“Thus said God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what it brings forth” [42:5]. The prophet said that there were many people in his time who said that the world was created by itself and the Holy One did not create it. Therefore, the prophet let everyone know that God created the world Himself. He stretched out the heavens and spread them over the whole world like one stretches out a tent. Then, the Holy One brought forth all the fruits, trees and vegetation from the earth. Then, He gave a soul to the people who were on the earth and a spirit to those who walk on the earth.1Radak, Isaiah, 42:5. All the commentaries from the beginning until 43:10 are from the commentary of Radak on the appropriate verses.
“I am God the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, etc.” [42:6]. The Holy One said to Israel: I, God, have created everything and I can certainly redeem you from the exile. I will call you with justice to leave the exile when the time for the redemption will come. You should not fear the nations. I will strengthen you and protect you from the nations. All the nations will stand for your sake. You will be like a light to the nations. This is the Torah that will go forth from the city of Zion.
“To open the eyes” [42:7]. The Holy One said: I will call you to open your eyes that were blind, because of great troubles in the exile and to extract you from the captivity, from the dark dwelling of exile.
“I am the Lord, that is my name” [42:8]. I am God and my name is that I am Lord over the whole world. I do not want to give My glory to a stranger. Until now I have not done justice with the evildoers. Therefore, they have not recognized Me and followed their false gods. However, when I will extract Israel from the exile and will do justice to the evildoers, the whole world will recognize that I alone am God, and they will not give praise to the images.
“The former things have come” [42:9]. The prophet said: the prophecies that I said about Sennacherib have come to pass. I want to tell you new prophecies, before they will sprout and show themselves, in days to come.
“Sing to the Lord, a new song, His praise” [42:10]. Israel will sing a new song in the days of the Messiah. On the earth and on the sea, the people in ships will give praise to God.
“Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice” [42:11]. They will lift up their voices with song, the desert and the cities and also the huts where the Tatars dwell. The high animals on the rocks and on the high mountains will also sing and praise God with shouts. They will give honor to God and they will tell His praises among all the nations.
“The Lord goes forth like a soldier, like a warrior” [42:13]. God will go out to help Israel like a warrior in the war. He is roused to revenge against the nations that have persecuted Israel in the exile. He will yell and cry out at the enemies of Israel and will vanquish them.
“For a long time, I have kept my peace” [42:14]. The Holy One said: I have been silent and have restrained myself for a long time and witnessed the troubles that Israel has suffered in the exile. However, now I will cry out at the enemies, like a woman who is in labor. So will I cry out at the enemies and devastate them and swallow them up.
“I will lay waste to mountains and hills” [42:15]. He compares the nations to high mountains, to grass and to great rivers. Therefore, he said here: I will lay waste to the nations, who are compared to mountains and to grass, and will dry up all the rivers, that is to say, the strong nations.
“I will lead the blind by a road” [42:16]. However, I will lead Israel, who are like the blind, in the exile. I will lead them on the right path to the land of Israel and where it is dark, I will make it light for them.
“They will be turned back and put to shame” [42:17]. The enemies will jump backwards. They will be ashamed that they assured themselves with their false gods and said to their false gods, you are my god.
“Listen, you that are deaf; and you that are blind, look up and see” [42:18]. The Holy One said to Israel: You make yourselves deaf and won’t listen, and make yourselves blind and don’t want to see. You say concerning my prophets who punish you, that they are deaf and blind.
“Who is blind, but My servants, etc.” [42:19]. You Israel say about My prophets, who are My servants, where is there one is as blind or deaf as the prophets? Or, where is there such a blind person who is completely pious? This is the meaning of the verse “who is blind like my dedicated one?” [42:19].
“He who sees many things, but does not observe them” [42:20]. You Israel have seen many troubles and will not think about why the troubles come to you. You have open ears and do not want to listen to the prophet. You make yourself deaf and blind.
