CHOCHMAS NASHIM: KI TAVO: L0 YISHAMAH OD CHAMAS
By: Suri Davis
לֹא־יִשָּׁמַ֨ע ע֤וֹד חָמָס֙ בְּאַרְצֵ֔ךְ שֹׁ֥ד וָשֶׁ֖בֶר בִּגְבוּלָ֑יִךְ וְקָרָ֤את יְשׁוּעָה֙ חוֹמֹתַ֔יִךְ וּשְׁעָרַ֖יִךְ תְּהִלָּֽה׃
The cry “Violence!”
Shall no more be heard in your land,
Nor “Wrack and ruin!”
Within your borders.
And you shall name your walls “Victory”
And your gates “Renown.”
לֹא־יִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֨ךְ ע֤וֹד הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ לְא֣וֹר יוֹמָ֔ם וּלְנֹ֕גַהּ הַיָּרֵ֖חַ לֹא־יָאִ֣יר לָ֑ךְ וְהָֽיָה־לָ֤ךְ יְהֹוָה֙ לְא֣וֹר עוֹלָ֔ם וֵאלֹהַ֖יִךְ לְתִפְאַרְתֵּֽךְ׃
No longer shall you need the sun
For light by day,
Nor the shining of the moon
For radiance [by night];
For GOD shall be your light everlasting,
Your God shall be your glory.
לֹא־יָב֥וֹא עוֹד֙ שִׁמְשֵׁ֔ךְ וִירֵחֵ֖ךְ לֹ֣א יֵֽאָסֵ֑ף כִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֗ה יִֽהְיֶה־לָּךְ֙ לְא֣וֹר עוֹלָ֔ם וְשָׁלְמ֖וּ יְמֵ֥י אֶבְלֵֽךְ׃
Your sun shall set no more,
Your moon no more withdraw;
For GOD shall be a light to you forever,
And your days of mourning shall be ended.
וְעַמֵּךְ֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם צַדִּיקִ֔ים לְעוֹלָ֖ם יִ֣ירְשׁוּ אָ֑רֶץ נֵ֧צֶר (מטעו) [מַטָּעַ֛י] מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָדַ֖י לְהִתְפָּאֵֽר׃
And your people, all of them righteous,
Shall possess the land for all time;
They are the shoot that I planted,
My handiwork in which I glory.
הַקָּטֹן֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָאֶ֔לֶף וְהַצָּעִ֖יר לְג֣וֹי עָצ֑וּם אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּעִתָּ֥הּ אֲחִישֶֽׁנָּה׃ {ס}
The smallest shall become a clan;
The least, a mighty nation.
I GOD will speed it in due time.
There is the famous midrash in Sanhedrin 98a:12
- Rabbi Alexandri says: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi raises a contradiction in a verse addressing God’s commitment to redeem the Jewish people. In the verse: “I the Lord in its time I will hasten it” (Isaiah 60:22), it is written: “In its time,” indicating that there is a designated time for the redemption, and it is written: “I will hasten it,” indicating that there is no set time for the redemption. Rabbi Alexandri explains: If they merit redemption through repentance and good deeds I will hasten the coming of the Messiah. If they do not merit redemption, the coming of the Messiah will be in its designated time.
The Jews in Egypt were supposed to have been enslaved for 400 years, why was their redemption after 210 years? Because Pharaoh doubled their pain when he increased their workload, so their cup of pain overflowed and G-d redeemed them after 210 years.
We have had Chamas/Hamas in our country this year. The pain is greater than we have experienced in Israel since the second temple was destroyed two millennia ago. If not because of our merit, but because of our pain, we ask G-d to hasten our redemption. We understand that this exile has been the longest period of time we have been in exile since we conquered the land during the time of Joshua, clearly we saw this year that we do not have the merit to hasten our redemption, we then ask G-d to see the pain of Hamas this year, where the words in this week Torah’s portion, Ki Tavo, are words of pain and rebuke, we ask that instead G-d focus on the last words of the Haftorah, that He hasten our redemption for our cup of pain is full from this year, these last few generations and from millennia of torture under foreign rule.
It is clear from this year that Israel has no dear friends, just those who pretend to be friends for their own political and economic benefit. As we turn to G-d to coronate Him as king on Rosh Hashanah, let us not focus on our “friends” Harris, Trump or congress, but on the King who matters most, who provides for us and sustains us every second of every day, Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Have a good Shabbos.
-Suri