Powerful Lecture! Isaiah 38—Hezekiah’s Healing Reveals the Mystery of Redemption

How many problems do we have in this chapter? The problems are so astounding that it's hard to comprehend it. What did this man do wrong? More astounding when Isaiah left his presence and is now walking through the palace. What does Hezekiah say to God? You think he repented. He doesn't do any of that. meant it was shame she shayan he didn't want to get married and have children because he understood what would come from this and in fact we know very well what exactly came from it who does get married and his child Mina is the most wicked king of all even though they knew that Zachchariah says that the Ezekiel says that the Jews have to be back in the land of Israel before the Messiah comes nations then come to attack Israel over the stats of Islam and the Jews defeat them. David the Jews have to be near so a large number with an army but they said this cannot be it. This is a an inopportune time because we are immediately before the yim particularly before and kipper. This is really an opportune time to explore one of the most fascinating and perplexing chapters in all of Tanakh. I was interviewed last week and as we were going through Tanakh, which I typically do in our interviews, exploring the time we are in now, we are now in a shas. I know some of you sitting here tonight and I'm grateful to consider you friends. There are some faces here that I don't recognize and nevertheless I feel a certain sense of confidence that all of us have wondered why are we of all people not our great grandparents not Ela Ela Za not a saba why are we za Why are we do we merit to live Bishas Msiah in a time of the redemption which is unfolding now? It's not it's going to unfold. It's happening now in real time. It is according to God's eternal purpose and his plan that we are here today. The generation that mymonities pointed to that are sages of blessed memory declared that only we would understand, grasp the nuinous passages that told of a messianic age that all our grandparents prayed about, longed for, hoped for, and we are now bearing witness to it. As my manity says to his contemporaries, he encouraged them to not speculate very much upon messianic passages. Of course, we know what will happen when the Messiah comes. We have Isaiah 11. We have Ezekiel 37. Very clear, numerous passages that tell us what will occur in the messianic age. However, there are many passages that no one could have imagined in the ancient world in the medieval world that the Jewish people would be here in the land of Israel and Persia, a benevolent nation, a benevolent empire towards the Jewish people with a few exceptions that they would be our chief adversary at the end of days. Ezekiel 38 verse5. After all, Persia produced a king that God called my anointed, my Messiah, Isaiah 45:1, who had given the command of the Jews to rebuild the temple, to rebuild Jerusalem. How is this same nation going to be the one that will go to war against the land of Israel, against the people of Israel at the end of days? How would our prophets be able to even what information do they have in front of them that they possibly could extrapolated from to predict that Persia will be your arch enemy at the end of days? And the nations will see this. They will see the glory of God and they will know that Hashem is Lord. That will be the trigger for Chuva. They're not even Arabs. Meaning whereas our forefathers and had a tedious relationship, had a tenuous relationship, a problematic relationship which does solve itself at the end. But with the Arab world, it was a little complicated. Moreover, the Arab lands that are around us, they have border problems with us. They have some sort of complaint. They would rather have the golden heights than us. For us, it's shave man. It's part of the land of Israel. But at least I understand what their issue is, why they're angry with us. At least I understand it. At least I can. There are points of contact which make it but Persia. We are now in Israel. Iran is nearly a thousand miles east of where we are right now. Roughly the difference between New York and St. Louis. An enormous distance. The Talmud Bali, the largest piece of religious literature from the ancient world was written, compiled and edited in the early 6th century under which empire? The Persian Empire known as the Cisanian Empire which emerges in 224. By the early 500s they were in charge and life was good in southern Mesopotamia in Beloved in Pmpadisa where the Talmud was edited and placed in an order that we today have in our hands. It was good. It's according to God's plan and the prophets make it clear. I have when I do interviews so very often an interview will ask me a question. Why is the safer that we are going to explore tonight? Why is it so difficult? And it is when I when I was in yeshiva, I was fairly confident that there were many young men who were much smarter than me. And I'm not being self-deprecating. I I really was sure that they were much smarter than me. And yet many have told me that when they went through Tanakh, they went through the Torah. We all are familiar with that. They went through what is called the Nim. That is a misnomer. It's a 600y old mistake to classified books like Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings as the early prophets. It's a 600year-old mistake. It's not accurate. After all, there are many things that are in Isaiah that are way before what we find in the book of Kings. However, the these early prophets, what we call Nvim, we're stuck with the name, it happens, are fairly easy to follow in that they they are written in a way that uses that marshals a a historical narrative. You can read the book of Joshua, follow it through. You'll have questions, but it's fairly easy to grasp what is it going on. The stories are gripping. They're powerful. And generally speaking, there's very little if any poetry. There are there are passages there are chap that contain poetry in the book of