This week we learned about the steps to exile. The people didn't go from G-d fearing to idol worshipping over night. It was a long and downhill process which led to the exile. This process is very similar to the process people still go through today. People are still sinning even if it's not in the same form as it was thousands of years ago. The mind still works the same and people still find themselves in a similar situation where you pass the point of no return and you can no longer be who you once were. Teenagers especially like to tell themselves that what they are doing is right just so they can live an easier or more exciting life. Jusaism is hard for this generation. There's no getting around that. It isn't easy to watch everyone else eat out at different restaurants while we can only get take-out sushi or deli sandwiches from Kroger. It is frustrating to miss sports games or concerts because they fall out during Shabbos or Yom Tov. It sometimes is uncomfortable to dress a certain way when the majority of the people we're around dress however they want. There are days we can't use our phones or the Internet and days when we can't eat at all. We end school later because of our duel curriculum and we must take classes in Judaic studies even if we don't particularly care for them. No one said being an Orthodox Jew in this generation was easy, but many of us seem to get by anyway. Unfortunately, multiple teenage Jews succumb to the pressure of living like all the other "normal" teens out there. The transformation does not come over night and it is not always noticeable at first, but after a certain process, they reach the point of no return just like the Jews of Yisrael did many years ago.
The people of Yisrael began to believe in other powers. This was not a monotheistic belief like we are meant to have. They began to see validity in the practices of the other nations. They began to think that maybe there is a limit to G-d's power and therefore there are other powers in the world. Up to this point, they have not acted on their thoughts. Then they begin to incorporate the rituals of the other nations into their own worship of G-d. Along with this comes some Avodah Zara. They are still worshipping G-d and still believe in His power but they are beginning to believe in other gods and powers as well due to the influence of the other nations. G-d sends Naviim to help them return to G-d. The Navi tells them that what their doing is wrong and they need to change their ways. The people acknowledge that their actions are wrong and the Navi is right but they still do not change their ways. The people still have a chance to return to G-d. They still have their basic belief in G-d. They are able to recognize that what they're doing is wrong which proves that they have not turned on G-d yet.
Next they become stubborn. They do not want to change their ways. They are content with the way they are acting and want to justify their actions. The only way to justify their actions, though, is to change their beliefs. The people stop believing in G-d and begin to hate Judaism and the Mitzvot. This is the point of no return. No matter what the Navi says, the people cannot return to G-d. They no longer care or believe in G-d therefore they will not listen to Him or follow his commandments. The people adopt hedonistic values of society and leave Torah and Mitzvot behind in order to embrace a new life of Avodah Zara. This is the breaking point. G-d can no longer handle their presence and must exile them. G-d exiles the 10 tribes by using Assyria to defeat and exile them. These tribes are still in exile today and no one knows who they are. Until Mashiach, they will forever be lost.
In class we also talked about cognitive dissonance. This is the tension between belief and action. A person strives to resolve tension. People convince themselves that what they're doing is right in order to resolve any tension they are feeling. Once we begin to justify our behavior, though, we pass the point of no return.
This is happening among the Jewish teen community all the time. Teens look around them and see other teens whether they are conservative, reform, or non-jews and see a life that appears to be easier and more fun than life as an orthodox Jew. These teens don't have to go to shul, they don't have to pray, they can go to parties on Friday nights, and they can eat whatever they want. It seems like a better life; easier for sure. These teens tell themselves they will just go to one party. Maybe one more. Before long they begin to get attached to this new life and want to leave their old, pressure-filled, complex, and intense life behind. They will feel guilty for abandoning their old values, but they will make excuses for themselves and resolve any tensions they are feeling because they are humans, and that's what humans do. They will justify their actions in their heads until they truly believe that what they are doing is acceptable, and even the right thing. This is the point of no return and this is constantly happening. It is possible that this is one of the sins which keep us in exile until this day. Maybe G-d is waiting for us to fix our ways before He can bring Mashiach. All we can do is teach our fellow Jews to be strong in their beliefs so they do not succumb to this sinful system.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Hashem the Puppeteer
This week we began learning about the last of the kings of Yisrael. Each one had a similar rule- ruled a few months or years, follow is father or predecessor in doing their sins, rebelled against, killed, and a new king takes over. This all happens over a course of many years; Yisrael constantly changes kings, while the rule in Yehuda remains the same. This should be a big sign that Yehuda isn't as bad as Yisrael. The last king that comes before the exile of the ten tribes is הושע. He is seen a little differently than the kings before him. He is said to have done bad, but not as bad as those before him. There is an excellent example of the "action/reaction" cycle here. הושע takes action- he acts as a servant for אשור and pays taxes to him. However when he stops paying taxes, what happens? אשור attacks. This begs the question: why did הושע stop paying taxes? It could be that הושע simply did not want to be controlled by אשור anymore.
All this time, Hashem has sent ישעיהו to stop the kings from making alliances for foreign aid and relying on Hashem instead. Sadly, none of them listened and הושע is no different. This could be seen as the religious reason as to why they were attacked during הושע's reign. Hashem is throwing up his hands in the air and saying "enough is enough!". הושע's refusal to turn to Hashem is what finally pushes Him over the top. This is all a result of refusal to believe in Hashem's power. The action/reaction cycle that is repeated so many times throughout these פרקים is caused by the ignorance of the kings.
ישעיהו at first began showing the problems of Yisrael to Yehuda as sort of a warning- "You are next". He is leading up to the greatest punishment of all- the exile of the ten tribes. The main purpose of all of this was to show the kings that Hashem is ultimately the one who is always in control- always has the power. He is the one pulling the strings; we are just the puppets in His world. If the kings had only realized this sooner, they might have been spared all of the attacks and losing the hundreds of thousands of people that were exiled during גלות שומרון.
This particular part of the פרקים spoke to me strongly. It's very hard to understand what life was like back then, the choices the kings had to make under pressure, the choices the people had to make under pressure, but I could never understand how the king could be so stupid! (for lack of a better word) They are told over and over and over again: "Don't do this. It is bad." and yet they continue to ignore it! They are basically TOLD what will happen to them and yet they act as if they don't even care. I am not a king of Yehuda or Yisrael, but I myself would not be overjoyed if a large, fairly MEAN nation came and destroyed my land. We are still in exile today, which should tell us all something: we are the same as the nations back then. We are the remnant left of the nation of Yehuda. If we don't change our ways, we will never come out of exile and we'll be just as bad as the last kings of Yisrael.
All this time, Hashem has sent ישעיהו to stop the kings from making alliances for foreign aid and relying on Hashem instead. Sadly, none of them listened and הושע is no different. This could be seen as the religious reason as to why they were attacked during הושע's reign. Hashem is throwing up his hands in the air and saying "enough is enough!". הושע's refusal to turn to Hashem is what finally pushes Him over the top. This is all a result of refusal to believe in Hashem's power. The action/reaction cycle that is repeated so many times throughout these פרקים is caused by the ignorance of the kings.
ישעיהו at first began showing the problems of Yisrael to Yehuda as sort of a warning- "You are next". He is leading up to the greatest punishment of all- the exile of the ten tribes. The main purpose of all of this was to show the kings that Hashem is ultimately the one who is always in control- always has the power. He is the one pulling the strings; we are just the puppets in His world. If the kings had only realized this sooner, they might have been spared all of the attacks and losing the hundreds of thousands of people that were exiled during גלות שומרון.
