Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin, in his sefer Pri Tzaddik (Va’etchanan 10), raises a question about why we specifically call this Shabbat, Shabbat Nachamu. We don't use similar special names for the weeks that follow, such as Shabbat Vatomer Tzion, or Shabbat Aniyah So'arah. The only Shabbat among the group of Sheva D'nechemta – the seven Haftarot of consolation which are read after Tisha B'Av – that receives a distinct name is this first one. Rabbi Tzadok offers an illuminating explanation: Shabbat Nachamu encompasses all the consolations found in the other Haftarot and Shabbatot, making it unique and deserving of its special name. There are even numerous commentators who say Shabbat Nachamu has the status of a Yom Tov, and we should add special piyyutim and mizmorim, special foods, and other celebratory elements to it.
Chazal ask why Yeshayahu merited being the deliverer of this consolation and all those read over the next seven weeks. Pesikta d’Rav Kahana (16:4) details the selection process: Yeshayahu said, "I was walking in the study hall, and I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?'" The Midrash then presents the potential messengers and recounts how each was received, and why they ultimately did not deliver these messages. At first Amos was sent, but he stuttered and Bnei Yisrael contemptuously questioned how he could be the one chosen to deliver Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s message. (Our first prophet, Moshe Rabbeinu, also had a speech impediment, but I believe there is a distinction. He was only kevad peh u’kevad lashon when speaking his own words. However, when he conveyed the words of prophecy, he spoke clearly.) Micha was then sent, but the people hit him, as is written: "They strike the ruler of Israel on the cheek with a staff" (Micha 4:14). Hakadosh Baruch Hu then asked, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Yeshayahu stood up and said, “Hineni, shelacheni – Here I am, send me” (Yeshaya 6:8). Hakadosh Baruch Hu warned Yeshayahu that His children were sarvanim and tarchanim – obstinate and stubborn, verifying that His prophet was ready for their abuse and contempt. Yeshayahu responded affirmatively: "I offered my back to the floggers, my cheeks to those who tore out my hair" (Yeshayahu 50:6). Hakadosh Baruch Hu then said: "You love righteousness and judging My children favorably, and you detest wickedness and convicting them, therefore your G-d anointed you with the oil of joy above your peers."
He could have bailed out, blaming the people and how they responded to the prophets before him, but instead he accepted the mission and was thus blessed. While every other prophet initially received their ruach from another prophet, Yeshayahu would receive his, like Moshe Rabbeinu, directly from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Additionally, unlike the simple nevuah delivered by other prophets, his would be kefulot – double: Uri Uri, Hit'oreri Hit'oreri, Sos asis, Anochi Anochi, and Nachamu Nachamu.
Midrashic Dialogues of Consolation
The Yalkut Shimoni (Nach 443:2) says Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent ten of the Trei Asar (twelve) prophets to comfort Knesset Yisrael. Sent on this mission were: Hoshea, Yoel, Amos, Micha, Nachum, Chabakuk, Tzefania, Chagai, Zecharia, and Malachi. (Only Ovadia and Yonah were not sent, as they did not prophecy to Bnei Yisrael but rather spoke to the nations of the world.) The ten Nevi’im approached Knesset Yisrael to console her, but she said to them, “Why then do you comfort me in vain, seeing in your answers there remains falsehood?” (Iyov 21:34). Up to that point the prophets all chastised Knesset Yisrael and filled her ears with rebuke, and now they were suddenly offering consolation?! One by one the prophets tried to comfort her but were rejected.
Hoshea walked to comfort her. He said: Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent me to comfort you. She said to him: what do you have? He said: “I will be to Israel like dew” (14:6). She said: “Yesterday you told me ‘Ephraim is stricken, their stock is withered; They can produce no fruit’ (9:16) and now you say this to me? Which should I believe, the first or the second?” This pattern repeated with each of the ten Nevi’im, who one by one declared that they were sent by Hakadosh Baruch Hu and presented words of consolation. Every time, though, Knesset Yisrael brought a previous message – i.e., a Pasuk from that Navi’s earlier prophecy – that was conflicting in nature, and as a result, she declined their message and refused to be comforted by any of the Nevi’im. The Midrash details this lengthy dialogue until reaching the next stage of consolation.
Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent Avraham Avinu, the father of the nation, to comfort them. He, too, was challenged by Knesset Yisrael because he had referred to the Beit Hamikdash as Har – Asher yei’amer hayom b’har Hashem yeira’eh. He did not give it a permanent name, such as Bayit, that would be everlasting. Knesset Yisrael rejected his consolation as a result.
