Isaiah 66:1-24
When Rosh Hodesh falls on Shabbat, a special Haftarah is read. Coming from the last chapter of Isaiah, there is a vision of new moon after new moon and Sabbath after Sabbath as a promise of God’s unending relationship with humanity. God’s sovereignty will endure forever.
At the beginning of the chapter, we have God’s lamenting the troubles in getting someone’s attention.
For I called and none responded,I spoke and none paid heed.
- Verse 4
God wants us to pay attention. When we don’t pay attention, God stops being nice.
I attended an interfaith group meeting yesterday whose speaker was Pablo Suarez, one of two climate change experts that works for the Red Cross Red Crescent society. He spoke to us about what it means to be proactive about climate change at the local level and how that affects society at a global level. He spoke about how understanding the changes that are happening and working to be ready for them can prevent food shortages and deaths. He spoke about common sense solutions like storing grain in bags as opposed to granaries. When heavier than normal rains come, which happens more and more often these days, the bags can be moved to higher ground and the food saved.
These ideas save money, prevent the need for disaster relief and put survival and recovery int the hands of the people much sooner than the Red Cross can get there. These ideas aside—and there were many of them—Mr. Suarez then moved the conversation to the metaphysical. He asked us to determine if we believed a variety of climate issues were the cause of Man, Nature or God.
Man. Nature. God.
The ice caps melting. Man? Nature? God?
The flooding after hurricane Katrina. Man? Nature? God?
The Tsunami in Indonesia. Man? Nature? God?
The deaths after Katrina. Man? Nature? God?
The oil spill in the gulf. Man? Nature? God?
The list went on.
One response from the audience to this list and the options presented was that perhaps there was no difference between God and Nature. I also considered that I have often mentioned that I believe when we work for positive change, we are partnering with God.
God? Man? Nature?
As I was listening to this I was wondering about the message that we are supposed to be getting when nature is talking to us. Whose attention is nature trying to get? What is going to happen when we don’t listen, or can’t listen or choose not to listen, or let politics dictate what we think science is telling us?
It will soon become the case that something will replace the oil spill and its effects in the news and in the American consciousness. Remember Haiti? Remember Darfur?
God. Nature. Man.
God’s complaint in the opening verses of this chapter from Isaiah speaks for the complaint of more than God. It speaks for the complaint of Nature and Man as well. God is not the only thing that we sometimes tend to ignore.
Who will we pay attention to this week, this month, this year? There are so many things that need our attention. Let us hope that we can give it when it is warrented.
Shabbat Shalom
Showing posts with label Isaiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaiah. Show all posts
Friday, June 11, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
God is With Us – Haftarah First Day of Pesach
Isaiah 43:1-15 (Reform)
(Traditional Reading: Joshua 5:2-6:1, 6:27)
“Have no fear, for I am with you. אַל-תִּירָא כִּי-אִתְּךָ-אָנִי God speaks these words to the people as a whole in this morning’s passage from Isaiah. God promises to ingather the exiles from the east, the west, the north and the south. In a time of Exile in Bavel, the people need to hear that there is hope that they will return to their homeland. In a fitting connection to our celebration this week, Isaiah reminds the people that God is with them to protect them when they walk through fire and when they pass through rivers. God is with Israel. כִּי-אִתְּךָ-אָנִי.
This phrase however is meant to evoke more than just a connection to the Israelites that are dispersed throughout the ancient world. There is a connection to history here that is not to be forgotten. There is a connection to the past. Each of the three patriarchs received this same blessing. Each was told not to fear, for God is with them. In a stunning example of Zechut Avot, the merit of the ancestors, God takes this phrase, which has had specific individual meaning for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and makes it communal. God mimics the promises to the ancestors in the language.
Abraham is told not to fear in Genesis 15. God tells Avram, as he is known at that point, not to fear because God will be his shield. Abram demands to know why he has no children, no one to carry on the name and the faith. All he has is his servant, Eliezer. God takes Avram out to look at the stars and tells him to count the stars, for his offspring shall be that numerous. God’s promise of not to fear in this case has to do with a connection to the future of the people. You will have a progeny. You will have a family. You will have someone to teach your traditions to.
Isaac is told not to fear in Genesis 26. Do not fear, for I am with you is followed by Avimelech the king of the Philistines coming to Isaac to make a treaty with him. Avimelech had seen that God was with Isaac and wanted to extend a hand in friendship based on the fact that so far, neither had done anything bad to the other. Isaac accepts this treaty and together they swear an oath of peace and have a feast. This scene ends with an immediate discovery of water in a well. God’s promise based on the phrase not to fear in this case has to do with peace and sustenance.