This particular part of the פרקים spoke to me strongly. It's very hard to understand what life was like back then, the choices the kings had to make under pressure, the choices the people had to make under pressure, but I could never understand how the king could be so stupid! (for lack of a better word) They are told over and over and over again: "Don't do this. It is bad." and yet they continue to ignore it! They are basically TOLD what will happen to them and yet they act as if they don't even care. I am not a king of Yehuda or Yisrael, but I myself would not be overjoyed if a large, fairly MEAN nation came and destroyed my land. We are still in exile today, which should tell us all something: we are the same as the nations back then. We are the remnant left of the nation of Yehuda. If we don't change our ways, we will never come out of exile and we'll be just as bad as the last kings of Yisrael.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Have Trust In Hashem
The Punishment of Bnei Yisrael has begun. They are told to make a plain script of people so that everyone can see it. Yeshayahu has a third child, Maher Shlal Chash Baz. Before this kid could say "mommy" or "daddy, Ashur will attack and conquer Demesek and Shomron-I viewed this as maybe this is a metaphor, maybe Hashem could be saying that you cannot call out "Hashem" (mommy or daddy). You will not be able to. He has done as much as he could to get Bnei Yisrael to listen to Him and now he is saying that now you cannot call out "Hashem" anymore he is not there to be able to help. By the time you are calling out to Hashem they will have already attacked. The audience of this script would be Yehudah and it will be the punishment of Yisrael. The people of Yehudah will be getting their punishment next. Hashem is the one pulling the strings here. He wants the attack to happen. This is Yeshayahu's accomplishment of becoming a "prophet on record."
Ashur is going to destroy Aram (Demesek) and Shomron. They will also destroy Yehudah, but not completely-maybe people will finally do teshuva. Sometime in the future, there will be a "shining star" born to Yehudah. Even tough Shomrono was completely attacked and punished they still did not return to the ways of Hashem. Assyria exiles the 10 tribes. Yishayahu is hoping to use this as an excuse to try and get the people to repent, change, and go back to the ways of G-d.
In Perakim 15-17 we see the list of kings and their actions. You have Uzayahu ruling for 52 years in Yehudah. In his time you have Yeravim who ruled for 41 years, Zecharia who ruled for 6 months, Shalom who ruled for 1 month, Menchem who ruled for 10 years, and Pecachyahu who ruled for 2 years ruling in Yisrael. Then in Yisrael Pecach ruled for 20 years. During his time, Yotam and Achaz ruled in Yehudah. Finally, you have Chezkiyahu ruling in Yehudah and Hoshea ruling in Yisrael.
While Hoshea was ruling the punishment began. Most of the kings before him had done bad in the eyes of Hashem and they continued in the ways of Yiravam. You have a whole list of kings not learning at all from each other and continuing in bad ways and not respecting Hashem and doing bad in His eyes. Then when it comes to Hoshea, he had still done bad in the eyes of Hashem, but unlike the kings before he didn't continue in the ways of Yiravam. Hoshea would send a gift to Ashur to prevent them from attacking Yisrael. Hoshea stop giving gifts to Ashur and he tries to make an alliance with Mitzraim. This is one of his biggest problems-he is not trusting Hashem to be his "alliance," and to be the one to help him with his military needs.
I think that the biggest lesson that we learn in these Pesukim is to give all your trust in Hashem. When you are not trusting Him, then he has no reason to help. But once you say that you need help from Him and you have trust in Him and you are willing to give up something to have your trust in Him, then he will help you.
On the past Shabbaton I went on for ncsy, we learned about love. We learned that you need to give something up for someone you love. I think that you can do that with Hashem too. A person will have a different type of love with a person than they will have with Hashem, but it is still the same concept. You need to give something up and you being able to have that trust in that person to protect you from whatever you had given up builds a relationship that will get stronger over time. If Bnei Yisrael would have realized that this is what they needed to do then the punishment could have been much less or maybe could not have even happened.
What You Can Do Is a Matter Of What You Will Do
In this week's Navi class, we continued to delve into the actions of the Melachim and proceeded to Perek Chet and Tet in Yeshayahu. We first reviewed the meaning of the sign of the boy, Immanuel, who will be born from a young woman. Achaz spurns the idea of receiving a sign, yet Hashem gives him it anyway, not as a miracle, but as a symbol that Hashem is present and is in CONTROL, a reality Achaz had to accept and appreciate. No matter how much Achaz denies this, he still cannot change it. Achaz didn't want this sign for a simple purpose: if he received a sign, he might actually have to listen.
Achaz is also warned of the rapidly approaching punishment, both the short-term and long-term. The short-term refers to Yisrael (also known as Ephraim and Shomron), and the long-term refers to Yehudah. Ashur will be responsible for the destruction. Achaz might believe that the best option for him is to ally with Ashur. However, Ashur will ultimately be the one who destroys him.
In Perek Chet, Hashem begins by telling Yeshayahu to take a large tablet and write on it in Cheret Enosh, which can be translated as plain script (so all the people can see), or in the script of people (formed out of people). On it should be written: Maher Shlal (hasten the booty), which refers to Damesek (capital of Aram), and Chash Baz (speed the spoils), which refers to Yisrael. Mher Shlal Chash Baz was one of Yeshayahu's children. He resembles a sign that before he can say his parent's name, Ashur will attack Shomron and Damesek.
Yeshayahu's audience in this action is Yehudah and the subject matter is the punishment of Yisrael. The message is clear: the people of Yehudah are next. The "prediction" is that Assyria will conquer Yisrael/ Aram because Hashem wants it to happen. This further exemplifies that Hashem is pulling the strings.
Yeshayahu is the prophet on record. Even though the punishment is inevitable, perhaps individuals will change their ways. The "timeline of destruction" is that Ashur will destroy Aram, Yisrael, and then you (Yehudah). However, there will not be total destruction. Maybe certain individuals will improve their ways and a remnant will remain. Later, a "shining star" will be born to Yehudah. This could be interpreted as the future, possibly Mashiach, or sooner. This earlier "star" will be Chizkiyahu, who will be a good king and might change things. However, the unfortunate reaction of the people of Shomron will be that despite the punishment, they will not heed to Hashem's messages.
We then discussed the kings of Yisrael and their actions. Although Yeshayahu's messages were directed towards this kingdom, he sometimes used the incidents in Yisrael to provide rebuke, reflection, and insight to the people of Yehudah. The kings of Yisrael were tremendously unstable.
Both kingdoms dealt with superpowers by forming an alliance (Achaz and Ashur), paying taxes (Hoshea), refusing to pay taxes (Hoshea), or by attack. These are all geo-political actions. A religious perspective is that Hashem is behind all that is occurring (which are a result of the people's actions). This religious perspective is also exhibited in the Book of Devarim. If the people are good, they will be rewarded (expanded borders and economic success). If the people are bad, they will be attacked/destroyed. However, there will always be a remnant. The sins of the people of Yehudah are a lack of social justice (Tzedek U'Mishpat), and the sins of Yisrael are Avodah Zarah and the ignoring of their prophets who rebuked them.
"Kol Yisrael Arevim Ze Lazeh." All of Israel is responsible for one another. This is a quote that has been taught to any person regarding his fellow Jews. However, it is these five words that the people of Yehudah lacked. These five words are an antonym for the entire society of the people of Yehudah. This kingdom lacked social justice, the people cheating their customers and being unethical in business, oppressing the downtrodden, the judges were taking bribes and abused their power. The women were immodest, immoral, and haughty. How can you structure an ethical and moral society if the people themselves cannot control their actions?
However, there was a time to repent, the time of warning. Bnei Yisrael could have improved their actions, focusing on one aspect at a time, correcting improper methods of business and treatment of others. However, what you can do is a matter of what you will do. Bnei Yisrael were offered chances, multiple opportunities to improve their ways. However, just like children who are offered a second chance to correct their actions and choose not grasp it, there must come a time when there must be punishment.
Achaz is also warned of the rapidly approaching punishment, both the short-term and long-term. The short-term refers to Yisrael (also known as Ephraim and Shomron), and the long-term refers to Yehudah. Ashur will be responsible for the destruction. Achaz might believe that the best option for him is to ally with Ashur. However, Ashur will ultimately be the one who destroys him.
In Perek Chet, Hashem begins by telling Yeshayahu to take a large tablet and write on it in Cheret Enosh, which can be translated as plain script (so all the people can see), or in the script of people (formed out of people). On it should be written: Maher Shlal (hasten the booty), which refers to Damesek (capital of Aram), and Chash Baz (speed the spoils), which refers to Yisrael. Mher Shlal Chash Baz was one of Yeshayahu's children. He resembles a sign that before he can say his parent's name, Ashur will attack Shomron and Damesek.