Jud. We have it, but it's rare. Those are the historical Nim and they're fairly easy. I I I retract that. They're easy to understand what you're reading. It's easy to understand what you're reading. However, the last 15, the last 15 books of the Nvim, which we call the Nim, they are really what are called in scholarship the oracular prophets. Meaning they were people who walked around and gave oracles, wisdom. Usually they're very difficult and Yeshuanovi is extremely difficult. And there are many of you sitting here tonight who have gone on this journey with me through the book of Isaiah or watched this on television or YouTube and have followed the earlier chapters of the book of Isaiah and it is written almost all using poetry with almost no historical narrative. Moreover, the book of Isaiah is completely out of chronological order. I want to make sure you understand what I just said. I do not mean the principle which every one of you is familiar with that in the Torah there isn't necessarily a direct chronological order and you may have chapters that are out of order. This is true. We can think of a hundred examples of this. However, when this statement is made that the terror doesn't have a precise order, it does not mean the thing is completely out of order. Quite the contrary, it really does follow a chronological order. I'll take a safer in Tanakh and I feel a certain amount of confidence that you're more familiar with the book of Genesis with safer than any other safer inh. I'm just going to assume that we're more familiar with the events that follow throughout the book of Genesis, possibly after there's good reason for it. We have the history of the world, the creation, the the the flood, the story of Abraham, the progenitor of the Jewish people, and the forming of a Jewish nation, a Jewish family. We're very familiar with the book of Genesis, and it follows a chronological order. does it always well in chapter two of Genesis. The chapter sort of rewinds the tape and revisits exactly what happened when Adam was created. But it's transparent that chapter 2 of Genesis is just zooming in and what was covered from Genesis chapter 26 forward. It's all in chronological order. Basically, you must know kind you must understand my holy brothers and sisters that it's not that the book of Isaiah it's not that saiyahu is not necessarily in precise order or half of it is out of chronological order. There is not even a shemoth. There's not even a hint of order. It's all over the place. What guides the book of Isaiah in its chapters is completely theological. Chapter one did not happen first at all. It happens to be chapter 6 which it can be said I am certain you are more familiar with that chapter than any other chapter in Isaiah. It's the kaduca kadesh kadesh. That was really the first chapter of the book of Isaiah. Why is chapter 6 not chapter 1 beyond the scope of this thing. There's no hint. There's nothing. It's very very important. Isaiah is out of order and the vast majority of it means more than 90% of it is poetry and it's not easy. So this host asked me a question. Why is it so hard? Because friends of mine start, they finish with Kings, they go to Isaiah, and it's I've heard this so many times in my life where they simply say after a few chapters, I simply close the book and walk away. It's too it's impossible to penetrate. It's impossible to understand. Why is this? This fellow who asked me a question. He's a big who lives here in he's very devoted to the land of Israel, Judea and Samaria. He asked me this question in an interview last week. So I said to him and I thought he would drop the mic when I said it to him. As it turns out is it is exactly the opposite. And I submitted to him a reason why one would easily say that the book of Isaiah, this is rather counterintuitive, that the book of Isaiah is much easier to understand than the early historical prophets. I I know that right now many of you sitting here tonight listening to my voice are confused. This must be this Rabbi Singer must be engaging in some sort of hyperbole. Maybe this is some sort of way that he teaches to make a point that's weird. Well, it's not the case at all. And I'm fairly confident that I can convince you of this. What is recorded in Nak. Why were these oracles preserved in our sacred cannon? Why? After all, I'll make the case there were in Jewish history 1.2 two million, twice as many that went out of Egypt. However, the vast majority of their nva was never preserved. Those nuote that were given to Kal Israel 48 men seven women were preserved. What was the methodology that the great assembly the anesaka preserve certain nu and the vast majority imagine walking the streets of this holy city right here. Nim walked down these streets. Sana Yeshayu Yeru walk right here. Mish here and preach these eternal oracles. M is where we are right now. The majority of the Nim will preach here and I have no words. I'm not going to say it's a big because no my vocabulary is not extensive enough to be able to describe what that means where we are and the danger of living in is that we're so acclimated to Nissim to marvels that we can't even absorb it and sometimes we wake up oh okay you know another miracle and let's move done. So what was preserved? What was the methodology used to preserve the nim that are in our hands? This is very important. those nvos that were only relevant to the generation in which they were preached but not the future generations were not preserved in the canon in Tanakh. In contrast, those prophecies that would not just gerine relevant to the generation in which they were preached but to all future generations are preserved in the canon in Tanakh. This is very important. This is everything because of this. If you are reading Tanakh, if you are reading about an event in our holy scriptures and the story is gripping, it is fantastic. But I have no idea what this has to be to do with me today. It means you mish don't understand it. And you have to pray for wisdom. Great. You