Yeshayahu 47

0:00Good morning everyone. Today we are learning Parachmem Zion, the 47th chapter of Safry Yashayahu. This chapter is a continuation of Yashayahu's prophecies of consolation and redemption for the Jewish people and is a direct continuation of the previous chapter in which Yashayahu is belittling, Bavel, Babylon, and its deities mocking their impotence and powerlessness in the face of the conquering Persian Empire led by Cyrus, Hohm Hashem, will make them be victorious to defeat Bavel, to shame them, and for the Jewish people to return to the land of Israel. So in this chapter Yashayahu continues, Rady Ushavi al-Afar, Besulas, Bas, Bavel, Shavi, Laorets, En, Kise, Bas, Castim, Kilo, Socefi, Yekru'ul, Lakhra, Rakha, and Anugah. Desend and sit on the dust,

1:03O Virgin daughter of Bavel. Now this metaphor of being a virgin is one that we've used before in Yashayahu for the Jewish people or for Yerushalayim specifically, and the Mepharsham said that Yerushalayim had never been conquered before, and so so to over here we could explain that this metaphor is being used, that Bavel is now so self-confident that they are all powerful, no one will conquer them, and right now they have not yet been conquered. They defeated their oppressor and overlord these Syrians, and now they are the most important power in the world right now. And so Hashem is saying to them, Desend and sit on the dust, sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, meaning Bavel, for no longer shall they call you tender and delicate metaphors for royalty, rather Kikhi Rechaim Vtachani Kamaach Galit Samaseikh Chesbi Shovell Gali Shok Evry Neharros. Instead

2:07take millstones and grind flower things that peasants do, bear your covered parts, uncover the paths, bear your leg and cross rivers, so again the elite of society were nice long fancy clothing because they didn't do hard manual labor walking in the streets, so they could wear nice long, flowy pretty clothes. Instead the people of Bavel or the nation as a whole will wear short clothing and they're going to be doing hard manual labor walking through the fields and walking crossing rivers, Tee-Go-El Ervaseikh Gam Tehra-Ekh Erpaseikh Nakam Erkach Velo Efka Adam. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, even your shame shall be seen, I will take revenge and I will not listen to any person I'm not going to treat with anybody, they are going to be destroyed. Galenu Hashem Tsva Khos Shemok Ados Shesarel. This is a puzzle that we say every morning before Shmona Esrei, our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, is His name, the Holy One of the Jewish people. He's

3:12going to redeem the Jewish people and punish their oppressors. Shavi Dumam Uvali Vakhoshekh Bas Kastim, Kilosos Sifi, Yekru'ulach, Giveras Mamlachos, a similar phrase that we just had a few psokin magau, sits silently and come into the darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, meaning Bavel, for they shall no longer call you mistress of kingdoms and I'm going to call you a powerful empire. Kutsafti Alami Khilalti Nakhalasi, what name it be Yadeikh? Lo Samt, Lo Hem Raghamim al Zakan, Hihbada Ul-Laykh Me'od. I became angry with my people the Jews and I violated my heritage, meaning the Jewish people and my relationship with them and I delivered them into your hands. Hashem is acknowledging, I gave you dominion over them because of their sins but you did not show them mercy on the old you made your yoke very heavy. So Hashem is saying, I'm punishing you in part at least because you

4:13oppressed them too much and this may sound familiar to some because this is an answer that the Ramban gives to why the Egyptians were punished if Hashem decreed that the slavery would happen to the Jews. So one of the answers that he gives is that they oppress them too much. Vatomri'le Olam, Eye Givores, Ad Lo Samt, Eile Al-Libach, Lo Zakhart, Acharisa, and you said, I will forever be a mistress, meaning I'll always be important until you did not take these things to heart, you did not remember its end. So there are two ways to understand this. The simplest way which the Radaq says is that Hashem is critiquing the Babylonians that you didn't think that you would fall just like all the previous nations. You are haughty. So that is another reason why Hashem will punish the Babylonians because of their haughtiness saying, it's all me, it's not God and in fact this may sound familiar because that happened to San Cherev of Assyria as well. The Radaq