Next in line was Yitzchak Avinu, but like those before him, he faced a challenge from Knesset Yisrael. Eisav descended from him, and it was Eisav’s nation of Edom who destroyed the Beit Hamikdash. Knesset Yisrael rejected his consolation.
Yaakov Avinu came forth, but he, too, was denied. Although he had referred to the Beit Hamikdash as Bayit, he proclaimed ein zeh ki im beit Elokim. He was rejected for having used the word ein, a negative term and one the Midrash says reflects destruction within his prophetic dream of the Batei Mikdash being built and then destroyed.
Moshe Rabbeinu’s turn was next. He approached Knesset Yisrael and said, “Please accept consolation from me.” Knesset Yisrael replied, “How can we find comfort in your words when the Torah contains 98 curses, written by you, and directed towards us?”
Ten prophets, three Avot, and Moshe Rabbeinu all came to comfort Knesset Yisrael but were rejected. They returned to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and said, “We all tried but she will not accept our consolation, as it says aniyah so’arah lo nuchama – Unhappy, storm-tossed one, uncomforted!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu responded, “I need to go and comfort them directly.”
He said: ‘Comfort Her, O comfort her, my people.’ It is not fitting that anyone but me should walk, because I have transgressed what it written in the Torah: “you must not work your firstling ox” (Devarim 15:19) and Israel I called “My first-born son.” I wrote in my Torah: “He who started the fire must make restitution (Shemot 22:5), and I ignited her on fire, as it says: “From above He sent a fire” (Eichah 1:13), and I will build a fire in the future, as it says: “And I Myself – declares the Lord – will be a wall of fire all around it” (Zechariah 2:9).
Hakadosh Baruch Hu had to see to this consolation personally, and He took with Him all the Nevi’im, and the Avot, and Moshe Rabbeinu – a whole contingency. Nachamu nachamu ami should be read immanu nachamu nachamu – with me.
The Satmar Rebbe’s Insight
The Satmar Rebbe presents an incredible idea in his commentary on this week’s Parsha in Divrei Yoel – an idea that serves as light for our eyes. What does it mean Knesset Yisrael didn’t accept the words of the Nevi’im? Do we not recite a bracha before reading the Haftarah that explicitly states: asher bachar binvi’im tovim v’ratzah b’divreihem ha-ne’emarim be’emet – Who chose good prophets and favored their spoken words with truth? Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose the prophets, and their words are true, yet we can still point out contradictions and reject them?! The Nevi’im showed up and said, “Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent us to offer consolation,” and we responded, “There’s no way! You said something else earlier! We’re not interested!” How is this even remotely possible?
Divrei Yoel asks another question. If Hakadosh Baruch Hu went to console Knesset Yisrael, why does He need escorts? Why is an entourage of fourteen people needed when He is acting bi’chvodo uve’atzmo? These are fantastic questions he asks, and his answer is a genuine yesod in our Avodat Hashem. The Midrash says (Yalkut Shimoni, Zecharia 577):
You are fortunate, Yisrael, who can compare to you—a people saved by Hashem (Devarim 33:29)... Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, "In this world, you were saved by the hands of people – in Egypt, by Moshe and Aharon; during the time of Sisera, by Devorah and Barak; and during the Midianite period, by the Judges. And as flesh and blood, you would return and be enslaved. But in the future, I Myself will be your redeemer, and you will never again be enslaved. As it is said, 'Israel is saved by the Lord, an eternal salvation.'"
No more Nevi’im. Hakadosh Baruch Hu will Himself redeem us in the future. Let’s now dive in and learn this Midrash together. In Parshat Bechukotai, we’re presented a list of wonderful brachot we’ll receive, im bechukotai teileichu – if we follow the ways of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Chazal point out that our three redeemers can be found in that opening word of ‘im’: "Moshe", "Aharon", and "Eliyahu". Three sets of redeemers: Aharon and Moshe redeemed us from the galut of Mitzrayim; Esther and Mordechai redeemed us from the galut of Madai; and finally, Eliyahu will usher in Mashiach to redeem us from the galut of Edom. The first two redemptions, which occurred already, were accomplished through the hands of bnei adam. The future geula, however, will be directly from the hands of Hakadosh Baruch Hu: am nosha ba’Hashem.