look at the book of judges just gripping tragic stories whatever. But what does this have to do? How is this gay to me? If you don't know, you don't understand it. And I think now you are beginning to sniff out where we're going with all this. Whereas in the what's called whereas in the earlier prophets, the stories are fantastic. They grip us. Wow. Look at this. As they're filled with passion and there's a protagonist and a v. It's all there. The character development is mindblowing. But what does it have to do with me today? We may not be sure. In fact, I would submit that for most of the events that are recorded in the Nim Shainan, many people will not understand what does this have to do with me today? How does this make me a better Jew, a better child of God? I don't know. Conversely, my holy brothers and sisters, in contrast, we're as in the book of Isaiah, it is all poetry with very little exception. And our chapter is the exception. And don't say thank God yet. I heard it from this section. Don't say, listen carefully. although safer is loaded with poetry and moreover when you're looking at a peric at a chapter at a section you may not be sure when Isaiah preached it moreover you may not be sure who he's speaking to which king is he speaking to what is his audience which tua Isaiah of blessed memory who lived right here who walked down these streets and preached He will preach for a very long time. He was a n from time of yahu which is a quarter of a century through yo to yam through a massive amount of time. He walked right here. He preached right on these streets. Although it is difficult, it's not impossible. Don't get scared. We have in fact been able to bur Hashem been able to parse out these chapters and untangle that whereas you may not understand exactly when he said it to whom he was speaking you're 100% sure what the message is. You're 100% sure when reading Isaiah chapter 1, although you're not certain when exactly did the first painful chapter which is read before tish, you may not be certain, but exactly when did he say that? But what is the what are we supposed to learn from it? It's transparent. If you're going to dive in every day and you're going to walk and trample the temple, but there's no social justice, there's no sudaka. I don't want it. When you pray, I'm going to hold my It's a very painful chapter. If I didn't make a covenant with you, you would be like Saddam and I get rid of you alto together. It's like bow. And then he promises, however, this is an example very famous. He says, "However, if you will clothe the naked, if you will feed the hungry, if you'll care for the weakest members of society, the widow, the orphan, although your sins are as red as scalt, I'll make it as white as snow." Wendy, right? That doesn't matter. It matters, but it doesn't matter. You see what I'm saying? There is no parallel to Yeshu. There is no use of the Hebrew language with the depths of lashes are marshaled in the way that did 2700 years ago. There's no parallel to it. So it's transparent that Isaiah is easy to understand. If the goal is that I just want to understand how am I supposed to be a better Jew? Isaiah is much easier than safer shimua transparently. So, and I have news for you. The news that you might think is good news is that as it turns out our chapter Isaiah chapter 38 is one of those few chapters well Isaiah the book of Isaiah is written in a way that you would recognize immediately and with the exception of prayer which is also easy to understand you'll understand exactly what's going on. There's no poetry. It's using a standard historical narrative. And I would also submit to you, don't feel like you're off the hook because it may be said, fact, I could say it with confidence. It is the most incoherent perplexing chapter in all the book of Isaiah. It's not that you may you have questions. It's simply as I don't even know what I'm reading. The text simply on face value. It's not only it doesn't make sense. It blows up everything I know about Jewish history and the great men that lived during this time. The time period what we're about to read when discovers he's terminally ill. He's about to die. This occurs on the 12th day of Nissan in the 14th year of's reign. Keso was 39 years old will reign well giving it away for 29 years. This happens if you heard the 14th year of and you also heard the 12th day of Nissan just a few days before a very important event because the last time we were together we learned in chapter 36 and 37 about what San planned to do and that is to destroy Yushim. The Neo Assyrian Empire had already destroyed everything. The Neoasyrian Empire had already destroyed the 10 northern tribes. They were carried off in three devastating waves gone. To this day, it's a mystery what happened to them. We are promised in the book of Ezekiel chapter 37 and others serum including Isaiah 43 that they will be restored. We're not going to go there. Moreover, not only was did Assyria destroy the northern kingdom, meaning essentially everything north of where we are right now. That means Shallayam is a city where has two tribes. The border of two tribes are right here. Yehuda and Binyam and literally the city is cut in half. It's the only city like that. All other cities in a it's cut around it. A tribe goes around it right down the middle over the Harabayas. Everything north is destroyed. And you might think, well, Judah sort of dodged that bull. They did not. More than 40 series cities in Judah including the famous Lish was destroyed by Sanv. You can go with the tour guide to Lish today a very important strategic city and you can see its destruction. There is in archaeological record a massive amount of information on this both from what's on the ground here and both that are sitting in museums around the world. Your shalim is in grave danger. Imagine you're sitting in the city. It's walled. It's not the same walls as today. However, there is some of the wall that is you can see in the Jewish quarter right behind the open