“The Lord desires His [servants] vindication” [42:21]. When the Messiah will come, he will give great wisdom to the people so that they will know how to study the Torah. God does this because of His righteousness and not because of your merit.
“But this is a people robbed and plundered, etc.” [42:22]. The Holy One said that Israel are a people who are robbed and plundered by the nations. If you will hide yourselves in caves in the earth, the nations will soon find you. If you will be in houses hidden in prisons, you will be robbed and nobody will protect you. Nobody will say, why are you robbing him or why don’t you return what you have robbed from Israel?
“Who among you will give heed to this, etc.” [42:23]. There is nobody among you who will listen to this, and should hear what will happen in the future?
“Who gave up Jacob to the spoilers, etc.” [42:24]. Who among you will recognize what is the sin for which Israel was robbed? Truly, when he will understand, he might think that it is because of our sins that we did not listen to His commandments and His Torah.
“So he poured out on him, the heat of his anger” [42:25]. Therefore, the Holy One poured out His anger on Israel and strong war. He let the flames flare around him, and yet he did not understand why this was. The fire burns him and he does not take to heart that this is because of his sins.
“But now thus says the Lord, who created you, O, Jacob” [43:1]. The Holy One says: Thus said your God, your creator, Jacob. Do not fear Jacob, since I have redeemed you in the days of Sennacherib and I will redeem you in the days of the Messiah. I will call you to Me with your name. You will recognize that I am God.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” [43:2]. The Holy One said: Sennacherib, who is compared to a great river that wants to flood. I was with you. Sennacherib, who was like a fire, and I rescued you. So too, in the days of the Messiah, you will go among evil nations who are compared to water and fire and they will not be able to do anything to you.
“For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel” [43:3]. The Holy One said: I am God, your Holy One, your helper. Sennacherib came against the city of Jerusalem. Sennacherib first had a war with the king of Kush and Sheba and the king of Egypt. He came from these wars to the city of Jerusalem, with the plunder that he had acquired from them. He thought that he would easily conquer Jerusalem. Israel was few in number and weak. The Holy One showed him that though he had conquered these strong kings, but he could not do anything against Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Also in the days of the Messiah, many kings will gather together and will war with each other and then they will come against Israel and the Holy One will help Israel. Therefore, He said that Kush, Sheba and Egypt became your scapegoat.
“Because you are precious in my eyes, etc.” [43:4]. The Holy One said: Because you are very just and honored, therefore I love you and give the nations to your city that they should be your scapegoat.
“Do not fear for I am with you, etc.” [43:5]. Just as I saved you in the days of Sennacherib, so too, I will save you in the days of the Messiah. Do not fear, for I am with you and I will gather you in with all your children. I will even lead your small children slowly to the land of Israel.
“I will say to the north, give them, etc.” [43:6]. The Holy One commanded all four sides of the world, to east and to west, north, south that they should help carry Israel to the land of Israel.
“Everyone who is called by My name, etc.” [43:7]. Israel recognized that the Holy One created the world and always recognizes this. Therefore, they give honor to the Holy One, because they recognize that God created the world and they also know that God also provides food to all His creatures.
“Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes” [43:8]. The Holy One said: I want to take out a people that is blind and deaf because of troubles. They have eyes and do not see. They have ears and do not hear, because of their great troubles in the exile.
“Let all the nations gather together” [43:9]. All the nations and their kings will gather together. Where is there one of them that can say what will be in the days of the Messiah? Who can inform them of what happened in the days of Sennacherib, like I informed them before it happened to Sennacherib?
“Let them bring their witnesses to justify them” [43:9]. Let the nations show their witnesses that they prophesied about what would happen. Then we will say that they are righteous. In the meantime, they cannot prophesy. So let them listen to My prophets and let them recognize the truth.
