Haftarat Parshat HaChodesh

This week's Haftorah is the prophecy regarding the building of Beit Shlishi, Yechezkel's vision for the future. As part of the redemption of B'nai Yisrael the new Temple will be the Temple that lasts forever, a בית עולמים.

The Radak tells us that the coming redemption will also occur on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. The story of Pesach is above all the story of the founding of a nation. Leading up to Pesach we learn about a different aspect of the founding of the nation; the purification, the census, and our common history. Now we have the future, the building of the Temple just like the building of the משכן in the desert; a place for the on going revelation from Sinai.

Rav Hirsch points out that this is not a coincidence. We specifically read this section of Yechezkel to remind us of the future, to give us "the Divine instructions for the service at the Temple which is to be consecrated on that day". The message here is hope, there is a future. Pesach makes us a nation, it tells our history, now we're reading about our future.

Rosh Chodesh Nissan is not only the date of the redemption from Mitzrayim, but will also be the date when we return from exile. We may be moving back to Eretz Yisrael now, but until we have Beit Shlishi we are not redeemed.

Haftarat Shabat Parah

[This is the third in the series of weekly Haftorah posts; please forgive my lapse last week, I was away for shabbos]

This week's Haftorah comes from Yehezkel, a section dealing with national purity. The connection between this Haftorah and Parshat Parah is the way that Yehezkel describes the purification process, but the Haftorah itself is describing more than just purification.

The Haftorah divides itself neatly into three parts 1: the purification process 2: the goal and the way it is to be attained 3: God will purify Israel even though it's failed so far in the task.

A great deal is written on the first two segments so I'll deal with part three. This section is describing a forced purification one that is not supposed to happen unless there is a great need. This prophecy is describing a time when the Jewish people are so impure that God has to take it upon himself to fix the situation. Sometimes you find parents fixing the mistakes of their children when they've fallen to a point that they can't pull themselves out of. This is not one of those times.

Not for your sakes do I do it, says my Lord, the God who revealed His Love in dealing out justice, be it known unto you, be ashamed and confounded for your ways, the children of Israel. (36:32)

Then the nations that are left round about you will recognize that I, God have built up the ruined places and have planted the deserted ones, I, God have spoken it and I will do it.(36:36)

God here is telling b'nai Yisrael that "I'm going to fix everything you did wrong, I'm going to purify you, rebuild your cities, replant your land; but the nations will know that I did it, not for you, but for myself for you disgraced my name". This action of God's is not selfish, but rather Israel forgot about marit ayin how their actions are perceived. B'nai Israel forgot what ohr l'goyim means, how they're supposed to be the "priests of mankind" (as Rav Hirsch describes them). Sometimes it is necessary to take things into your own hands and fix it - not often, but on occasion - in such a scenario the teacher/parent should explain his actions and that is what God does here in the previous sections. How purity works, what should be, and why I'm in this one situation not doing that.

Haftarah Terumah

[This is the second installment of the weekly Haftarah discussion.]

This week's Haftorah is from Melachim Alef; the story of Shlomo building the first Beit HaMikdash
. The connection between the parsha and the Haftorah doesn't need to be said, it's too obvious.

There are, however, some interesting points about the Haftorah. Shlomo is building the Beit HaMikdash to fulfill his father's legacy and building this L'shem Shamayim and therefore, only wants the best. So he sends a letter to King Hiram of Lebanon wanting a treaty to use the cedar. All is well and good, but something is different. This is not as glorious as the Mishkan is.

Rav Hirsch points out:

Still all this enormous expenditure is not what we have in mind. Solomon was rich enough and could well afford it, and his people were not deprived of anything through it. But "his people" - That is what we are thinking of. What a dismal picture do they, does Israel, present at this building. Where is the enthusiasm of the men and women which our Sidra describes?...Considering the origin and aim of the building, how much more glorious and holier was the work of the weaving and embroidering women and girls, the working of the Jewish men, so long unaccustomed to artistic work, under the guidance of Bezalel...Then all the glories of Phoenician technique and Solomon's artistic taste! It was a different kind of participation that Solomon reserved for his people. Conscripted labor - reminiscent of Pharoh's time - was what they had to render, and task-masters too were not lacking! It is that, that strikes the thinking reader like an icy blast on reading this report.

Wow, it was not until I read this earlier today that I had any inclination that there was anything remotely "wrong" about Bayit Rishon. It may be that there's nothing "wrong" about it, maybe that it's a reference to how holy the Mishkan was. Sometimes we think that the Mikdash was more important that the Mishkan - according to Rav Hirsch that's not the way it works.

Good Shabbos

Haftorah Mishpatim

[This will hopefully be the first in a series of posts on the weekly Haftorah - why? Because NaKh doesn't get enough love. It totally slipped my mind that this week was Parshat Shekalim and I wrote this post regarding the normal Haftorah.]

This week's parsha is Mishpatim a parsha that begins V'ale Mishpatim to which Rashi comments is a list of mitzvot that God gives to B'nai Yisrael at Har Sinai. The first four commandments in the parsha (according to Rambam and Sefer HaChinuch) deal with the laws of the Eved HaIvri the Hebrew Slave.

This weeks Haftorah comes from Yirmiyahu and out of the 53 mitzvot in the Parsha the Haftorah only deals with Eved HaIvri. Why? It may be that it just happens to be the first laws in Mishpatim and and effort to connect the Parsha and the Haftorah.

Or, the Haftorah is trying to tell us the importance of these laws. As a friend of mine told me "There's nothing more important than how your treat your brother". I think she's right. It occurs to me that the legalization of slavery for Torah is a big deal, it can only be allowed in certain circumstances and under certain conditions. [Not like the slavery practiced in the United States until 1865 (when the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified) - though some Southern slave owners used the slavery from the Torah to justify their own slave owning].

Rav Hirsch writes:

He [God] decreed that the people were to rectify the slavery which they themselves had illegally imposed on their unhappy brothers and sisters.

There is nothing more important that how you treat your bother. The afflictions that are written about in Yirmiyahu are imposed because they were Ovarim et Briti ignored the covenant that they had just made with God.

There is nothing more important that how you treat your bother. That is the message of this weeks Haftorah. Good Shabbos.