Ilustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Haftarah הַפְטָרָה
We continue this week with #3 of the seven-part series of comforting haftarot for the weeks after Tisha B’Av. This one features the נָבִיא (navi, prophet) Yeshayahu promising a wonderful future for the Jewish people:
וְכׇל בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי ה'
וְרַב שְׁלוֹם בָּנָיִךְ׃
בִּצְדָקָה תִּכּוֹנָנִי
רַחֲקִי מֵעֹשֶׁק כִּי לֹא תִירָאִי
וּמִמְּחִתָּה כִּי לֹא תִקְרַב אֵלָיִךְ׃
All your children will learn about God,
And your children will have great peace.
You will be established through tzedakah.
You will be far from oppression and
you won’t be afraid.
Ruin will not come near you.
Sounds amazing, right?!
A midrash about the first pasuk appears in a bunch of places in the Talmud. Here it is in Masekhet Berakhot:
אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מַרְבִּים שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְכׇל בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי ה׳ וְרַב שְׁלוֹם בָּנָיִךְ״.
אַל תִּקְרֵי ״בָּנָיִךְ״ אֶלָּא ״בּוֹנָיִךְ״.
R. Elazar said that R. Ḥanina said: Torah scholars create more peace in the world, as it is said: “All your children (banayikh) will learn about God, and your children (banayikh) will have great peace” (Yeshayahu 54:13).
Instead of “banayikh” (“your children”), read it “bonayikh” (“your builders”).
An אַל תִּקְרֵי (al tikrei) is a midrash that plays on words by changing their vowels. In this case, Hazal suggest that you can change the vowels on the word בָּנָיִךְ (banayikh, your children) to get the word בּוֹנָיִךְ (bonayikh, your builders).
If you read the pasuk with the word “banayikh,” it has a beautiful message about your children learning about God and enjoying great peace.
And if you read the pasuk with the word “bonayikh,” it has a beautiful message about the people who build us up—Torah scholars—creating great peace in the world.
- What are some ways that Torah scholars create peace? What are they building?
- What do children have in common with Torah scholars? What does learning about God have to do with peace?
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