Rabbi Shlomo Aviner heads the Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva in Jerusalem
In this week’s Haftorah, through the voice of the prophet Isaiah, the Master of the Universe expresses His immense love and affection for the People of Israel, His beloved. He promises (Isaiah 54:7) that after a “small moment” of anger - 2000 years of exile - He will never abandon them again: “For the mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you” (v.10).
Our Sages distinguish between two kinds of love: “a love dependent on something” and “a love not dependent on something.” The first may vanish if circumstances change, while the second is eternal (Avot 5:16). God’s love for Israel, of course, belongs to the second type. It does not depend on our merits or even on our repentance. The future Redemption promised by God through the Prophets is a free gift, not contingent on any prior condition.
When we read the verses of our Haftorah that promise Redemption, we realize that no condition is required from us:
“For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name; and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called” (Isaiah 54:.5).
This is nothing less than a marriage between God, Creator of all Existence, and His people Israel. The Holy One chose us from among all the nations to enter into this exalted covenant of marriage.
“For the Lord has called you as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when you were refused, says your God” (v.6). God has never forgotten the love of our betrothal, the wondrous events that bound the Master of the Universe with His modest bride, the Congregation of Israel.
How then can we explain the terrible sufferings that crushed us throughout this long exile? As mentioned in the Song of Songs of King Solomon, the nations of the world mocked us and taunted: “Where has your beloved gone?” (Song of Songs 6:1). In that song, Israel declares that she enjoys her beloved’s love yet it seems that He has abandoned her.
Isaiah answers: “For a small moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies will I gather you” (v.7). Two-thousand years of exile are but a “small moment” when seen in proper proportion. What are two-thousand years on a Divine scale? Does not the sun have enough energy for billions of years? Are not all the oceans but a single drop of water? Are not all the gold and silver together but a small coin? Are not all the stars of heaven but a tiny spark? So too, thousands of years are but a fleeting moment. For us, mortal creatures, two-thousand years is surely a long ordeal, but in the face of eternity, such a pause is insignificant.
Thus God’s abandonment was never real abandonment, for it was temporary: “In an outburst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you, says the Lord your Redeemer” (v.8). Exile was an expression of Divine anger, justly deserved, for we had sinned grievously. Yet sin and punishment do not annul the Divine covenant.
In our days, if we open our eyes, we can see God’s affection for Israel. For more than a century, the Master of the Universe has poured out abundant kindness upon us. The desert blooms again, the land is rebuilt, Jews are gathered from their exiles, Israel’s army is victorious, the economy flourishes, and Torah spreads across the land. All these testify to the immense affection God grants us.
Yes, we witness setbacks and there is great suffering during wars in defense of our People and Land. But Hashem’s eternal kindness is forever with us. This is why we need not fear the collapse of our state, Heaven forbid. Isaiah conveys God’s eternal promise that there will not be a third destruction, just as there will not be another flood, despite our many sins: “For this is as the waters of Noah to Me; as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall never again flood the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you nor rebuke you” (v.9).
Truly, we were terribly humiliated throughout the exile, especially when it reached its climax in the Holocaust. Yet today the reality is entirely different, despite the painful challenges we face. Now our troubles are those of a free people, a proud people, a people who can no longer be degraded: “Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded, for you shall not be put to shame; for you shall forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you shall remember no more” (v.4).
After so long a period of national barrenness, of a people barely surviving, we now begin to live fully: “Sing, O barren one, you who did not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you that did not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than of the married wife, says the Lord” (v.1).
For nearly two millennia of exile, we were like a forsaken woman, while the nations of the world seemed like married wives. That forsaken woman is forsaken no longer, and her children, beyond number, return to her from every corner of the earth.
Yet despite these wondrous events and God’s unconditional promise, we must not expect that we can sit idly, arms folded, and rely on miracles for our problems to solve themselves. We do not rely on miracles; rather, the miracle relies on us. God brings greatness through our hands and from within us, through our efforts. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to rebuild our and, expand our settlement, and strengthen our military might: “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations; do not hold back; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall spread out to the right and to the left” (v.2-3).
It is our duty to act with all our strength to fortify our Land in every sphere, to work alongside Hashem in preparing the way for Redemption. Everything Isaiah promised, we see unfolding before our very eyes. Therefore, we heed his call: “Sing!”