The Tanakh Podcast

Today we talk about Jerusalem finding her voice, and undergoing a name-change!

Mourning will be replaced by joy, destruction by rebuilding, and the world community will acclaim the Jews as global emissaries of God, doing all they can to assist Israel in that mission. This again is a romantic dreamscape of a messianic utopia.

This beautiful chapter depicts an utopian, unwordly, and idyllic scene as Jerusalem is bathed in a divine light, acclaimed by the world, and filled with peace, wealth and prosperity. Is this what the Messianic Age looks like?

Will Israel be redeemed despite their sins? Or will redemption come only after we have repented?

The people ask God: "Why did we fast, and you didn't see?" Apparently the people have been fasting and praying but they feel that God has not responded to their appeals. The prophet explains: It isn't about the fasting; it is about justice; religion isn't merely about ritual actions, it is about genuine authentic change.

Our chapter depicts a regime in which the righteous are persecuted, the leadership powerless and dumbstruck, and evil prevails, including the most heinous expressions of idolatry. It is difficult to know for sure to which historical period this refers. Is it King Ahaz? Menasseh? First Temple? Second Temple? And yet, the chapter ends with hope and promises of peace and healing: "Peace, Peace for those far and near, says God, and I will heal them"

Our chapter mentions the phrase "Yad Vashem" but what exactly does it mean? And why was this chosen as the name of Israel's Holocaust Museum?

One the one hand, God is close and present: "Seek God when He is present; Call out while God is near...Our God, Who freely forgives." On the other Hand we cannot fathom God's ways: " "My ways high above your ways; And My plans above your plans." This is the Haftara for Fast Days.

This chapter promises and unbreakable future for the Jewish People. Two models animate this chapter: 1. The infertile women who bears children, the forsaken wife who renews her marriage; and 2. The tortured slave who is released from his captivity and suffering. We examine these two metaphors and what they say about the God-Israel connection.

This chapter has been a polemic between Christians and Jews for 2000 years. We relate to the Jewish readings and the significance of "The Suffering Servant".