Haftarah of Shabbat Parah

Yechezkel 36 16-38

Yechezkel served as a prophet during the time of the destruction of the first Temple, for the Jewish community in exile in Babylonia. While his prophecies before the destruction were all warnings of impending doom, once the worst had come to pass, his message switched to words of hope and comfort. In this prophecy, he speaks of the return of the Jewish People to their land and to their G-d.

The Haftarah begins by reviewing the reason for the exile: the actions of the Jewish People were so incompatible with G-d's expectations that He had to separate them from the land.

16) Hashem's word came to me, saying:

(טז) וַיְהִי דְבַר ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר:

17) Son of Man -

The House of Israel, when they lived in their land,

they defiled it,

through their ways and their plots.

Like the impurity of separation

was their way before Me.

(יז) בֶּן אָדָם

בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל יֹשְׁבִים עַל אַדְמָתָם

וַיְטַמְּאוּ אוֹתָהּ

בְּדַרְכָּם וּבַעֲלִילוֹתָם

כְּטֻמְאַת הַנִּדָּה

הָיְתָה דַרְכָּם לְפָנָי:

18) Thus I poured My wrath upon them,

for the blood that they had spilled on the land,

and for the idols with which they defiled it.

(יח) וָאֶשְׁפֹּךְ חֲמָתִי עֲלֵיהֶם

עַל הַדָּם אֲשֶׁר שָׁפְכוּ עַל הָאָרֶץ

וּבְגִלּוּלֵיהֶם טִמְּאוּהָ:

19) I scattered them among the nations,

and dispersed them among the lands,

according to their ways and their plots I judged them.

(יט) וָאָפִיץ אֹתָם בַּגּוֹיִם

וַיִּזָּרוּ בָּאֲרָצוֹת

כְּדַרְכָּם וְכַעֲלִילוֹתָם שְׁפַטְתִּים:

However, the exile of the Jewish People has a negative impact on G-d's reputation, a "desecration of G-d's Name." When people see that G-d's nation, whose function is to represent Him to the world, has failed so miserably, it does not reflect well on His plan for history. This is not a situation that G-d can tolerate indefinitely.

20) They came to the nations to which they had come,

and they desecrated the Name of My holiness,

when it was said about them, "This is the people of Hashem,

and they have left His land."

(כ) וַיָּבוֹא אֶל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר בָּאוּ שָׁם

וַיְחַלְּלוּ אֶת שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי

בֶּאֱמֹר לָהֶם עַם ה' אֵלֶּה

וּמֵאַרְצוֹ יָצָאוּ:

21) And I spared the Name of My holiness,

that the House of Israel desecrated

among the nations to which they had come.

(כא) וָאֶחְמֹל עַל שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי

אֲשֶׁר חִלְּלוּהוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

בַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר בָּאוּ שָׁמָּה: ס

In order to reverse the impression of failure that ruins G-d's reputation among the nations, He will gather the Jewish People and return us back to our land.

22) Therefore, speak to the House of Israel,

thus says Hashem, G-d:

It is not for your sake that I do this, House of Israel,

but for the sake of the Name of My holiness that you desecrated

among the nations to which you had come.

(כב) לָכֵן אֱמֹר לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל

כֹּה אָמַר אֲ-דֹנָי ה'

לֹא לְמַעַנְכֶם אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

כִּי אִם לְשֵׁם קָדְשִׁי אֲשֶׁר חִלַּלְתֶּם

בַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר בָּאתֶם שָׁם:

23) I will sanctify My great, desecrated, name

among the nations among whom you desecrated,

and the nations will know that I am Hashem,

says the Hashem, G-d,

when I will be sanctified in you before their eyes.

(כג) וְקִדַּשְׁתִּי אֶת שְׁמִי הַגָּדוֹל הַמְחֻלָּל

בַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר חִלַּלְתֶּם בְּתוֹכָם

וְיָדְעוּ הַגּוֹיִם כִּי אֲנִי ה'

נְאֻם אֲ-דֹנָי ה'

בְּהִקָּדְשִׁי בָכֶם לְעֵינֵיהֶם:

24) I will take you from the nations,

and I will gather you from all the lands,

and I will bring you to your land.

(כד) וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מִן הַגּוֹיִם

וְקִבַּצְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מִכָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת

וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם אֶל אַדְמַתְכֶם:

Being that we did not deserve this redemption, G-d will need to take steps to ensure that we do in fact fulfill our national purpose: ultimately, we will be His nation, and He will be our G-d. In order to reach that stage, He Himself will purify us; He Himself will create a situation where we follow the Torah. By living in the land and following His laws, we will have repaired the relationship between us that we had destroyed with our behavior.

25) I will sprinkle you with pure water and you will be purified

from all your impurities and from all your idols

I will purify you.

(כה) וְזָרַקְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם מַיִם טְהוֹרִים וּטְהַרְתֶּם

מִכֹּל טֻמְאוֹתֵיכֶם וּמִכָּל גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם

אֲטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם:

26) I will give you a new heart,

and a new spirit I will place in you;

I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh,

and I will give you a heart of flesh.

(כו) וְנָתַתִּי לָכֶם לֵב חָדָשׁ

וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם

וַהֲסִרֹתִי אֶת לֵב הָאֶבֶן מִבְּשַׂרְכֶם

וְנָתַתִּי לָכֶם לֵב בָּשָׂר:

27) My spirit I will place among you,

and I will make it so that you follow My laws,

and keep My statutes and do them.

