PART 1:
Hashem speaks via the Navi Zacharia giving him a prophetic vision of the end of time, the era of Mashiach. The daughters of Jerusalem (Am Yisrael) should sing and rejoice because the shechina is returning and will dwell among you. At that time there will be so many converts and they will all want a piece of the action and to connect with Hashem, but Hashem says I will only rest with my children in Jerusalem. You will all be able to tell from where Hashem’s Presence does and does not rest, who is really his people. Zacharia explains to the nations that when this time arrives, they will never again have an opportunity or the ability to hurt the Jewish people.
PART 2:
Hashem shows Zacharia a vision of Yehoshua Kohen Gadol, standing in the heavenly court and an angel of Hashem begins to speak negatively about Yehoshua’s children. His children have left the ways of Hashem and married non-Jewish women. Hashem comes to the Kohen Gadol’s defense saying: soon his children will divorce those women. Additionally, Yehoshua has many merits, as his forefathers were also Kohanim Gedolim. Zacharia sees Yehoshua dressed in very dirty clothes, symbolizing being full of sin. The angel instructs other angels to separate those non-Jewish women from Yehoshua Kohen Gadol’s children, and then they will turn pure, and clean. Upon seeing this, Zacharia prays that Yehoshua will continue to be the Kohen Gadol, and that also his children will follow in his ways to be Kohanim Gedolim. Zacharia is told if they will maintain the proper level of kedusha and will follow in Hashem’s ways, they will merit to continue the chain of Kohanim Gedolim. The children repented and returned to the Torah’s ways, and they too became Kohainim G’dolim.
It is fascinating to see the way Hashem judges us. Does our action in the future count for today? We see that Yishmael, the son of Hagar, when he was a child, was dying. The heavenly court requested that he die now, because in the future he will cause so much sorrow to the Jewish people. Hashem responded, “Basher hu sham” we only judge a person at that time of his action. Yishmael is innocent now, and therefore he can live on.
Here the children of Yehoshua are currently living in sin, but Hashem judges them as innocent because He knows that later they will repent. Why would this be so? If the premise is “Ba’asher hu sham” we judge a person by how they are today, why did Hashem judge them innocently by looking in their future?
We learn from this an incredible insight to Hashem’s ways. The concept of “Ba’asher hu sham” always works in a person’s favor. If a person is currently in sin, but in the future will be righteous, then Hashem will judge Him favorably. If, however, a person is currently innocent of sin, though the future might bring him to be evil, Hashem will then judge them favorably, as they are now.
The haftorah instructs, “Rejoice and sing the daughter of Zion because I have already come.” That statement does not seem accurate as we are still in exile. Hashem is teaching us to “judge” Him as He “judges” us. Although right now we are living in the bitter reality of exile, the seeds of redemption have been planted. Hashem wants us to view our current situation with joy, internalizing the certainty of the imminent geulah.
May we merit the final redemption soon. Amen.
