Isaiah and the double comfort of God

Jewish academic and Hebrew scholar Irene Lancaster explains the ‘double comfort’ of God in Isaiah – and what it has to do with justice. 

The Jewish people have entered the contemplative month of Elul, which leads as much as Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year.

We have began the 4 final Haftorot of Consolation, starting with Haftorat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-20 – 21:9). The reading from Deuteronomy is referred to as Shoftim, from the primary phrase: ‘Judges and law officers you shall appoint, to be able to remain alive …’ We’ll come back to that thought later.

The accompanying Haftorah comes from Isaiah 51:12 – 52:12. This Haftorah stands out for its double emphases, in addition to its parrying between G-d and the Jewish people. 

Recently a guest speaker at Shul spoke of the danger of what Rabbi Nathan Lopez Cardozo (interviewed for previous CT articles) has termed ‘existential dullness.’ The danger of any religion or spiritual path is that of contentment and resting on one’s laurels i.e. becoming the slave of habit.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-72) used to talk of ‘radical amazement’ as an antidote to complacency and self-satisfaction. 

Here in our Isaiah reading, we witness radical amazement in motion. It is G-d who sets the ball rolling with His double emphasis on what He will do for the Jewish people on their return from Exile. ‘I, I, He Who comforts.’

Why the double ‘I’? Some have interpreted this sense of urgency as G-d’s promise of double comfort after the trials and tribulations of Exile. Some have emphasized the double Exile, once to Babylon in 586 BCE and later by the hands of Rome in 70 CE. However, a 3rd explanation is that G-d is reiterating that only He is capable of comfort the Jewish people and, in actual fact, it’s His exclusive role to achieve this.  

G-d continues to remind the people to not be afraid, because He, the final word Creator of the Universe will at all times have their back. Thus, once more, Isaiah returns to the unique Genesis Creation story in Bereshit (Genesis 1) which will likely be read to inaugurate the New Year.

G-d ends this description of His omnipotence with the reminder (v 16) that Israel has been specially chosen to convey G-d’s message to the world: ‘I even have placed My words in your mouth’, in order that He can ‘say unto Zion “You are My people.”‘  

Verse 17 depicts G-d encouraging the people to reply to His initial double promise of ultimate comfort by playing their very own part with equal fervour. ‘Arouse yourself, arouse yourself; rise up Jerusalem.’

Movement is required on each side for Israel to turn into the people who they were meant to be. G-d makes the primary move after which the people must respond. 

G-d reminds them that they don’t have anything to lose. They have reached all-time low and have turn into the ‘dregs’ of the world. They haven’t any leadership. They have suffered the twin destruction of Jerusalem and the death of her inhabitants (v. 19). G-d now guarantees that their immense suffering will pass to those that have afflicted them (v 23). 

In anticipation of the Shoah, G-d implies that Israel’s tormentors can have broken their ‘back’, but they’re unable to interrupt Israel’s ‘soul’. And that’s the secret of Israel’s survival – no-one can break their spirit.

Isaiah 52:1 resumes with a double exhortation to Israel to ‘Awake, awake’ at the moment of ultimate redemption. They should ‘stand up’ after which ‘sit down’ and ‘undo the restraints in your neck.’ This could allude to the best way they were taken into Exile or, as Abraham ibn Ezra comments, the Jewish people need complete political autonomy to be able to perform G-d’s word.

For G-d reminds the Jewish people who foreign powers will at all times oppress them for no reason, naming Egypt and Assyria as examples. He reminds them that ‘I’m at all times here’. The phrase hineni is frequently expressed in response to G-d’s call. G-d calls, and we are saying ‘Here I’m.’ A superb example is the boy Samuel (I Samuel 3). But here, as earlier, G-d makes the primary move. Samuel and others have been there for G-d and now G-d will likely be there for His people.

In a change of tone, Isaiah 52: 7-12 describes the leisurely return of the exiles to Zion, under the leadership of G-d. The ‘messenger’ (some say the prophet Elijah) will enunciate the four-fold stages of redemption: peace, good tidings, salvation and – finally – the universal realization that G-d reigns over the complete world.  

Watchmen will likely be posted on the gates of the town to specific their joy in song: ‘For the Lord has comforted His people’ and ‘has redeemed Jerusalem.’ Once again there’s a double urgency within the people’s need to depart their Exile: ‘Depart, depart’. But, unlike the Exodus from Egypt, which was carried out ‘in haste’ (Exodus 12), this Exodus will likely be done in their very own time. G-d Himself will each head the redeemed exiles and likewise protect them within the rear. 

What stands out in our Haftorah of Isaiah 51:12-52:12 is subsequently the urgency of G-d’s conversation with the Jewish people and his willingness to make the primary move towards their final redemption.

In the accompanying Torah reading from Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9, what stands out equally is the prime importance of justice of their latest life within the Promised Land. This doesn’t simply mean the establishing of law courts and the appointment of judges and law officers, but the best way justice needs to be carried out. ‘Justice justice you shall pursue’ ( Deuteronomy 16:20).

Thus G-d’s double portion of comfort, as expressed by Isaiah, is echoed by the double portion of justice that the Children of Israel should ‘pursue’. Pursual implies attending to the underside of things; not taking things without any consideration; and never simply implementing some ideological agenda or other within the reason for justice.

This is the benchmark of Jewish justice throughout the ages. When others have simply taken the trail of least resistance, Judaism emphasizes going the additional mile. This is just not simply tempering justice with mercy – that’s taken without any consideration. Rather, the law officers needs to be people of the best integrity who show no favour to wealthy or poor, no partiality to influencers on the expense of the downtrodden, and who behave judiciously in addition to justly.

By carrying out justice in this manner, the divine message from Isaiah comes full circle. It’s effective to be redeemed and enter the Land, to rebuild Jerusalem and to influence the remainder of the world. But what exactly is the message and the way should we supply it out? Deuteronomy has the reply: in every thing you do, bear in mind that justice, real justice in on a regular basis life is the important thing to redemption.