Shabbat Nahamu

Written by Rabbi Dr Michael Shire Thursday, 14 August 2008

Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to
Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her
iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for
our God. (Isaiah 40:1-3) 

These words of Isaiah made famous musically by Handel in his Messiah evoke a great feeling of consolation after a terrible period of destruction and mourning. On this Shabbat Va’ethannan following the cemmoration of Tisha B’av we read in the Haftarah the words spoken following the destruction of the 1st Temple in 586 BCE and the deportations of the populace to Babylon. The name of this Shabbat is taken from the first word of the haftarah – Nahamu! Comfort! These words of consolation inititiate a cycle of seven weekly readings that emphaise divine reassurance and renewal of the spirit of the People.

We all need comfort after a terrible event or crises in our lives. We wish mourners ‘Hamakom yenachem’ – ‘may God grant you comfort’ as they come to terms with the loss of a loved one. A rabbinic parable or homily will often end on an uplifting note called a ‘nehamta’ to emphasise the comforting nature of the message despite the harsh realities that may exist. Here in Isaiah the word is repeated twice, ‘Nehamu, nehamu..’ to indicate the intensity of the desire or to express the notion that it should come quickly (Ibn Ezra). But who is to do the comforting? Is it referring to Isaiah himself? However it is written in the second person plural and would seem to suggest many people.

In verse three, we hear a ‘kol koreh’ – a voice calling but no indication is given of whose voice. The voice is supposed to announce a clear path ahead and herald a new time of rejoicing and fulfilment. It is a positive voice and one that will be heard and acknowledged. Though there will be detractors who prophecy doom and gloom, the voice continues to be a beacon to those seeking hope and comfort.

I have just concluded reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a horrifying yet gripping tale of father and son taking the road after some unexplained global catastrophe. Most of the dialogue revolves around the conversations between father and son on their long and desperate journey. Many conversations end with the word OK as the father seeks to reassure and comfort his terrified son.

I want you to tell me. It’s OK.
He shook his head.
Look at me, the Man said.
He turned and looked. He looked like he’d been crying.
Just tell me.
We wouldn’t ever eat anybody, would we?
No. Of course not.
Even if we were starving?
We’re starving now.
You said we weren’t
I said we weren’t dying. I didn’t say we weren’t starving.
But we wouldn’t.
No. we wouldn’t
No matter what.
No. No matter what.
Because we‘re the good guys.
Yes.
And we’re carrying the fire.
And we’re carrying the fire. Yes.
OK.

The simple OK, the reassuring voice in the wilderness, the vital need to hold onto hope and then somehow have faith enough to share it with others is this Shabbat Nahamu’s message. By lifting up our voice, we can bring comfort to mourners, we can recall our People’s and other People’s national tragedies and we will always end with a message of hope even in the most terrible of tragedies with the words of this week’s corresponding Torah portion:

”Hear O Israel, the Eternal is our God, the Eternal God is One”