Readings for Saturday, September 19, 2026 Shabbat Shuvah FINAL POSTING FOR THIS BLOG

Readings for Saturday, September 19, 2026   FINAL POSTING FOR THIS BLOG

Shabbat Shuvah (Sabbath of the Return)

Ha’azinu (Give Ear)

32: 1-35 Devarim (Deuteronomy)

Ha’azinu is the tenth sedrah in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), which means we have one more to go before completing the book of Devarim and the entire Torah.  Ha’azinu comprises the entire 32^nd chapter of Devarim.  The sedrah takes its name from the first Hebrew word in the first sentence of the reading.  “Give ear (Ha’azinu) O heavens and I will speak.…”  Ha’azinu is the last sedrah to be read as part of the Shabbat cycle since the final sedrah in Devarim is read on Simchat Torah.

The Song

The last sentence in Vayeilech, the previous sedrah, reads “Moses spoke the words of this song into the ears of the entire congregation Israel, until their conclusion (31:30).”  The first 43 verses of Ha’azinu are the song previously mentioned.  Moses’ first “song” appears earlier in the Torah, in the Book of Shemot (Exodus).  It comes after the deliverance from the Egyptians and the crossing of the Sea of Reeds.  This is the same Song at the Sea that is part of the Shacharit Service.  The point is that our travels in the Wilderness begin with a song and end with a song.  The songs are quite different.  The one at the start of the journey is filled with exuberance and joy.  The one at the end, in Devarim, is solemn, filled with dark prophecy.  Thinking of Moses in human terms, the difference in the two songs may track with where he is in life when writing the two songs.  The Song in Shemot is that of man on the threshold of great adventure who has already experienced the miracles of the Lord.  The Song in Devarim is that of a weary old man who is facing death and who has been denied his life-long dream of entering the Promised Land.  There are several commentators who contend that the Song in Devarim was written after the rest of the text and was inserted at a later time.  This still leaves the question as to why the wanderings in the Wilderness begin and end with Song.  Regardless, the Song is written in poetry.  Poetry is difficult enough to understand when one knows the language.  We are trying to comprehend the meaning of a poem from a translation.  I am way out my depth when it comes to this aspect of the sedrah.  If you have not found a source, I suggest you read pages 1563 and 1564 of the Plaut Chumash for an exposition on the topic.

The Structure of the Message of the Song

(Based on the writings of Rabbi Randall J. Konigsburg)

(32:1-3) The opening of the poem.

(4-6) Words of moral teaching contrasting the virtue of God to the wickedness of Israel.

(7-14) A review of God's goodness to Israel.

(15-18) Israel prospers and rebels against God.  God acts, but His goal is to create an ever more loyal and observant Israel.  Thus does the song explain the relationship, and in the mouth of Moses it becomes a statement of fundamental belief.

(19-25) God's punishment of Israel for breaking the covenant.

(26-33) After the punishment, God's mercy.

(34-43) God will save His people from their enemies.

(44-47) The song is read to the people and they are warned to take it to heart.

(48-52) God tells Moses to ascend Mt. Nebo, where he will view the land of Canaan and die after having beheld it.

Themes

As we read through the Song itself, we can see several recurring motifs that we have seen throughout Devarim or other books of the Torah.  Here are just a few of them followed by themes presented in the verses following the Song.

The Rock

Moses repeatedly refers to God as “Tzur” or Rock (See verses 4 and 37).  At Chanukah we sing of the Rock of Ages.  At the end of the hymn “May the Words” we implore “our Rock and our Redeemer.”  The third verse of the Mi Chomocho, which we chant as we rise for the Amidah begins with “Tzur yisro-ayl or Rock of Israel.”

Eternal Teaching

The Torah in general, and the Song itself, are teachings for all time.  Therefore, Moses calls on the heavens and the earth to “Give ear.”  In other words he wants witnesses for all time that will verify that he taught the Israelites and warned them of the consequences of not following the Torah.  Furthermore, according to Rashi and Ibn Ezra, the Heaven and the Earth can then take the lead in punishing the Israelites for their failures.  Rain would not come from the heavens and the earth would not yield its bounty.  (See the Stone Chumash for further comment.)