Jacob is told not to fear in chapter 46. God tells Jacob not to fear going down to Egypt, for Jacob will become a great nation there. God will be with Jacob and his family when they go down and when they come back up. This phrase of not to fear is a promise that God will be with the people in good times and in bad and that God is looking out for the people Israel even as they leave the land that has been promised to them. This scene is followed by a list of the families that went down to Egypt with Jacob.
And then we get back to Isaiah. Our phrase, fear not for I am with you, is found in our Haftarah this morning as well as two chapters earlier. Other than that, it is only found in conjunction with Abraham Isaac and Jacob. God’s words through Isaiah are meant to remind us of what God did for our ancestors. They are meant to remind the people, exiled in Bavel, that God will provide a future for our people. God will provide protection, peace and sustenance for our people. God will be with us in the good times and the bad.
No where is this more exemplified than in the story of the Exodus that we recall this week. God remembers the promise of a future and redeems the people from slavery. That would have been enough. But God also gives manna from heaven and provides us safe passage through the wilderness. That would have been enough. But ultimately, God is with us in the wilderness, as well as when we get to the Promised Land. God is a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. That would have been enough, too. But do not fear, because the work of the Lord is not yet done. God will return us from our exile in triumph. God will bring us back together as a people to Jerusalem.
Though we may find ourselves in the wilderness from time to time, God is with us. Though we may be wading through mud, God is with us. Though we may be singed by fires, God is with us. God’s promises to our ancestors are also promises to us. And, just like them, we may not fully live to see their fruits in this world, but that does not make them any less of a promise. Our Haftarah ends with God’s words to us. “אֲנִי יְהֹוָה קְדוֹשְׁכֶם. I am Adonai, your holy one. בּוֹרֵא יִשְֹרָאֵל מַלְכְּכֶם, the creator of Israel, your king.” By saying your holy one and your king, God reminds us of the covenant that started with Abram, that worked its way through Isaac and Jacob, through the slavery in Egypt and the exile in Bavel and through the diaspora to today. Isaiah’s message from God to us is that God is still with us.
Friday, March 19, 2010
God’s Do-over - Haftarah Vayikra
Isaiah 43:21-44:23
Deutero-Isaiah is the Isaiah of comfort and compassion while the Israelites are exiled in Bavel. Contrasting to First Isaiah, the prophet of destruction and woe, this guy is a little nicer to listen to.
Since the people are in Bavel, they cannot fulfill their duty to sacrifice. Unlike the Elephantine Jews, they did not build their own temple. God seems to be ok with this reality, however. Though there is not sacrifice for expiation, and though the sins of the people weigh heavily on God, God still wipes their transgressions away and remembers their sins no more, for God’s own sake. (43:25)
What caught my attention, however, is the following verse:
אָבִיךָ הָרִאשׁוֹן, חָטָא; וּמְלִיצֶיךָ, פָּשְׁעוּ בִי.
Your first ancestor sinned, and your spokesman transgressed (rebelled) against me!
44:20
This is theologically difficult. What is God saying here? Is God telling the people through Isaiah that they have no choice but to be sinners, as if they are predestined to sin? Do Jews have an original sin?
Hertz comments: “If even the patriarch and prophet have sinned, how much more the mass of the people. From first to last, Israel had fully deserved the punishment that finally overwhelmed it”
Fishbane comments: “The reference to an ancient sin evokes the sin of Adam (Kimhi).”
Fishbane goes on to say that Ibn Ezra tells us that it might be referring to a sinful ruler of the people.
What is the sin that we are talking about here, though? Plaut translates פשע in our verse as rebelled. This would mean some kind of idol worship, probably. From the first ancestor, the Israelites have worshipped idols. They have not been faithful to God.
Do the Israelites, according to God through Deutero-Isaiah, have an ingrained propensity for idolatry? This appears to be exactly what God is saying, since Isaiah spends a good chunk of this speech proclaiming the ridiculousness of praying to wood.
If the people are predisposed to idolatry, why even bother with them? Tough we are now into the book of Leviticus, we are not so far removed from the Golden Calf episode. The people turn to idols every chance they get, and still God is with them.
The first line of our passage seems to be God teaching the people. God tells them: “This people I have formed so that they would sing my praises.” God creates a living, breathing, praising being. When people create idols, there is nothing of action, nor anything of substance. By juxtaposing the two creation modes, God’s position as creator is reinforced. We may be made in the divine image, but we cannot create like God. We can procreate, but we cannot make a living, breathing sentient being with only the dust of the earth.