Yeshayahu's audience in this action is Yehudah and the subject matter is the punishment of Yisrael. The message is clear: the people of Yehudah are next. The "prediction" is that Assyria will conquer Yisrael/ Aram because Hashem wants it to happen. This further exemplifies that Hashem is pulling the strings.
Yeshayahu is the prophet on record. Even though the punishment is inevitable, perhaps individuals will change their ways. The "timeline of destruction" is that Ashur will destroy Aram, Yisrael, and then you (Yehudah). However, there will not be total destruction. Maybe certain individuals will improve their ways and a remnant will remain. Later, a "shining star" will be born to Yehudah. This could be interpreted as the future, possibly Mashiach, or sooner. This earlier "star" will be Chizkiyahu, who will be a good king and might change things. However, the unfortunate reaction of the people of Shomron will be that despite the punishment, they will not heed to Hashem's messages.
We then discussed the kings of Yisrael and their actions. Although Yeshayahu's messages were directed towards this kingdom, he sometimes used the incidents in Yisrael to provide rebuke, reflection, and insight to the people of Yehudah. The kings of Yisrael were tremendously unstable.
Both kingdoms dealt with superpowers by forming an alliance (Achaz and Ashur), paying taxes (Hoshea), refusing to pay taxes (Hoshea), or by attack. These are all geo-political actions. A religious perspective is that Hashem is behind all that is occurring (which are a result of the people's actions). This religious perspective is also exhibited in the Book of Devarim. If the people are good, they will be rewarded (expanded borders and economic success). If the people are bad, they will be attacked/destroyed. However, there will always be a remnant. The sins of the people of Yehudah are a lack of social justice (Tzedek U'Mishpat), and the sins of Yisrael are Avodah Zarah and the ignoring of their prophets who rebuked them.
"Kol Yisrael Arevim Ze Lazeh." All of Israel is responsible for one another. This is a quote that has been taught to any person regarding his fellow Jews. However, it is these five words that the people of Yehudah lacked. These five words are an antonym for the entire society of the people of Yehudah. This kingdom lacked social justice, the people cheating their customers and being unethical in business, oppressing the downtrodden, the judges were taking bribes and abused their power. The women were immodest, immoral, and haughty. How can you structure an ethical and moral society if the people themselves cannot control their actions?
Hellen Keller once said, "Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained." This, unfortunately is a reality today. History repeats itself. Today, the modern corollary for this is lying, cheating, gambling, schemes, and poor treatment of one another. Oftentimes, those less fortunate are not given the same opportunities as us. If we cannot respect one another in our everyday lives, how can we stand and serve Hashem in the proper manner?
However, there was a time to repent, the time of warning. Bnei Yisrael could have improved their actions, focusing on one aspect at a time, correcting improper methods of business and treatment of others. However, what you can do is a matter of what you will do. Bnei Yisrael were offered chances, multiple opportunities to improve their ways. However, just like children who are offered a second chance to correct their actions and choose not grasp it, there must come a time when there must be punishment.
The Lost Tribes
Back in the beginning of Malachim, Yeruvum ben Nvat rebels against Rechavum, son of Shlomo. Ten of the tribes side with Yeruvum whil two remain with Rechuvam. This is the beginning of the splitting of the kingdoms into Yehuda and Yisrael. Yeruvum, king of Yisrael, has a fatal flaw. Whether it can be identified as insecurity or just fear of losing power, it eventually changes the course of history. In order to prevent the people of his kingdom from greturning to the Beit Hamikdash and possibly rejoining the kingdom of Yehuda, he built two new temples in Dan and Beit El, appointed his own priests, and created his own holidays. Even though at this time the people used these temples to worship G-d, it would not always remain like this. Yeruvum prevented the people from having a close relationship with G-d and because of his actions, many years later those ten tribes would be forced into exile as punishment and as a mere warning to Yehuda.
The exile of Yisrael and the warning to Yehuda all begin with the reign of Yeruvum and end with the reign of Hoshea. It is interesting to note that even though these two kings are related to terrible times for Yisrael, neither had bad intentions. Yeruvum's intention for making the two temples was not to cause his people to stray off the Derech, but only to prevent them from leaving his kingdom and rejoining Yehuda. His rebellion had just caused the split of the powerful kingdom that Dovid and Shlomo Hamelech(im) had previously ruled. He did what he thought would preserve and save his kingdom. This is what he saw to be geo-politically correct. The issue was, however, G-d is and has always been the one pulling the strings, and beginning with these fatal mistake by Yeruvum, the kings of Yisrael and even Yehuda continued to ignore this significant idea.
Assyria was the superpower during the times of many of the kings of Yisrael. Assyria was conquering more people and expanding their borders. Each nation can respond by either creating a mutual alliance, submitting by paying taxes, or refuse to pay taxes which means they are risking being attacked and possibly taken over. Menacham, king of Yisrael, gives Assyria a lot of money as a treaty in hopes that Assyria will not attack his kingdom. Yisrael continues to pay taxes to Assyria. Yisrael was not strong enough to survive an attack or defeat Assyria so this was Menacham's best option. Later on, Yehuda and Aram team up to try to defeat Assyria. They invite Achaz, king of Yehuda, to join their alliance. Achaz refuses for he is more interested in making an alliance with Assyria. The kings of Yisrael and Aram view Yehuda as an enemy since they did not want to be part of the alliance. They attack Yehuda. Assyria comes to defend their ally and defeat Yisrael. This defeat of Yisrael was meant to do two things. First, it was meant as a clear punishment for Yisrael. The people of Yisrael were so corrupted and off the derech that it was more important for them to be punished even if it meant Achaz, who was evil in the eyes of G-d, would win the war. Second, it was meant to send a warning to Yehuda. Yisrael was destroyed at the hands of Assyria for their sins, G-d could easily cause Assyria to destroy Yehuda too as punishment for what they were doing. This warning was meant to get indivduals to do Teshuva and return to G-d. It was also meant to show Achaz that even though he though Assyria would be the one to save him and his kingdom, it was all up to G-d. If G-d wanted to punish them, then He would send Assyria to punish them just like He did to Yisrael.
Yisrael had been paying taxes to Assyria to prevent total destruction and attack. Hoshea, king of Yisrael, comes along. He is not as bad as the previous kings but the people were worse than any other previous generation of Yisrael. Hoshea stops sending taxes to Assyria and attempts to make an alliance with Egypt. Assyira views this as a rebellion and immediately attacks Yisrael. The king of Assyria exiles the people of Yisrael to other cities thus is how we lost the 10 tribes. These tribes continue to be lost until this very day.
Usually, the people are punished because of the kings actions. If he is leading them astray and is corrupt then they are punished. This time, however, it was not Hoshea's fault. Maybe politically it was (he didn't have to stop sending taxes). Overall though, it was G-d's decision. He is the one pulling the strings. It was time for Yisrael to be punished. Accoring to Metzudat Dovid, Hoshea removed the guards who had been preventing the people of Yisrael from returning to the Beit Hamikdash. The people, however, did not want to go even though the guards were gone. This prompted the punishment. Before they could not return and be close to G-d because of their kings; not it was their fault. They did not wish to return. They had heard the warnings and had begun to hate the Mitzvot and G-d. They turned to Avodah Zara and did not believe in G-d anymore. It all began with two temples in which they would serve G-d. This resulted in full blown Avodah Zara and disregard of G-d. These people now lost and until Meshiach, we will probably never find them again.
Poor Hosheah
This week in class, we learned about the destruction of Shomrom and the exile of the ten lost tribes. As we learned before, the kingdom of Yisrael was so far gone and needed to be punished much more than the kingdom of Yehuda at the time. Both kingdoms made foreign alliances and failed to recognize G-d's control over their lives. The kingdom of Yisrael, however, was sinning beyond help. They worshiped idols, acted immorally, and did not see G-d in their lives at all. Last week, some other people and I blogged about how it was the sins of the people that got the people exiled as well as the actions of the king.
The king at the time of the exile by Assyria was Hosheah. In Malachim, he is described as a bad king, but not to the extent of the other kings of Yisrael. The difference can be found in Divrei Hayamim. From the time of Yiravam, guards were posted at Dan and Be'er Sheva to prevent the people from returning to Jerusalem and the Beit Hamikdash. Hosheah removed the guards and allowed the people to return to Jerusalem to build a relationship with G-d again. They refused to go back and Yisrael were exiled as a result.