Ultimate Redemption

Verse 43 reminds us that in the end God will redeem His people.  He will punish our enemies.  And when the nations of the world see this redemption they will acknowledge the glory of God and the greatness of His teachings.

Orderly Transfer of Power

Verse 44 shows Joshua, here called Hosea, at Moses’ side as he speaks his final words.  The transfer will be finalized in the next reading.

Teaching for all Time

Verse 45 requires our forefathers and therefore us as well, to pass the Torah on to the next generation.

Acceptance of the Torah in its Entirety

Verse 45 uses the term “obey all the words of this Torah.”  As we have said before, missing the mark means not to obey the Torah.  The goal is to obey the Torah.  The reality is that we fail to obey commandments and as we see at this season of the year we seek another chance to try again at hitting the mark.  In traditional Judaism, rejecting the Torah in whole or in part is what has been considered unacceptable.

Death of Moses

God prepares Moses for death.  He is allowed to look at the Promised Land, but not cross over the Jordan.  He is reminded of why he is being punished.  This time there is no response from Moses.  Instead the statement just sits there, a statement of fact for all times.  This is a far cry from the Moses who started Devarim by blaming the Israelites for his plight and pleading with God to change it.  Apparently a lot has happened in the five weeks that tradition says is the timeframe for the fifth and final book of the Torah.

Haftarah

Hosea 14:2-10

Joel 2:11-27

Micah 7:18-20

The Men/The Book:  This is the haftarah for Shabbat Shuvah or the Sabbath of the Return.  This is the haftarah that is usually read when Vayeilech is not combined with another sedrah.  Customarily, the haftarah is supposed to come from the book of one prophet.  However, the writings of these three prophets are included in one book called Trei Asar or The Twelve.  These twelve prophets are also known as the Minor Prophets because their literary output is smaller than that of the Three Major Prophets.  According to the Talmud, the writings of the twelve prophets were gathered in one volume out of fear that otherwise they would be lost.  Hosea was the first and most prolific of the Minor Prophets.  He preached in the Northern Kingdom during the end of the eighth century B.C.E. and the first half of the seventh century B.C.E.  He died some time before the exile of the Ten Lost Tribes in 721 B.C.E.  He is best known for his marriage to the harlot, Gomer.  This marriage provided the literary motif for much of Hosea’s writings.  The Israelites were the unfaithful wife, Gomer, while God was the long-suffering “husband” who would redeem His errant spouse.  Each day, when we don the Tefillin, we are reminded of Hosea’s preachings.  When we complete the final wrapping around the middle digit and across the hand, we say, “I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, justice, kindness and mercy.  I will betroth you to Me with fidelity, and you shall know the Lord.”  (2:21-22)

Joel is the second of the Minor Prophets.  His writings consist of a mere four chapters.  Since there is no biographical information available about him, we can only speculate as to when he lived and prophesied.  Some commentators contend that he lived in the Southern Kingdom since he mentions Judah and Jerusalem but not the Northern Kingdom.  The famine he mentions would indicate he was a contemporary of Amos.  His mention of the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem remind the reader of the words of Amos and Isaiah which would mean that he lived during the seventh century B.C.E. prior to the destruction of either of the two kingdoms.  There are commentators who believe that these writings are a product of more than one author and were produced during the early days of the Second Temple.  Those of you who are Debbie Friedman fans will recognize Joel’s most famous lines, “Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.”  (3:1).  In other words, “youth shall have the knowledge of age, and age the enthusiasm of youth.”  As Rabbi Hertz points out, this “rejuvenation of the soul and renewal of the spirit” is the main purpose the Ten Days of Penitence.