5:16and the Abarbanel give another explanation which is that the Babylonians should have learned from the fact that Hashem punished the Jewish people and Hashem gave the Babylonians the power to rule over the Jews and they should have learned from that to see that Hashem will punish people that disobey him, that don't recognize him and they should have learned from that but they didn't. And so because of that Hashem says, and now listen to this O delicate one, Bavel, who sits securely, who says to herself, I am it, I'm the most important thing, there's no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow neither will I know bereavement meaning I'm just going to coast in life, I'm going to be the most powerful thing. No God is going to tell me what to do, my life is going to be good, I'm not going to go know any sadness and the devil will go to hell with the devil, I'm going to be the most powerful thing, I'm

6:20going to go to hell, I'm going to be the most powerful thing, I'm going to go know any sadness but instead these two shall come to you in a second, in just a moment, in one day bereavement and widowhood meaning children will die, husbands will die, old people will die, all in just one moment and this is describing them a version, say when the Persians would defeat the Babylonians, in their full measure they shall come upon you with multitude of your sorceries and with the great abundance of your charms meaning despite all of the supernatural or physical and political power that you may have in me rely on, it's going to be worthless. is repeated for effect and you trusted in your evil and you said no one meaning no God sees me

7:21your wisdom and your knowledge that perverted you so Bavael was steeped in supernatural powers as we'll see star gazing and sorcery and priesthood and also science and technology and you said to yourself I am it there's no one besides me but Uva Alaihra'Alo Seidhi Shakhra Vittivol Alaihra'Alo Seidhi Shakhra Vattavol Alaihra'Pisom Shou'Alo Seidhi and evil shall come upon you and you shall not know how to remove it by davidning to your gods and calamity shall befall you and you shall not know how to get rid of that calamity and desolation will come upon you suddenly and you won't know what to do with it and so this phrase low Teh Do'i you won't know what to do with it is repeated again and again in this verse for linguistic effect but the reason why that particular word is chosen is because in the previous verses Bavael was considering themselves to be oh high and mighty not just in physical power but also supernatural with their divine priests and sorcery as well as their engineering and

8:28technology and science so they thought they were all powerful and knew everything and as Shema no you don't. Imdina Baghavariach uverov Kshafayach paashar yagat min uroyach laitukhli ho il laita arotse. Stand now with all of your charms and with the multitude of your sorceries in which you twiled since your youth meaning this could be since the beginning of the Babylonian empire but as we've mentioned other times there were multiple iterations of the Babylonian empire going back all the way to Avra Mavinu and so it could be not just referring to this particular Babylonian empire but in fact going back to all of the cultural and pagan and science and technology that they inherited from all the previous empires and in fact the Vlkhadnetsar Nebuchadnezzar was very proud of that and they considered themselves airs to these earlier stages and so as Shema is saying that with all of that it can't help perhaps you will be able to help

9:30perhaps you will gain strength but no. Nil'eis berov atsasayach yamdu nav yoshyuch hovrech shemaem hachazim bako chavim modi imlach adashim meashere yavou alaych you have weared with the multitude of your councils let now your astrologers the stargazers they were very important in ancient Mesopotamian Babylon those monthly skriers of the future that look at the stars of what will come upon let them come stand up and save you but they're not going to be able to. Hineh aiyoo khakash aish syrafasam low yatsilu esnaf sham miyad lehava em gacheles lahmam ur lachnevas negdo behold they are like stubble fire burnt them they can't save themselves from the power of the flame and there is no coal by which to warm ones self or fire opposite which to sit so this metaphor saying that they can't help themselves and while the more so they can't give warmth or assistance to others. Hineh aiyoo lach asher yagat sakhharayach min urech ishle avaro ta'u'ein mochiyech

10:36so were they to you those for whom you toiled your traffickers since your youth each one straight to his side no one saves you. Mifarshaim explain that at the beginning where it says so were they to you those for whom you toiled meaning all of these sorcerers and astrologers and scientists all of these people that you invested in as well as your traffickers meaning the traders and the economic power that came into your country that weren't native all of them that you thought would help you and that you invested in each one straight to his side and no one will save you either they'll just back away because you're down and out or they're just going to be powerless to stop you.