Here's my problem: since the time of Yiravam, approximately two hundred years had passed. For two hundred years, the people had left the path of G-d. Their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on had been worshiping G-d in Yiravam's temples and eventually, idols. How were the children supposed to change everything they knew to be right because a Navi of G-d told them that they were sinning? This particular generation of Yisrael had absolutely no contact or relationship with G-d because they were not allowed to go to the Beit Hamikdash. I can totally understand why they didn't believe the Navi. In this case, I don't understand why the blame falls purely on the people of the time and not on the previous generations who allowed their children to stray so far from G-d.
Finally, I really feel bad for Hosheah. He was the first king of Yisrael who gave the people the option of worshiping G-d again at the Beit Hamikdash. He thought he was doing the right thing! I also feel bad for him because people who don't study Navi know him as the king who allowed his kingdom to fall into ruin. The online source I used as reference, http://www.vtaide.com/gleanings/Kings-of-Israel/judgment_Hoshea.html, doesn't even mention the good that Hosheah did/tried to do. They just say that the most significant event in his rule was the fall of the kingdom of Yisrael. As true as this may be, compared to the other kings of Yisrael, Hosheah was WAY better and more spiritual. It seems as if he understood the significance of the Beit Hamikdash in maintaining faith in G-d. If the people had not been so bad in Hosheah's time, maybe he would have been able to influence other kings to follow G-d again. In reality, the ten lost tribes were, well, lost and G-d focused his attention on the remnant, the tribes of Yehuda and Binyamin.
The king at the time of the exile by Assyria was Hosheah. In Malachim, he is described as a bad king, but not to the extent of the other kings of Yisrael. The difference can be found in Divrei Hayamim. From the time of Yiravam, guards were posted at Dan and Be'er Sheva to prevent the people from returning to Jerusalem and the Beit Hamikdash. Hosheah removed the guards and allowed the people to return to Jerusalem to build a relationship with G-d again. They refused to go back and Yisrael were exiled as a result.
Here's my problem: since the time of Yiravam, approximately two hundred years had passed. For two hundred years, the people had left the path of G-d. Their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on had been worshiping G-d in Yiravam's temples and eventually, idols. How were the children supposed to change everything they knew to be right because a Navi of G-d told them that they were sinning? This particular generation of Yisrael had absolutely no contact or relationship with G-d because they were not allowed to go to the Beit Hamikdash. I can totally understand why they didn't believe the Navi. In this case, I don't understand why the blame falls purely on the people of the time and not on the previous generations who allowed their children to stray so far from G-d.
Finally, I really feel bad for Hosheah. He was the first king of Yisrael who gave the people the option of worshiping G-d again at the Beit Hamikdash. He thought he was doing the right thing! I also feel bad for him because people who don't study Navi know him as the king who allowed his kingdom to fall into ruin. The online source I used as reference, http://www.vtaide.com/gleanings/Kings-of-Israel/judgment_Hoshea.html, doesn't even mention the good that Hosheah did/tried to do. They just say that the most significant event in his rule was the fall of the kingdom of Yisrael. As true as this may be, compared to the other kings of Yisrael, Hosheah was WAY better and more spiritual. It seems as if he understood the significance of the Beit Hamikdash in maintaining faith in G-d. If the people had not been so bad in Hosheah's time, maybe he would have been able to influence other kings to follow G-d again. In reality, the ten lost tribes were, well, lost and G-d focused his attention on the remnant, the tribes of Yehuda and Binyamin.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The Everlasting Cycle
There is always a pattern, a cycle, a sequence. Things never seems to change, once they are done. We saw this in the way people sinned. Once they are on a "roll," shall we say, they don't stop. We see nothing different in the kings of Yisrael. From Yiravam, to Zechariahu; from Shalum, to Menachem; from Pekachia, to Pekach, and from there to Hosheah. Nothing changed except the kings themselves for 83 years. The kingdom went from king to king, because they followed in each other's footsteps; they followed the same pattern over and over again until they were exiled.
The sequence went as follows: First, a king would come into power. After a while, they started to do bad in the eyes of Hashem, and sin. After that, Hashem would send the "next king" to kill the current ruler and take over the kingdom. All of these kings went through the same cycle, each one a little bit different depending on what was going on at the time of their reign. What can we say? Yisrael was completely and totally unstable. They went through 7 kings, while at the same time the kingdom of Yehudah only went through 4. The one king of Yisrael that changed the cycle up a little bit was Hosheah.
Hosheah was the last king of Yisrael before the exile of the 10 tribes by Assyria. In the Navi, he is described as bad, but not as bad as all of the rulers before him. So, can we ask ourselves this question? If Hosheah was described as not as bad as all the kings before him, then why would this be the last straw for Hashem? Why would He send Assyria in at the time of Hosheah, when Hosheah was just a little bit better than all the other kings? From what we know from the Navi, Hosheah was paying taxes to Assyria during his reign. We believe this was to prevent Assyria from attacking Yisrael. At some point, he stopped paying them taxes, and Assyria, almost immediately, attacked. I say that this scared Hosheah out of his mind. He immediately started to pay Assyria taxes again, to keep them from attacking. This is the exact reason that Hashem decided to send Assyria in and attack. When Assyria attacked, that was a perfect time for Hosheah to turn to Hashem for help instead of paying taxes again to keep them out. That, right there, was the last test, the last chance for the Kingdom of Yisrael to change their ways in the eyes of Hashem.
Hosheah also gave the people of Yisrael a chance to go back to the Beit HaMikdash but they went down to Egypt and started to worship other gods, still! They are going through the same cycle, they cannot comprehend that what they are doing is wrong. All throughout the 83 years in the Yisrael, they were building up all their sins and one day Hashem will take their privileges away. That day had come. When Hashem sent Assyria in, they exiled the 10 tribes of the kingdom if Yisrael and today are known as the 10 lost tribes. No one knows who they are, or where they went. Hashem left no remnant what so ever in the kingdom. Hashem wanted them out of his land, he didn't want anything to do with them anymore. He had tried for so many years to send a message to them, and they would not listen. They kept going through cycles and sequences, like their kings. I think we can learn from this that a pattern isn't necessarily a good thing. After doing something so many times, you get it in your head that it is right and you are not going to change it. This is probably one of the biggest lessons we will ever hear about from Hashem through the people. It shows us that the same thing can happen to us in an instant.
The sequence went as follows: First, a king would come into power. After a while, they started to do bad in the eyes of Hashem, and sin. After that, Hashem would send the "next king" to kill the current ruler and take over the kingdom. All of these kings went through the same cycle, each one a little bit different depending on what was going on at the time of their reign. What can we say? Yisrael was completely and totally unstable. They went through 7 kings, while at the same time the kingdom of Yehudah only went through 4. The one king of Yisrael that changed the cycle up a little bit was Hosheah.
Hosheah was the last king of Yisrael before the exile of the 10 tribes by Assyria. In the Navi, he is described as bad, but not as bad as all of the rulers before him. So, can we ask ourselves this question? If Hosheah was described as not as bad as all the kings before him, then why would this be the last straw for Hashem? Why would He send Assyria in at the time of Hosheah, when Hosheah was just a little bit better than all the other kings? From what we know from the Navi, Hosheah was paying taxes to Assyria during his reign. We believe this was to prevent Assyria from attacking Yisrael. At some point, he stopped paying them taxes, and Assyria, almost immediately, attacked. I say that this scared Hosheah out of his mind. He immediately started to pay Assyria taxes again, to keep them from attacking. This is the exact reason that Hashem decided to send Assyria in and attack. When Assyria attacked, that was a perfect time for Hosheah to turn to Hashem for help instead of paying taxes again to keep them out. That, right there, was the last test, the last chance for the Kingdom of Yisrael to change their ways in the eyes of Hashem.
