Mashal

Everything that we learned in this class reminds me of a משל I once heard. I may get some of this wrong, but here it goes. A man was stranded on an island. One day, a huge lifeboat came to the island and the captain yelled, "We are here! Come get on the boat and we can take you home!" The young man looked at the captain and replied, "No thank you! God will save me!" The boat disappeared in the distance. A few days later, another lifeboat appeared at the island. The emaciated man, looked up to see the captain. "We have come to get you! Please get on and we can help you!" said the captain. The frail man motioned the people to go saying, "No thank you! God will save me." The boat floated away. Not too long after the man lost all of his strength and passed away. When he got to heaven he said to God, "God! Why didn't you come and save me? I waited and waited and you were never came!" God smirked and said, "Are you kidding me? I sent two huge lifeboats to you! Each captain offered help, but you just turned them away."

The jews were not doing what was expected of them. They were "stranded" on a corrupt "island." God sent help but they always turned it away. In order for them to change there had to be some huge, miraculous sign. Eventually, they were at the point of no return and God could not help them. Yes, חזקיהו helped somewhat by removing the במות and restoring the בית המקדש, but they were still missing the מצוות בין אדם לחבירו.

ישראל Takes a Trip to the Water Park-- Slippery Slope Time!

In class, we learned about what ישראל was doing that led them to exile. ישראל was on a slippery slope and eventually there was no chance of returning to ה. The first 3 steps were only beliefs and thoughts. Then, it turned it to actions.

They believed in ה, but they would see other people practicing other religions and they thought that the practices weren't so bad. Now that they were accepting to other practices they started to incorporate these practices into their own worship of God. Some people just used these practices from other nations into their worship of God, but some people started worshipping other gods in addition to ה. Once ה realized how bad it was getting he sent נביאים to warn the people. The people changed their actions, but they never changed their beliefs. They reached the point of no return when they convinced themselves that they didn't believe in Hashem. They lived hedonistic lifestyles, left the תורה, and worshipped עבודה זרא. God was fed up and exiled the people, but he did leave the people of יהודה.

רבשקה's Message

רבשקה, the messenger for Assyria, used psychological warfare to get the Jews to abandon G-d and therefore surrender to Assyria. They told them a number of things that made them question G-d and his abilities. He greatly offends חזקיהו because he makes an implication that חזקיהו is not the greatest king. He was great at psychological warfare because he made many statements that successfully questioned חזקיהו's faith. רבשקה started out by saying that חזקיהו put his faith in Egypt while Egypt was very weak. If G-d really was on their side, wouldn't Hashem make Egypt stronger? He also mentioned how he removed the במות and questioned his action. What if you got rid of something G-d created for a reason and wanted? He also mentioned שומרון. Hashem never saved שומרון from Assyria. Why will he save you? He also said that G-d sent Assyria to attack them. Hashem wanted this for you. 

רבשקה says this in Hebrew so everyone can understand. חזקיהו tells him to speak in a different language, so that everyone else doesn't hear what's going on. But רבשקה doesn't change the language he speaks in because his purpose was for everyone to hear, so that they would panic and surrender. This was a great method that he used. He made sure that the whole area would start panicking therefore forcing חזקיהו to surrender. But this didn't end up happening. חזקיהו kept the people peaceful enough. ישעיהו was sent to get a message from G-d telling them that He will not let Assyria attack ירושלים. 

If ישעיהו had not gotten reassurance from G-d, they may have given in to Assyria because their ideals were questioned, and they were scared because of the psychological warfare that scared everyone. 

Be Yourself :)

Chizkiyahu is sick, oh no! He is told that he will die so he goes into hyper-drive and prays for life. He is given a sign and recognizes a miracle. This is admirable because the people of Yisroel did not recognize G-d.
We learn from this that despite your surroundings  you can be a good Jew and person. It is never an excuse to blame the lack of good deeds you do on peer pressure - you are your own person! Do not let other peoples bad actions impact your life negligently. Either avoid those people or learn independence. Chizkiyahu stuck to his word and believed in G-d in this fatal time. It is always good to turn to G-d for support when you are in a desperate and hard time. G-d is always there, even if you do not see Him.

