Dvar Torah
Parshat V'etchanan / Nachamu
The Shabbat immediately following Tisha B’Av is considered one of the most joyous of the year. The theme is set by the opening words of Shabbat haftorah, “
nachamu nachamu ami”, most commonly translated as “be comforted, be comforted my people”. Tisha B’Av, commemorating the falls of two ancient temples and two Israelite governments, along with countless lives lost in defense of Jewish sovereignty, stands as the ultimate day of national mourning; yet, as the image of embers still smoldering came to the prophet’s eye, Isaiah spoke words intended to provide an embrace of comfort. Isaiah wanted the future of Israel be driven by hope and a belief in redemption. For such a lofty vision to be realized, though, something more than comfort was necessary. As a lozenge does not heal an infected throat, though a lozenge might provide temporary relief from pain, so too in the wake of a national failure, the most that could be offered by words of comfort might be a respite from the humiliation of the loss and defeat. For this reason, Isaiah’s words warrant a better and more accurate translation.
Nechamah is not comfort, it is consolation. When a community provides support to a family of mourners, the mitzvah is called “
nichum aveilim”. When the Genesis narrative set the stage for the birth of Noah as God bemoaned the pre-flood trajectory of humanity, the verse declared “
vayinachem HaShem ki asah et h’adam” / God sought consolation regarding humankind on the earth. Within the lexicon of Jewish usage, consolation is the process of making peace and finding acceptance with that which causes grief, brings sadness and triggers disappointment. Consolation is an instrument that helps find acceptance with a regret or a setback that cannot be fixed, changed or undone. It is a remediation for a frustration when the agony would otherwise linger.
In the haftorah for Shabbat Nachamu, Isaiah sought to assure Israel of God’s love despite the pain of what was destined to be experienced. In the mitzvah of
Nichum Aveilim, a community uses the best of its creative resources to mitigate sadness at a time of loss. When Heaven willed the birth of Noah, his life was intended to be an inspiration that humankind could do better if given a second chance. Consolation cannot change what is or what happened, consolation helps to open a window of hope on what might be and what is possible going forward.
A poem known as The Serenity Prayer is attributed to twentieth century American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, though its earliest origin is shrouded in historical theories. The common and current version reads, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” In three words, this poem defines the anchors of consolation - serenity, courage and wisdom; and this precisely is what I believe was Isaiah’s message in the words that open this week’s haftorah. Calamities are a reality of creation stretching from the peaks of Heaven’s aspirations to the depths of human misconduct. As a result, even God sometimes relies of the power of “
nechamah”. Isaiah, employing one simple word,
nachamu, was teaching the power of serenity, courage and wisdom.
The closing three words of Megillat Eichah might be read as a challenge to The Serenity Prayer, “
chadesh yameinu k’kedem - renew our days to what they were like in times of yore”. If consolation demands acceptance of what is, why then pray for a return of what once was? Among our sages are those who interpret this verse as a call for Heaven’s help. It is not a request that the clocks of time be turned back to the eras of antiquity. Rather it is a hope that each new day bring the gift of excitement. We can all recall days of our lives when could not wait to get out of bed, when we were propelled by the power of opportunity, when living each new day was like writing a new chapter into an amazing book. After experiences that take the wind out of our sails, it is not always easy to regroup and recapture positive energy. Yet, that is exactly the renewal for which we pray. That is the call of “
chadesh yameinu k’kedem”. That is the call of “
nachamu nachamu ami”.
