Haftarah הַפְטָרָה
Our haftarah this week mentions clothing quite a few times.
1.
שׂוֹשׂ אָשִׂישׂ בַּה' תָּגֵל נַפְשִׁי בֵּאלֹקַי
כִּי הִלְבִּישַׁנִי בִּגְדֵי יֶשַׁע מְעִיל צְדָקָה יְעָטָנִי
כֶּחָתָן יְכַהֵן פְּאֵר וְכַכַּלָּה תַּעְדֶּה כֵלֶיהָ׃
I will greatly rejoice in God, my whole being will be happy with my God—
Because God has dressed me in clothing of salvation; God has wrapped me in a robe of charity,
Like a groom adorned with a turban, like a bride decked out in her finery.
Yeshayahu is describing how it feels to experience God’s kindness. He says it’s like being dressed up in the nicest things for your own wedding.
- Why is experiencing God’s kindness like being dressed in special clothing? How does it feel when someone dresses you or wraps you in special blankets, robes, clothing, or jewels?
2.
וְהָיִית עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת בְּיַד ה'
וּצְנִיף מְלוּכָה בְּכַף אֱלֹקָיִךְ׃
You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of God,
And a royal tiara in the palm of your God.
In this pasuk, the Jewish people are described as God’s crown.
- What does it mean to be God’s crown? What does a crown symbolize for a king? What does this teach us about how God thinks about the Jewish people?
This is the final of the שֶׁבַע דְּנֶחָמְתָּא (sheva de-nehemta), the series of seven haftarot that comfort us after Tisha B’Av. Through these images of clothing—both the Jewish people’s and God’s—our haftarah promises a wonderful future: God will save us, cherish us, and bring Yerushalayim back to life.
- How can you connect to God through your clothing? What special clothing do you have that can help you connect to God?
-------------------
-------------------