In short – I am not God. You are not God. We are not gods. We have limitations to our abilities. Though we tell ourselves we can do anything and be anything we want, there is a limit. God has no limits. God tried to teach us this at the Tower of Babel, but we got so confused, we didn’t know what we were listening to. Also, God didn’t teach us the reason. There was only punishment.
God has a second opportunity here, back in Bavel to teach the people, not just punish.
Chapter 44 verses 9-20 is a brilliant exposé of the emptiness of idolatry. The irony of the image is not lost on the listener. An idol made out of the same wood that is used for fuel. Though the message is one of rebuke in a way, God seems to be willing to help the people change. Like a well structured essay, God gives a thesis and supports it with a relevant example.
God, seemingly different from the God of Sinai ready to destroy the people, has accepted their fault and is trying to work with it for their sake. God knows their mode of thinking and living. God understands where their mind will go. Rather than forcing them to drink a golden calf cocktail, for example, God teaches them the ridiculousness of idol worship.
As we approach our Passover Seder tables, a night where teaching is the first order of business, let us remember the God of this passage who taught us with compassion, remembering our difficulties and learning differences. The God who stopped to show us what it means to be Jews rather than merely telling us. The God who created us in his image.
Though we cannot create beings like God, perhaps we can aim to mold minds in a divine way.
Deutero-Isaiah is the Isaiah of comfort and compassion while the Israelites are exiled in Bavel. Contrasting to First Isaiah, the prophet of destruction and woe, this guy is a little nicer to listen to.
Since the people are in Bavel, they cannot fulfill their duty to sacrifice. Unlike the Elephantine Jews, they did not build their own temple. God seems to be ok with this reality, however. Though there is not sacrifice for expiation, and though the sins of the people weigh heavily on God, God still wipes their transgressions away and remembers their sins no more, for God’s own sake. (43:25)
What caught my attention, however, is the following verse:
אָבִיךָ הָרִאשׁוֹן, חָטָא; וּמְלִיצֶיךָ, פָּשְׁעוּ בִי.
Your first ancestor sinned, and your spokesman transgressed (rebelled) against me!
44:20
This is theologically difficult. What is God saying here? Is God telling the people through Isaiah that they have no choice but to be sinners, as if they are predestined to sin? Do Jews have an original sin?
Hertz comments: “If even the patriarch and prophet have sinned, how much more the mass of the people. From first to last, Israel had fully deserved the punishment that finally overwhelmed it”
Fishbane comments: “The reference to an ancient sin evokes the sin of Adam (Kimhi).”
Fishbane goes on to say that Ibn Ezra tells us that it might be referring to a sinful ruler of the people.
What is the sin that we are talking about here, though? Plaut translates פשע in our verse as rebelled. This would mean some kind of idol worship, probably. From the first ancestor, the Israelites have worshipped idols. They have not been faithful to God.
Do the Israelites, according to God through Deutero-Isaiah, have an ingrained propensity for idolatry? This appears to be exactly what God is saying, since Isaiah spends a good chunk of this speech proclaiming the ridiculousness of praying to wood.
If the people are predisposed to idolatry, why even bother with them? Tough we are now into the book of Leviticus, we are not so far removed from the Golden Calf episode. The people turn to idols every chance they get, and still God is with them.
The first line of our passage seems to be God teaching the people. God tells them: “This people I have formed so that they would sing my praises.” God creates a living, breathing, praising being. When people create idols, there is nothing of action, nor anything of substance. By juxtaposing the two creation modes, God’s position as creator is reinforced. We may be made in the divine image, but we cannot create like God. We can procreate, but we cannot make a living, breathing sentient being with only the dust of the earth.
In short – I am not God. You are not God. We are not gods. We have limitations to our abilities. Though we tell ourselves we can do anything and be anything we want, there is a limit. God has no limits. God tried to teach us this at the Tower of Babel, but we got so confused, we didn’t know what we were listening to. Also, God didn’t teach us the reason. There was only punishment.
God has a second opportunity here, back in Bavel to teach the people, not just punish.
Chapter 44 verses 9-20 is a brilliant exposé of the emptiness of idolatry. The irony of the image is not lost on the listener. An idol made out of the same wood that is used for fuel. Though the message is one of rebuke in a way, God seems to be willing to help the people change. Like a well structured essay, God gives a thesis and supports it with a relevant example.
God, seemingly different from the God of Sinai ready to destroy the people, has accepted their fault and is trying to work with it for their sake. God knows their mode of thinking and living. God understands where their mind will go. Rather than forcing them to drink a golden calf cocktail, for example, God teaches them the ridiculousness of idol worship.