square that's there. So behind like the the antique shop and so on, you can actually see the walls that go back to the first temple period. Meaning during that time, what is today called the Muslim quarter, the Christian quarter, all that stuff was not a part of your not a part of the old city. The old city wasn't necessarily smaller. It simply was much further south. And there's a wonderful display there to see what was then and what is now. The Jewish quarter and the harabayat incidentally are the only parts of the old city today that were also part of during this time because the Jewish quarter is the southwestern part of the old city and Harabas was part of all that other stuff Damascus gate was not part of it. This is so interesting but beyond the scope of this evening's program. What happens? You can imagine 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. The Assyrian Empire had the greatest army that the world had ever known until that time. The greatest standing army in history at that time 2700 years ago. 185,000 soldiers surround the Yishlim and you're inside the walls. And if you look at those walls in the Jewish quarter, what is immediately striking is how thick they are. You know how thick these walls are by that were built in like 1440 or by Sulleon. Those are thick. They're nothing compared to how thick those walls were. Those walls are designed, I'm guessing. I don't know this, but they're it's like 25 feet thick. It's something. It was a Syria proof. It's just massive. It was designed to hold back an army such as the Assyrian Empire. So, imagine you're here in your everyone else is finished. You have a army of 185,000. Who today in our day what country has 185,000 soldiers in active war? That would be mind-blowing in our time, let alone the ancient world. Pesak is coming and people are trembling in the city. And now it only gets worse. Yes Hanovi comes to in his palace and he tells him put your household in order meaning put your palace in order. I'm choosing those words carefully. He doesn't say put your children in order or your wife in order or your family in order. It's put the house in order. because you will die and you will not live. Let me just remind you that Ramelik Hezekiah a blessed memory was the greatest dividic king in history that ever was and ever will be. How do I know that? It says it openly in Tanakh 2 Kings 18:5 tells us that was the greatest king that ever lived and ever will live. essentially one of the greatest people that ever lived in the midst of a crisis of a order of magnitude that none of us could even imagine were about to die crushed by Assyria that had a very good track record of destroying everyone. The king who was advising the nation is now about to die imminently. What did he do wrong? What happened? I want to read to you this text and see how problematic this becomes. In those days became terminally ill. How 38 begins. By the way, when we talk about out of order, this happens before 36 and 37. 36 and 37 we were together and we found that the Assyrian army was destroyed. So just to show what I'm what I want to convey to you is Isaiah is so out of order that 38 chronologically should be before 36 and 37. 38 Keso becomes terminally ill. We'll see what happens. And then 37 and 36 and 37 occur and then 39 occur. So it's way out of order. Why? Because Isaiah wants to juxtapose 38 and 39. That that I want to prepare you for this. You should never think that Isaiah has any kind of order based on chronology at all. Has nothing to do with it. It's only theological that guides what's happening in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah the son of Amos the Nvi comes to him. By the way, they were related. Isaiah was first cousins with grandfather. Usyahu and Isaiah were first cousins. Their fathers were brothers. So was to Isaiah first cousins I think twice removed. Thus sayaith Hashem instruct your household for you will die and you will not live. The Gurra tells us you will die and not live. Why do you need to say that? Now in biblical Hebrew we often have something repeating itself. Rifka was a virgin. She didn't know a man. But kazal nevertheless always understand why there's a double language a double lion. It means that you will die in this world imminently and you have no place in the world to come. Imagine the time. Imagine the moment Hezekiah then turned his face to the wall and pray to Hashem and he said please Hashem remember me. It said that incidentally in when we pray when we daven we try don't do this in shul but if we can we pray with a wall in front of us or at least not with something that would be distracting. You don't d it in front of a car that doesn't belong there. If you're in a synagogue and it's full of people you don't try to make yourself well. Not not the whole place could fit in front of wall. But when you see a rasha praying and diving in front of a wall, it's derived from here that you dive and you don't have obstacles in front of you that are extraneous. That's the key op in it is optimal when praying. You should pray facing something that's nondescript. And says remember now that I've always walked before you faithfully, wholeheartedly in truth and I was I always did what was good in your eyes. and wept a great cry. In the meantime, Isaiah, the novi says, walked out of the palace. He walked out and Isaiah is making his way to the complex of the palace. He doesn't even leave yet. And comes to him and says to him, you got to go back and tell that 15 years have been added to his life. There's a corresponding text to this which has more material in it and that's 2 Kings chapter 20. Then asked for a sign that he will recover. Isaiah said to him, "Okay, we can make the sund dial that was there from the days of your dad was a very wicked man. We can make the sund dial go forward." Well, backward says, "Well, sundials ordinarily go forward. Let's do the opposite. Let's make it go back 10 degrees." And it does. Isaiah then puts fig, a crushed fig cake on his sore and he is