Summary:
This Shabbat we begin a new book of the Torah. Our narrative shifts from a focus on the stories of our ancestors to the development of the people of Israel. Our portion begins as the new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh's house. Having grown up, Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian's priest. God calls Moses from a burning bush and charges him to free the Israelites from Egypt. Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites.
Lesson from our Haftarah – Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23
Just as our Torah portion focuses on the people of Israel’s enslavement in Egypt and God’s eventual deliverance of the people from slavery, so too does our Haftarah this week focus on the misery that the people of Israel suffers and the promise freedom that is yet to come.
At our Shabbat service a few weeks ago, we examined how the authors of the Torah used similes as a writing tool. They compared the people of Israel to dust. In our Haftarah this week the prophet Isaiah makes liberal use of metaphor and simile in his writing as he describes a hopeful future for the people in which they will enjoy freedom and prosperity. He continues to warn the people that exactly the opposite might happen – the people will suffer decline and dispersion. This is a Haftarah that paints a picture of both hope and doom.
He begins with a hopeful message utilizing the image of botany. The people will strike roots in the ground, sprouting and blossoming with abundant growth. And yet, according to Isaiah, the opposite might also occur. The faithless people will be punished like a bough stripped of all its growth. Israel returning from exile is either grain collected together or instead likened to wilted flowers trampled underfoot.
Later in the Haftarah Isaiah utilizes a completely different image. Describing the misbehavior of the people as they bring down evil upon themselves, he utilizes the vivid imagery of drunken addicts to alcohol. The people are gluttonous when it comes to drinking. Food was not readily available, and people did not overeat. Wine however was abundant and easily abused. The image of excess and extravagance are metaphors for the corruption of the upper classes as well as the priests and prophets. Rather than take their roles of leadership seriously they were rich and able to indulge their whims. They enjoyed wine and fine drink rather than focusing on God and ethics. Pleasure and power were their religion, rather than Torah and Judaism.
Writers like to use simile and metaphor in order to create images that ring for the reader. So too does Isaiah use imagery that each of us can understand. Through bright imagery of flowers and plants, and of gluttony and drink, Isaiah reminds us that we too often focus on our own pleasure rather than how our actions effect our world. Isaiah’s beautifully written message to us is that we are at fault for our own downfall. And yet, when we believe in God and follow God’s word, we learn that the hope for our redemption is in our own hands.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Don Goor