This is the third haftara of consolation. The following remarks are adapted from an essay by Rav Mosheh Lichtenstein, son of the gaon Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, zt”l.
In recent weeks we have reflected on physical and spiritual aspects of the redemption transforming the fabric of reality. R’ Lichtenstein concentrates on the psychological impact, and Israel’s emotional response to the message of redemption. He notes that the beginning of the haftara compares Israel to a ship lost in a storm at sea, traumatized from the long exile and not readily consoled.
In order to better explain this psychological state, R’ Lichtenstein evokes the example of a son who has been banished from his father’s home. The son must come to terms with two challenges – one is the material aspect of poverty upon withdrawal of his father’s support and the other is the emotional burden of the banishment. Similarly, Israel must recover from the practical consequences of the exile, including the depletion of her resources and uprootedness from her land. But the psychological scars might prove even more difficult to heal.
In this week’s haftara, on the one hand the navi considers the poverty and deprivation of those who were recently oppressed, and he tells the redeemed remnant to stop worrying how much things cost because there are to be no more limits in the material world. On the other hand, he faces the arguably more difficult task of guiding the people of Israel towards reconciliation with their own good fortune. Many of us are familiar with a concept known as “survivor’s guilt” in which people who are somehow saved from the misfortune that befell others have difficulty extricating themselves from the despair accompanying this misfortune. The navi wants to help the survivors of Israel to make their peace with fate.
Other depictions of the redemption tend to emphasize the glory of G-d that derives from His redeeming His people at a time and in a manner which suits Him. But human beings, even those who are desperate and endangered, ideally don’t want to be given something they have not earned. In order for Israel to truly enjoy the redemption, they must feel that they deserve it. Until this happens, the redemption remains incomplete. At the climax of our haftara (Yeshayahu 54:17), Hashem assures us that no weapon will be effective against us; no argument or legal challenge to our rights may stand because “this is the nachala reserved for the servants of Hashem and the just desserts due them from me.”
R’ Lichtenstein stresses the meaning of nachala as something which has been earned, a surety or pension put aside for the faithful servant. When a slave is freed, he is sometimes given a reward for his years of service. This is a gift from the master, but it is given in exchange for something of value – the many years of faithful service. The navi wants us to know that our redemption is not an arbitrary gift from Hashem. Rather, it is a reward put aside for His servants in exchange for our service.
