This week’s haftarah (Isaiah 51:12-52:12), the fourth of the Seven Haftarot of Consolation read after Tisha B’Av, speaks with piercing clarity to the challenges confronting Israel and the Jewish people today. In verses that reverberate across the millennia, the prophet reminds us of a fundamental truth that too often slips from memory: Our destiny rests not in the hands of men but in the hands of God alone.
“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should fear mortal man, who must die, and the son of man, who is as grass?” (Isaiah 51:12). These words cut sharply through the fog of fear and hesitation. Isaiah dismisses the might of kings and rulers as fleeting, likening them to grass that inevitably withers away.
How tragic it is, then, that we so often allow ourselves to tremble before those whose power is so temporary and so illusory.
The Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush Weisser, 1809-1879), commenting on the seemingly redundant phrase “Anochi, Anochi” (“I, even I”), explains that the repetition underscores God’s unchanging essence. No matter the circumstances of history or politics, His presence and providence remain constant. For Israel, this means that no tyrant, no politician, no ayatollah, nor president can dictate our future. Fear no man, Isaiah is telling us, and trust only in God.
Trusting in God
The prophet then turns to Jerusalem with an urgent call: “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; clothe yourself in garments of splendor” (Isaiah 52:1). Here, the Metzudat David (Rabbi David Altschuler, 1687-1769) explains that these garments are not mere fabrics but symbols of restored dignity and glory. In exile, the Jewish people were stripped of honor, relegated to the dust of humiliation. But with redemption comes a new raiment, shining with splendor, representing renewed pride and divine favor.
One cannot help but see in the rebirth of the State of Israel a fulfillment of this vision: our people rising from the ashes of the Holocaust, clothing themselves once again with sovereignty and strength.
Isaiah’s prophecy then shifts to the future redemption, contrasting it with the exodus from Egypt. Of the former, he says: “You shall not go out in haste, nor by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12).
Unlike the hurried escape from Pharaoh’s chariots, the final redemption will unfold with dignity and majesty. No longer will we stumble forth as a vulnerable people fleeing for survival. Instead, enveloped by the presence of God, we will march forward in strength and honor.
These verses could not be more relevant today. In a world where threats against Israel abound – from Tehran to Beirut, from antisemitic mobs in Western capitals to the halls of the United Nations – the temptation is great to cower, doubt, or compromise.
But the haftarah insists otherwise: “Shake yourself from the dust; arise, O Jerusalem” (Isaiah 52:2). God is telling us: Do not wallow in despair. Do not apologize for your existence. And do not permit the roar of hostile nations to weaken your resolve. Our survival is not a fluke of history, the result of clever diplomacy, nor the strength of arms alone. It is the hand of God guiding and guarding His people.
And so, Isaiah lifts our gaze to the horizon: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, who announces peace, who brings good tidings, who announces salvation, who says to Zion: ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7). One day soon, that cry will be heard, echoing across the hills of Jerusalem.
Until then, we must live as though it were already true: fearless, faithful, and resolute, rebuilding and settling every part of our Land as we lay the groundwork for the fulfillment of our national destiny.