healed. The problems in this chapter are immeasurable. What did Hezekiah do wrong? What sin did he commit? Again, Hezekiah was the greatest dividic king that ever lived and would ever lived. In fact, the go says the Tal says openly that Hezekiah could have been Msiah. That's how great it is. He was he wasn't Messiah because he didn't when Sun's army was destroyed. Again, that's actually 36 and 37. He did not recite Shir songs of thanksgiving. How many problems do we have in this chapter? The problems are so astounding that it's hard to comprehend it. What did this man do wrong? More astounding when Isaiah left his presence and is now walking through the palace. What does Hezekiah say to God? You would think he repented. You would think he said what King David said. He would say, "I regret what I did. I renounce what I did and I'm sorry." He doesn't do any of that. He turns to God and he says, "Remember that I always was truthful to you. I was always loyal to you." as though God forgot and I always went in your path and he cried. There's no truth there at all. There's no repentance there at all. Nothing. What was triggered? What was he even saying? He was saying, you know, don't you remember I'm a good person. Like God, oh, I totally missed that one. Didn't get the memo. Thank you for bringing that up. Let's send Isaiah back. See this is what I mean when I suggest to you my dear brothers and sisters that whereas the poetic chapters or the historical narrative chapters in Tanakh we can understand and Isaiah is particularly easy to understand. We don't even understand what's happening here. Moreover, what is Hezekiah doing asking for a sign? He didn't believe Isaiah. What does he need? sign and a sign of such cosmic level that the sun the dial of the sun is moved just because you you getting away with terminal cancer is a very serious matter but a cosmic sign why this is where the motor steps in the The Talmud explains as a braus on chap page 10 folio a the first side tells us exactly what actually occurred here. Isaiah comes to and tells him you are terminally ill. You're about to die. Put your house in order. Hezekiah turns to Isaiah and asks why Klehi so much what did I do that was so horrible unbelievable punishment you'll die in this world and die in the world no place in the world to come Isaiah then responds to him because you were got Isaac in the mitzvah of Purvu. You never got married and you never had children and was a bachelor at the time. Upon hearing this says to Yeshu, "But the reason I never got married and had children was I saw Kesh, I saw with divine inspiration that the children that would emerge from me would be wicked. And in order for me to prevent that from occurring, I didn't want to have children. Isaiah then responds to him and says, "You are not allowed to be Isaac. You are not allowed to play with the mysteries of Hashem because you see a trajectory of where this may be going. You are not permitted to tamper with the mitz or to have children meant it was shame. He didn't want to get married and have children because he understood what would come from this. And in fact, we know very well what exactly came from it. Does get married and his child Mina is the most wicked king of all. If you read chapter 21 of 2 Kings, if you read 2 Chronicles chapter 33, you would shake. Blood in your schlam was running down these streets. Such idolatry, such sin was exploding during the days of Manasha. Saw exactly what was coming. Someone who brought so much idolatry and perversion to this generation. Undid everything that had done before him. A horrible, horrible person. was a giant and he saw what was coming and Isaiah said to him, "You're this is God's mystery. You can't tamper with it. You leave that for God." Hears this and he responds. He says, "Okay, after all, Yesha is coming nua. Nva can't be wrong." So we ask I would like to marry your daughter. The garra says that he assumed that given that this daughter has now that this couple would have from both sides after all she's the daughter of and this would be a fantastic which they did get married. So they would have somehow there would be enough that this could possibly prevent it. Isaiah, it's very shocking, turned to him and said, "What are you doing?" The decree has already been pronounced on you. You're going to die. There's nothing you can do about this. He says to Ben Amote, he doesn't even say, it doesn't call him cousin. He says, "Benamote the son." It's a very turf finish and go. You learn out from here that even if a sword is laying on your throat, you never give up. And that's when begins praying. Now everything is coming into view in that was loyal to Hashem. His desire was to prevent a wicked king from emerging. It was all a shame Shmayam. And we see this in history often when a holy person, a God, a giant sees something emerging in history and he opposes it. He wants to cut it off. While it's true that there were in the 19th century, as an example, religious Zionist groups like the Nits, the the rashiva of the religious Jews who supported a future settle of the state of Israel for messianic purposes and Ravk of blessed memory who like a novi saw exactly what was going to happened. There were many many holy people that saw the trajectory of the modern Zionist movement and thought that it would destroy Tur and destroy Kal and they opposed the settle of a Jewish state. They looked at Herszel. Herzel was a completely secular Jew. Secular as you can imagine. I believe he didn't even have a brisma. If there ever was a case to be made of someone who's a teen shinishba who really knew nothing, he was a brilliant man. He observed anti-semitism exploding in the dry face affair and he saw that Jews had no future in Europe. They needed their own state. So he responding to an explosion of anti-semitism. That's what was driving him. Jabatinski of blessed memory saw what occurred in the Kishna programs in April of 1903. Tectonic event where Christians said that the Jews killed a Christian boy. Typical was