I’d like to add another couple of examples to this beautiful idea from Divrei Yoel. When Moshe was first directed to present himself to Bnei Yisrael in Egypt, his initial response was skeptical and pessimistic: "But Moshe spoke up and said, 'What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say: The Lord did not appear to you?' Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' And he replied, 'A rod.' He said, 'Cast it on the ground.' He cast it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moshe fled from it."
This proof was coupled with two more miraculous acts Moshe was to perform, namely, having his hand instantly turn white like snow (tzara’at) and then return to its previous state, and pouring out water that turned to blood. Divrei Yoel asks, did Bnei Yisrael accept these signs and believe Moshe? They did not. Why not? For the same reason Pharoah didn’t make much of them – everyone in Egypt could replicate those phenomena! He brought in the kitchen staff to turn their ladles into cobras and the schoolchildren to transform their pencils into pythons! If you thought Moshe’s acts would energize Bnei Yisrael and they’d celebrate the arrival of their redeemer, you were wrong. They were not moved. It says in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (48:17), they ran to Serach bat Asher and reported what they had just seen. Namely, a man arrived claiming he is the redeemer, and he performed some tricks with his staff and his hand claiming they were signs Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent him. Serach responded, “There is no significance to those signs. Did he provide a code word?” Bnei Yisrael responded, “He said ‘pakod yifkod Elokim etchem’,” to which Serach immediately replied, “He is the redeemer,” and Bnei Yisrael believed Moshe and trusted in his mission, as it says: "The people believed when they heard that Hashem had remembered them." The signs and miracles did not matter; it was the code word that was required. But if Moshe Rabbeinu knew the code word, Divrei Yoel asks, why did he begin with the snake bit? Why were those special routines required? They were useless acts the people dismissed, so why not get right to business, and tell the people what they need to hear?
The Chida (Rosh David, Bo) asks why pakod was the code. What was so unique about that common term? He says the word pakod stands for peh kod – the mouth is the code. Moshe Rabbeinu was peh v’kavad lashon, and someone with a speech impediment affecting their mouth (peh) and tongue (lashon) would have difficulty pronouncing the letters peh and daled. If Moshe Rabbeinu successfully pronounced the word, it would be a sign he is the redeemer, as the source of his speech would be Hakadosh Baruch Hu. This idea only adds to the earlier question – namely, why were the miracles performed with the staff and his hand even necessary?
Divrei Yoel provides a somewhat surprising answer: Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted to test Bnei Yisrael. He wanted to see if they would believe in the physical signs shown to them or in the words pakod yifkod. An impressive looking man, standing five or ten amot tall, shows up out of nowhere with a story that he was sent by G-d, and performs some tricks before asking Bnei Yisrael for their buy-in. Would that be enough to convince them, or would they look beyond the physical sights and seek the code, as assured by their ancestors. That is what Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted to see.
During Yetziat Mitzrayim, the people saw and believed in every miracle performed in front of their eyes. Yet, at this juncture of receiving the redeemer, none of that mattered, thus they turned to Serach bat Asher to verify the code. So it will be in the future, too. Yisrael nosha ba’Hashem teshua olamim – Knesset Yisrael knew that Shem Hashem alone will be the redeemer. In the past, human beings served in that role and brought messages reflecting the geula. But not anymore. The next redemption would be led and performed by Hakadosh Baruch Hu bi’chvodo uve’atzmo, without Nevi’im as intermediaries and without the Avot or Moshe Rabbeinu fronting the effort. This is what Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted to see. If Hoshea, or Micha, or Zecharia, or any of the other messengers came with words of comfort and cited a related pasuk, would the people – i.e., Knesset Yisrael – start planning for the future redemption or would they wait to hear from, and believe directly in, Hakadosh Baruch Hu? He told them Yisrael nosha ba’Hashem teshua olamim – that their final and eternal redemption would come from Him directly. Would they maintain belief in that promise and overlook other messages sent their way, or would they jump at those other options?
