Haftarah of Yitro

Yeshayahu 6:1-13, 7:1-6, 9:5-6

This Haftarah is comprised of three distinct prophecies from the early chapters of Yeshayahu. The first took place at the end of Uziahu's reign, a time of great prosperity. The second, although appearing in the following chapter in the book of Yeshayahu, in fact took place many years later, during the reign of Achaz, who was adamant about assimilating into the local pagan culture, to the extent of sacrificing his own son to the fire gods. The third prophecy is excerpted from a later chapter, and speaks of the great hope placed on Achaz's son, Chizkiyahu..

The Haftarah begins with Yeshayahu recounting a prophetic vision of the Heavenly Court, complete with a throne and six-winged angels praising G-d.

6:1) In the year of King Uziahu’s death,

I saw the L-rd sitting upon the Throne, exalted and sublime,

its train filling the Palace.

(א) בִּשְׁנַת מוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ עֻזִּיָּהוּ

וָאֶרְאֶה אֶת אֲ-דֹנָי יֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא רָם וְנִשָּׂא

וְשׁוּלָיו מְלֵאִים אֶת הַהֵיכָל:

2) Seraphim were standing above Him,

with six wings each:

two to cover his face,

two to cover his legs, and two to fly.

(ב) שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ

שֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם שֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם לְאֶחָד

בִּשְׁתַּיִם יְכַסֶּה פָנָיו

וּבִשְׁתַּיִם יְכַסֶּה רַגְלָיו וּבִשְׁתַּיִם יְעוֹפֵף:

3) Each called out to the other and said,

“Holy, holy, holy, is Hashem Tzva-ot!

The whole world is filled with His Glory!”

(ג) וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל זֶה וְאָמַר

קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ ה’ צְבָא-וֹת

מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ:

The vision progresses from awesome to frightening, as the house begins to shake with thunder and fill with smoke. Yeshayahu expresses his fear that he cannot survive the experience. He suggests that neither he nor the society that he lives is sufficiently pure of speech. One of the angelic beings cleanses him with a fiery coal from the altar.

4) The pillars shook

from the sound of the call,

and the house was filled with smoke.

(ד) וַיָּנֻעוּ אַמּוֹת הַסִּפִּים

מִקּוֹל הַקּוֹרֵא

וְהַבַּיִת יִמָּלֵא עָשָׁן:

5) And I said, “Oy - I am stunned!

For I am a man of impure lips,

I live among a people of impure lips!

For my eyes have seen the King, Hashem Tzva-ot!”

(ה) וָאֹמַר אוֹי לִי כִי נִדְמֵיתִי

כִּי אִישׁ טְמֵא שְׂפָתַיִם אָנֹכִי

וּבְתוֹךְ עַם טְמֵא שְׂפָתַיִם אָנֹכִי יוֹשֵׁב

כִּי אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ ה’ צְבָא-וֹת רָאוּ עֵינָי:

6) One of the Seraphim flew over to me,

holding a live coal in his hand,

with tongs,

taken from the altar.

(ו) וַיָּעָף אֵלַי אֶחָד מִן הַשְּׂרָפִים

וּבְיָדוֹ רִצְפָּה

בְּמֶלְקַחַיִם

לָקַח מֵעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ:

7) He touched it to my mouth.

He said, “Here, this touched your lips,

your transgression has been removed,

your sin has been atoned.”

(ז) וַיַּגַּע עַל פִּי

וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה נָגַע זֶה עַל שְׂפָתֶיךָ

וְסָר עֲוֹנֶךָ

וְחַטָּאתְךָ תְּכֻפָּר:

Hashem asks for a volunteer to be His messenger and Yeshayahu volunteers enthusiastically. However, the message that he is given is a harsh one: to warn the people that if they do not take to heart what they are hearing and seeing, they will not be able to change their ways.

8) I heard the voice of the L-rd saying,

“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am! Send me!”

(ח) וָאֶשְׁמַע אֶת קוֹל אֲ-דֹנָי אֹמֵר

אֶת מִי אֶשְׁלַח וּמִי יֵלֶךְ לָנוּ

וָאֹמַר הִנְנִי שְׁלָחֵנִי:

9) He said, “Go and tell this nation,

‘You listen carefully, but without understanding,

you look closely, but without knowing.’

(ט) וַיֹּאמֶר לֵךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ לָעָם הַזֶּה

שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ וְאַל תָּבִינוּ

וּרְאוּ רָאוֹ וְאַל תֵּדָעוּ:

10) The heart of this nation has been made thick,

its ears heavy, and its eyes dim,

so that it cannot see with its eyes or hear with its ears,

or understand with its heart,

to return and heal itself.”

(י) הַשְׁמֵן לֵב הָעָם הַזֶּה

וְאָזְנָיו הַכְבֵּד וְעֵינָיו הָשַׁע

פֶּן יִרְאֶה בְעֵינָיו וּבְאָזְנָיו יִשְׁמָע

וּלְבָבוֹ יָבִין

וָשָׁב וְרָפָא לוֹ:

The news gets worse: they will not depart from this destructive path until it actually leads to desolation. Yet, like a tree which sheds its leaves and looks bleak, yet comes back to life, so too, the Jewish people have an indestructible core of holiness.

11) I said, “For how long, L-rd?!”

He said, “Until cities lie without inhabitants,

houses without people,

and the land lies desolate.

(יא) וָאֹמַר עַד מָתַי אֲ-דֹנָי

וַיֹּאמֶר עַד אֲשֶׁר אִם שָׁאוּ עָרִים מֵאֵין יוֹשֵׁב

וּבָתִּים מֵאֵין אָדָם

וְהָאֲדָמָה תִּשָּׁאֶה שְׁמָמָה:

12) Until Hashem has driven away the people,

and much has been abandoned in the land.