around Pesak and all they the nations of the Gy went out and just started killing Jews for two days straight. It was something so shocking these pilgrims. Jabotinsky was not in Kishn. He was a few towns over. But that's what drove him. It's not that he was learning Isaiah. It's not that he was reading. It's not that he was examining Zachchariah. He saw anti-semitism respond to and says no more. We even see today people are not religious at all and they'll say I'm a Zionist. I'm not because they see that there's no possible answer. Many now there were religious Zionists there were many giants misrai movement 1906 there were but the bulk of it was reactionary to anti-semitism when he said and certainly after the holocaust people understood it is therefore understandable that holy people who were giants in Tyra saw this movement emerging most of them were not religious and Even though they knew Tanakh, even though they knew that Zachchariah says that the Ezekiel says that the Jews have to be back in the land of Israel before the Messiah comes, nations come to attack Israel over the stats of Schlame and the Jews defeat them. David said the Jews have to be in a large number with an army. But they said this cannot be it. These people are literally destroying Tyro and the Zidis move was entirely pernitious. People like the Satarba as an example who marshaled three O's from the Talmud. Was he a sadic? You better believe it. But we see from here, my holy brothers and sisters, that even if you see a trajectory that's pointing in a direction that's incompatible what you think God wants, do not play with, do not try to figure out the mysteries of Hashem. And as it turns out, the Zionist movement that came here, half of the Jews around the world are here in the Holy Land speaking the language of the Tyra, the holy language, Hebrew. And there's more to in today than has been since the days of Hezekiah. They didn't know it at the time. Do not try to understand my mysteries. It's very striking that would ask for a sign from God. All of you, I imagine, intuitively find it troubling or disorienting of why would a person who is at sadic ask God for a sign. I'm sure you're saying to yourself, if Novi came to me and told me something, I would say, "Okay, I believe you. I'm there." But as it turns out in Tanakh, holy people ask for a sign from God. We can go back to in chapter 15 of Genesis when he's told about the destiny of the Jewish people going to Egypt and so on. He says, "Buddda, how can I know?" and he's given a sign of the covenant between the parts. Gideon in the book of Judges when he's approached by an angel told that look we have terrorists in our midst who've been making the lives of the Jewish people miserable Midianites and you've been the one who has been selected handpicked to deliver the children of Israel. What did he do? He says I need a sign. We're going to put out a if it's wet and it's dry. It's dry. It's wet. Why is he asking for signs? This goes on a lot in Tanakh. To make this problem even more challenging and bothersome is that wicked people don't ask for a sign. Moreover, Hezekiah's father, who's a very wicked man, Aaz, in the famous chapter 7 that the church made very famous where they mistransated the word virgin and all that stuff when Isaiah approached Akaz in the upper washers pool right here. Mama, you can walk there in 5 minutes. And he said to him, look, I know there are two kings that are surrounding you. It's a very similar story. In that time, it was Pekk Ben Raalayahu, who is the king of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Ritin, who was the king of Syria, not Assyria. Big difference at that time. They surrounded Jerusalem at that time. Aaz was here. And Isaiah says, "Ask for a sign from the heavens above below." And Aka's feigning piety says, "I don't want to ask. I don't want to bother the Lord." Now really what he did not want is he did not want to be guided by the Almighty. He did not want to be under the rashiva. He did not want to be under the under the order of what the God of Israel is saying. I'll deal with this whole issue. And he in fact deals with it by making a deal with Assyria. He makes a deal with Assyria that brings in the enemy here into the land of Israel. Mame brings in something horrible. He dies thinking he was a genius. He was 36 when he died. he thought it was brilliant because it worked to that point. But the Assyrian Empire is now here. He doesn't want a sign and the great people want a sign. The great people don't feel worthy. And a cosmic sign was even more important. A cosmic sign was vital to because he had a bigger problem on his hands. The nation of Israel were here in your schlim. That was all that was left. We do not know the number of Jews that were in your schlim at that moment. But they were all looking to him. If it was a personal sign, if it was something maybe a writing on the wall, which we see in Daniel in a totally different context, he would see it for sure, but the nation wouldn't see it. The nation need to have confidence to know that the advice he was giving to turn your hearts to God that God will save you would in fact transpire. It's intriguing, sweet kind, sweet children who are born from above, not from below. We talk about you cannot see the future. Don't play with the mysteries of God in the 22nd year of Manasha's reign. that wicked Manasha who reigned 55 years. But in the 22nd year of his reign, he's captured by the Assyrians and he's taken off captive to Babylon. Interestingly, he's fettered in chain. He can't even move and he's set to die and he cries out to Hashem and he does cha and God forgives him and he's restored back to the kingdom to rule and he changes everything. Why is I'm shaking now. Why is Masha so important to us? Why does Tanakh take so much time to say you think you're bad? You think you've made mistakes in your life? Gather around, boys and girls. I've got someone that is worse than you can ever imagine. And he repented and God forgave him. And if God forgave