Would Hakadosh Baruch Hu do that to Nevi’im, using them in a test of Bnei Yisrael? Absolutely, yes. And I’ll provide another example not cited by Divrei Yoel. There is a well-known Gemara (Bava Metzia 59b; Brachot 19a) that tells the story of the tanur shel Achnai – the oven of Achnai. (It gets its name because the Rabbis surrounded Rabbi Eliezer with halachot and proofs, just as a snake encircles its prey.) The Rabbis declared the oven and its contents ritually impure, but Rabbi Eliezer ruled it pure and called forth various miracles – a carob tree uprooted and moved, a stream flowed in reverse direction, and the walls of the Beit Midrash started collapsing – all to prove his position. He even summoned a divine voice, a bat kol, declaring him correct. However, the Rabbis remained steadfast, with Rabbi Yehoshua boldly asserting, "Lo bashamayim hi – It is not in heaven!" Once the Torah was given to Bnei Yisrael on Har Sinai, halachic decisions would be made according to the majority, down on earth. Thus, Rabbi Yehoshua essentially told Hakadosh Baruch Hu, “Sorry, we don’t listen to the Heavens. We decide for ourselves, so please don’t interfere.” And Hakadosh Baruch Hu laughed and said: "Nitzchuni banai, nitzchuni banai" – My children have triumphed over Me; My children have triumphed over Me.
Rav Nissim Gaon asks, why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu give Rabbi Eliezer the power to move a tree, reverse a stream, collapse a building, and summon a bat kol declaring his position as correct, if at the end of the day He knew full well these acts were futile because halacha is determined by the majority? He answers, it was a test to see whether the chachamim would surrender to the miraculous acts they witnessed and concede to Rabbi Eliezer or stick to their guns and rule according to the majority. Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, “I wrote in the Torah acharei rabim lehatot – It must be decided by the majority (Shemot 23:2). Let’s see whether they hold onto that even when it is rabbim (majority) versus charuvim (carob trees); or whether they fold, and yield in fear of what the minority opinion might do to them next.”
Likewise, when Moshe arrived and stood before Bnei Yisrael, Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted to observe their true expectations. Were they waiting for what they were initially instructed, or were they swayed by the impressive displays just performed? This scenario played out again after the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. Would they hold onto their conviction that Hakadosh Baruch Hu would be their ultimate redeemer, or would they veer from that belief and latch onto the first prophet who presented a similar message?
Seeing the Words of Redemption
And now for the prize worth ten million dollars, in cash. During Mussaf on Shabbat, whether in the Kedusha of Keter or the slightly modified version of Kedusha recited in Nusach Ashkenaz, we find the following statement:
He will deliver us and redeem us again and He will let us hear in His mercy a second time [l’einei kol chai] in the presence of all the living saying: Behold, I have redeemed you from this final exile as from the first, to be your G-d.
Here is a very simply question that you may not have noticed despite reciting these words passionately each week for years or decades. Everyone can add three more dishes to each Shabbat Nachamu seuda just for this one peirush! The Admor of Satmar asks, how do we hear? Is it with our eyes or with our ears? V’yashmi’einu b’rachamav sheinit l’einei kol chai – it would appear that our eyes are doing the listening here! Why does it not say l’oznei kol chai? You may say either way is fine, as it has been for years, just as long as you get to kiddush, but there is a golden treat for us here! When Hakadosh Baruch Hu comes to redeem us, speedily in our day, do you know what will happen? He will say to us, “Nachamu nachamu ami,” and we will all see the words with our eyes! When Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to us, “Anochi anochi hu menachemchem,” we will all see the words with our eyes just like at Ma’amad Har Sinai, where we saw the words “Anochi Hashem Elokecha” spoken by Hakadosh Baruch Hu: V’chol ha’am ro’im et hakolot – All the people saw the sounds (Shemot 20:15). That is the meaning of the words in Kedusha. The future geula will come from Hakadosh Baruch Hu directly and we will see His message with our eyes.
The Midrash says (Shemot Rabbah 29): When Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave the Torah, no bird chirped, no bird flew, no ox mooed, no angels spoke, the seraphim did not declare 'Holy, holy.' The sea did not roar, and all creations remained silent and still. Then a voice emerged, saying: 'I am the Lord your G-d.' ... For if they were to speak, they would claim, 'Our Ba’al, our lord,' as happened on a different occasion [in the times of Eliyahu]. However, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu spoke on Mount Sinai, the entire world fell silent, so that all creatures would know that there is nothing apart from Him. He declared, 'I am the Lord your G-d,' and in the future, as it is written (Yeshayahu 51:12), 'I am He who comforts you.'
What is the connection between these two events – Matan Torah and the ultimate redemption? Why does the Midrash draw a line between the two? The answer is, just as the words Anochi Hashem Elokecha were seen on Har Sinai, Anochi anochi hu menachemchem will be seen in the future redemption.
