Haftorah This Week
Welcome to Haftorah This Week, the place where you will find thoughts and reflections by CLAL faculty and associates on this week's Haftorah.
HAFTARAT VAYIKRA
(Isaiah 43:21-44:23)
Parshat Vayikra begins the lengthy description of the details of the sacrificial system: what sacrifices were to be offered, how, when, by whom, etc. Thus it is natural to expect the Haftarah to comment somehow on this system. And given the role of the prophets as the "conscience" of the covenant, it is not surprising that the comment provides at least an implicit critique.
The critique is in two parts. In Isaiah 44:9-20, we find an eloquent warning against the emptiness and futility of idolatry. "Gods" of wood or metal, fashioned by human hands, have no power and can be of no help. The relevance of this admonition here stems from the danger of making one's cultic system into an object of worship. The care and devotion with which we build, furnish and use our places of worship often lead us into mistaking the worship system and its accoutrements for the God whom the cult is meant to address.
The other part of the critique warns that the cult alone is an incomplete framing of our relationship with God. God begs Israel, "Help Me remember! Let us join in argument, tell Me your version, that you may be vindicated!" (Is. 43:26). We are being asked here to engage in a sort of spontaneous debate, an honest give-and-take in which the terms of our love are constantly refined. Simple cultic worship, with its stylized forms and defined content, is an important part of the relationship. It allows us to express the depth of our love and reverence. But a living relationship must also have room for spontaneous discussion and disagreement, otherwise the bond will lose the resiliency that allows it to weather the growth and development that characterize all life. Loving argument is the crucible in which an enduring bond is cast.
(David Nelson)
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