Manasha, he can certainly forgive you. As we approach Rashy Kipper, many of us are looking forward to the numinous prayers that will come from our lips as we announce that Hashem is king and we blow the shaur followed by the 10 days of repentance. But in our hearts, we wonder perhaps our own personal little secret. I have done things that no one knows. And if my husband knew, if my wife knew, she would throw me out of the house. God, after all, knows everything. Is he, given that he knows every thought I've had, is he really going to forgive me? When I look in the mirror, I don't see something attractive. Perhaps that mirror displaced you, your worst critic. So, Tanakh is very careful when marshalling the people who repented and God forgave them. Hashem pulls forward people who are much much worse than you can ever dream to be. And if God could forgive them, well, no matter how bad I am, I never did that. That's why kind we read the book of Jonah on because they were the worst people in the world. That was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. So had imperfect information. These are they shabas. Incidentally, if you look at Ezra, it's one saver. You see that the Jews, the 42,360 Jews who came here initially, no navish benev, no Jewish agency, no stiper, no you know tax relief for the first whatever nothing they came and many of them were totally malabas and it's in for you to see why why do I have to know that the Jews who came to Israel the Zionist who came here the first wave when Cyrus gave the command they were shabas. It's one of the rare places in Tanak that Jews are criticized for not keeping shab and they were marrying non-Jewish girls open. Why do I need to know it? I understand it's interestant. It's interesting historically, but why is this no to me to know that when Zionists come into the land that the majority of the initial flow are people who are not religious, why does this have to do with anything? The answer is that's the gula. That's why the Gmorra migula says that there couldn't be a tarum a a commentary of the toim because it would give away what's going to happen when mashia comes. Oh, now I understand. Don't be distracted. But you're the you should know you have imperfect information. Understood that his son would be wicked. He saw the trajectory but he didn't understand the end. Sweet kind of our holy creator has a great plan who he starts off with. Don't make the Tyra says the mitzvah to have children. Don't try to impede that process by remaining alone. If the Tanakh says the Jews will return to the land of Israel and they'll have an army and then nations will come up against us and they will be defeated and your will be a heavy burdensome stone to all those who come against it. Don't try to stop the Zionist movement by saying don't go stay in the five towns. You don't understand the end. It is true that the early Zionists there were many many many religious Jews. Don't make any mistake about that. But predominantly were not observant but you don't know what's going to happen. You don't understand. There were some people who did of blessed memory. He got it. He was able to see not just the trajectory of how this ends up in comporting with as Rav Cook the first chief rabbi the state of Israel. What we learn out from here is do not engage in trying to figure out the mysteries hashem because what will happen is what happened to manasha something great will come out and I know you wonder as kipper comes what will happen something marvelous every prophecy The ant is true as the word of God and the Lord is not a man that he'll lie. I hope they hear that in the Vatican. Hope they hear that in Dallas Theological Seminary. Hope they hear that in Fuller. The God of Israel is not a man. He doesn't lie. He doesn't change his mind. Praise Hashem. One final question. It's a question that bothered me all of my adult life. The Gor says that was so great he could have been Messiah. And that that's meaningful. It's not just a historical statement. If my brothers and sisters, you want to know like what will Messiah be like? What kind of person will he be like? Look at Hezekiah. That's a picture of Messiah. It's very important. So what I'm conveying to you is this is very important. It's na to understand what kind of person will he be? Look at But the Gumotra says that he didn't say Shira when the 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were killed overnight on the first day of Pesak. 3 days later, this happens on the 12th of Nissan. this interaction. Three days later, the Jews in Usham had a Passover seder and they went to sleep. They sure thought that they will be the last seder they would ever celebrate. And the next morning they woke up and there was just silence. They looked over the wall, 185,000 soldiers are dead. Given incidentally was so great, I want to just share this with you. We're not going to go into it now. Time will permitted. I encourage to look at his prayer for his own illness which begins in verse 9 and goes all the way to verse 20 of Isaiah 38. So he's seeing a praise for his own rafu. He's thanking God that he delivered him that he delivered him from terminal illness which makes the why didn't he say Shira for a national salvation. Do you understand how problematic this is? By the way, we understand now when the garra says that one of the things that did that was great. Some things didn't appreciate what he did, but there are three things that they liked. And one of them is he destroyed the book that had all the remedies in it. So people will not be able to use it and then heal themselves and never turn to God. Now that all wow makes sense because he turns to God. Incidentally, if you are moved tonight to turn to the God of Israel, read his his his Shira for his own recovery. You know what he says there? He thanks God for healing him. So he has another 15 years. What reason? This was it just simply my mind can't absorb it. Maybe you can. He thanks God because he now has 15 years to praise Hashem because