Elul: Fixing ourselves, repairing the world
We speak of the prophet Isaiah as if “he” is only one person. The truth is that the book we call Isaiah reflects many prophets speaking over decades or more. The words of these multiple unknown sources were woven together by an unknown editor, revealing that person’s understanding that the many utterances belonged under the heading “Isaiah.”
One of these “Isaiahs” spoke to the Jews languishing in Babylon after the exile and while on one hand he offered comfort (click here for an example) on the other hand, he was pretty generous with his rebuke. We read Isaiah’s word on Yom Kippur: “Is this the fast I desire!?” The prophet ridicules the overt piety of the Jews, chastising them for fasting without compassion, afflicting their souls without mercy. Speaking to the collective, Isaiah says “the fast I desire is for you to let the oppressed go free, share your bread with the hungry and take the wretched poor into your home.”
(Read the whole passage here.)
We cannot ignore the cry of the dispossessed, the afflicted, the downtrodden. That is not the Jewish way. It’s not enough to focus merely on our personal relationships, our familial dynamics—all hugely important, but just the beginning. Isaiah proclaims with classic prophetic passion: Fix yourselves and fix the world!
Check out the Elul Eleven page to see what you can do.
— Rabbi Ron Stern
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