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.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
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.
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
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.
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.
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.
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