the dead can't praise Hashem. Whatever that means, they can't. You know the famous passages that people don't have free will after they die. They're very much then is alive but you can only praise Hashem while you're alive. And he thanks God. Why? Not that I'm not dead. Not that I'm going to pass away. Not that I have to go on chemotherapy. Not anything. He says, "Now I have 15 years to praise you." This is the giant he was you our minds keeping the rap. He never he's not thinking God thank God I'm what no he's saying thanking God that now I have 15 more years to praise you it's so a person I just of on a scale of magnitude that our minds can't even comprehend now there are in kazal many explanations it's a troublesome issue why didn't he in fact say shiru why not or adequately thank God and I struggle with this and who am I whatever I am but sometimes I just don't come upon an adequate answer that I find satisfying maybe that's meaningless I assure you I have never encountered After a explanation, I said, "Okay, that explains the whole thing." You have to have a person who knows exactly how to thank God and is the greatest essentially one of the greatest people that ever lived. Definitely the greatest king. Why didn't he? And I went through the words of our sages and I just I maybe it's a weakness in me, but I couldn't get it. I couldn't get it until April 13th, 2024. Iran launches for the first time a direct assault on Israel in which 300 ballistic missiles were fired at the Holy Land along with drones. 130 of those 300 were ballistic missiles. I want you I don't know if you if you understand if you comprehend the magnitude of that this presentation is being provided for you and to you in a rocket proof room a miklot a public rocket proof room which would protect us from rockets from drones from fragments from the pressure of a missile. However, if a ballistic missile were to hit this Miklot, there was one that hit the parking lot of the old city and many of us were not that far away and we could feel the explosive pressure. Even if you're a mile away, your chest heaved. Others, it wasn't the first time that I'd ever come close to it. If a ballistic missile were to hit this rocket proof room, we would all be dead. There are provided for the head of the army, the head of government of special fortified rooms that can protect the people who run this country as in every country that can even withstand a nuclear attack. But that's for people who run the army, who run the country, so that no matter what happens, they can continue. But when we go into a mammad, a personal rocket approach, we are not protected from a ballistic missile. 130 of those 300 were exactly that. By the by April 14th, the next day, we found out the news. Not one person was killed. The God of Israel, his hand was upon this land. The God of Israel doesn't lie. He protected us. There was one Bedawin girl who was injured from a fragment. Most of you here remember that very well. Looking at the skies and watching the light shoot across and we're not even sure. Like Joshua saw an angel. said, "Are you with us or without?" We're looking at said, "Is that a rocket against us or for us?" We didn't even know. And then we ran back like chickens back into our room. We didn't want to watch too much understood the danger. Most of us here were there. What followed? This is the first time in history that Iran directly attacked us. Of course, Iran has been attacking us using its proxies for a long, long time. the shim the yoy of these wicked ones. But this is the first direct. What happened the next day? Most of us were right there. We said hashem. I did and I know you did too. Here's what they wasn't dancing in the streets. Hal Shyer. We were people who were shaken and thanking God telling our neighbors, "I can't believe what just happened." watching the news in real time and saying, "I just I'm shocked." But where was the Shirro at the time? And the answer is it wasn't really there. I remember as a little boy, very little boy, the 67 war, I was a little boy and hearing the outcome, the harabases in our hands and the dancing in Brooklyn. I remember as a little boy had a very big impact on me listening to it on the radio. No, Shira. Why not? That should have been a holiday. It's good that we're like all included on on this because it can really touch it. What happened? Why we are people who know how to say shar we do it. I would submit to you my holy brothers and sisters, my flesh and blood, my mishbuck of my nation that we were so traumatized by the other events that had led up to it. October 7th when our enemies, these barbarians, murdered 1,189 people, took 251 hostage. And at that time, there were still so many hostages being held and were mourning of so many people who were murdered. And so many of our soldiers, nearly over 200 of them had been killed at the time. There was such trauma at the time that essentially we're in the midst of a process and there was too much pain. What where was at that critical moment? It's true Hashem saved Jerusalem but when he looked around all he saw was devastation. All of Judah 46 cities destroyed the north gone. So many killed. Shira, he wasn't ready for that. We're living in a remarkable time, my dear brothers and sisters. We should never try to understand the mysteries of God. It is he alone that we worship. It's he alone that every knee will bow. It's he alone that every tongue will swear. Isaiah 45. We must be prepared now. Kind as Rashana is upon us. Rashon is the moment in Jewish history when the 42,000 Jews came to with one heart as one person as of chapter 3 verse one and started bringing offerings. No Bikdash yet. We are living in that time now. We trust that his promises are forever. We know that the holy one blessed be his name keeps his promises. will be to witness very soon a of our time bring about a true redemption and as you turn to God trust him he'll forgive you too. Thank you. If you enjoyed this program please like and subscribe. No love. I share my love.