Micah was born in Judah, but addressed his prophecies to both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.  Micah was a contemporary of Amos, Hosea and Isaiah.  The prophecies of Micah must have been well known in ancient times, since Jeremiah refers to them in his preachings.  Micah may have been the first prophet to warn the Jews that possession of Jerusalem would not save them from divine punishment.  In other words, he was the first to prophesy the possible destruction of the City of David and the Temple itself.  Unlike some of the other prophets, those in power heeded Micah’s words of warning.  King Hezekiah was moved by Micah’s preaching to pray to God for a reprieve from impending destruction.  Micah is best known for the line “It hath been told thee o man what is good and what the Lord doth require of thee:  Only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”  But he also authored words that are more often credited to his famous contemporary, Isaiah.  “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”  (4:2) “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation.  Neither shall they learn war anymore.”  (4:3)

The Message:  Hosea begins by calling upon the Israelites to return to the ways of God.  God will accept the penitent Israelites nurturing them in all their needs.  Joel calls for a day of fasting from which none are exempt.  As Plaut puts it, in Joel’s vision, the people will return to God, which will cause God to return to Israel.  Micah closes with an image of an ever-forgiving God who will keep faith with His people as he promised the Patriarchs He would.

Theme-Link:  The connection is with the calendar and not with the weekly portion.  The haftarah is read on the Sabbath of the Return which falls during the Yamim Nora’im or the Days of Awe.  These are the Ten Days of Penitence that start with Rosh Hashanah and end with Yom Kippur.  So it is fitting that each prophet should invoke a High Holiday related motif in his preaching.  The haftarah begins with the word Shuvah or Return as in “Return (Shuvah) O Israel, to the Lord your God” (Hosea 4:2) which is a fitting beginning for a haftarah chanted on Shabbat Shuvah.  The portion from Joel begins with a High Holiday motif - “Blow the shofar in Zion, Sanctify a fast, call a Solemn Assembly…”  (Joel 2:15)  The portion from Micah includes the following, “You will cast off (Tashlich) all their sins into the depths of the sea.”  (Micah 7:19)  This reference later gave rise to the ceremony of Tashlich, or Casting-off Sins that began some time during the Middle Ages.

Copyright, September, 2026; Mitchell A. Levin

 

 

Readings for Saturday, September 5, 2026

Readings for Saturday, September 5, 2026

Because this is not a leap year, two portions are read this week

Nitzavim (Are Standing)

29:9 - 30:20 Devarim (Deuteronomy)

Nitzavim is the eighth sedrah in the Book of Deuteronomy or Devarim.  It is one of the shortest of the weekly readings with only forty verses.  The sedrah takes its name from the second Hebrew word in the first sentence.  “You are standing (Nitzavim) today, all of you before the Lord, your God.…”  This sedrah does not contain any of the 613 commandments.  According to some commentators this is the end of Three Discourses that have comprised the book of Devarim up to this point.  Other commentators contend that Moshe is speaking on the last day of his life.  If you read these words as the declaration of an old man who is weary from responsibility but determined to instill hope in the people who are leaving him and whom he is leaving, they take on a special majesty and poignancy.  The language is so majestic that commentary, at one level, almost seems self-defeating.  I would suggest that you read the text aloud at least once.  Ignore the footnotes and listen for the sound.  There are no new themes this week.  The whole portion is “Recurring Themes.”

Themes

Covenant

Moshe opens with a reminder that we are a covenanted people.  The detailed mentioning of so many different groups in the audience indicates that the covenant and the Torah are for all Jews.  The reference to those “not here” means that this covenant is for all times and for all Jews.  We may turn away from our birthright, but it is always there waiting for us.

