Yeshayahu Hanavi was from the tribe of Yehuda. His father Amotz was also a Navi and the brother of Amtzihu, the King of Yehuda. Yeshayahu’s prophecy occurred during the time of four kings; Uziyahu, Yatom, Achaz and Chezkiyahu, all from the kingdom of Yehuda. Over the course of 113 years he revealed Hashem’s words to the nation. The sefer Tana D’bay Eliyahu chapter 16 explains; why Yeshayahu merited receiving all the wonderful prophecies and words of consolation to the nation? That is because he accepted the yoke of heaven with great joy, more than any other navi.
“So says Hashem the creator of the heavens and their expanse, He who spreads the land and its sprouts, gives breath of life to the people residing upon it and Heavenly spirit to those who walk there.”
The Gemarah Ketubot asked a question on the words “leam aleiha–to the people that reside upon it” – to whom is that referring to? Rabbi Abahu states it is referring to a non-Jewish maid servant that lives in Eretz Yisrael; she will automatically receive olam haba just by living in the land. The idea behind this is that we live in a world where Hashem is hidden from us and we are meant to discover Him in our lives. Due to the miraculous way of life in Eretz Yisrael, Hashem is evident there, even to a simple maid servant. This is the powerful effect of Eretz Yisroel.
It may be a shock that there is such an extreme change in a person just because of their location. The original plan for humanity was that each individual independently was to find and live a life connected with Hashem. There was initially no Jewish nation. Adam and Chava were individuals striving to develop a relationship with Hashem. The location that they were in, Gan Eden, gave them the potential to reach that lofty connection with Hashem.
“All that is called by My name was created for My glory.” (Yeshaya 43:7) The term for glory in Hebrew is “kavod” all of creation is for Hashem’s kavod. What is kavod? And why should it be that everything is an expression of Hashem’s kavod? The way I understand it is that a person needs a place in this world that defines his essence. For example, a king has a throne, a father sits at the head of the table; the location of their presence defines who they are. And so it is with every position; a teacher at the desk in the front, the CEO of a business in the large fancy office and the head seat in the boardroom. “Mekomo shel adam zu he kevodo” this is why in reference to Hashem – kevodo malay olam. All that was created, was created for Hashem’s kavod; in other words, everything in the world has Hashem in it. So as we eat, and breathe we are ingesting and inhaling internalizing Hashem presence.
The person that searches kavod and is acting in a way to constantly seek honor really has no place in Hashem’s world, because everything is Hashem, and he would be moving into Hashem’s space, and that is really degrading Hashem.