(כז) וְאֶת רוּחִי אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם

וְעָשִׂיתִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר בְּחֻקַּי תֵּלֵכוּ

וּמִשְׁפָּטַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם:

28) You will live in the land

that I have given to your fathers;

you will become My nation,

and I

will become your G-d.

(כח) וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּאָרֶץ

אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם

וִהְיִיתֶם לִי לְעָם

וְאָנֹכִי

אֶהְיֶה לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים:

The land itself is a barometer of the quality of our relationship with G-d; its prosperity is a measure of our success as His nation. Thus, He will not allow a situation where the nations look at us askance because our land is not fruitful and our economy is failing. However, the fact that G-d is doing this for His own purpose and not because we deserve it should not mean that we can just sit back and act however we please. We need to remember our history, remember the mistakes that we made, and not repeat them.

29) I will save you

from all your impurities;

I will call for grain and multiply it,

and I will not allow famine to fall upon you.

(כט) וְהוֹשַׁעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם

מִכֹּל טֻמְאוֹתֵיכֶם

וְקָרָאתִי אֶל הַדָּגָן וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֹתוֹ

וְלֹא אֶתֵּן עֲלֵיכֶם רָעָב:

30) I will increase the fruit of the tree

and the produce of the fields,

so that you will never be shamed by famine among the nations.

(ל) וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֶת פְּרִי הָעֵץ

וּתְנוּבַת הַשָּׂדֶה

לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹא תִקְחוּ עוֹד חֶרְפַּת רָעָב בַּגּוֹיִם:

31) You will remember your evil ways,

and your plots that were not good,

and you will loathe yourselves

for your sins

and your disgusting deeds.

(לא) וּזְכַרְתֶּם אֶת דַּרְכֵיכֶם הָרָעִים

וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא טוֹבִים

וּנְקֹטֹתֶם בִּפְנֵיכֶם

עַל עֲוֹנֹתֵיכֶם

וְעַל תּוֹעֲבוֹתֵיכֶם:

32) It is not for your sake that I do this, says Hashem, G-d,

Be it known to you,

be ashamed and embarrassed of your ways, House of Israel.

(לב) לֹא לְמַעַנְכֶם אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה נְאֻם אֲ-דֹנָי ה'

יִוָּדַע לָכֶם

בּוֹשׁוּ וְהִכָּלְמוּ מִדַּרְכֵיכֶם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל: ס

Just as exile was evidence of G-d's anger and the failure of His plan, so our redemption, and the success of the Land of Israel, will be perceived by the nations as evidence of His renewed relationship with the Jewish People.

33) So says Hashem, G-d,

on the day that I purify you

from all your sins,

I will cause the cities to be settled,

the ruins rebuilt.

(לג) כֹּה אָמַר אֲ-דֹנָי ה'

בְּיוֹם טַהֲרִי אֶתְכֶם

מִכֹּל עֲוֹנוֹתֵיכֶם

וְהוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת הֶעָרִים

וְנִבְנוּ הֶחֳרָבוֹת:

34) The abandoned land will be tilled,

instead of being desolate

to the eyes of all passerby.

(לד) וְהָאָרֶץ הַנְּשַׁמָּה תֵּעָבֵד

תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה שְׁמָמָה

לְעֵינֵי כָּל עוֹבֵר:

35) They will say, this desolate land

has become like a Garden of Eden,

the destroyed, desolated, ruined cities,

are fortified and inhabited.

(לה) וְאָמְרוּ הָאָרֶץ הַלֵּזוּ הַנְּשַׁמָּה

הָיְתָה כְּגַן עֵדֶן

וְהֶעָרִים הֶחֳרֵבוֹת וְהַנְשַׁמּוֹת וְהַנֶּהֱרָסוֹת

בְּצוּרוֹת יָשָׁבוּ:

36) And the nations that are left around you will know

that I, Hashem, have rebuilt the ruins,

and planted what had been abandoned,

I, Hashem, have spoken and have acted.

(לו) וְיָדְעוּ הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁאֲרוּ סְבִיבוֹתֵיכֶם

כִּי אֲנִי ה' בָּנִיתִי הַנֶּהֱרָסוֹת

נָטַעְתִּי הַנְּשַׁמָּה

אֲנִי ה' דִּבַּרְתִּי וְעָשִׂיתִי: ס

Further gifts from G-d will follow: prosperity, population increase, the rebuilding of cities that had been destroyed. All of these will be perceived as evidence of G-d's involvement in history and His connection with His people.

37) So says Hashem, G-d,

This, moreover, I will be asked to do for the House of Israel:

I will multiply them like flocks of people.

(לז) כֹּה אָמַר אֲ-דֹנָי ה'

עוֹד זֹאת אִדָּרֵשׁ לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהֶם

אַרְבֶּה אֹתָם כַּצֹּאן אָדָם:

38) Like sacramental flocks,

like flocks in Yerushalaim during her holidays,

thus will be the destroyed cities

filled with flocks of people;

and they will know that I am Hashem.

(לח) כְּצֹאן קָדָשִׁים

כְּצֹאן יְרוּשָׁלִַם בְּמוֹעֲדֶיהָ

כֵּן תִּהְיֶינָה הֶעָרִים הֶחֳרֵבוֹת

מְלֵאוֹת צֹאן אָדָם

וְיָדְעוּ כִּי אֲנִי ה': ס

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

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