by Rabbi Avi Billet
Haftorahs are often relegated to the realm of “when will this be over as I don’t understand it,” but sometimes the Haftorah achieves an element of prominence through the Shabbos being named for it, and its message being most clear and poignant. The Haftorahs that feature most prominently throughout the year are the “3 prophesies of difficulty” which lead up to Tisha B’Av, the “7 prophesies of comfort” which follow Tisha B’Av, the first of which is “Shabbos Nachamu,” and then our Haftorah for “Shabbos Shuva.” Some of the narrative Haftorahs that pop up during the year may feature prominently as well because everyone likes a good story, but even the narratives don’t take on a life of their own, as they are often overshadowed by the events in their corresponding Parsha.
It is also interesting to note how some Haftorahs repeat, such as the Haftorah for Shabbos Chanukah is the same as the Haftorah of B’haalos’kha, the Haftorah for Noach is a combination of the Haftorahs for Re’eh and Ki Tetze, and our Haftorah from this week is part of the Haftorah for Vayetze (Hoshea 14).
Considering that our Haftorah, specifically chosen for its call to “Return to God” (Shuva Yisrael!), seems to fit nicely in the context of the Shabbos between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur as it carries a message of Teshuvah, one wonders what that has to do with the story of Yaakov fleeing from Eisav, running away to Charan, establishing his family, and building his wealth before finally returning home – the topic of Parshat Vayetze, the other time our Haftorah is read during the year.
One possibility, suggested by Rabbi Yehuda Shaviv in his book “בין הפטרה לפרשה” (Connections between the Haftorah and the Parsha) is that the word “Shuva” (return) can be referencing a physical return to the homeland. In Parshat Vayetze, Yaakov is eventually told by God, after many years in Lavan’s house, that it is time to return to the land of his fathers.
This suggestion actually makes a lot of sense when we look back at the same message being delivered in the calendar context of this week’s reading of the prophet Hoshea’s words when we consider the Haftorahs we read in this time period to be connected. The most recent two Haftorahs that we read were on the second day of Rosh Hashana and on Tzom Gedaliah. On the second day of Rosh Hashana, the cry of Rachel is recalled by the prophet Yirmiyahu, as she is told her efforts on behalf of her children will not go unnoticed, as “ושבו בנים לגבולם” – they will return home from exile! The next verses there reference how Ephraim undergoes Teshuvah (repentance) and regret over misdeeds – certainly a fitting set of messages for Rosh Hashana.
On Tzom Gedaliah we read the Haftorah of all fast days, “Dirshu” (Yeshayahu 56) which is primarily an exortation to the people to return to God in a spiritual way, following the model of righteous gentiles who either convert to Judaism or seek out God out of a deep spiritual longing.
On the continuum of our “Haftorah record keeping” we can see how there are a number of messages of “Return” featured here – one of which is what we call Teshuvah, a return to Godliness, while another is a need to yearn to return home.
In Yaakov’s case, we can certainly argue that there was another concern, that his exile to Lavan would be the source for the destruction of his family, and their collective religious future. We know this from how the Haggadah depicts Yaakov’s venture into Lavan’s territory. But we can also see the writing on the wall when we consider the story of Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh, the great student of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, about whom Koheles Rabba informs us that when the center of Torah moved to Yavneh, Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh moved away from that community to be near his wife’s family in Emaus, where his connection to Torah was simply lost – he even forgot all that he had learned. The Talmud also tells us in several places that Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh was also known as Rabbi Nehorai, who famously said (Avot 4:14), “Exile [only] to a place of Torah, and don’t say it [the Torah] will follow you” presumably because it doesn’t work that way. For Torah to survive, a concerted effort needs to be undertaken to maintain its study and practice.
Another example of this is in the prayer of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur, which he said after finishing his Avodah and left the Holy of Holies for the final time. According to the version of his prayer that appears in the Talmud Yerushalmi in Yoma, he would say, “If we are slated to go to exile, our exile should be in a place of Torah.” Rabbi Yissachar Tamar explained how important this prayer was, because whenever Jews were exiled to a place without Torah, they were caught up in assimilation, they forgot their Torah, their faith become inconsequential, to the point that it was lost from their descendants completely.
Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein noted that the Haftorah of Shuva constitutes a form of response to the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, which is meant to precipitate a feeling of mourning (which needs comfort) and to inspire Teshuva (the repentance kind) that brings us closer to God after having been driven apart from Him. “Reading the haftara of Shuva stems from a double obligation of repentance: a) the obligation of repentance generated by the Ten Days of Penitence; and b) an obligation of repentance following the destruction of the Temple.”
On account of a debate raised by Tosafot in Megillah (31b) as to whether the Haftorah for this week should be “Shuva Yisrael” (from Hoshea 14) or “Dirshu” (the Haftorah for fast days), Rav Mosheh concluded his thought about why Shuva is indeed the Haftorah we read today, noting there are “2 models for prophecies of repentance that translate into 2 kinds of haftarot. There are prophecies that present us with repentance and pardon in all their glory and describe a high spiritual state, and there are prophecies that deal with repentance at a very base level.”
He argues that “Dirshu” challenges people on a high level to aim higher. This may reflect the reality that the people who most often hear that Haftorah, on fast days, are only Jews who are fasting, who are typically more involved in active Jewish observance, who are thus inspired to aim higher in their repentance efforts. On the other hand, the Haftorah of Shuva speaks to a lower common denominator, to the Jewish people in its totality, regardless of levels of knowledge, observance, or commitment. Return to God simply because He is your God.
“It seems that the haftara of Dirshu is more appropriate, as Rabbenu Tam rules for certain years. ls it not better to turn to the people with a call to superior repentance rather than to be satisfied with inferior repentance?
“However, the consideration that guides our custom is to select Shuva precisely because of its low common denominator. The prophecy of Dirshu is surely more exalted and uplifting than Shuva. However, Shuva's deficiency also makes it more desirable. Dirshu presents man with tall demands. Fortunate is he who merits to realize them, but not everyone can do so. The threshold is so high and the demands so great that many people cannot meet them. Its realization depends on an elevated spiritual state, and while it is certainly preferable, it is difficult to achieve. Shuva, on the other hand, does not set lofty demands. All that Israel has to do is come home to God. There is no need for a profound spiritual change, and a feeling of privation suffices to draw man close to God. Such repentance is in everyone's reach.”
Whether a longing to return home to the land of Israel, a longing to return to God, a desire to raise the bar on our own Torah study and observance, or an inspiration to repent and change one’s ways, our Haftorah’s call of Shuva should be the final wake up call we need to put ourselves on the right path that makes us ready for Yom Kippur, so we can be blessed with the good and better year we all hope to see for ourselves, our families, our community, Am Yisrael, and the good people of the world.