Hosheah also gave the people of Yisrael a chance to go back to the Beit HaMikdash but they went down to Egypt and started to worship other gods, still! They are going through the same cycle, they cannot comprehend that what they are doing is wrong. All throughout the 83 years in the Yisrael, they were building up all their sins and one day Hashem will take their privileges away. That day had come. When Hashem sent Assyria in, they exiled the 10 tribes of the kingdom if Yisrael and today are known as the 10 lost tribes. No one knows who they are, or where they went. Hashem left no remnant what so ever in the kingdom. Hashem wanted them out of his land, he didn't want anything to do with them anymore. He had tried for so many years to send a message to them, and they would not listen. They kept going through cycles and sequences, like their kings. I think we can learn from this that a pattern isn't necessarily a good thing. After doing something so many times, you get it in your head that it is right and you are not going to change it. This is probably one of the biggest lessons we will ever hear about from Hashem through the people. It shows us that the same thing can happen to us in an instant.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Hashem will help if you try.
Bnei Yisrael had been sinning. They hadn't believed that they were doing anything wrong. They were bringing Korbanot, they were following in the ways of Hashem, and they were not doing Avodah Zarah. There was a problem though, Yeravam had built Bamot, to prevent Bnei Yisrael from going back to Yisrael. Bnei Yisrael had been sacrificing onlt to Hashem on the Bamot. Since the Beit Hamikdash had just been built, and its main purpose was to be a special place to sacrifice to Hashem, the sin was terrible because they were doing something completely against Hashem. When Yishayahu came and told them that they needed to change their ways, they laughed in his face and didn't believe him. Bnei Yisrael were in no way following Ben adam l'chavero. They were giving korbanot to Hashem, but they lacked morality.
Bnei Yisrael had many sins. They didn't recognize that Hashem is in control. They became corrupt and completely left Hashem. They lacked tzedek and mishpat. They were unethical in business-diluted wire and silver-they cheated their customers. The downtrodden in society were being treated badly. The continued in their evil ways, even after they were told to stop. The judges were taking bribes.The women were being haughty, shallow, and immodest. The ruling class was corrupt. Bnei Yisrael were hedonistic and only cared for their own pleasures. The ruling class came and took everything from the poor and left the poor with nothing.
Bnei Yisrael's sins came to a point where there was no more chance to repent. The only thing that had to be done was for them to be punished. They were told so many times to fix their ways but they turned down every single chance they got. Yishayahu got a nevuah from Hashem giving him a new mission-that mission was for all of Bnei Yisrael to be destroyed except for 1/10 of them. The only way for them to be some-what forgiven is to go through pain and there was no way to change that or fix their ways any longer. Bnei Yisrael had gone too far without listening and they needed to be punished.
Yishayahu has three sons, each of there names is another sign, reminding us something different. His first son's name is Sha'arey Shuv which means the remnant shall return. His second child's name is Imanuel, meaning Hashem is with us. His last child is named Maher Shlal Chash Baz, meaning speed the spoils, hasten the booty. His first child is reminding us about the remnant. The 10% of Bnei Yisrael that will remain after they are finished being punished. His second child is reminding us that Hashem is always there and He is always with us. That Hashem is in control and Achaz can deny it all he wants but he can't change it. Yehayahu's last child is a reminder that war will be coming quickly and they will be conquered.
In History class we read an excerpt from the story, The Epic of Gilgamesh. In the Mesopotamian culture they would do a lot for their gods and their main focus of life revolved around their gods. In the story Gilgamesh hears from a man that heard a secret from the gods that there is this plant that would give you immortal life. Gilgamesh went to touch this plant that had thorns and was sharp and painful and that is what he had to do to be close to his gods. In the end of the story Gilgamesh didn't receive the immortal life that he was hoping for. I connect this with what we have recently learned, because the only way left for Bnei Yisrael to be closer to Hashem was through pain. Bnei Yisrael were not necessarily striving to be really close to Hashem, but now their only option to connect with Him was through pain. Bnei Yisrael had many options to repent but they chose not to. This teaches us that you cannot just sit there and hope for Hashem to help you, but have to actually try and He will help lead you in the right direction.
Bnei Yisrael had many sins. They didn't recognize that Hashem is in control. They became corrupt and completely left Hashem. They lacked tzedek and mishpat. They were unethical in business-diluted wire and silver-they cheated their customers. The downtrodden in society were being treated badly. The continued in their evil ways, even after they were told to stop. The judges were taking bribes.The women were being haughty, shallow, and immodest. The ruling class was corrupt. Bnei Yisrael were hedonistic and only cared for their own pleasures. The ruling class came and took everything from the poor and left the poor with nothing.
Bnei Yisrael's sins came to a point where there was no more chance to repent. The only thing that had to be done was for them to be punished. They were told so many times to fix their ways but they turned down every single chance they got. Yishayahu got a nevuah from Hashem giving him a new mission-that mission was for all of Bnei Yisrael to be destroyed except for 1/10 of them. The only way for them to be some-what forgiven is to go through pain and there was no way to change that or fix their ways any longer. Bnei Yisrael had gone too far without listening and they needed to be punished.
Yishayahu has three sons, each of there names is another sign, reminding us something different. His first son's name is Sha'arey Shuv which means the remnant shall return. His second child's name is Imanuel, meaning Hashem is with us. His last child is named Maher Shlal Chash Baz, meaning speed the spoils, hasten the booty. His first child is reminding us about the remnant. The 10% of Bnei Yisrael that will remain after they are finished being punished. His second child is reminding us that Hashem is always there and He is always with us. That Hashem is in control and Achaz can deny it all he wants but he can't change it. Yehayahu's last child is a reminder that war will be coming quickly and they will be conquered.
In History class we read an excerpt from the story, The Epic of Gilgamesh. In the Mesopotamian culture they would do a lot for their gods and their main focus of life revolved around their gods. In the story Gilgamesh hears from a man that heard a secret from the gods that there is this plant that would give you immortal life. Gilgamesh went to touch this plant that had thorns and was sharp and painful and that is what he had to do to be close to his gods. In the end of the story Gilgamesh didn't receive the immortal life that he was hoping for. I connect this with what we have recently learned, because the only way left for Bnei Yisrael to be closer to Hashem was through pain. Bnei Yisrael were not necessarily striving to be really close to Hashem, but now their only option to connect with Him was through pain. Bnei Yisrael had many options to repent but they chose not to. This teaches us that you cannot just sit there and hope for Hashem to help you, but have to actually try and He will help lead you in the right direction.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Leadership Effect
We learned this week about how the actions of יותם and אחז effected Bnei Yisrael's punishments. יותם, first, sinned the least of the two. He simply did not remove the במות that earlier kings had built, however this ensured that Bnei Yisrael continued to sacrifice on them, which wasn't absolutely terrible, because they were sacrificing to Hashem, but still was not good. Since Bnei Yisrael continued to sacrifice on the במות, Hashem sent an enemy to them, as the beginning of their punishment.
Next came אחז, as יותם's successor, and he was the one who finally pushed it all over the top. He was much, much worse than יותם. He followed the kings of Yisrael in doing עבודה זרה. As if that wasn't enough, he sacrificed his own son in a fire, as מלך, AND he sacrificed in the במות. The nations of Aram and Yisrael both wanted to ally with אחז as a way to come together against אשור, but אחז refuses. Because of this, Aram and Yisrael both come up against him instead. אחז then goes to אשור and asks to become allies. He tells אשור that if they become the allies, then he will allow them to pass through the land, but they cannot destroy or conquer anything.
When אחז and אשור go to war against Aram and Yisrael, they beat them. This is very confusing, because if אחז was sinning greatly, wouldn't Hashem have caused him to lose the battle? As we continued to learn however, we realized that maybe what Yisrael was doing was so much worse than אחז, so Hashem first punished Yisrael, and is eventually going to punish אחז as well.
In the next part of the Perek, ישעיהו tells אחז that Hashem is going to give him a sign to make אחז believe that Hashem will protect him against Yisrael instead of forming an alliance with אחז. אשור so graciously tells ישעיהו that he doesn't need a sign to believe in Hashem, when in actuality he just doesn't want to. Hashem of course knows this, so ישעיהו tells אחז that Hashem is going to give him a sign anyway, and not just any sign, but one that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. A woman, (maybe ישעיהו's wife?) is going to have a baby boy and his name will be עמנו אל- "G-d is with us". This will serve as a constant reminder to אחז that Hashem is the one who is always protecting us. ישעיהו also tells אחז that since he became allies with אשור when he was supposed to turn to Hashem for help, אשור will eventually be the ones who destroy them.
