Haftarah of VaYigash

Yechezkel 37:15-28

Yechezkel lived in Babylonia, during the time of the destruction of the First Temple. He addresses his fellow exiles with words of comfort and hope for future redemption.

In previous generations, the Jewish People had been split into two political entities: the southern Kingdom of Yehudah, under the leadership of David's descendants, and the northern Kingdom of Israel, ruled by descendants of Ephraim, son of Yosef. While this split had been mandated by G-d Himself, He had not intended it to be permanent. Unfortunately, reconciliation had proved at first impossible, then undesirable. The northern Kingdom of Israel was exiled by Assyria over one hundred years before the exile of Yehudah (720 BCE vs 586 BCE).

In this Haftarah, G-d tells Yechezkel to symbolically take two branches, write on one "Yehudah", and on the other "Yosef", and put them together. The purpose of this sign is "so that the children will ask" - having gotten their attention with this visual aid, Yechezkel can talk to them about the ultimate reconciliation between the two disparate cultures.

15) The word of Hashem came to me, saying:

(טו) וַיְהִי דְבַר ה’ אֵלַי לֵאמֹר:

16) You, son of man, take one branch,

and write on it “For Yehudah,

and for the children of Israel, his partners”

and take one branch,

and write on it “For Yosef, the branch of Ephraim,

and for all the children of Israel, his partners.”

(טז) וְאַתָּה בֶן אָדָם קַח לְךָ עֵץ אֶחָד

וּכְתֹב עָלָיו לִיהוּדָה

וְלִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲבֵרָיו

וּלְקַח עֵץ אֶחָד

וּכְתוֹב עָלָיו לְיוֹסֵף עֵץ אֶפְרַיִם

וְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲבֵרָיו:

17) Bring them together into one branch,

and they will become one in your hand.

(יז) וְקָרַב אֹתָם אֶחָד אֶל אֶחָד לְךָ לְעֵץ אֶחָד

וְהָיוּ לַאֲחָדִים בְּיָדֶךָ:

18) When they ask you,

the children of your people, saying:

“Won't you tell us what these are?”

(יח) וְכַאֲשֶׁר יֹאמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ

בְּנֵי עַמְּךָ לֵאמֹר

הֲלוֹא תַגִּיד לָנוּ מָה אֵלֶּה לָּךְ:

19) Tell them, So says G-d, Hashem:

I am taking the branch of Yosef, in Ephraim’s hand,

and the tribes of Israel, his partners,

and I am placing the branch of Yehuda upon it,

and I am making them into one branch,

and they will be one in My hand.

(יט) דַּבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹ-נָי ה’

הִנֵּה אֲנִי לֹקֵחַ אֶת עֵץ יוֹסֵף אֲשֶׁר בְּיַד אֶפְרַיִם

וְשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲבֵרָיו

וְנָתַתִּי אוֹתָם עָלָיו אֶת עֵץ יְהוּדָה

וַעֲשִׂיתִם לְעֵץ אֶחָד

וְהָיוּ אֶחָד בְּיָדִי:

20) And those branches,

upon which you have written,

will be in your hand before their eyes.

(כ) וְהָיוּ הָעֵצִים

אֲשֶׁר תִּכְתֹּב עֲלֵיהֶם

בְּיָדְךָ לְעֵינֵיהֶם:

Yechezkel now describes the stages of Redemption. The first step is the ingathering of the exiles to the Land of Israel under a single central government. Next, they will set aside foreign ideologies that they had accumulated in various diasporas, and establish a renewed connection with G-d.

21) Say to them, So says G-d, Hashem:

I am taking the children of Israel

from among the nations that they have gone to,

and I am gathering them from all around,

and bringing them to their land.

(כא) וְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹ-נָי ה’

הִנֵּה אֲנִי לֹקֵחַ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

מִבֵּין הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הָלְכוּ שָׁם

וְקִבַּצְתִּי אֹתָם מִסָּבִיב

וְהֵבֵאתִי אוֹתָם אֶל אַדְמָתָם:

22) I will make them

into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.

One king will be king for them all.

They will no longer be two nations,

and will no longer be split into two kingdoms.

(כב) וְעָשִׂיתִי אֹתָם

לְגוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ בְּהָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

וּמֶלֶךְ אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לְכֻלָּם לְמֶלֶךְ

וְלֹא יִהְיוּ עוֹד לִשְׁנֵי גוֹיִם

וְלֹא יֵחָצוּ עוֹד לִשְׁתֵּי מַמְלָכוֹת עוֹד:

23) They will no longer be defiled

by their idols and filth,

and by all their crimes.

I will rescue them

from all their places where they had sinned.

I will purify them, and they will be My people,

and I will be their G-d.

(כג) וְלֹא יִטַמְּאוּ עוֹד

בְּגִלּוּלֵיהֶם וּבְשִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם

וּבְכֹל פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם

וְהוֹשַׁעְתִּי אֹתָם

מִכֹּל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר חָטְאוּ בָהֶם

וְטִהַרְתִּי אוֹתָם וְהָיוּ לִי לְעָם

וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹ-הִים:

Then, there will be a leader who is worthy of the name of David, whom everyone will follow, and who will encourage keeping the Torah in justice and righteousness. Only then will the Jewish People attain a permanent and complete residency of the entire Land of Israel, as well as a consistently trustworthy government. The next stage is one of peace, prosperity, and the rebuilding of a Sanctuary with G-d's Presence among us. Finally, the nations of the world will recognize the unique holiness of our connection with G-d.

24) My servant David will be their king,

one shepherd for them all.

They will follow My laws,

and keep My statutes and practice them.

(כד) וְעַבְדִּי דָוִד מֶלֶךְ עֲלֵיהֶם

וְרוֹעֶה אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לְכֻלָּם

וּבְמִשְׁפָּטַי יֵלֵכוּ

וְחֻקֹּתַי יִשְׁמְרוּ וְעָשׂוּ אוֹתָם:

25) They will live in the land

that I gave to My servant Yaakov,

that your forefathers lived in.

They will live there;

they, their children and grandchildren, forever.

David, my servant, will be their leader, forever.

(כה) וְיָשְׁבוּ עַל הָאָרֶץ

אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לְעַבְדִּי לְיַעֲקֹב

אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בָהּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם

וְיָשְׁבוּ עָלֶיהָ

הֵמָּה וּבְנֵיהֶם וּבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם עַד עוֹלָם

וְדָוִד עַבְדִּי נָשִׂיא לָהֶם לְעוֹלָם:

26) I will make with them a covenant of peace;

it will be an eternal covenant with them,

and I will establish them, and multiply them,

and I will establish My sanctuary among them, forever.

(כו) וְכָרַתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית שָׁלוֹם

בְּרִית עוֹלָם יִהְיֶה אוֹתָם

וּנְתַתִּים וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אוֹתָם

וְנָתַתִּי אֶת מִקְדָּשִׁי בְּתוֹכָם לְעוֹלָם:

27) My Presence will be upon them,

and I will be their G-d,

and they will be My people.

(כז) וְהָיָה מִשְׁכָּנִי עֲלֵיהֶם

וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹ-הִים

וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ לִי לְעָם:

28) And the nations will know,

that I am Hashem who sanctifies Israel,

when My sanctuary is among them, forever.

(כח) וְיָדְעוּ הַגּוֹיִם

כִּי אֲנִי ה’ מְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל

בִּהְיוֹת מִקְדָּשִׁי בְּתוֹכָם לְעוֹלָם: ס

Haftarot Unrolled: http://www.torahforum.org/haftara

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

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