(יב) וְרִחַק ה’ אֶת הָאָדָם

וְרַבָּה הָעֲזוּבָה בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ:

13) If there is one-tenth left in it,

it will be consumed again,

like an oak whose leaves have fallen, the trunk remains

the holy seed is its trunk."

(יג) וְעוֹד בָּהּ עֲשִׂרִיָּה

וְשָׁבָה וְהָיְתָה לְבָעֵר

כָּאֵלָה וְכָאַלּוֹן אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׁלֶּכֶת מַצֶּבֶת בָּם

זֶרַע קֹדֶשׁ מַצַּבְתָּהּ: פ

The next part of the Haftarah takes place two generations later: Achaz is king, and Yehudah has suffered tremendous defeat at the hands of their neighbor to the north, the kingdom of Israel. Achaz hears of an alliance between Israel and their long-time foe Aram, who plan to attack Yehudah together, dethrone him and replace him with a puppet of their choosing. He is understandably shaken.

7:1) In the days of Achaz ben Yotam ben Uziah,

King of Yehuda,

King Retzin of Aram went up

with King Pekah ben Remalyahu of Israel to Yerushalaim,

to fight a war against it,

but could not conquer it.

(א) וַיְהִי בִּימֵי אָחָז בֶּן יוֹתָם בֶּן עֻזִּיָּהוּ

מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה

עָלָה רְצִין מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם

וּפֶקַח בֶּן רְמַלְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל יְרוּשָׁלִַם

לַמִּלְחָמָה עָלֶיהָ

וְלֹא יָכֹל לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ:

2) The House of David was told thus:

“Aram has allied with Ephraim”.

His heart and the heart of his people was shaken,

like the trees in the forest shake with the wind.

(ב) וַיֻּגַּד לְבֵית דָּוִד לֵאמֹר

נָחָה אֲרָם עַל אֶפְרָיִם

וַיָּנַע לְבָבוֹ וּלְבַב עַמּוֹ

כְּנוֹעַ עֲצֵי יַעַר מִפְּנֵי רוּחַ:

Yeshayahu is told to go with his son, the symbolically named Shear Yashuv ("the survivors will return"), to meet Achaz as he was inspecting the fortifications of Jerusalem. Their message to him is that his enemies are of no consequence, and will not succeed in their plan. [Indeed, they will be conquered by Assyria in just a few years.]

3) Hashem said to Yeshayahu, “Please go to meet Achaz,

you and your son, She'ar Yashuv,

to the end of the aqueduct at the upper pool,

on the path of the washing field.

(ג) וַיֹּאמֶר ה’ אֶל יְשַׁעְיָהוּ צֵא נָא לִקְרַאת אָחָז

אַתָּה וּשְׁאָר יָשׁוּב בְּנֶךָ

אֶל קְצֵה תְּעָלַת הַבְּרֵכָה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה

אֶל מְסִלַּת שְׂדֵה כוֹבֵס:

4) Say to him, 'Keep calm and quiet and do not fear,

your heart should not be faint,

from those two smoking torch butts,

from the anger of Retzin and Aram and ben-Remalyahu.

(ד) וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו הִשָּׁמֵר וְהַשְׁקֵט אַל תִּירָא

וּלְבָבְךָ אַל יֵרַךְ

מִשְּׁנֵי זַנְבוֹת הָאוּדִים הָעֲשֵׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה

בָּחֳרִי אַף רְצִין וַאֲרָם וּבֶן רְמַלְיָהוּ:

5) Being that Aram has plotted evil against you,

with Ephraim and ben-Remalyahu, saying,

(ה) יַעַן כִּי יָעַץ עָלֶיךָ אֲרָם רָעָה

אֶפְרַיִם וּבֶן רְמַלְיָהוּ לֵאמֹר:

6) 'Let’s go up against Yehudah and harass it,

and split it up for ourselves,

and set up as king in its midst,

ben-Taval.' "

(ו) נַעֲלֶה בִיהוּדָה וּנְקִיצֶנָּה

וְנַבְקִעֶנָּה אֵלֵינוּ

וְנַמְלִיךְ מֶלֶךְ בְּתוֹכָהּ

אֵת בֶּן טָבְאַל: ס

In order to end on a positive note, the Haftarah skips several chapters ahead. Yeshayahu promises that the next scion of the royal family will be a worthy descendant of David and pursue justice and righteousness. This will be King Chizkiyahu, one of the greatest of all the kings of Yehudah. G-d Himself gives him the name "Prince of Peace."

9:5) For a child is born to us, a son is given us,

sovereignty will be on his shoulders,

his name will be called

by the Advisor of Wonders, Mighty G-d,

Everlasting Father: "Prince-of-Peace".

(ה) כִּי יֶלֶד יֻלַּד לָנוּ בֵּן נִתַּן לָנוּ

וַתְּהִי הַמִּשְׂרָה עַל שִׁכְמוֹ

וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ

פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ אֵ-ל גִּבּוֹר

אֲבִיעַד שַׂר שָׁלוֹם:

6) Toward greatness of sovereignty, and for a peace without end,

upon the throne of David and his kingdom,

to establish it and support it,

in justice and righteousness,

from now and forever –

the zeal of Hashem Tzva-ot will do this.

(ו) לְמַרְבֵּה הַמִּשְׂרָה וּלְשָׁלוֹם אֵין קֵץ

עַל כִּסֵּא דָוִד וְעַל מַמְלַכְתּוֹ

לְהָכִין אֹתָהּ וּלְסַעֲדָהּ

בְּמִשְׁפָּט וּבִצְדָקָה

מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם

קִנְאַת ה’ צְבָא-וֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה זֹּאת: ס

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

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