“You are my witnesses, says the Lord” [43:10]. The Holy One said to Israel: you are my witnesses and the prophet is my servant. You did see that the prophecy about Sennacherib happened and that I paid him for what he did to Israel. I informed them of everything before the defeat that happened to Sennacherib. Now you can understand from the first prophesies what happened in the days of Sennacherib. Thus, the final prophecies will also come to pass in the days of the Messiah.2All of the commentaries from the beginning of this haftorah until here are from the commentary of Radak on the appropriate verses.
The Midrash writes: “who gives a soul to the people on it” [42:5]. Rabbi Abahu said: even a maidservant in the land of Israel certainly has a share in the world to come.3Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah, Remez 451. Therefore, the verse says here, “a soul to the people on it.” That is to say, all the people in the land of Israel have a proper soul in them.
The Midrash says about this haftorah in the Yalkut, “all the nations will gather, etc.” [42:9].4Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah, Remez 452. Rabbi Haninah the son of Pappa and some say, Rabbi Simlai said: When the Messiah will come, the Holy One will take a Torah scroll in his lap and will say: whoever has observed the Torah, let them come and receive their reward. All the nations came together in a mixed multitude. The Holy One said: let one nation come forward and the others after them. Edom came first.5Edom in this context refers to Rome. The Holy One said: What has your nation done with the Torah scroll? They responded: Lord of the Universe, we have built many streets and markets, and we have made many bathhouses in which to bathe. We have accumulated much silver, all for the sake of Israel so that they should study Torah. The Holy One answered: you did everything for your own benefit. You made nice markets with beautiful houses and put whores and prostitutes in them. The nice baths were made for your own pleasures, and the gold and silver are mine. However, which of you can talk about the Torah? They soon left in disgrace.
The Persians came next with their king. The Holy One said: what have you done with the Torah? They responded: we built many bridges over the waters, so that Israel should cross them and not neglect their Torah study, and have built many cities so that Israel would study Torah. The Holy One answered: you make bridges so that you would collect tolls and you also built cities so that you could collect taxes. However, you did not observe the Torah. All the nations will want to give similar excuses, but they could not endure. They answered that You did not give us the Torah, but if You had given us the Torah we would have observed it. Here one asks a question. The Holy One did come to all the nations of the world when the Torah was given and wanted to give them the Torah and no nation wanted to take it. Why did the nations say that You should have given us the Torah? The answer is that the nations say: Why did You give the Torah to Israel and forced them [to accept it]? You took a large mountain and held it over Israel and said to Israel: if you will accept the Torah, it is good. If you will not accept the Torah, then I will throw this large mountain on top of you. Thus, the nations will say: why did You not force us to accept the Torah, as you did to Israel? The Holy One will say: I will absolve you from the Torah. Come here. Why did you not observe the seven commandments that the children of Noah were commanded? The nations will say: Israel also did not observe the Torah. The Holy One says: I will testify that Israel observed the Torah. The nations answered: it is correct that a father should testify on behalf of his children. Israel are called God’s children, as Scripture says, “my firstborn son, Israel” [Exodus 4:22].
The Holy One said: let heaven and earth testify. The nations answered: heaven and earth are not qualified witnesses, since as soon as Israel does not observe the Torah, heaven and earth must perish. Therefore, heaven and earth must say that Israel is observing the Torah properly. The Holy One said to the nations: let several gentiles from among you come and testify about Israel, if they observed the Torah. Let Nimrod come and testify about Abraham, who did not want to worship false gods and allowed himself to be thrown into the fire. Let Laban come and testify about Jacob, that he did not steal the sheep that he was guarding. Let the wife of Potiphera6He means Potiphar [Genesis, 39:1]. Potiphera was Joseph’s father-in-law [Genesis, 41:45]. come and testify that Joseph did not want to commit adultery and did not want to sleep with her. Let Nebuchadnezzar come and testify about Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, that they did not want to serve false gods and allowed themselves to be thrown into the fire, because they did not want to worship false gods. Concerning this, Scripture says, “let them bring their witnesses” [43:9].