Idolatry

Moshe follows with yet another admonition about our old nemesis, worshipping idols.  Moshe shows insight into human nature as he warns against those who are arrogant enough to think they can break the laws.  This is another one of those themes that resonates throughout Jewish teachings.  In Pirke Avot, Yochanan, son of Berokah, says, “Whosoever profanes the name of Heaven in secret will suffer the penalty in public….”  (4:4)

Justice System/Communal Responsibility

The reference is to 29:28.  “The secret (things) belong to the Lord our God; but things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, to do all the word of this law.”  Some commentators might contend that this reinforces a basic concept of the Jewish judicial system.  God is the ultimate judge.  You might beat the jury, but you cannot hide from the ultimate judgment.  At the same time, the second half of the verse would indicate that we are responsible not only for our own conduct but for helping others with theirs.

Elul and The Days of Awe

How appropriate to read the first ten verses of Chapter 30 just before or just after Selichot Services.  After we have endured the blessings and the curses, when we are ready to “return,” God will find us no matter where exile has taken us and He will restore us.  Of course, the concept of exile is spiritual as well as physical.  So as we utter the penitential prayers, the sedrah assures us that they are being heard.

Torah is for Everybody

The words of 30:11-14 say it all so beautifully:.  “…it is not hidden from you and it is not distant.”  Unlike other religions, Torah is open to all Jews.  There are leaders and teachers, but they do not own the text.  According to some, Torah study has a similarity to prayer.  It is another avenue for reaching out to God. 

The Choice

“11. For this commandment which I command you this day, is not hidden from you, nor is it far off.

12. It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it?

13. Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it?

14. But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.

15. See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil;

16. In that I command you this day to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God shall bless you in the land which you are entering to possess.

17. But if your heart turns away, so that you will not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

18. I announce to you this day, that you shall surely perish, and that you shall not prolong your days upon the land, to which you are going over the Jordan, to enter and possess.

19. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live;

20. That you may love the Lord your God, and that you may obey his voice, and that you may cleave to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days; that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”  (31:11-20).

In brilliantly clear language, Moshe lays out the choice:  Good and Evil, Life or Death.  But it is exactly that, our choice.  “‘Therefore choose life.’  Jewish ethics is rooted in the doctrine of human responsibility, that is, freedom of the will.  ‘All is in the hands of God, except the fear of God,’ is an undisputed maxim of the Rabbis.  And ‘to subject our will to the will of our father in Heaven’ is the great purpose of man’s life one earth.  According to the historian Josephus, the doctrine of Free-will was maintained by the Pharisees both against the Sadducees, who attributed everything to chance, and the Essenes, who ascribed all the actions of man to predestination and Divine Providence.  ‘Free-will is granted to every man.  If he desires to incline towards the good way, and be righteous he has the power to do so; and if he desires to incline towards the unrighteous way, and be a wicked man, he has also the power to do so.  Since this power of doing good or evil is in our own hands, and since all the wicked deeds which we have committed have been committed with our full consciousness, it befits us to turn in penitence and forsake our evil deeds; the power of doing so being still in our hands.  Now this matter is a very important principle; nay it is the pillar of the Law and of the commandments.’”  (Maimonides as rendered in the Hertz Pentateuch.)

There is much that man does not have control over in his physical universe.  But “though man cannot always even half control his destiny, God has given the reins of man’s conduct altogether into his hands.”  (Hertz Pentateuch).  A great deal has been written on the subject of Free-Will versus Predestination versus Life as a Random Crap-shoot.  One book that is worth the read (or re-read) on this subject is Victor Frankel’s Man’s Search For Meaning.  It is only 154 pages long, but it is a million miles wide and two million miles deep.  From the bowels of Auschwitz he wrote, “…it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.  We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life - daily and hourly.  Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and right conduct.  Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly set for each individual…Sometimes the situation in which a man finds himself may require him to shape his own fate by action.  At other times it is more advantageous for him to make use of an opportunity for contemplation and to realize assets in this way.  Sometimes man may be required simply to accept fate, to bear his cross.”  But even in those times a man has the “unique opportunity” to decide “the way in which he bears his burden.”

All Jews Are Gems

The sedrah opens with a recitation describing all who are present at the acceptance of God’s law including those with the lowest of professions, “From the hewers of your wood to the drawers of your water” (29:10).  This verse has spawned many commentaries and rabbinic tales including this one.