The effects of a leader on their people can relate to the upcoming election. Our president is responsible for what happens in the country for a 4 year or 8 year period. As we know, there are sometimes problems. Stock market crashes, a high rate in unemployment, and other economical issues have made things not look so good for Barrack Obama. This isn't about politics, I don't care if you are a Republican or a Democrat or a whatever, but either way it goes, Barrack Obama or Mitt Romney, the effects of a leader are always an important component of how and if a nation thrives and succeeds or crashes and burns.
Realizing the Power of One's Actions
In this week's Navi class, we discussed and delved into the "interaction" of Yeshayahu with Hashem and we began to learn about the other kings that succeeded Uziyahu. This "interaction" can be divided into four different sections.
The first section is the mention of the death of Uziyahu. This can be interperted as the Hakdasha of Yeshayahu in the sense that when Uziyahu brought the Ketoret to the Beit Hamikdash even though he was not a Kohen, an "earthquake" occurred, removing him from being king. However, he continued to live for another thirty years. The death of Uziyahu also resembles a new mission for Uziyahu, for Uziyahu died a literal death, and Perakim Aleph-Hey were the years of his life.
The second section is the proclamation of Hashem's power and glory. The scene is depicted as Hashem sitting on his throne in a portion of this world and in a portion of heaven, and the Serafim declaring his holiness. This represents Yeshayhu's Hakdasha because it exhibits the awe of G-d that causes Yeshayahu to feel fear or trepidation in the presence of Hashem. It also resembles Yeshayhu's mission because the message of Hashem being all-powerful must be conveyed to the people, regardless of whether they will listen or not. Hashem will also be the source of whatever punishment befalls Bnei Yisrael. This Nevuah is a Mashal in this sense.
The third section is the confession of Yeshayahu. He states that he is a man of unclean lips. Hashem accepts this confession and purifies him by using a hot coal. This can be interpreted as the Hakdasha of Yeshayahu in the tone of his confession. He is implying that he is not worthy of being a prophet because of his sins. However, he is purified so that he can be the messenger. It represents a new mission for Yeshayahu as well. This process is a Mashal for the people, for they have been sinning excessively and haven't even attempted to confess their sins and do Teshuva. The purification also represents the painful process the people will have to endure in order to do Teshuva.
The fourth section is the details of the mission. Hashem asks for a messenger and appoints Yeshayahu. Hashem instructs him in a sarcastic way and says the destruction will last until they listen and repent. However, a remnant will remain. This is interpreted as a Hakdasha because Hashem is warning Yeshayahu that it will be difficult- the people will not listen. However, if he is successful, the destruction may be averted. This is also very similar to his instruction of the new mission. Yeshayhu is a bit apprehensive and Hashem is speaking with sarcasm to convey the message.
We then learned about the actions of the kings of Yotam and Achaz. Achaz commited a number of sins during his reign. His major sins were disregarding Hashem and joining Ashur, a dominating world power at the time, and remodeling the Mizbeach similar to Ashur's. Achaz spurned the offer of a sign from Hashem to assure him that he didn't have to ally with Ashur in order to fend off attacks by Retzin and Pekach. However, a sign is given. A boy, named Imanu- El, will represent the presence of Hashem.
The entire interaction of Yeshayhu and Achaz represents the eternal compassion of Hashem. Despite the evil Achaz had committed, Hashem still attempted to show Achaz that he is with him; he hasn't abandoned him. The same applies to Yeshayahu. Yeshayahu was given Perakim Aleph-Hey to warn the people of their sins and try to get them to repent! He is still instructed to warn them even with the decree of punishment. This epitomizes the entire perspective of Melachim. The people were supposed to realize that the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash came as result of their own actions. Hashem didn't abandon them.
I believe that the decree of punishment was to show Bnei Yisrael that even though Hashem is watching over them, they are still responsible for their own actions. Bnei Yisrael had to realize the impact of their sins. This also applies to and represents the structured parent-child relationship with our parents. Although the parents must care for their child and protect them always, there must be boundary and a time when the child must be set free to realize the impact, consequences, or rewards of his actions. This is especially important for a leading figure.
The first section is the mention of the death of Uziyahu. This can be interperted as the Hakdasha of Yeshayahu in the sense that when Uziyahu brought the Ketoret to the Beit Hamikdash even though he was not a Kohen, an "earthquake" occurred, removing him from being king. However, he continued to live for another thirty years. The death of Uziyahu also resembles a new mission for Uziyahu, for Uziyahu died a literal death, and Perakim Aleph-Hey were the years of his life.
The second section is the proclamation of Hashem's power and glory. The scene is depicted as Hashem sitting on his throne in a portion of this world and in a portion of heaven, and the Serafim declaring his holiness. This represents Yeshayhu's Hakdasha because it exhibits the awe of G-d that causes Yeshayahu to feel fear or trepidation in the presence of Hashem. It also resembles Yeshayhu's mission because the message of Hashem being all-powerful must be conveyed to the people, regardless of whether they will listen or not. Hashem will also be the source of whatever punishment befalls Bnei Yisrael. This Nevuah is a Mashal in this sense.
The third section is the confession of Yeshayahu. He states that he is a man of unclean lips. Hashem accepts this confession and purifies him by using a hot coal. This can be interpreted as the Hakdasha of Yeshayahu in the tone of his confession. He is implying that he is not worthy of being a prophet because of his sins. However, he is purified so that he can be the messenger. It represents a new mission for Yeshayahu as well. This process is a Mashal for the people, for they have been sinning excessively and haven't even attempted to confess their sins and do Teshuva. The purification also represents the painful process the people will have to endure in order to do Teshuva.
The fourth section is the details of the mission. Hashem asks for a messenger and appoints Yeshayahu. Hashem instructs him in a sarcastic way and says the destruction will last until they listen and repent. However, a remnant will remain. This is interpreted as a Hakdasha because Hashem is warning Yeshayahu that it will be difficult- the people will not listen. However, if he is successful, the destruction may be averted. This is also very similar to his instruction of the new mission. Yeshayhu is a bit apprehensive and Hashem is speaking with sarcasm to convey the message.
We then learned about the actions of the kings of Yotam and Achaz. Achaz commited a number of sins during his reign. His major sins were disregarding Hashem and joining Ashur, a dominating world power at the time, and remodeling the Mizbeach similar to Ashur's. Achaz spurned the offer of a sign from Hashem to assure him that he didn't have to ally with Ashur in order to fend off attacks by Retzin and Pekach. However, a sign is given. A boy, named Imanu- El, will represent the presence of Hashem.
The entire interaction of Yeshayhu and Achaz represents the eternal compassion of Hashem. Despite the evil Achaz had committed, Hashem still attempted to show Achaz that he is with him; he hasn't abandoned him. The same applies to Yeshayahu. Yeshayahu was given Perakim Aleph-Hey to warn the people of their sins and try to get them to repent! He is still instructed to warn them even with the decree of punishment. This epitomizes the entire perspective of Melachim. The people were supposed to realize that the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash came as result of their own actions. Hashem didn't abandon them.
I believe that the decree of punishment was to show Bnei Yisrael that even though Hashem is watching over them, they are still responsible for their own actions. Bnei Yisrael had to realize the impact of their sins. This also applies to and represents the structured parent-child relationship with our parents. Although the parents must care for their child and protect them always, there must be boundary and a time when the child must be set free to realize the impact, consequences, or rewards of his actions. This is especially important for a leading figure.
John Quincy Adams once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." This is what the kings needed to realize. They had tremendous power. However, with power comes responsibility and they needed to recognize the power of their actions.
