A Mother’s Lasting Embrace
Haftorah Shabbos Rosh Chodesh
Yeshaya 66:1–24
כְּאִ֕ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִמּ֖וֹ תְּנַחֲמֶ֑נּוּ כֵּ֤ן אָֽנֹכִי֙ אֲנַ֣חֶמְכֶ֔ם וּבִירֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם תְּנֻחָֽמוּ׃
As a mother comforts her son so I will comfort you; You shall find comfort in Jerusalem.
The above posuk is recited when one concludes Shiva, as cited by Chazon La’moed 20:2. What is the message of this posuk, how does it serve to comfort the mourner and what message can we derive from this verse in these challenging times?
In his monumental 20th-century treatise on Eretz Yisrael and the redemption, Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtel explains why the Talmud Yerushalmi refers to the land of Israel as the "mother" of Israel and the lands of exile as a "stepmother."
He laments that Jews in exile have devoted themselves to their “stepmother” (the lands of exile), neglecting their true “mother” (the land of Israel). Despite investing heavily in building lives and homes in foreign lands, Jews have faced harsh treatment by their “stepmother”, including persecution and expulsion.
Rav Teichtel urged Jews to recognize that true comfort and belonging can only be found in the Land of Israel. He emphasized the need to return to Eretz Yisrael and dedicate efforts to rebuilding and strengthening it. He cautioned us to stop trusting the lands of exile, which have repeatedly betrayed and mistreated our people. The ultimate message of comfort is a call to focus on our true “mother”, the Land of Israel, for genuine comfort and redemption from millenia of pain and loss.
The above-cited posuk from the Haftorah describes our relationship with our Land and the heightened emotional bond of a mother and adult child. Despite the maturity of the adult, the orphaned child finds solace and comfort in his mother’s embrace. Like that adult child, we are intimately connected to Eretz Yisroel and its capital Yerushalayim. It is only in this space that we can achieve true stability and therefore it, and not the diaspora, can comfort us. Only in Israel do we have an eternal future. The bedrock quality of the Land of Israel and Yerushalayim calms and consoles the jittery mourner who wonders how he will survive and what his future holds. Eretz Yisrael, like a mother, soothes and reassures him.
In our own very difficult times, we would do well to internalize the message of Yeshayahu. Just as a mother is a source of eternal solace, so too our land serves to comfort us as the eternity of Israel will never end. May we merit the ultimate consolation that will come with the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel speedily in our days.