NO H8

Chizkiyahu did an amazing thing, he took away the altors, bamot. The bamot where preventing people from going to the Bait Hamikdash. He's doing a really good job. He got rid of the avodah zarah; the snake that Moshe used to save the Jews during the plagues in Egypt. The people believed the snake had medical benefits and powers. He was well known for his Bitachon, faith in G-d and he followed all the Mitzvot. In the first few years, Hashem was with him in all that he did - he was a faithful person who did mitzvot. He rebeled against the king of Ashur. He extended his boarders and took gold from the Bait Hamikdush to pay taxes to Assyria - this was a no no. Then he rebelled for 8 years.

Chizkiyahu made some mistakes in his life, we can all admit that. That is not what matters though, he did a lot of good! We shouldn't dwell on the negatives. We can learn from this to be optimistic and see the best in people, there is no point of looking at the bad things in people. Unless they're a crazy murderer or lunatic, there is no reason to hate! So, the next time someone does something wrong, thing of all the GOOD they have done! You'll feel better, promise.

silly Chezikiah!!

             So, Chezikiah became king at the age of 25. This was after his father, an Idol worshiper who was horrible for the Jews, died. At first Chezikiah was great and got the jews on track with Judaism and he was very faithful. But then Assyria commits psychological warfare and Chezikiah panics and loses faith in G-d and starts mourning.  He asks Yeshayahu to speak to hashem but Chezikiah doesn't even pray ! Yeshayahu talked to G-d and it ended up that G-d didn't let them attack but then Chezikiah got ill like at the same day!! This is when Chezikiah prays to G-d and then G-d gives him 15 more years! He recognizes G-d then but not when he saved the whole nation!
           Today we thank G-d for the personal things but we often don't think like, wow- hashem was part of that war ! We just think the people are doing it all on their own!

Ravshakeh

It says in Hezekiah Perek 36 that in part of his message to the people, Ravshakeh questions Hezekiah's faith in G-d. He also asks the people if they think G-d is happy with them for removing the Bamot. He ends by saying that G-d was the one who sent him to come and destroy the nation.

I am confused about this message. Why does Ravshakeh know what goes on with the nation religiously? He is Assyrian and obviously shouldn't believe in the one and only God, and should not be involved with the Jews' religious issues. You wouldn't find this part of the story in history books.  Also, shouldn't it seem odd to the Jews that this outsiders comes into the nation and has all of this knowledge of G-d and what he wants? If it were me listening to this message I couldn't help but be skeptical. It just doesn't add up.

Turning The Jewish People Around Part 2

In the beginning Hezkiah was a great leader, but after a while of trying to turn the Jewish people around he realized that he was only focused on Ben Adam LeMakom. People were still being haughty and rude towards each other. G-d was so angry with the people that he was going to send Assyria to attack them. After Hezkiah heard about this from Ravshakeh, a messenger from Assyria, he lost all of his faith in G-d. Instead of praying to G-d, Hezkiah ran to Yishayahu to seek out answers. G-d then became more upset and made Hezkiah sick until he would pray to G-d for help instead of running to Yishayahu every time he had a problem. He prayed and Hashem added 15 years to his life.
It is sad to hear that such a wonderful leader turned out to be not so good in the end. I mean he was good, he was religious and still had faith G-d was there. But when it came to the fact that Assyria was supposed to attack he just freaked out. He lost all faith, but what for?? He had no reason to do so, he didn't even try to pray to G-d and ask for help. Maybe next time he should think before he acts. But sadly there is no next time because.. well sadly he is dead.
RIP. :(

Peeps be bad

Chezkiahu was a conflicted guy. He was the greatest guy at one point and he was as unfaithful as can be years later. He started out by trying to make himself and all of the Jewish faithful to G-d. He removed the Bamot and refurbished the Beit HaMikdash. The problem was that the people were still treating each other disrespectfully and G-d began to hate them.