“A Chassid, who was a wealthy dealer in gems, was once sitting the presence of Reb Shalom Ber of Lubavitch.  In the course of their conversation the Rebbe spoke highly of certain unlettered folk.

‘Rebbe,’ asked the Chassid, ‘why do you make such a fuss of them?’

‘Why, they have many noble qualities,’ said the Rebbe.

‘Well, I can’t see them,’ said the Chassid.

The Rebbe was silent.  Later on, he asked the Chassid whether he had brought his package of diamonds with him.  The dealer said that he had, but he would prefer to show them to the Rebbe a little later, not in the sunlight, so that they could be seen to their best advantage.  Later, the diamond dealing Chassid opened the package in a nearby room, arranged the gems carefully on a table, and pointed out a particular stone to the Rebbe, saying:  ‘this one is something really special!’

‘I can’t see anything in it,’ said the Rebbe.

‘Ah, but you have to be a connoisseur to know how to look at diamonds!’ said the Chassid.

‘Every Jew too is something really special,’ said the Rebbe, ‘but you have to be a connoisseur to know how to look at him.’”

The Nameless Shabbat

As Barry Holtz and Behtamie Horowitz point out in their commentary on Nitzavim entitled “It Depends on each of Us”, there are several Sabbaths with special names.  The Sabbath before Pesach is called Shabbat Hagadol.  The Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of the Return.  But there is no special name for the Sabbath before that most holy of days, Rosh Hashanah.  Since the Torah portion Nitzavim is always read on the Sabbath before Rosh Hashanah the sedrah itself must contain a message that makes it a harbinger for the upcoming event.  The sedrah begins, “You are standing this day all of you before the Lord your God.…”  (29:9).  Just as the Israelites were standing before God to hear Moshe’s final words, so are all of us today standing before Him who is the Judge of us all.  Furthermore, we are all seeking to be inscribed in the Book of Life and Moshe urges us to follow the laws of God and Life, “…therefore (you) choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.” (30:19).  When the Sedrah opens it uses the plural form of the word “You.”  Later when the Sedrah urges us to choose life, it uses the singular form of the word “you.”  Why the change?  Possibly to remind us that renewal for another year depends on the behavior of the whole house of Israel as well as the behavior of each individual.  Or as Benjamin Franklin said when urging the colonists to unite in the war against British tyranny, “Either we hang together, or we shall surely hang separately.”

Hewers of Woods, Drawers of Water - Unsung Heroes

“You are standing this day all of you before the Lord your God:  your heads…your elders…your officers…the hewer of thy wood and the drawer of thy water.”  As the story below reminds us, the covenant belongs to all of the Jewish people.  This means that in Judaism, there are no mundane people and that the most mundane act can be a mitzvah in the truest sense of the term.

When Rebbitzin Mirl, the saintly wife of the sage Reb Avraham Yehoshou Heschel of Apta heard that Reb Yaakov the wagon-driver had died she cried out in grief.  The sage’s students were surprised to hear her express such anguish over this simple man.  When she had calmed down she explained.  “It once happened that on a freezing winter’s day I was left without a single splinter of firewood in the house.  I went to Reb Yaakov who immediately harnessed his horse and drove off to the forest.  He came back with a wagon stacked high with firewood.  He stoked up the stove in the study hall and dozens of you young scholars were then able to sit there and study Torah in warmth and comfort.  On another occasion I ran out water - not a single drop left.  Again I went off to Reb Yaakov.  He brought me a huge barrel full of water, so that I was able to cook in honor of Shabbat.”  “Master of the Universe!” she pleaded in conclusion.  “May it be Your will that from every piece of wood that he brought, an angel be born - to speak up now on his behalf.  And may all those drops of water be transformed into so many merits - to turn out and greet him as arrives in the World Above.”  Apparently the Heavenly court heard and heeded her prayers for this simple man was immediately admitted into the Heavenly Host.  (Based on the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, of blessed memory)

Selichot

No sooner do we finish with Shabbat than we gather for the recitation for Selichot.  For those of us who are confused by the apparent “floating” of these nighttime penitential utterances, the following might be of some use.

