TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS
Chapter 58
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1Cry with full throat, without restraint; Raise your voice like a shofar! Declare to My people their transgression, To the House of Yaakov their sin.
אקְרָא בְגָרוֹן אַל־תַּחְשֹׂךְ כַּשּׁוֹפָר הָרֵם קוֹלֶךָ וְהַגֵּד לְעַמִּי פִּשְׁעָם וּלְבֵית יַעֲקֹב חַטֹּאתָם׃
2To be sure, they seek Me daily, Eager to learn My ways. Like a nation that does what is right, That has not abandoned the laws of its Hashem, They ask Me for the right way, They are eager for the nearness of Hashem:
בוְאוֹתִי יוֹם יוֹם יִדְרֹשׁוּן וְדַעַת דְּרָכַי יֶחְפָּצוּן כְּגוֹי אֲשֶׁר־צְדָקָה עָשָׂה וּמִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהָיו לֹא עָזָב יִשְׁאָלוּנִי מִשְׁפְּטֵי־צֶדֶק קִרְבַת אֱלֹהִים יֶחְפָּצוּן׃
3“Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?” Because on your fast day You see to your business And oppress all your laborers!
גלָמָּה צַּמְנוּ וְלֹא רָאִיתָ עִנִּינוּ נַפְשֵׁנוּ וְלֹא תֵדָע הֵן בְּיוֹם צֹמְכֶם תִּמְצְאוּ־חֵפֶץ וְכָל־עַצְּבֵיכֶם תִּנְגֹּשׂוּ׃
4Because you fast in strife and contention, And you strike with a wicked fist! Your fasting today is not such As to make your voice heard on high.
דהֵן לְרִיב וּמַצָּה תָּצוּמוּ וּלְהַכּוֹת בְּאֶגְרֹף רֶשַׁע לֹא־תָצוּמוּ כַיּוֹם לְהַשְׁמִיעַ בַּמָּרוֹם קוֹלְכֶם׃
5Is such the fast I desire, A day for men to starve their bodies? Is it bowing the head like a bulrush And lying in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call that a fast, A day when Hashem is favorable?
ההֲכָזֶה יִהְיֶה צוֹם אֶבְחָרֵהוּ יוֹם עַנּוֹת אָדָם נַפְשׁוֹ הֲלָכֹף כְּאַגְמֹן רֹאשׁוֹ וְשַׂק וָאֵפֶר יַצִּיעַ הֲלָזֶה תִּקְרָא־צוֹם וְיוֹם רָצוֹן לַיהֹוָה׃
6No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock fetters of wickedness, And untie the cords of the yoke To let the oppressed go free; To break off every yoke.
והֲלוֹא זֶה צוֹם אֶבְחָרֵהוּ פַּתֵּחַ חַרְצֻבּוֹת רֶשַׁע הַתֵּר אֲגֻדּוֹת מוֹטָה וְשַׁלַּח רְצוּצִים חָפְשִׁים וְכָל־מוֹטָה תְּנַתֵּקוּ׃
7It is to share your bread with the hungry, And to take the wretched poor into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe him, And not to ignore your own kin.
זהֲלוֹא פָרֹס לָרָעֵב לַחְמֶךָ וַעֲנִיִּים מְרוּדִים תָּבִיא בָיִת כִּי־תִרְאֶה עָרֹם וְכִסִּיתוֹ וּמִבְּשָׂרְךָ לֹא תִתְעַלָּם׃
8Then shall your light burst through like the dawn And your healing spring up quickly; Your Vindicator shall march before you, The Presence of Hashem shall be your rear guard.
חאָז יִבָּקַע כַּשַּׁחַר אוֹרֶךָ וַאֲרֻכָתְךָ מְהֵרָה תִצְמָח וְהָלַךְ לְפָנֶיךָ צִדְקֶךָ כְּבוֹד יְהֹוָה יַאַסְפֶךָ׃
9Then, when you call, Hashem will answer; When you cry, He will say: Here I am. If you banish the yoke from your midst, The menacing hand, and evil speech,
טאָז תִּקְרָא וַיהֹוָה יַעֲנֶה תְּשַׁוַּע וְיֹאמַר הִנֵּנִי אִם־תָּסִיר מִתּוֹכְךָ מוֹטָה שְׁלַח אֶצְבַּע וְדַבֶּר־אָוֶן׃
10And you offer your compassion to the hungry And satisfy the famished creature— Then shall your light shine in darkness, And your gloom shall be like noonday.