These pasukim really emphasize the importance of Mitzvot Bein Adam LiChaveiro. The people gave korbanot and were faithful to G-d and did the Mitzvot Bein Adam LiMakom; however, they didn't keep the Mitzvot Bein Adam LiChaveiro and G-d hated them. People today still need to realize how important the Mitzvot Bein Adam LiChaveiro are. I recently read an article about a Jewish rabbi who was extremely religious who completely embarrassed a young girl for not dressing appropriately at a Bat Mitzvah. That's the kind of person that G-d doesn't like.

 

Meshiach is swagggin up

                    In Perek Yud Aleph it says that if they change their ways then Mashiach will come! They must become an Ideal society and have Ben adam lamacom and also have ben adam lechavero! The Mashiach will be a descendant of Yeshai and have the spirit of Hashem which means that he is wisdom, understanding, heroism  and knowledge!
                   In today's society I think that Mashiach will have the exact characteristics! I know that we won't know what he will look like so this means that you should always be nice to your neighbor because you could be speaking to mashiach!! that covers the Ben adam lechavera part and we should always pray to G-d to ask for Mashiach to come soon! That covers the Ben adam Lamacom part! Yay for Ideal society!

Stupid people do stupid things.

In Perek Yud Aleph, Yishayahu receives a vision. His vision is about the ideal Jewish society. The first part of his vision is regarding the ideal leader. The leader should have the spirit of Hashem rest upon him and have these characteristics: Wisdom, understanding, heroism, knowledge, and fear of G-d. He needs to act with צדק ומשפט. He also should be known for this righteousness and faith in G-d. As for the people as a whole: They should have world peace and the whole world should be filled with knowledge of G-d.

This ideal vision is describing Masiach. The Jewish society is still lacking all of these qualities today, and has been for thousands of years. At that point when he received the nevuah, and where we still are today, the judges are corrupted and lacking in their בין אדם לחבירו. The Jewish people are lacking in their knowledge of G-d and still are lacking in their faith that G-d is in control.

חזקיהו the Great

חזקיהו was a powerful king who ruled the people of יהודה. He was the very last king. As you can see in the title חזקיהו was a great leader for יהודה. He did many great things including refurbishing the בית המקדש and cleansing it of עבודה זרה from his father אחז.  He did what he thought was right in the eyes of Hashem. He was a very G-d fearing and G-d loving leader. He would do everything he could to make Hashem happy, and he followed all the מצוות and Torah with all his heart. 

Although he was a great ruler and did many great things, he also made some mistakes that didn't make Hashem so happy. חזקיהו focused on teaching his people about מצוות בין אדם למקום and not מצוות בין אדם לחברו. He did not intend for the people to stop treating each other fairly and well, but without showing them how to create bonds between each other they did not have special relationships. 

We learn that מצוות בין אדם למקום is essential to having a good relationship with Hashem. In ישעיהו we learn that this is an important part of being Jewish. Many מצוות in the Torah are to be nice to each other and to have good relationships. We are told to visit the sick, do kindness, give charity, and much much more. We need to have a balance between מצוות בין אדם לחברו and מצוות בין אדם למקום or our relationship with G-d will not be perfect. 

#dumbpeople

In Perek Yud, The Jewish people of Yehudah were sinning. They were corrupted and lacked צדק ומשפט. They were supposed to realize that if that didn't stop, they'd be exiled like the people of Shomron. Yishayahu decided to use the events of the exile of Shomron to teach the people of Yehudah a lesson. They needed to know that G-d meant business and He wasn't going to take their foolishness any longer. God was going to use Assyria as a pawn to attack Yehudah. However, the Assyrians believed that it was only their power that caused them to be so great, not Hashem helping them. For that thought, they would also be punished.

