Haftarah of VaYishlach

Ovadiah 1 1:21

This Haftarah, from the prophet Ovadiah, is not addressed to the Jewish People, but rather to the nation of Edom, a nation to the south-east of Israel, which was founded by Esav, Yaakov's brother. Despite the stormy history of our relationship with Esav, the Torah commands us: "Do not despise Edom, for he is your brother.” (Dev 23:8) Instead of staying away, pretending that they don’t exist, or treating them as our enemies, we are commanded to consider them brothers. And, as we will see from the Haftarah, G-d expects them to reciprocate.

The nation of Edom was an independent country, sometimes an ally of Israel, sometimes a vassal, and sometimes an enemy. Ultimately, they were conquered and exiled by Assyria, and assimilated among the nations. However, according to our tradition, their story did not end there. Edom settled in Rome, and used it to further Edom's own goals of dominance. When our sages speak of "the Kingdom of Edom," they refer to the Roman Empire and the civilization that it founded.

As we read the Haftarah of Ovadiah, we need to have two images in our minds: that of the nation Edom, our neighbor and our brother, as well as that of the mighty Roman Empire, succeeded by the Roman Catholic Church, our neighbors and oppressors for two millennia.

The Haftarah begins by describing Edom as having been secure and arrogant in its power and position. But from the perspective of G-d, this security is an illusion. The prophet foretells what they fail to see: the nations colluding to betray and destroy them. No matter how high Edom reaches in its conquest of new frontiers – even the stars – G-d remains the ultimate power.

1) The vision of Ovadiah.

This is what Hashem,G-d, says to Edom:

We heard a report from Hashem,

and a message was sent among the nations:

“Arise! Let us rise up in war against her!”

(א) חֲזוֹן עֹבַדְיָה

כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָ-י ה’ לֶאֱדוֹם

שְׁמוּעָה שָׁמַעְנוּ מֵאֵת ה’

וְצִיר בַּגּוֹיִם שֻׁלָּח

קוּמוּ וְנָקוּמָה עָלֶיהָ לַמִּלְחָמָה:

2) See how I’ve made you small among the nations;

you are greatly despised.

(ב) הִנֵּה קָטֹן נְתַתִּיךָ בַּגּוֹיִם

בָּזוּי אַתָּה מְאֹד:

3) Your heart’s arrogance has deluded you;

dwelling in your mountain caves, in your lofty abode.

Saying in your heart,

“Who could bring me down to the ground?”

(ג) זְדוֹן לִבְּךָ הִשִּׁיאֶךָ

שֹׁכְנִי בְחַגְוֵי סֶלַע מְרוֹם שִׁבְתּוֹ

אֹמֵר בְּלִבּוֹ

מִי יוֹרִדֵנִי אָרֶץ:

4) Even if you rise as high as an eagle,

even if you build your nest among the stars,

from there, I will bring you down, says Hashem.

(ד) אִם תַּגְבִּיהַּ כַּנֶּשֶׁר

וְאִם בֵּין כּוֹכָבִים שִׂים קִנֶּךָ

מִשָּׁם אוֹרִידְךָ נְאֻם ה’:

Edom is betrayed by its allies, and G-d causes its destruction by crippling the decision-making process of Edom’s political leaders and undermining the confidence of their military leaders.

5) Did thieves come upon you, or robbers in the night?

...how you have been silenced...

Would they not steal only enough to carry?

If grape-pickers had come to you,

Would they not have left some gleanings?

(ה) אִם גַּנָּבִים בָּאוּ לְךָ אִם שׁוֹדְדֵי לַיְלָה

אֵיךְ נִדְמֵיתָה

הֲלוֹא יִגְנְבוּ דַּיָּם

אִם בֹּצְרִים בָּאוּ לָךְ

הֲלוֹא יַשְׁאִירוּ עֹלֵלוֹת:

6) How Esav has been pillaged,

his treasures exposed!