יוְתָפֵק לָרָעֵב נַפְשֶׁךָ וְנֶפֶשׁ נַעֲנָה תַּשְׂבִּיעַ וְזָרַח בַּחֹשֶׁךְ אוֹרֶךָ וַאֲפֵלָתְךָ כַּצָּהֳרָיִם׃
11Hashem will guide you always; He will slake your thirst in parched places And give strength to your bones. You shall be like a watered garden, Like a spring whose waters do not fail.
יאוְנָחֲךָ יְהֹוָה תָּמִיד וְהִשְׂבִּיעַ בְּצַחְצָחוֹת נַפְשֶׁךָ וְעַצְמֹתֶיךָ יַחֲלִיץ וְהָיִיתָ כְּגַן רָוֶה וּכְמוֹצָא מַיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְכַזְּבוּ מֵימָיו׃
12Men from your midst shall rebuild ancient ruins, You shall restore foundations laid long ago. And you shall be called “Repairer of fallen walls, Restorer of lanes for habitation.”
u-va-NU mi-m'-KHA khor-VOT o-LAM mo-s'-DAY dor va-DOR t'-ko-MAYM v'-ko-RA l'-KHA go-DAYR PE-retz m'-sho-VAYV n'-tee-VOT la-SHA-vet
יבוּבָנוּ מִמְּךָ חָרְבוֹת עוֹלָם מוֹסְדֵי דוֹר־וָדוֹר תְּקוֹמֵם וְקֹרָא לְךָ גֹּדֵר פֶּרֶץ מְשֹׁבֵב נְתִיבוֹת לָשָׁבֶת׃
58:12 – You shall restore foundations laid long ago
Naomi Shemer (1930-2004)
Although the Old City was lost in the 1948 War of Independence, it was liberated in the June 1967 Six-Day War. In May of 1967, Israeli songwriter, Naomi Shemer (1930-2004), composed the song Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (ירושלים של זהב), ‘Jerusalem of Gold,’ for the Israeli Song Festival. In it, she poetically describes the people’s 2,000 year long, ongoing yearning for the city, “How the cisterns have dried, the market-place is empty, and no one frequents the Temple Mount, in the Old City. Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light, behold I am a lyre for all your songs.” Not only an instant national hit, when war broke out a month later its lyrics and melody expressed the longing for ancient Jerusalem, which would be liberated in that war, in a way that mere words could not. Just after the war, Shemer added another stanza, “The cisterns are filled again with water, the square with joyous crowd, on the Temple Mount within the Old City, the shofar rings out loud.” The ancient ruins were rebuilt and the foundations laid long ago restored. Fittingly, “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” has become Israel’s unofficial national anthem.
13If you refrain from trampling the Shabbat, From pursuing your affairs on My holy day; If you call the Shabbat “delight,” Hashem's holy day “honored”; And if you honor it and go not your ways Nor look to your affairs, nor strike bargains—
יגאִם־תָּשִׁיב מִשַּׁבָּת רַגְלֶךָ עֲשׂוֹת חֲפָצֶיךָ בְּיוֹם קָדְשִׁי וְקָרָאתָ לַשַּׁבָּת עֹנֶג לִקְדוֹשׁ יְהֹוָה מְכֻבָּד וְכִבַּדְתּוֹ מֵעֲשׂוֹת דְּרָכֶיךָ מִמְּצוֹא חֶפְצְךָ וְדַבֵּר דָּבָר׃
14Then you can seek the favor of Hashem. I will set you astride the heights of the earth, And let you enjoy the heritage of your father Yaakov— For the mouth of Hashem has spoken.
AZ tit-a-NAG al a-do-NAI v'-hir-kav-TEE-kha al BA-mo-tay A-retz v'-ha-a-khal-TEE-kha na-kha-LAT ya-a-KOV a-VEE-kha KEE PEE a-do-NAI di-BAYR
ידאָז תִּתְעַנַּג עַל־יְהֹוָה וְהִרְכַּבְתִּיךָ עַל־בָּמֳותֵי אָרֶץ וְהַאֲכַלְתִּיךָ נַחֲלַת יַעֲקֹב אָבִיךָ כִּי פִּי יְהֹוָה דִּבֵּר׃
58:14 The heritage of your father Yaakov
Yeshayahu describes the beautiful rewards for following Hashem’s commandments. Those who do so will delight in the heritage of Yaakov. And what is heritage of Yaakov? As it says in Sefer Bereishit, Hashem promised Yaakov that the “the ground upon which you are lying (i.e. the Land of Israel) I will assign to you and to your offspring” (Geneis 28:13).