Two lessons can be learned from these Pasukim. The first is that if you're told to fix yourself, you really need to do so, or G-d will exile you. Obviously that doesn't completely apply today, but people should still understand that if they're actually doing something wrong, they need to fix themselves. For example, if you're sitting next to Jamie Levy in class and you start to chew, you better stop as soon as she yells at you because serious consequences will quickly follow. The second lesson is that you need to see the hand of God in your life at all times. The Assyrians took complete credit for the military power, and for that they were also punished.

Turning The Jewish People Around

Unlike his father Achaz, Hezkiah was a great king for the Jewish people. They say he is a lot like David Hamelech. He believed in G-d and that he could turn the Jewish people around. Hekiah got rid of all of the Bamot throughout the nation and cleaned out the Beit Hamikdash. He got it up and running except for the Korbanot. He did what was good in the eyes of Hashem, the people started to do the mitzvot and follow the torah. But he only emphasized the mitzvot of Ben Adam LeMakom.

It was great learning about Hezkiah after hearing all of the bad things in the previous praakim. I think he did a great job on turning the Jewish people around, but of course I think he should have also worked on Ben Adam Lechavero.

Hezekiah

Hezekiah did some amazing things to turn the Jewish people around and lead them back to Hashem. For this, G-d was with him for most of his reign, until the 14th year of his reign when G-d allowed Assyria to attack. Hezekiah was forced to submit to the King of Assyria and pay him taxes. Hezekiah decides he doesn't want to use his money to pay taxes to the King of Assyria and has a brilliant idea. He decides to take gold from the Beit Hamikdash, the same Beit Hamikdash he had re-established and re-furbished early on in his reign, and use that gold to pay the King of Assyria.

When I learned this I was just shocked. It was clear to Hezekiah that G-d was with him for most of his reign, and when Assyria invaded it should have been an extremely clear message that G-d was upset with him and no longer with him. Why would he then decide it'd be a good idea to anger G-d? There is no doubt that Hezekiah knew G-d was in control of everything. With such a clear knowledge of G-d, how does one do anything that would jeopardize their relationship with G-d if they knew it meant life or death?

Maybe there's a lesson here. Perhaps it is saying that even someone who feels like they have the strongest relationship with G-d has the capability to screw up. Humans are humans, no matter how clear G-d is in our lives.

That's just a thought. But quite honestly, I'm okay just thinking Hezekiah was a complete idiot.

Mashiach

        In Prakim Yud Aleph and Yud Bet it is talking about the vision and how it is contrasting how the people are actually living. At this point the people are facing corruption and corrupt leaders, punishment for their sins, and they are dependent on man rather than Hashem. The people were told that if they change their ways and go back to Hashem then they can avoid punishment. 
           This contrasts their current reality to the people as an incentive for the people to change.
  I think today that there are still people who are more dependent on other people like rather than Hashem. 

We Want Moshiach NOW!

We learned all about Moshiach in class, including what life will be like when Moshiach comes. There will be no political oppression, total knowledge of G-d, and peace and perfection throughout. All the Jewish people will be united, there will be no jealousy, war, famine or competition. We will understand the deepest parts of existence, and there will be no desire to do anything wrong.

This world described sounds absolutely amazing, especially when you're struggling through a difficult time. If you think about the problems in this world, the world of Moshiach could fix every one of these problems. Can you imagine a world with no war, jealousy, conflict, hunger, injustice, etc? Every single person should want Moshiach to come.

If this is the case, then why aren't we doing everything in our power to bring Moshiach? Why isn't every Judaic class in Jewish schools focused on the goal of bringing Moshiach? Why is it that when the topic of Moshiach is brought up we focus on the longing for Moshiach and not on what we can do to bring him? This is what I want to know.

Maybe it's too hard for us to bring Moshiach. Maybe G-d knows something we don't. Maybe we're not ready for him. Who knows.

Here's to hoping that Moshiach will decide to show up tomorrow.

