This week not only marks the final Shabbat of the year but also the final of the Shiva DeNechemta (שבע דנחמתא) – the seven special Haftarot of consolation that began after Tisha B’Av with לֹהֵיכֶם-נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱ. This week’s Haftarah begins with לֹהַי-תָּגֵל נַפְשִׁי בֵּא 'שׂוֹשׂ אָשִׂישׂ בַּה. After weeks of back-and-forth messages of consolation and despair, Knesset Yisrael are finally in a state of comfort and can now delight in the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
First and foremost, Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin writes that the seven Haftarot we read during this period correspond to the seven lower Sefirot: Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut (חג"ת נהי"ם). These lower Sefirot line up with each of the Haftarot, and this week’s Haftarah corresponds to Malchut (Kingship), and the idea of not only rejoicing in Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s presence but leading others to rejoice: 'שׂוֹשׂ אָשִׂישׂ בַּה. This rejoicing of oneself and of others must reflect Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s attribute of Rachamim (Mercy), because while one can personally find joy in Din by recognizing that even justice is part of Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s plan for their betterment, they cannot extend that feeling to others or force them to rejoice in their own justice. Therefore, it must be referring to Rachamim.
Our Haftarah, which Rav Tzadok refers to as הַפְטָרַת מַלְכוּת, spans three chapters within Sefer Yeshayahu. Two of those Pesukim are the source of our next focus:
מִי־זֶה בָּא מֵאֱדוֹם חֲמוּץ בְּגָדִים מִבָּצְרָה זֶה הָדוּר בִּלְבוּשׁ וֹ צֹעֶה בְּרֹב כֹּחוֹ אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר בִּצְדָקָה רַב לְהוֹשִׁיעַ׃ מַדּוּעַ אָדֹם לִלְבוּשֶׁךָ וּבְגָדֶיךָ כְּדֹרֵךְ בְּגַת׃
Who is this that comes from Edom, with crimsoned garments from Botzra? This one that is glorious in his apparel, striding in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is your clothing so red, Your garments like those of someone who treads grapes?
The commentators struggle to put these two verses together, and each takes a different approach than the next. Hakadosh Baruch Hu set out to take vengeance on Edom, as it says: וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־נִקְמָתִי בֶּאֱדוֹם. This vengeance, however, was not to be carried out through any intermediary, nor through pagers or walkie-talkies. It would be executed by Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself, just as it was with Sancheiriv, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu played the song of angels for him and millions of his troops in the middle of the night, and none ever woke up again. Know that Hakadosh Baruch Hu can do the exact same thing in Lebanon and in Gaza. One shir malachim in the North and one ballad in the South, and there will be nothing left in the morning but corpses – b’karov b’yameinu, Amen! May Nasrallah and Sinwar, yimach shemam, both hear the same angelic lullaby speedily in our day! When it came to Edom, however, no songs were played, and no angels were sent out on the mission – it was Hakadosh Baruch Hu who took care of matters directly.
Upon His return, Hakadosh Baruch Hu was seen in red, or crimson, garments that were not His usual attire. The usual garments of Hakadosh Baruch Hu are His glorious attributes: Chesed, Rachamim, and the like, and the blood red, symbolizing Din, was not recognized. Thus, the angels ask, "Who is this that comes from Edom?" What they really wanted to know is why garments of Din were now in play. The response of Hakadosh Baruch Hu is that He had just gone out to take vengeance against Edom, to repay them for everything they did to Bnei Yisrael over the generations. And He did so directly Himself because He owed Bnei Yisrael great favor and much tzedakah: בִּצְדָקָה רַב לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר.
When Eisav arrived home from the field that famous day, tired and hungry, the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 63) tells us he found his father, Yitzchak, sitting shiva for his own father, Avraham Avinu. His brother, Yaacov, was in the midst of preparing lentils for their father, and Eisav asked for some of that food: הַלְעִיטֵנִי נָא מִן־הָאָדֹם הָאָדֹם הַזֶּה כִּי עָיֵף אָנֹכִי – Please give me some of that red stuff, for I am exhausted. It was on account of this episode he is called אֱדוֹם, and the Midrash expands: הוּא אָדֹם וְתַבְשִׁילוֹ אָדֹם, אַרְצוֹ אֲדֻמָּה, גִבּוֹרָיו אֲדֻמִּים, לְבוּשָׁיו אֲדֻמִּים, פּוֹרֵעַ מִמֶּנּוּ אָדֹם, בִּלְבוּשׁ אָדֹם. He is red, his cooked food is red, his land is red, his warriors are red, his garments are red, One who is red exacts retribution against him, in red garments.
