This week we read the sixth haftarah1 of consoling. It tells us what it will be like when Moshiach comes and how special we are. Hidden in the words of the haftarah is the secret to bringing Moshiach sooner.
The haftarah begins: “Arise, shine, for your light has come.”2 The Baal Shem Tov explains that this verse is talking to Jewish spiritual leaders who set aside their own growth in Torah and mitzvahs in order to give back to the community.
In truth, if they focused on their own spiritual growth instead of the community’s, they would attain far greater spiritual heights. To them, the verse says: “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” Hashem is saying: “Don’t be afraid that you are losing out; give your light to the community, ‘for your light has come.’ You are not losing out. You will receive the light that you are sacrificing.”
The same is true for any person who helps another spiritually or physically. They are not losing out, and when we show love to each other and help each other spiritually or physically, we bring Moshiach sooner.3
Now the haftarah tells us how the nations of the world and their kings will serve us and bring us all kinds of gifts. They will recognize G‑d and honor Him.
The haftarah continues to tell us that we won’t need the sun or the moon because G‑d will be our everlasting light, “and you will have completed your days of mourning.”4 Why does the verse say “completed”? It should have used the word “ended”? The point here is that we will have completed our missions. Every Jewish person has mitzvahs to do and when we complete our mitzvahs, the world will be ready for Moshiach. Every extra mitzvah we do brings Moshiach that much sooner.5
G‑d now says: “Your people are all righteous. They will inherit the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, in which I will glory.”6 This verse tells us two things about how G‑d feels about us. First, we will inherit the land forever because we are all righteous—meaning, we all did the mitzvahs we had to do. Even more than that, he loves us because we are the branch of His plantings and the work of His hands. This means that he loves us not only for our accomplishments, but simply because of who we are.
When you build something, you choose the materials and the design. However, when you plant something, you have no control over how it will turn out. By saying “the branch of my planting,” G‑d is saying that He loves us each for the unique person we have become.7
G‑d also glorifies himself through the Jewish people because we are His representatives in this world. When we act in accordance with His will, everyone recognizes that we are His people, and He is glorified.8
How do we know that our work can hasten the redemption? We learn it from the last words of the haftarah, which say regarding the redemption, “in its time, I will hasten it.”9 If it’s in its time, it is not hastened; and if it is hastened, it is before it’s time.
What then is the meaning of these words? The answer is10 that if we are not worthy, it will come in its time. However, if we are worthy, because of our mitzvahs, kindness and love for each other, it will be hastened.
There is no doubt that with all we have done and all we have been through, we are more than worthy.
May G‑d hasten the coming of Moshiach, and may we experience the prophecy of this haftarah. May it happen soon.
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