The Comfort We Seek
Rabbi Ron Shulman
Shabbat Nahamu - Vaethanan 5771
There are more than a few things for us to pay attention to these days. At least on Shabbat, the Stock Market can’t lose any more value! In Israel, too, citizens are protesting the cost of living, demanding greater equity in Israeli society seeking to raise their dignity. Tonight after Havdalah, I suspect we and many others around the world will still be nervous about our financial security and the integrity of our nations’ economic and political structures.
From their particular perch, S & P downgraded our nation’s credit rating. This complicates our economic lives. It also lowers our spirits and our national mood, as did the tragic loss of so many brave soldiers in Afghanistan last weekend. For their lives there is no hope of recovery. We are all sensitive to what matters most in our lives.
This week we are reminded that happiness doesn’t result from how much we have. We all know fortunate people who live unfulfilled, and individuals of modest means who are very content. Our attitude matters more than our assets. Our lives appreciate in value every day. A tough week reminds us. All too often we don’t consider our true worth.
Generations ago, it was not the banking or business class, but the prophets of ancient Israel who brought low the esteem of their people, chastising their moral misdeeds and poor treatment of one another. It was also the prophet to whom the people turned for renewed value, restoration, and comfort.
“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.” This passage from Isaiah is thought originally to have been addressed to descendents of the citizens of Judea who were exiled to Babylon following the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. The prophet’s words offer consolation.
They also attempt explanation. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem…her iniquity is expiated.” In God’s realm, Isaiah explains, suffering is imposed as atonement for sin. Isaiah’s comfort is in the promise that soon his people’s pain will be relieved.
Personally, I hope few of us believe about reward and punishment today what Isaiah did back then. But, I suspect some of you do.
Last week in the midst of all the noise about politicians and debt ceilings, a question was placed into the middle of a poll seeking Americans’ opinions. Now remember, a poll is a momentary snapshot of popular opinion. Question 6 was, “If there was an election for Congress today, would you vote for the Democratic or Republican candidate from your district?”
Question 7 asked, “If God exists, do you approve or disapprove of God’s performance?” 52% of those responding approved. Only 9% disapproved, while 40% were not sure.
Another question wondered, “If God exists, do you approve or disapprove of God’s creating the universe? By a large majority, 71% approved of God’s creation. The question after that asked who the respondents voted for in the last presidential election.
52% of respondents have a favorable opinion of God at this current moment in history, on the assumption that those answering the question believe that God is an active player in life and history.
What do we imagine the prophet Isaiah’s generation would have said during their most difficult days, days much darker and bleaker than ours? How would God have polled then in the aftermath of destruction and exile?
“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God,” declared Isaiah. To whom is this command addressed? Who are those being asked to “speak tenderly” to Jerusalem? We read further within the text itself that “a herald of joy to Zion,” an anonymous Divine messenger of good news is being told what to do.
The medieval commentator Ibn Ezra elaborates on this. He suggests that the messengers are of the people themselves. The people living in exile are charged to bring comfort and solace to their nation. It is their responsibility to envision redemption and merit its achievement.
We can appreciate this lesson. Responsibility for our fate, as for our future, is the moral wisdom we take from our past and apply to the present. It is always easier to blame unforeseen circumstances or the acts of others for what troubles us. And fault often does lie in those other places. But we can take responsibility only for ourselves. The lesson may not be new or surprising. But still, it is important.
Isaiah’s words on this Sabbath of Comfort, Shabbat Nahamu, teach that comfort is first derived from the calming and quiet influences of other people who help us to make peace with our pains. This was God’s call through the prophet to comfort the people, to upgrade their status as noble and dignified human beings.
Comfort is next felt in the confidence and conviction of discovering that we are capable of coping, of changing, of becoming greater. This must become our moral vision. We are the ones who must do the upgrading and make things better.
© 2011 Rabbi Ronald J. Shulman