Karma

Yeshayahu had a son named She'ar Yashuv, which means a remnant shall return. Yehudah is going to be destroyed by Assyria, but Assyria thinks that they are the ones who caused all of the destruction in Yerushalayim because of their power and success, when in reality it was all Hashem. Because of Assyria's thoughts Hashem is going to end them also. However Hashem is going to leave a remnant of them behind, even if they did not do teshuva. This is where Yeshayahu's sons name come into play; He named his child this to represent this concept.
It is like in today's society if we do something bad, things will come back around and "attack" us. Like all of those people who attacked the innocent people in Boston this past week, they will get their punishment soon enough because they know they have done wrong and they are haughty for their actions.

In פרק י the Jews sinned once again, and Hashem wanted them to realize that if they continued to sin they would be brought into exile. Since they did not change their ways Hashem sent Assyria to attack them and put them in exile. But Hashem wanted to make sure that the Jews knew that the Assyrian's attack was because they were sinning and that Hashem sent them to the Jews. But he also needed to make sure that the Assyrians knew that it wasn't their own strength that put them to war. The Assyrians are being arrogant by thinking that all the power came from them. 
We need to remember that everything in our lives is from Hashem whether it is good or bad. If it is something good we have to remember that everything comes from Hashem. If you get a good grade on a test, you should remember that Hashem had a part in making it happen. If it is something bad we have to remember that we were given it for a reason, and we need to try to do better because of it. Also if something very unfortunate happens we have to remember that Hashem did it for some sort of reason, and we just cannot see the full story. Like the event that just happened in Boston. This horrible tragedy was taken place for some sort of reason by G-d, but we will never understand completely because we cannot see the whole picture. 

Uziyahu and Hashem

In Perek Vuv it says that Man is mortal and Hashem is imortal. Uziyahu tried to go against Hashem but he was punished. From this I think I can learn that no matter how much you think you know everything  Hashem knows everything and is all powerful.The people back then didnt think they were going to get punished. Today I think people are very confident in themselves and dont think that they will get punished.

Yishayahu's Message

Yishayahu had many messages that he gave to the people in pesukim bet through tet. His message is that you have to have a relationship with Hashem and with other people. This is very applicable to us today. We have to have a connection and a relationship with other people but we cant forget about the most important relationship which is our relationship with Hashem. Ysiahayahu also said that it is not enough to only worship Hashem in the Ben adam lmakom sense but you have to follow the Ben adam lchavero Mitzvot too.

What is happening with the coal?

During Yeshayahu's prophecy it talks about an angel putting a coal to his lips. There are two possible ways to explain what is happening with it. One explanation is that Yishayahu need to be purified before he went on his mission, and after he is able to volunteer to be a Navi. The other explanation is that it is a mashal for what will happen to the Jews, and that he is volunteering for a new mission because he is already a Navi.
I think that the coal represented the second explanation because we already knew he was a navi and if he already was why would he need to be purified.

The Jews are the Epitome of a Nugget

Yishayahu has a vision of god, in Perek 6. Yishayahu sees Hashem sitting on a chair above the Beit Hamikdash with 6-winged angels surrounding him. The angels have 2 wings covering their eyes, 2 wings covering their feet, and 2 wings helping them fly. The angels are calling to each other saying, "Holy holly holy is Hsahem, his glory fills the entire land.". When they are saying this, the pillars of the Beit Hamikdash start to shake and their was smoke. This entire vision is full of miraculous chaos, and Yishayahu now has to interpret it.

When the angels are praising hashem, it is really a showing us something. It shows that even angels, the highest that anyone could get to Gods perfection, are praising God. It is like a reality check for us. We were so corrupt that we couldn't even sit back and praise Hashem. The angels are so holy and they  even praise Hashem. This is so true to what was going on during these times. Bnei Yisrael was slacking, but when they saw what the angels were doing, they could realize that they needed to praise Hashem. This proves how corrupt the people were, because even after a sign like this, they didn't change their ways! HOW COME??