To explain what this is all about, and the significance of direct revenge taken against Edom, we’ll introduce several additional Midrashim and review them, as they will also impact our Rosh Hashanah Avodah.
Midrashic Accounts of Divine Vengeance
In Tanna debei Eliyahu Zuta (19), we are told about the angels searching for Hakadosh Baruch Hu:
The ministering angels wished to sing praise before Hakadosh Baruch Hu, but they couldn’t find Him. So, they went to the sea and asked His whereabouts. The sea replied, "Since the day Hakadosh Baruch Hu dried me up and allowed His children to pass through, I have not seen Him."
The angels proceeded to Har Sinai and again asked the whereabouts of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The mountain answered, "Since the day Hakadosh Baruch Hu revealed Himself upon me and gave the Torah to His people Israel – where He was the groom, Moshe was the best man, and the Torah was the bride – I have not seen Him."
The angels then went to the Beit Hamikdash and asked the same question, only to be told, "Since the day Hakadosh Baruch Hu removed His presence from me, destroyed His house, and burned His sanctuary, I have not seen Him."
The navi Yeshayahu met the angels and said to them, "Who are you seeking?" They replied, "We seek Hakadosh Baruch Hu," to which Yeshayahu said, "He is just now returning from inflicting punishment on Edom." At that moment, the ministering angels found Hakadosh Baruch Hu and saw that His garments were blood-red, like one who treads in the winepress. They asked why that was, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu responded to the angels, "I had a small winepress, and I have crushed it."
One of the commentaries on this Midrash, Ma'aneh Eliyahu, explains that Hakadosh Baruch Hu generally does not perform tasks on His own, but rather, He sends angels. There is an angel, Michael, assigned to matters pertaining to Bnei Yisrael, and another, Raphael, assigned to health-related matters, and so forth. There are, however, three places where Hakadosh Baruch Hu did not use an intermediary angel, and these are the three places where the angels went to seek Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Yetziat Mitzrayim was performed directly – אָנִי וְלֹא מַלְאָךְ – as was the splitting of Yam Suf and Matan Torah. Here too, Hakadosh Baruch Hu acted directly, taking revenge against the nation of Edom just like He will very soon take revenge against all the Ayatollahs of Iran. But why? Why did this mission warrant direct action? The answer provided by Hakadosh Baruch Hu as to why He acted directly and was now returning in blood-soaked clothing, is that He owed Bnei Yisrael a gift after all they had done for Him. But what exactly did they do for Him? To help address that question, we’ll refer to a Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 507) that comments on the following Pasuk found in Sefer Daniel:
וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יַעֲמֹד מִיכָאֵל הַשַּׂר הַגָדוֹל הָעֹמֵד עַל־בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ וְהָיְתָה עֵת צָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נִהְיְתָה מִהְיוֹת גוֹי עַד הָעֵת הַהִיא וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יִמָּלֵט עַמְּךָ כָּל־הַנִּמְצָא כָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר׃
At that time, the great prince, Michael, who stands beside the sons of your people, will appear. It will be a time of trouble, the like of which has never been since the nation came into being. At that time, your people will be rescued, all who are found inscribed in the book.
According to this Midrash, in the future, the heavenly prosecutors will come and accuse Knesset Yisrael, saying before Hakadosh Baruch Hu: "Master of the Universe, do You show favoritism? If the nations of the world worship idols, so too does Israel. If those commit immoral acts, so do these. If those are murderers, so are these. Why do the nations of the world descend into Gehennom, but Knesset does not?" At that moment, the angel Michael, defender of Israel, fell silent. He stood to defend Knesset Yisrael but became silent. Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to him, "Michael, you’ve become silent, and you aren’t defending My children. אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר בִּצְדָקָה רַב לְהוֹשִׁיעַ – I will defend them and speak for them in righteousness, and I will save them."
What righteousness is this referring to? Two opinions are offered in the Midrash. One says, it is the righteousness Knesset Yisrael offered by accepting the Torah when no other nation was willing, for if not, where would the Kingdom of Hakadosh Baruch Hu be now? Another opinion says it is entirely based upon our own interpersonal relationships; it is the tzedakah and kindness Knesset Yisrael demonstrate for one another every day, for if not, the world would be destroyed. As the Rambam says, this is how we prove we are all sons of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, brothers to one another. If a brother will not demonstrate kindness and mercy to another brother, who will? The nations of the world? Most certainly not! It is incumbent upon us to be kind and merciful to one another, and this is the righteousness which merited Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s action against Edom.