(ו) אֵיךְ נֶחְפְּשׂוּ עֵשָׂו

נִבְעוּ מַצְפֻּנָיו:

7) Your allies all sent you to the frontier,

your partners deceived you and defeated you.

Your own coin they used to place an ambush before you,

without you sensing it.

(ז) עַד הַגְּבוּל שִׁלְּחוּךָ כֹּל אַנְשֵׁי בְרִיתֶךָ

הִשִּׁיאוּךָ יָכְלוּ לְךָ אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלֹמֶךָ

לַחְמְךָ יָשִׂימוּ מָזוֹר תַּחְתֶּיךָ

אֵין תְּבוּנָה בּוֹ:

8) On that day, says Hashem,

I will eliminate wise men from Edom,

and understanding, from Mount Esav.

(ח) הֲלוֹא בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם ה’

וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי חֲכָמִים מֵאֱדוֹם

וּתְבוּנָה מֵהַר עֵשָׂו:

9) Teiman, your mighty warriors will be shaken,

so that every last man of Mount Esav would be killed.

(ט) וְחַתּוּ גִבּוֹרֶיךָ תֵּימָן

לְמַעַן יִכָּרֶת אִישׁ מֵהַר עֵשָׂו מִקָּטֶל:

The prophet explains what Edom has done to deserve this humiliation. Esav’s sin, the one that sealed his fate, was not the arrogance and violence of Edom's attempts at world conquest, but his betrayal of his brother, Yaakov; the betrayal of standing by and letting evil do its work, the betrayal of gloating at your brother’s pain, the betrayal of taking away the last hope, the last possibility of refuge.

10) For the malice toward your brother Yaakov,

you will be covered in shame.

You will be wiped out forever.

(י) מֵחֲמַס אָחִיךָ יַעֲקֹב

תְּכַסְּךָ בוּשָׁה

וְנִכְרַתָּ לְעוֹלָם:

11) On the day that you stood by,

the day that foreigners captured his forces,

and strangers came into his gates,

and drew lots over Yerushalaim;

you were as one of them.

(יא) בְּיוֹם עֲמָדְךָ מִנֶּגֶד

בְּיוֹם שְׁבוֹת זָרִים חֵילוֹ

וְנָכְרִים בָּאוּ שְׁעָרָיו

וְעַל יְרוּשָׁלִַם יַדּוּ גוֹרָל

גַּם אַתָּה כְּאַחַד מֵהֶם:

12) Do not gawk at your brother on the day of his tragedy,

do not gloat over the Jewish People on the day of their disaster,

and do not crow on the day of their calamity!

(יב) וְאַל תֵּרֶא בְיוֹם אָחִיךָ בְּיוֹם נָכְרוֹ

וְאַל תִּשְׂמַח לִבְנֵי יְהוּדָה בְּיוֹם אָבְדָם

וְאַל תַּגְדֵּל פִּיךָ בְּיוֹם צָרָה:

13) Do not enter the gate of My people on the day of their pain,

do not gawk at his misfortune on the day of his pain,

and do not loot his property on the day of his pain!

(יג) אַל תָּבוֹא בְשַׁעַר עַמִּי בְּיוֹם אֵידָם

אַל תֵּרֶא גַם אַתָּה בְּרָעָתוֹ בְּיוֹם אֵידוֹ

וְאַל תִּשְׁלַחְנָה בְחֵילוֹ בְּיוֹם אֵידוֹ:

14) Do not stand at the crossroads,

to wipe out his refugees.

Do not turn in his survivors on the day of calamity!

(יד) וְאַל תַּעֲמֹד עַל הַפֶּרֶק

לְהַכְרִית אֶת פְּלִיטָיו

וְאַל תַּסְגֵּר שְׂרִידָיו בְּיוֹם צָרָה:

There will be a reckoning; G-d will repay them exactly, measure for measure, and not only Edom itself, but all the nations that have behaved as they did.