As we approach our Passover Seder tables, a night where teaching is the first order of business, let us remember the God of this passage who taught us with compassion, remembering our difficulties and learning differences. The God who stopped to show us what it means to be Jews rather than merely telling us. The God who created us in his image.
Though we cannot create beings like God, perhaps we can aim to mold minds in a divine way.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Haftarah Yitro - Seeing God
Haftarah Yitro – Better Late than Never
Sorry for the delay this week. I would love to say that I was so taken by the imagery of this passage from Isaiah (6:1-7:6; 9:5-6) that I simply couldn’t write anything, but that is not the case.
This week we witnessed the awe that is Sinai. The earth rolled, the horns blew, the lightning struck. Isaiah’s image in this haftarah is a complete inversion of this. Instead of God on Earth, Isaiah becomes man in heaven. Man who enters God’s chamber and witnesses the angels shouting.
“Holy! Holy! Holy! Is the God of Heaven’s Hosts, who presence fills all the earth!” (6:3)
There is a paradox in this statement that was not clear to me until just now. The God of Heaven fills all the Earth. God is everywhere. Isaiah, apparently, didn’t need to go to Heaven to see God. (But then, we don’t need to go to France to eat a croissant, but it does seem to taste better there, non?) Isaiah goes to God’s house to see God and learn the message to relay to the people. It is this message that I want to focus on.
“Go and tell this to the people:
Hear again and again – but without understanding.
Look again and again – but without perceiving.
Dull this people’s mind,
Stop its ears and cloud its eyes!
Lest seeing with its eyes,
And hearing with its ears
It understand with its mind and repent and save itself.” (6:8-10)
Is God really telling Isaiah to make it so that the people can’t return to God? Is Isaiah supposed to deliver an undecipherable message? Maybe the message is meant to be difficult, but really, is it supposed to be purposely hard to gain God’s good graces?
Fishbane, citing a slew of commentators, uses the verb forms in the Hebrew to show that it is not God who causes this to happen, rather it is the people who have closed their ears to God and clouded their eyes to the divine that will not be open to redemption.
How often have we closed ourselves to the divine that is around us? How certain are we that there is no God present in the things that we see daily? Does God have to cause the ground to shake to wake us up? Do we need to hear a ram’s horn blow or witness lightning without cloud and thunder without rain in order to say to ourselves: yep, that was God?
Perhaps, in these lines, God, through Isaiah, is trying to remind us that there are small elements of God visible all around us every day, if only we open our eyes and stop to listen for a moment.
Sorry for the delay this week. I would love to say that I was so taken by the imagery of this passage from Isaiah (6:1-7:6; 9:5-6) that I simply couldn’t write anything, but that is not the case.
This week we witnessed the awe that is Sinai. The earth rolled, the horns blew, the lightning struck. Isaiah’s image in this haftarah is a complete inversion of this. Instead of God on Earth, Isaiah becomes man in heaven. Man who enters God’s chamber and witnesses the angels shouting.
“Holy! Holy! Holy! Is the God of Heaven’s Hosts, who presence fills all the earth!” (6:3)
There is a paradox in this statement that was not clear to me until just now. The God of Heaven fills all the Earth. God is everywhere. Isaiah, apparently, didn’t need to go to Heaven to see God. (But then, we don’t need to go to France to eat a croissant, but it does seem to taste better there, non?) Isaiah goes to God’s house to see God and learn the message to relay to the people. It is this message that I want to focus on.
“Go and tell this to the people:
Hear again and again – but without understanding.
Look again and again – but without perceiving.
Dull this people’s mind,
Stop its ears and cloud its eyes!
Lest seeing with its eyes,
And hearing with its ears
It understand with its mind and repent and save itself.” (6:8-10)
Is God really telling Isaiah to make it so that the people can’t return to God? Is Isaiah supposed to deliver an undecipherable message? Maybe the message is meant to be difficult, but really, is it supposed to be purposely hard to gain God’s good graces?
Fishbane, citing a slew of commentators, uses the verb forms in the Hebrew to show that it is not God who causes this to happen, rather it is the people who have closed their ears to God and clouded their eyes to the divine that will not be open to redemption.
How often have we closed ourselves to the divine that is around us? How certain are we that there is no God present in the things that we see daily? Does God have to cause the ground to shake to wake us up? Do we need to hear a ram’s horn blow or witness lightning without cloud and thunder without rain in order to say to ourselves: yep, that was God?
Perhaps, in these lines, God, through Isaiah, is trying to remind us that there are small elements of God visible all around us every day, if only we open our eyes and stop to listen for a moment.
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