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4350/jewish/Selichot.htm

The following is a “neutral” description of this custom

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Selichot.html

Vayeilech (And he went)

31:1-30 Devarim (Deuteronomy)

Vayeilech is the ninth sedrah in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy).  The sedrah takes its name from the first Hebrew word in the first sentence of the portion.  Due to a quirk of linguistics, the first Hebrew word is the second English word and vice versa.  “Moshe went (Vayeilech) and spoke these words to all of Israel.”  Vayeilech contains only thirty verses and is the shortest of them all.  When it is read alone, Vayeilech is the sedrah for Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return also called Shabbat T’Shuvah, the Sabbath of Repentance.  This is the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  Moshe has finished the third and final discourse.  According to some commentators, this is the last day of Moshe’s life.  To better appreciate the sedrah, close your eyes.  Envision Moshe walking through the camp, stopping and visiting with each tribal group much as somebody would do if he or she were leaving a large gathering to go on a long trip.  While we have not finished with the Torah, we have finished with the commandments.  Vayeilech contains the last two commandments bringing us to a full complement of 613 Mitzvoth.

Themes

Commandments

612.      The obligation of the entire Israelite community to assemble every seven years to hear the Torah read publicly (31:10-13).

613.      The commandment that each Jew should write a Torah scroll during his lifetime (31:19).

Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin as edited by this author.

Transition

In verses 1-6 and verse 14, Moshe’s departure is stated in obvious language.  He is still upset about not going into the Promised Land, but this time there is no arguing or blaming as we saw earlier.  This is consistent with the behavior of a dying man who has made peace with himself.  Moshe set standards on how to live and how to die as well.  He is Moshe Rahbeynu, Moses the Teacher, in the truest sense of that term.  Beginning with verse 7, we see Moshe advancing Joshua as his successor.  This transition is consistent with what seems to be a Jewish passion for bringing order to what seems like a chaotic universe.  The concept of lineage is extremely important in establishing intellectual and religious credibility as can be seen, for example, in the opening verses of the Pirke Avot, the Sayings of the Fathers.

Torah

The sedrah contains only two commandments and they both concern the Torah.  Moreover, these are the last two commandments in the Torah.  Placement would seem to be an indication of importance.  The first commandment has to do with the public reading of the Torah, the second with the need to write one.  Interestingly, we appear to have expanded the public reading aspect.  This probably began with Ezra the Scribe after the return from the Babylonian Exile.  According to some, it was really Ezra who began the real work of democratizing the Torah and making it available to all of the Israelites.  At any rate, we have gone from reading the Torah once every seven years to reading it three times a week as well as on festivals and holidays.  At the same time we appear to have lessened the writing requirement.  The requirement for fulfilling the command about writing a Torah has gone from writing a whole scroll, to writing one letter, to purchasing books of Jewish learning.  Of course, many congregations have taken advantage of this and have used the purchase of a letter, or a line or a sedrah as a fundraising activity for the repair or purchase of a Torah.  We should also note that women as well as men were to hear the reading of the Torah.  Obviously from Moshe’s point of view, our modern practice of educating women is the right thing to do.  One can see from the text that the Torah is at the core of Judaism since it was to be placed just outside of the Holy Ark.  There are some interesting commentaries on the significance of placing the scroll of the law just outside of the Ark, which contained the Tablets.  If you accept the view that the words on the Tablets are the unique utterances of God, then the physical positioning of the Torah outside of the Ark may carry the image of the Torah as the bridge or pathway for man to reach up to the Divine and the Divine to reach down to man.