15) For the Day of Hashem for all nations is impending,

whatever you did, will be done to you.

Your repayment will come back upon your own head.

(טו) כִּי קָרוֹב יוֹם ה’ עַל כָּל הַגּוֹיִם

כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ יֵעָשֶׂה לָּךְ

גְּמֻלְךָ יָשׁוּב בְּרֹאשֶׁךָ:

16) For just as you drank toasts over My holy Mountain,

all the nations will drink constantly;

they will drink and stagger,

and they will be as if they had never been.

(טז) כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר שְׁתִיתֶם עַל הַר קָדְשִׁי

יִשְׁתּוּ כָל הַגּוֹיִם תָּמִיד

וְשָׁתוּ וְלָעוּ

וְהָיוּ כְּלוֹא הָיוּ:

As for the Jewish People, our best revenge, as always, is survival.

17) But in Tzion there will be refuge, and it will be holy.

The House of Yaakov will occupy their occupiers.

(יז) וּבְהַר צִיּוֹן תִּהְיֶה פְלֵיטָה וְהָיָה קֹדֶשׁ

וְיָרְשׁוּ בֵּית יַעֲקֹב אֵת מוֹרָשֵׁיהֶם:

Yosef, in particular, will be the one to overcome Esav; his success will be Esav's undoing. The Jewish People will come back to reclaim their land, including the territories of the Negev that had been disputed by Edom.

18) The House of Yaakov will be fire,

the House of Yosef, flame,

and the House of Esav, straw.

They will set them afire and consume them,

and there will be no survivor to the House of Esav,

for Hashem has spoken.

(יח) וְהָיָה בֵית יַעֲקֹב אֵשׁ

וּבֵית יוֹסֵף לֶהָבָה

וּבֵית עֵשָׂו לְקַשׁ

וְדָלְקוּ בָהֶם וַאֲכָלוּם

וְלֹא יִהְיֶה שָׂרִיד לְבֵית עֵשָׂו

כִּי ה’ דִּבֵּר:

19) They will possess the Negev of Mount Esav,

the lowlands, of the Philistines;

They will possess the fields of Ephraim

and the fields of Shomron,

and Binyamin, with the Gilead.

(יט) וְיָרְשׁוּ הַנֶּגֶב אֶת הַר עֵשָׂו

וְהַשְּׁפֵלָה אֶת פְּלִשְׁתִּים

וְיָרְשׁוּ אֶת שְׂדֵה אֶפְרַיִם

וְאֵת שְׂדֵה שֹׁמְרוֹן

וּבִנְיָמִן אֶת הַגִּלְעָד:

20) This exile that begins now, for B’nei Yisrael,

who are merchants up to Tzorfat,

and the exile of Yerushalaim, that is in S'farad,

will possess the cities of the Negev.

(כ) וְגָלֻת הַחֵל הַזֶּה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

אֲשֶׁר כְּנַעֲנִים עַד צָרְפַת

וְגָלֻת יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר בִּסְפָרַד

יִרְשׁוּ אֵת עָרֵי הַנֶּגֶב:

Ovadiah ends with a vision from the End of Days. This describes a later stage of redemption that takes place well after our return to the Land of Israel. The “saviors” – Moshiach and his ministers – will go to Edom, to judge and punish them for their role in Jewish history. Edom's insatiable need for power will have been quelled. Neither they, nor anyone else, will attempt to compete with G-d.

21) The saviors of Mount Tzion will go up,

to judge Mount Esav.

And then the kingdom will be Hashem’s!

(כא) וְעָלוּ מוֹשִׁעִים בְּהַר צִיּוֹן

לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת הַר עֵשָׂו

וְהָיְתָה לַה' הַמְּלוּכָה:

In memory of my father, Peter Rozenberg, z"l

לעילוי נשמת אבי מורי פנחס בן נתן נטע ז''ל