that time, they will call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord, and all the nations will gather to it in the Name of the Lord, to Jerusalem, and they will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts" (Jeremiah 3:17). The Shechina (Divine Presence) will be in all of Jerusalem, and her name will be accepted in the prayers of those who pray (Metzudat David).
The prophet Zechariah also teaches us (Zechariah 14:20) that holiness will extend even to the chariots and horses in Jerusalem: "On that day, holiness to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses." The Gemara (Pesachim 50b) explains: "Any ornament that is hung between the eyes of a horse will be holy to the Lord." During the Redemption, the holiness of the "Holy to the Lord" inscription that appears on the priestly crown (the tzitz) will spread even to the jewelry of horses, which are among the most materialistic creatures in the world. Even the pots in the house, which seem totally mundane, will be sanctified: "And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord of Hosts" (Zechariah 14:21). Rabbi Kook zt"l explains this concept: "The elevation of all mundane things to holiness. This is the quality of the highest among the righteous, and the trait that is destined for the world in its future exalted state" (Shmoneh Kevatzim 4:39).
The holiness that spreads over the mundane is the holiness we mentioned concerning the sanctity of our eyes, ears, and hearts through which we serve God, without allowing the material world to divert our gaze or distract us from the underlining spiritual - from the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord which goes before us - from God who walks among our camps leading us onward and onward along the path of complete Redemption, even though our eyes, ears, and hearts are often blind and deaf and insensitive to the signs of Geula appearing all around us. "Do not follow after your hearts and your eyes" (Numbers 15:39), but rather serve Him with all your heart and soul.