The Power of Individual Sin
This week in class, we learned a lot about the sins of King Achaz and how, even though he was horrible and his people were sinning a lot, the kingdom of Yisrael was even worse. To recap, Achaz became king during the time of Pekach, king of Yisrael. His rule was stained with sin from the very beginning: He worshiped idols and went so far as to sacrifice his own son in the practice of molech. On top of this, Achaz did not recognize G-d's control over the world.
The most important thing that happened in the time of Achaz was the war with Aram and Yisrael and the alliance made with Assyria. At the time, Assyria was the rising world power. Achaz thought that it would be better overall if he made an alliance with Assyria and simply let them pass through the land of Yehuda instead of fighting their way in. Retzin, king of Aram, and Pekach, king of Yisrael, approached Achaz about making an alliance with them to fight off Assyria. Achaz refused. His next action is crutial: he made an alliance with a foreign nation when G-d didn't tell him to. In the end, Retzin and Pekach went to war against Yehuda and Assyria stepped in and won the battle. The question is: why? Why didn't Yehuda lose? They were sinning horribly and probably deserved to lose. The answer is that Yisrael was doing even worse. The problem in Yehuda was that the people were being immoral to one another but they still recognized Hashem as G-d and still maintained some aspects of Judaism. The people of Yisrael had completely strayed from the path of Hashem. They had started worshiping idols, a path that was started on long ago by Yiravam, the first king of Yisrael who totally rewrote the religion to suit his needs. The people of Yisrael needed to be punished more at that particular time.
Hashem sent Yishayahu to give a message to Achaz. As we learned before, Yishayahu's mission had changed and now, he was supposed to keep giving his warnings but no one would listen. Therefore, Yishayahu went to Achaz prepared for rejection. He told Achaz exactly what G-d wanted him to do but knew he wouldn't: recognize Hashem's control over the world and stop trying to manage the situation when G-d has it under control. Yishayahu told Achaz not to worry about the alliance of Yisrael and Aram attacking because G-d is pulling the strings here and will make them lose. Yishayahu also gave Achaz a sign/mashal: a child will be born and will be named Immanuel. This child will eat milk and honey before he knows the difference between good and evil. The message G-d was trying to get across was that if Achaz simply lets Assyria in, they will destroy Yehuda and decimate everything in the land because G-d is pulling the strings and will make it happen.
In my opinion, this story contains a powerful message about the power of individual sin. How do you get a whole nation to sin? You start with one person. That person can influence another who can influence another and so on. As a teenager in a Jewish school, I have been told all my life about sinning and the consequences. Until now, it has felt like something I have to deal with later or on Yom Kippur or just another time. I see now how that kind of thinking can get you in a lot of trouble. One person leads another to sin and one sin leads to more sins and before you know it, you have a situation similar to that of the one in Yehuda and Yisrael. That is obviously an extreme case of individual sins joining together to become national sins.
I just thought to mention that leaders' individual sins have a much greater impact than some average Joe living in the middle of the country. We saw here that Achaz did Avodah Zara and Pekach did as well. Both of these kings sinned so much and allowed their people to sin to such an extreme extent that in the end, G-d was choosing the lesser of two evils to punish.
The most important thing that happened in the time of Achaz was the war with Aram and Yisrael and the alliance made with Assyria. At the time, Assyria was the rising world power. Achaz thought that it would be better overall if he made an alliance with Assyria and simply let them pass through the land of Yehuda instead of fighting their way in. Retzin, king of Aram, and Pekach, king of Yisrael, approached Achaz about making an alliance with them to fight off Assyria. Achaz refused. His next action is crutial: he made an alliance with a foreign nation when G-d didn't tell him to. In the end, Retzin and Pekach went to war against Yehuda and Assyria stepped in and won the battle. The question is: why? Why didn't Yehuda lose? They were sinning horribly and probably deserved to lose. The answer is that Yisrael was doing even worse. The problem in Yehuda was that the people were being immoral to one another but they still recognized Hashem as G-d and still maintained some aspects of Judaism. The people of Yisrael had completely strayed from the path of Hashem. They had started worshiping idols, a path that was started on long ago by Yiravam, the first king of Yisrael who totally rewrote the religion to suit his needs. The people of Yisrael needed to be punished more at that particular time.
Hashem sent Yishayahu to give a message to Achaz. As we learned before, Yishayahu's mission had changed and now, he was supposed to keep giving his warnings but no one would listen. Therefore, Yishayahu went to Achaz prepared for rejection. He told Achaz exactly what G-d wanted him to do but knew he wouldn't: recognize Hashem's control over the world and stop trying to manage the situation when G-d has it under control. Yishayahu told Achaz not to worry about the alliance of Yisrael and Aram attacking because G-d is pulling the strings here and will make them lose. Yishayahu also gave Achaz a sign/mashal: a child will be born and will be named Immanuel. This child will eat milk and honey before he knows the difference between good and evil. The message G-d was trying to get across was that if Achaz simply lets Assyria in, they will destroy Yehuda and decimate everything in the land because G-d is pulling the strings and will make it happen.
In my opinion, this story contains a powerful message about the power of individual sin. How do you get a whole nation to sin? You start with one person. That person can influence another who can influence another and so on. As a teenager in a Jewish school, I have been told all my life about sinning and the consequences. Until now, it has felt like something I have to deal with later or on Yom Kippur or just another time. I see now how that kind of thinking can get you in a lot of trouble. One person leads another to sin and one sin leads to more sins and before you know it, you have a situation similar to that of the one in Yehuda and Yisrael. That is obviously an extreme case of individual sins joining together to become national sins.
I just thought to mention that leaders' individual sins have a much greater impact than some average Joe living in the middle of the country. We saw here that Achaz did Avodah Zara and Pekach did as well. Both of these kings sinned so much and allowed their people to sin to such an extreme extent that in the end, G-d was choosing the lesser of two evils to punish.
הקדשה or New Mission?
This week we broke down the main points of פרק ו and interpreted each event based on it being Yishayahu's הקדשה, the first interaction with G-d, or it being his new mission. The first event in the perek was the death of Uziahu. The possibility of this being a הקדשה stemmed from his sin of bringing the Ketoret without being a Cohen. He spiritually died in this instance, but still physically lived for many more years. This could also be Yishayahu's new mission because Uziahu could have physically died. Shortly after Uziahu's death, we find Hashem sitting on a throne with smoke rising all through the palace. Here, Hashem is showing us that because Uziahu thought he was immortal, he died, but Hashem is still living because he is all powerful and immortal.
The next major הקדשה we witness is Yishayahu admitting he is a man of unclean lips. This could be showing Yishayahu's fear of Hashem. He knows he is sinning and doesn't think he is worthy to become a prophet. If we look at this as Yishayahu's new mission, the Navi suggests that he needs to go through a purification process to clean him of his sins. We also look at this as a mashal for all the people being impure. The purification process that he is put through is painful. A piece of hot coal is touched to his lips to remove his, and only HIS sins. This is a הקדשה that prepares him for his new mission. This is conveying to Yishayahu that the only thing left that he can do is use punishment to get rid of the sins.
The last הקדשה we learn about in פרק ו is the message that Hashem is trying to convey to Yishayahu, and more importantly, the message Yishayahu will convey to the people. The message basically is that the people are hearing, but not listening; they are not processing anything they are being told. This is when we find out the real purpose of Yishayahu's new mission. He MUST convey this final message to the people. He then asked Hashem how long the punishment would last, and He says until 1/10 of everything and everyone remain. We are told here that Hashem really wants TOTAL destruction. The people have been so bad that the only thing left to do is punish.
Through all of these mashals and nimshals we learn the real purpose of each mission. If this is Yishayahu's first mission then, he has to convince the people that they are doing wrong and they need to fix their actions. But, if this is his second mission then the concept of Teshuva has changed from national to individual. Hashem told Yishayahu that the punishment will not stop until there is a 1/10 remnant left in the land. That 1/10 could be the people who tried to do Teshuva when they were told, or even didn't do bad in the first place. We are going to depend on them to build the nation back up in the future.
