This week in navi we started to learn about Yishiahu and his first prophecy. Before the time of Yishiahu, B'nei Yisrael was under the rule of the great king Shlomo. Some may argue Shlomo was a great king, but others might oppose. Personally, I think he had all the right intentions throughout his rule as king, but near the end of his kingship he took advantage of the things that were given to him and completely changed his and his kingdom's ways. He taught his kingdom that it was okay to worship idols and others gods besides Hashem. He was the role model for his kingdom and he failed to put up a good influence on them. This caused the kingship to end in the land of Israel.
A Navi, Yishiahu, then came down from G-d. He was sent to deliver a very important an life changing message to B'nei Yisrael. Because of King Shlomo, B'nei Yisrael was accustomed to sinning, but they didn't know they were sinning. It was how there were taught and influenced by Shlomo their whole lives. Yishiahu came down to deliver a prophecy telling B'nei Yisrael that they were doing everything wrong. Yishiahu encountered a problem. He knew that B'nei Yisrael thought they were doing everything right, without any problem, so how could he tell them they were doing everything wrong. Why would they believe an ordinary looking man, telling them they are sinning towards G-d when they don't even believe in the G-d Yishiahu is talking about anymore?
Personally, if a random man came up to me and told me I was doing everything wrong in my religion I would ignore him, because that's just stupid. B'nei Yisrael didn't know any better at the turn. They were taught in that way. There was almost no hope in telling B'nei Yisrael they were doing everything wrong unless they saw the actual existence of G-d. Would it be worth it to even try? It might be good to try but changing the way someone worships is hard. Who would have guessed that yishiahu's main challenge would be the point of his job?
I agree with Sophie. Yishayahu's mission seems almost impossible. I know I wouldn't believe him today, but at the same time, we don't have Neviim in this generation. Sophie said that there was no way they would believe him "unless they saw the actual existence of G-d." I also think that if G-d really wanted them to understand that they were sinning and needed to begin to do what is necessary to be forgiven and return to the path of G-d then He should have done more than send a prophet that He knew the people wouldn't believe. He could have made some type of miraculous shtus happen to make them see His point and realize their mistakes.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Sophie. Yishayahu was undergoing major difficulties. However, I don't think that Shlomo necessarily taught the people that it was okay for them to sin, as they were bringing Korbanot to Hashem, not as Avodah Zarah. Bnei Yisrael were believing in Hashem. Their main sin was towards their fellow people. If their major problem was their attitude towards Hashem, they would have been punished severely or some phenomenon would have occurred, securing their belief in Hashem. I believe that Hashem appointed a human being to rebuke them because only in this manner would they be able to realize that they were not treating each other respectably. Bnei Yisrael needed to hear from someone who was appointed by Hashem, but also someone they could relate to as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that by Yishayahu telling Bnei Yisrael he is giving them a "food for thought." They will remember it becuase it is so out of the ordinary but really maybe when it is going through their mind it could make them think about what they might be doing wrong. I think it is a smart thing for Yishayahu to do to tell Bnei Yisrael about the prophecy even though they may not take it the right way.
ReplyDeleteI just want to clarify the history. Remember that we spoke about Shlomo as having set the stage for the rest of the kingdom with his actions. Yishayahu didn't start to prophesize until much later-during the reign of Uziahu. In between there was much that took place that we didn't discuss since we were not learning Sefer Melachim. Instead after we looked at the ideal of the unified kingdom and the split into two kingdoms, we jumped to the time of Uziahu during which time we said that the kingdom was prosperous economically and doing well politically and militarily, and therefore the people didn't understand why Hashem would be upset with them since He seemed to be condoning their actions and allowing them to achieve success.
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