Predestination

Starting with verse 16, God tells Moshe that the Israelites are going to sin and suffer accordingly.  In verses 27 and 29, Moshe repeats this.  How do we square this with the message of choice or free will that we read in the previous sedrah?  Moshe is basing his prophecy on past performance.  But we do not have to be prisoners of our past.  There is great deal written about this apparent contradiction in concepts.  Rabbi Akiva says, “Everything is foreseen, yet freedom of choice is given; and the world is judged by grace, yet all is according to the amount of work.”  (Pirke Avot, III: 19)  Rabbi Hertz says that this verse “is among the most important in the Avot and lays down a fundamental doctrine of practical religion…God’s foreknowledge and the freedom of man’s will are reconcilable; so are God’s mercy and justice in His dealings with man.”

Where is God?

Verses 17 and 18 have been challenging for commentators over the centuries.  The concept of God hiding his face has taken on an even more troubling manifestation since the Holocaust.  If you want to pursue this topic, I suggest you might try The Trial of God by Elie Wiesel.  Since this is set in the seventeenth century Ukraine, it is obvious that this issue transcends the Holocaust.  I heard the following story.  Supposedly it actually happened.  God was put on trial in one of the camps during the Shoah.  This was done by the observant, not the scoffers.  They had difficulty finding a defense attorney for God.  The trial lasted three nights.  At the end of the trial, the court found God guilty.  After announcing the verdict, the chief rabbi stood and announced, “Gentlemen, it is time to say the evening prayer.”  In other words, you may be angry with God.  But you cannot stop believing in Him.  Issues like this and Predestination versus Free Will may be a form of Intellectual Chukat.  In other words, they are issues that will not really be resolved until the coming of the Moshiach.

Torah as the Foundation for a Modern Jewish State

Micah Odenheimer finds the command that the Jewish people gather every seven years to hear the reading of the Torah should serve as the blueprint for a modern Jewish state.  In a Jewish state i.e., Israel, the ethical teachings of the Torah should infuse all aspects of statecraft.  In other words, in a modern Jewish state religious leaders would work to ensure the existence of institutions designed to guard against income disparity that would guarantee the well-being of the weak as well as the strong and would have leaders who behave in the best possible manner.  Odenheimer decries the fact that the so-called Religious leaders of Israel have traded this role of meaningful ethical arbiter for a few political crumbs such as a Religious Ministry that gives them control, in the narrowest sense of the term, of things like marriage ceremonies, rules for divorce, and who can pray where at the Western Wall.

Haftarah

61:10-63:9 Isaiah

The Man/The Book:  This haftarah is a product of the writing of the Second Isaiah, who is also called the Isaiah of the Exile.  This unknown author produced the last 26 chapters of the Book of Isaiah.  His was a message of hope and imminent redemption offered to the Jewish community of Babylonia.  This was the community who had been variously exiled by the Assyrians and the Babylonians and was the remnant of the Jewish people. 

The Message:  The theme is that of a triumphant restoration.  The prophet opens with imagery of Israel, the Bride reclaimed by her Divine Groom.  The motif then shifts to that of the Divine Warrior who, in words reminiscent of the Haggadah’s description of the Divine Avenger moving against the Egyptians on the night of the Tenth Plague, will take personal charge in the defeat of Israel’s enemies.

The Theme-Link:  The link here is with the calendar, not with the Torah portion.  This is the last of the Seven Haftarot of Consolation, which were intended to comfort the Israelites after the destruction of the Temple.  Also, the tone of these prophetic portions helps to prepare us for the upcoming High Holiday Season with its theme of restoration, repentance and return.  The compilers of the haftarot seemed to have an unwritten rule of trying to end on an upbeat note.  In a message that is appropriate for the Exiles of Babylonia as well as modern man who suffers his own forms of exile, the prophet offers one final word of hope and reconciliation, “Afflicted in their affliction, the Divine Presence saved them.  In love and pity God redeemed them and carried them and raised them high in all times past.”  After the affliction, after the suffering and atonement, there is Divine forgiveness