The next major הקדשה we witness is Yishayahu admitting he is a man of unclean lips. This could be showing Yishayahu's fear of Hashem. He knows he is sinning and doesn't think he is worthy to become a prophet. If we look at this as Yishayahu's new mission, the Navi suggests that he needs to go through a purification process to clean him of his sins. We also look at this as a mashal for all the people being impure. The purification process that he is put through is painful. A piece of hot coal is touched to his lips to remove his, and only HIS sins. This is a הקדשה that prepares him for his new mission. This is conveying to Yishayahu that the only thing left that he can do is use punishment to get rid of the sins.
The last הקדשה we learn about in פרק ו is the message that Hashem is trying to convey to Yishayahu, and more importantly, the message Yishayahu will convey to the people. The message basically is that the people are hearing, but not listening; they are not processing anything they are being told. This is when we find out the real purpose of Yishayahu's new mission. He MUST convey this final message to the people. He then asked Hashem how long the punishment would last, and He says until 1/10 of everything and everyone remain. We are told here that Hashem really wants TOTAL destruction. The people have been so bad that the only thing left to do is punish.
Through all of these mashals and nimshals we learn the real purpose of each mission. If this is Yishayahu's first mission then, he has to convince the people that they are doing wrong and they need to fix their actions. But, if this is his second mission then the concept of Teshuva has changed from national to individual. Hashem told Yishayahu that the punishment will not stop until there is a 1/10 remnant left in the land. That 1/10 could be the people who tried to do Teshuva when they were told, or even didn't do bad in the first place. We are going to depend on them to build the nation back up in the future.
Ignorant and Ungrateful People
The people in the time of Yishayahu did not recognize G-d's power. They believed they were the source of their own success and did not attribute their success to G-d's power. The people however still thought they were doing everything right. They were giving korbanot and still believed in G-d even if they were worshipping an idol or two. The people were worshipping on the Bamot and not in the Beit Hamikdash like they are supposed to. Hashem calls upon Yishayahu to relay his message to them, which is basically that they are sinning and G-d will punish them for it. Ideally, the people should hear this message and being the Teshuva process and pray that G-d has mercy on them. Instead, the people still believe they are doing everything right and therefore this Yishayahu guy must not know what he's talking about. After all, everything was running smoothly; how could G-d be angry with them?
Of course, G-d being the all knowing, He knew that the people would not believe Yishayahu nor would they repent. In class we brought up and answered the obvious question here, why did G-d send Yishayahu on a mission when He knew Yishayahu would not succeed? The people wouldn't listen so why not just give up and punish them? As I mentioned earlier, the people believed they were doing all that G-d asked them to. They could do no wrong. G-d must be pleased with them. So, if G-d were to one day just punish them, they would not understand why. They would not be able to realize their mistakes and sins because they wouldn't know what they did wrong. Therefore, Yishayahu has to tell them what G-d wanted them to hear regardless of they would listen or not. These people and their future generations would need to know what they did wrong so they could eventually fix their ways. This is actually a messege in disguise, the way I see it. G-d is giving them a chance to fix their ways. Even though they must be punished, now they know what they were doing wrong so ideally they could fix all of that and become a great nation with G-d on their side. If G-d were to come and punish the people today then it would be hard to deny G-d's existence (depending on what the punishment was). Once we are all aware that G-d is there and G-d is angry, we should all want to do whatever we can so He would be happy with us. If he had given us a message like he did with these people, then we would know exactly what we were doing wrong and it would be much easier to fix it. In these days, we all hope and pray for Mashiach but we don't know exactly how to bring it here. There are many opinions as to what needs to happen to bring the Messiah, but we can't be sure. I've heard that if the majority of Jews keep shabbas then the Mashiach will come and I've also heard that if the majority of the Jews live in Israel than the Meshiach will come. What we need is a messenger like Yishayahu who can point out our flaws even if we must also endure G-d's punishment.
Also, I like to leave that idea for a moment and consider the Ashor situation. Ashor/Assyria is a superpower in the time of Achav, king of Yehuda. Achav allies with Assyria against Yisrael and Aram. When Yisrael comes to attack, Assyria is there to protect Yehuda. Assyria destroys Yisrael in the battle becuase the people of Yisrael had become corrupt. They had begun worshipping on Bamot in the times of Yeruvum when he had tried to prevent them from going to the Beit Hamkidash so they wouldn't abandon Yehuda for Yisrael, now they had moved on to Avodah Zara. They had to be punished, so G-d sent Assyria to destroy them. This was also meant to be a sign to Achav and the people of Yehuda that if they didn't repent and follow G-d's ways than G-d would send Assyria to destroy them too. Achav should have trusted Hashem to protect them and not have counted on Assyria. Achav, as well as the other people at the time, must realize that G-d is the one pulling the strings or they will have to come to that reality anyway when G-d sends Assyria to destroy them.
The whole Assyria thing confuses me. Why was Assyria chosen to punish the Jews? Did they do something right or did G-d just use them as a pawn because they were so powerful? If the Jews were such a mess at this time in history and didn't even recognize G-d's superiority then it could have even make sense for Hashem to just make the Assyrians the chosen people. I guess that's where the Brits and promises come in though. He had already promised the forefathers that this would be his chosen nation (Zara, Aretz). It's clearly a bad situation though when G-d must help out the Assyrians against the Jews.
Of course, G-d being the all knowing, He knew that the people would not believe Yishayahu nor would they repent. In class we brought up and answered the obvious question here, why did G-d send Yishayahu on a mission when He knew Yishayahu would not succeed? The people wouldn't listen so why not just give up and punish them? As I mentioned earlier, the people believed they were doing all that G-d asked them to. They could do no wrong. G-d must be pleased with them. So, if G-d were to one day just punish them, they would not understand why. They would not be able to realize their mistakes and sins because they wouldn't know what they did wrong. Therefore, Yishayahu has to tell them what G-d wanted them to hear regardless of they would listen or not. These people and their future generations would need to know what they did wrong so they could eventually fix their ways. This is actually a messege in disguise, the way I see it. G-d is giving them a chance to fix their ways. Even though they must be punished, now they know what they were doing wrong so ideally they could fix all of that and become a great nation with G-d on their side. If G-d were to come and punish the people today then it would be hard to deny G-d's existence (depending on what the punishment was). Once we are all aware that G-d is there and G-d is angry, we should all want to do whatever we can so He would be happy with us. If he had given us a message like he did with these people, then we would know exactly what we were doing wrong and it would be much easier to fix it. In these days, we all hope and pray for Mashiach but we don't know exactly how to bring it here. There are many opinions as to what needs to happen to bring the Messiah, but we can't be sure. I've heard that if the majority of Jews keep shabbas then the Mashiach will come and I've also heard that if the majority of the Jews live in Israel than the Meshiach will come. What we need is a messenger like Yishayahu who can point out our flaws even if we must also endure G-d's punishment.
Also, I like to leave that idea for a moment and consider the Ashor situation. Ashor/Assyria is a superpower in the time of Achav, king of Yehuda. Achav allies with Assyria against Yisrael and Aram. When Yisrael comes to attack, Assyria is there to protect Yehuda. Assyria destroys Yisrael in the battle becuase the people of Yisrael had become corrupt. They had begun worshipping on Bamot in the times of Yeruvum when he had tried to prevent them from going to the Beit Hamkidash so they wouldn't abandon Yehuda for Yisrael, now they had moved on to Avodah Zara. They had to be punished, so G-d sent Assyria to destroy them. This was also meant to be a sign to Achav and the people of Yehuda that if they didn't repent and follow G-d's ways than G-d would send Assyria to destroy them too. Achav should have trusted Hashem to protect them and not have counted on Assyria. Achav, as well as the other people at the time, must realize that G-d is the one pulling the strings or they will have to come to that reality anyway when G-d sends Assyria to destroy them.
The whole Assyria thing confuses me. Why was Assyria chosen to punish the Jews? Did they do something right or did G-d just use them as a pawn because they were so powerful? If the Jews were such a mess at this time in history and didn't even recognize G-d's superiority then it could have even make sense for Hashem to just make the Assyrians the chosen people. I guess that's where the Brits and promises come in though. He had already promised the forefathers that this would be his chosen nation (Zara, Aretz). It's clearly a bad situation though when G-d must help out the Assyrians against the Jews.
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