The nations said: Lord of the Universe, give us the Torah and we will observe it. The Holy One said: you fools, whoever cooks on the eve of the Sabbath, eats on the Sabbath. However, you did not want to observe the Torah before the Messiah came and now you will also not observe it. Nonetheless, I have a small commandment; that is the sukkah. I will give it to you; take it and observe it. Each one immediately made a sukkah on his roof. The Holy One then let the sun come out and made it very hot. All of them ran out of the sukkah and spoke ill about the sukkah. Here one asks a question. Why did the Holy One make false accusations against the nations and then brought a great heat so that they simply had to leave the sukkah? The answer is that sometimes there are great heat spells in the land of Israel during the month of Tishrei, as if it was Tammuz, and the Jews suffer the heat and remain in the sukkah. One asks another question. A Jew who suffers in the sukkah is not obligated to sit in the sukkah. If someone was extremely hot in the sukkah, then he is absolved from sitting in the sukkah. The answer is that a Jew, when it is very hot for him in the sukkah, he leaves it and does not speak ill of the sukkah. However, the nations of the world spoke ill of the sukkah. That is why the Holy One laughed and mocked them.
Rabbi Isaac said that the Holy One did not laugh, but only on that day did God laugh and mock the nations. The Talmud asks a question. Did not Rabbi Judah said that there are twelve hours in the day? The first three hours, the Holy One sits and studies Torah. The next three hours, the Holy One judges the whole world. As soon as the Holy One sees that the majority of the world has committed sins, the Holy One stands up from His throne that is the seat of judgment and seats Himself on the throne that is the seat of mercy. The third three hours, the Holy One feeds the whole world. The fourth three hours, the Holy One plays with Leviathan. We learn from this Midrash that the Holy One plays with Leviathan every day. Why does the Midrash above say that the Holy One will not play until the coming of the Messiah and the nations will say that we will not observe [the commandment of] the sukkah. This is the only time the Holy One will laugh. The explanation is that the Holy One does not laugh at these people, except for one time when the Messiah comes. However, the Holy One does play and laugh with His creatures, like with Leviathan.
Rabbi Aha said to Rabbi Nachman: Since the Temple was destroyed, there is no joy or laughter for the Holy One, as the verse in the haftorah says, “I have kept silent for too long” [42:14]. I have been silent for a long time, since the Temple was destroyed. What does the Holy One do in the fourth three hours of the day? The explanation is that the Holy One studies with small children the fourth three hours since the Temple was destroyed because he does not play with Leviathan. Here one asks a question. Who studied with the children before the Temple was destroyed? The explanation is that an angel by the name of Metatron studied with the children before the Temple was destroyed. However, the Holy One himself did two things. He studied Torah with the children and also played with Leviathan. “Let them bring their witnesses” [43:9]. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi says that all the commandments that Israel fulfills in this world come and testify in the next world.7The whole passage from the mention of the Yalkut (n. 4) until here is all from Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah, Remez 452.
The Mekhilta writes: “You are My witnesses, says the Lord” [43:10]. Each person who properly observes the Sabbath is like someone who testifies about the Holy One that He rested on the seventh day after the creation of the whole world.8Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Ba-Hodesh, Yitro 8.
The Sifrei writes: when he testifies about Me, then I am God, but when he does not testify about me, then it is as if I am not God.9Sifrei Deuteronomy, 346.
The Rabbati writes: “and you have not worshipped Me O Jacob” [43:22]. The one who does not pray. The Holy One said: you, Jacob, do not call on Me.10Lamentations Rabbah, Petihta 10; Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah, Remez 457. You stand all day in the market and have conversations and it is not a hardship, but to go to the synagogue to pray is a hardship. Someone calls his friend to the prayers. He says to him: I can’t go because I’m not strong enough, but to have conversations in the market, he is strong enough.