Modern Hedonists

"Woe to those who rise early in the morning; they pursue strong wine. They sit until lat in the evening; wine inflames them." This statement mentions in Perek 5 Pasuk 11 is speaking about Bnei Yisraels Hedonistic lifestyle. In this Perek, there are five woes that are mentioned regarding the acts of the jewish nation. This specific one is very interesting. First it talks about what these hedonistic people are doing, and then it goes on to explain what their punishment will be. It says that someone who is acting like this, will be stripped of their luxuries. They will no longer have food, drink, or parties. Basically, they will be punished with Midah Kaneged Midah.

I find this particular woe to apply to people nowadays. If the celebrities that live hedonistic lifestyles were punished like Bnei Yisrael was punished, what would change? Would anything change? I think so. Some celebrities travel to places that are less fortunate than them and they do volunteer work. They leave feeling very fortunate for their success, but look at this entire act of kindness from a different angle. Yes, they did a great deed. When they are going to these places like Africa for instance, what do they travel in? They come in over the top planes, while they are lavished with all sorts of luxurious things. Fine, I understand that is before they learn something from the people they are going to help. Well, when they leave, what do they travel back in? The exact same thing happens again. And when they return home, what happens then? They go to parties and shows, not once thinking about the people they just helped. It is sad, but the truth is the only way we can change the situation is by taking all of their extravagant lifestyles away and leaving them with nothing.

Ideal Society

In class, we learned about the ideal society by looking in Sefer Devarim. Sefer Devarim gives a detailed description of the "Ideal World" in gods eyes. We worked with partners to brainstorm what would Hashem want according to each element of society. When finished brainstorming we learned that we were pretty close to the values mentioned in Sefer Devarim. After learning what God expected we could see what aspects of the "Ideal World" were most relevant in our lives. Unfortunately, we aren't able to perform each one of these values, but we still recognized them as being important in setting up a religious society during the times of the Beit Hamikdash.

While ranking these values by  importance, I realized how impractible it is to be an "Ideal World" these days, because of our corrupt world. We are so diverse and spread out all over the world. We have no regard for the one above us. We learned later that Bnei Yisrael were justifying their sins. I relate that to people nowadays, and I realize that even today I will even do that. Sometimes, we don't want to feel bad for what we did, so we try and tell ourselves that God will be okay with it because of some bizarre excuse. How can we deny the power of God? How did it come to this? I see a repeat of the actions of Bnei Yisrael, and it scares me. I don't mean that we will change overnight, but I do think that the first step is one person, me, realizing that our world has come to this.

Sign from G-d

We learn in Perek 7 that Achaz was having a struggle with faith. He was an idol worshipper with little belief in G-d and his role in the world. G-d offers to send Achaz a clear sign that shows he is truly the one in control of the world, but Achaz refuses. He doesn't want a sign because then that would mean he'd be responsible for all the mitzvot.

This made we wonder how I would react if this were to (hypothetically) happen to me. You might think Achaz is absolutely ridiculous for refusing a sign from G-d. I mean, after all, we spend our whole lives wondering and struggling with the question of whether G-d is really out there. Would I say yes in an instant? Maybe. Probably. But I do understand where Achaz is coming from. It is a HUGE responsibility to take on all of the mitzvot. If you received a clear sign from G-d that he is the one pulling the sstrings, there is no way you can say "Okay, G-d showed himself to me, but I reaaalllly don't feel like doing all the mitzvot. I don't think he'll mind."

Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116

In Perek 8 Pesukim 1-4 G-d tells Yeshayahu to make a sign that says Maher Shalal Chash Baz - "Speed the spoils, hasten the booty". He then says to name his own child this, because before this boy can even call out for his mommy and daddy, Assyria will have attacked and taken all the spoils of war.

Naming his son after something symbolic is not unusual for Yishayahu. His first two sons are Sha'ar Yashuv - "The remnant shall return" and Immanuel - "G-d is with us". Yishayahu's first two sons' names have incredibly beautiful, positive meanings to them. However, his third son will be named based on an attack from the Assyrians as punishment for the sins of the people. He will live with this awful name forever. I'd say it's even worse than Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116, the name a Swedish couple wanted to give their son (don't worry- the Swedish government wouldn't allow it). 

