Tag Archives: translation

Eikev

This is the second of the Sheva d’Nechemta, the Haftarot of Comfort from Yeshayahu

Linear annotated translation of the Haftarah of Eikev.

The seven Haftarot form a progression, and this is the second stage: the return of the Jewish People to their land, and the resulting return of the land to its natural state of being a “Garden of G-d”.

As a Haftarah of Comfort, it attempts to allay some of the fears of the Jewish People: Impossible Hope

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Filed under Ekev, Sefer Devarim, Sheva de'Nechemta

Devarim / Chazon

The Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, the last of the Three Weeks is called Shabbat Chazon, after the Haftarah that is read that week, which begins with the words, “Chazon Yeshayahu”.

Linear annotated translation of the Haftarah of Shabbat Chazon

It always falls out on Parshat Devarim. One of the connections is the word, “Eicha”, which appears in the Parsha, in the Haftarah, and on Tisha B’Av itself. More about that here.

Another connection is a reference to Sedom and Amorra, but that is for another time.

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Filed under Devarim, Sefer Devarim, The Three Weeks

Mas’ei

The second Haftarah of the Three Weeks, which is the second chapter of Yirmiyahu, always falls out on Parshat Mas’ei.

Linear annotated translation of the Haftarah of Mas’ei

While the Parsha is about how the Jewish People followed G-d in the desert for forty years, the Haftarah keeps repeating how the Jewish People stopped following G-d’s ways and compares their path to a drunken camel in heat.

But on a deeper level, there is a connection between one of the commandments in Mas’ei and one of the sins for which Yirmiyahu condemns the Jewish People:

Chazak, Chazak, ve’Nitchazek!

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Filed under Mas'ei, Sefer Bamidbar

First of the Three Weeks (Pinchas or Matot)

The three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and 9 B’Av are a time of mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and all the calamities that have befallen the Jewish People throughout history. For those three Shabbatot, the custom is to read a specific set of Haftarot that are called “The Calamitous Three”, in Aramaic, “Tlata de’Puranuta”. The first week we read the first chapter of Yirmiyahu which warns of the impending destruction of Jerusalem.

It usually comes out on Parshat Pinchas. Rarely, it comes out on Matot.

Linear annotated translation of the Haftarah of Matot

It is also the Haftarah read for Shemot by the Sefardim, and is listed in the Rambam as such. The comparisons to Moshe are clear and illuminating.

As to what it teaches us about the Three Weeks, we have : Calamity and Consolation

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Filed under Matot, Sefer Bamidbar, The Three Weeks

Pinchas

The Haftarah of Pinchas is read very rarely. Usually, it is already the first of the Three Weeks, which have special Haftarot of their own. It is from Melachim I, continuing the story told in the Haftarah of Ki Tisa, of Eliyahu at Har HaCarmel.

Linear Annotated Translation of the Haftarah of Pinchas

As to what Pinchas and Eliyahu have in common, to the extent that the Midrash has a tradition that they are the same person: Pinchas – Outrage

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Filed under Pinchas, Sefer Bamidbar

Balak

The Haftarah of Balak is from Micha, a contemporary of Yeshayahu, with an equally poetic style.

Linear annotated translation of the Haftarah of Balak

This Haftarah ends with a very well-known verse, which contains one of only two times the root “צנע”, “modesty”, appears in all of Tanach.

Connections to Parshat Balak include the image of the Jewish People as a lion, the special relationship G-d has with us vs the Nations of the World, and: G-d does not work for us – what Bilaam thought he was doing.

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Filed under Balak, Sefer Bamidbar

Korach

The Haftarah of Korach is about Shmuel, who, according to Chazal, is descended from Korach’s sons.

Linear Annotated Translation of the Haftarah of Korach

Shmuel finds himself in a situation similar to Moshe’s in Parshat Korach.

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Filed under Korach, Sefer Bamidbar

Shelach

The Haftarah of Shelach is the second chapter of the very first book of Prophets, the book of Yehoshua, and tells the story of the spies that Yehoshua sent to Yericho.

Linear annotated translation of the Haftarah of Shelach

The word “men” is used over and over again in the Haftarah, even when a pronoun would have been sufficient, a total of 12 times. Similarly, in the Parsha, when Moshe sends his spies, it says, “they were all men.” As opposed to what?

For one thing, as opposed to insects.

And one day: as opposed to women, and, as opposed to a community.

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Filed under Sefer Bamidbar, Shelach

Beha’alotcha

The Haftarah of Beha’alotcha is the same as the one read on Chanukah, the vision of the Menorah in Zechariah.

Linear annotated translation of the Haftarah of Beha’alotcha

The connection to the Parsha is of course, through the Menorah, as the commandment to light the Menorah is at the beginning of the Parsha. But there is more to it, as always. The Light in Our Midst

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Filed under Beha'alotcha, Sefer Bamidbar

Shavuot

On Shavuot, we read the first chapter of Yechezkel, known as “Ma’aseh Merkavah” (The Divine Chariot). It describes a vision of many different kinds of angelic beings in a complicated arrangement involving color, light, and motion. Chazal called it “Mercava”, we might say, “G-d’s motorcycle”, or even, “G-d’s UFO.” The Mishna in Chagiga says that it is so esoteric is should not be studied even in small groups, yet it is the public reading for a major holiday.

Linear Annotated Translation of the Haftarah of Shavuot – where I do my best to at least describe what he was seeing, even if we cannot explain it.

As to why we read it on Shavuot – the source of the connection is in the following verses in the description of Matan Torah:

וַיִּרְאוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְתַחַת רַגְלָיו כְּמַעֲשֵׂה לִבְנַת הַסַּפִּיר וּכְעֶצֶם הַשָּׁמַיִם לָטֹהַר
They saw a vision of the G-d of Israel, and under his feet was something like transparent sapphire, like the essence of a clear sky. (Shemot 24:10)

and

וּמַרְאֵה כְּבוֹד ה’ כְּאֵשׁ אֹכֶלֶת בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
The appearance of the Kevod Hashem, was like a devouring flame at the top of the mountain, in the eyes of Bnei Yisrael.

The real question is why Yechezkel is shown this vision of Kevod Hashem as part of the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem.

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Filed under Holidays, Shavuot