How is this fair to Maher Shalal Chas Baz? He's bound to be made fun of at school for having a name like that. Poor kid. Maybe he can have a cool nickname so people won't have to know his real name. That would also spare some time when saying his name, because honetsly Maher Shalal Chas Baz is quite a mouthful. Perhaps he could just be called Maher. That's a nice name.

#Not #Good #Enough

In Perek Zayin, Achaz is told that he doesn't need to fear the oncoming attacks by Pekach and Ratzin because God won't let them succeed. This would've made Achaz believe that his people are doing well if God was protecting them; however, that wasn't the case. God won't let Pekach and Ratzin succeed because the sins of their people, Yisrael, are even worse than Achaz's people, Yehudah.

This teaches everyone a good life lesson. Just because you're doing better than someone else, doesn't mean you're doing good enough. If your friend gets a 70 on a test, you shouldn't feel accomplished for getting a 79 because that's not even good enough to get you honor roll. A person shouldn't feel like they've done something right just because it's better than someone else's.

Yeshayahu Ain't Trippin'

Perek vav is one confusing Perek. We're not sure if Yeshayahu's mission is just being changed or if the pesukim are out of order. I like to believe that the former is correct. If that would be the case, his mission would be to explain to the Jews that the attacks they are receiving are being sent from God. Yeshayahu here is supposed to be the "Navi on record" and explain to the people what is happening.

I believe this is relevant today in regard to the holocaust. Obviously the holocaust was a horrific event, but instead of using it as a way to hate God, people should take it as a way to view the omnipotence of God. God promised that if the Jews didn't change their ways, there would be a punishment sent by him. I'm sure if people knew this would be the outcome of their sins, they would've changed their ways, but sometimes it's hard to see the reality of something when it is only told to you and not shown.

Pure?

In perek Hay, Yeshiyahu recieves a vision from God. He acts as if this is the first time he has ever seen G-d. He says, " Woe is me, I just saw G-d and I am impure and I live in a nation that is impure. In the Pasukim He gets purified by and angels who take hot coal from the Mitzrach and touched the coal to his mouth . After he is purified he volunteers to go on a mission. In my opinion he needed to be purified before he could go on his mission and the coal is like making him a navi.
      In todays time, people g to mikvahs and become purified all the time. Jews are still not pure but you become pure once you go to the mikvah . This is just like Yeshiyahu getting coal to his mouth because now he is pure and a good jew. But he isn't forever.

Hope is all you need

Yishiahu asked Hashem 'how long will my mission be?'. He had to tell the people about their punishment. The Jewish people were being punished because they were sinning. Hashems response was saying until destruction has occurred.  He said 'until all the cities are destroyed, houses are without people, land is desolate and the people are exiled. At that time, 1/10th of the people will remain like the withered leaves of an oak tree.' He should continue until they do teshuvah.
I admire the commitment here, I would love to take on that trait. I learned from this to fight for what you believe in even if you are standing alone. Yishiahu was told to not give up, this was his glimmer of hope. Everyone needs that little bit of hope to carry on with life. We shouldn't give up and hold on to our dreams and keep to it. If you have hope, it can happen.

I am undone.

In Perek ו Passuk ה Yeshayahu explains his experience in seeing Hashem. He explains his reactions in surprise and awe. There is a large dispute whether this is his first time "seeing" Hashem, or if he is just receiving another mission, and he is surprised about the Beit Hamikdash shaking and smoking. 
He says specifically, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." I think he is trying to say that he is surprised that he would be able to be in the presence of G-d because he is not pure and has done many sins. But what I mostly want to focus on is when he says," I am undone." He is trying to say that he is not completed his life until he seen Hashem.  He thought he believed and had full obedience to Hashem, but when he "saw" Hashem it changed his whole belief and obedience to G-d. When he saw Hashem, he realized that his belief in Hashem could not have been completed until he actually saw him. 
Another way of looking at this small quote is that Yeshayahu didn't think he was completed or good enough to be in the presence of G-d. He goes on to say the reasons why he is impure and unclean. He is saying that until he is purified he does not deserve to be confronted by Hashem. And this is why the next part of the perek happens when the angel flies to him and purifies him with the hot stone from the altar. 

Confidence is Key

In Pesukim Hay through Ches speaks about Yishiahu's response to the vision and acceptance to be the Novi for the Jews. He said 'Woe is me, I just saw G-d and I am impure and I live in impure nation.' He is confessing that he is not perfect and being humble. The angle then takes hot coal and touches it to his mouth saying it will purify Yishiahu's sins and purify him. Later, G-d asks "Who should I send?" he replies "I'm here, send me." We see here the confidence of Yishiahu. He took on the responsibly of being the Novi and was sure of himself. He has a great combination of personality traits that we can all learn from.

A lesson we can all learn from Yishiahu is balance. Many people have a hard time with self-confidence and also not gloating. Not being proud of yourself is a horrible thing and effects your whole life. On the other hand, bragging and being over-confident can become annoying and it puts other people down. So how do we merge the two together? Learn from Yishiahu! He is truly a role model when he says he is impure but ready for the job. So, lets all lift our heads up and smile - because we all deserve to be confident - in moderation. 

The Nevuah

In perek 6 we hear of a nevuah that Yishayahu has. It is a vision of G-d sitting on a chair above the beit hamikdash with six angels surrounding him. Each angel has six wings, one to cover their eyes, the other to cover their feet, and the other were used to fly. Each one is calling out to each other while the walls/pillars of the beit hamikdash shake and smoke came out from it. One angel came down to Yishayahu with a hot coal, he pressed it to his mouth to purify Yishayahu from his sins. There is a bit of controversy on whether this was Yishayahu's first nevuah or was just a change to his mission to save the Jewsih people.
When we first learned this I thought that it was not Yishayahu's first Nevuah and I still don't think this. At the beginning of his nevuah he says "woe is me" most people think he says because it is his first time seeing Hashem, but how do you not know that it is because the Beit Hamikdash was shaking and their was smoke coming out of it. There are others things to contribute to this but I think one example is enough. Not everyone will agree, but this is how I feel. :D

Jews Finally Get Their Punishment

Throughout Perakim 1-4 the Navi talks about how the Jews have sinned and they kept trying to give Hashem sacrifices and they kept trying too do Teshuva but they never realized that they can't only ask Hashem for forgiveness, they also need to be good to the people around them. Once we finally figure out why that have sinned we wait a little longer until we find out their punishment. In perek 5 we learn that their punishment will be that they will be attacked by a foreign nation.
We see these types of punishments today even though it may not seem like it. We as Jews are supposed to follow all the laws (that can still apply today) but not everyone seems to be doing this. So because of this Israel is constantly under attack from other nations. Not everyone may believe that this is true but in my opinion I think that it could contribute to it.

Haughtiness

In Perek Gimel the women were haughty and looked down on others and they were very materialistic. They were very arrogant in the way they walked and in the way that they dressed. They typically wore bells and perfume to attract male attention. As a punishment Hashem said that they will have nothing. Since they don't have anything they don't have a reason to look down on other people.
      Today, in the media we see many women who don't dress very appropriately to attract male attention. This is the case not only in the media but in everyday life. Some women don't dress as modestly as they should and are showing off their bodies. Although this is similar to the women in Perek Gimel todays society is different and this behavior is more accepted than it was back then.

Cover Up!

Perek Gimel speak about how the women were immodest and haughty. They would go around dressed inappropriately in order to get attention from guys. The women thought they were the best and look down upon others. They were the fault of men's sins because they attracted them, because of these sins, the women were punished. They would lose their money and their men would die in war.

In today's society, women dress extremely inappropriately and they aren't respecting their bodies. Women desire negative attention from guys and do not think of the consequences. They need to realize that if they keep exposing their bodies in such a way, they won't get anywhere in live. They should look at the women in perek gimel and see how they ended up.