Shalom,

12 August 2022

Our Parashat Va’etchanan commentary this week delves into the Call on God’s people to follow His Ways, thereby fulfilling His Redemption Plan for humanity and becoming a Testimony to His Glory.

This week’s Haftarah portion puts the spotlight on the topic of this Divine counsel for them to follow His Way, which is defined elsewhere in Scripture in more detail as “becoming His Servant”  (Click for further information) in a special End Time Project. We thus read:

Isaiah 40:10 “Behold, the Lord HaShem will come as a Mighty One, and His Arm will rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.” This ‘Arm’ is also referred to as “His Servant’.

The symbolic application that Scripture applies in its definition of this “Servant” and the hidden, mystical nature of the “Mashiach” (the Coming Ruling King in HaShem’s Universal Kingdom) have raised an as yet insolvable division between Bible students. This division, mainly, is raging between Judaism and Christianity – the two main Bible Faiths in the World – and thus preventing them from reconciling after a 2750-year Family Feud. The Christian side claims that the Isaiah 53 definition applies to their NT Messiah, while Judaism claims that it refers to the Nation of Israel – as clearly protrudes from the 9 chapters 41-49 of Isaiah. This Mashiach Personage (The Servant of God) presents the irreconcilable Stumbling Block between the two sides that has to reconcile for the Final Redemption to take place. A clarifying discussion on this topic is therefore vitally important for our KOL HATOR audience which presents both sides and is desperately seeking ways to reconciliation between the two.

Here are some notes to kick-start our discussion to research into the true meaning or identity of the singular Personage identified by Isaiah 53 as ‘The Servant,’ as opposed to the Isaiah 41 – 49 vision of a group Body for “The Servant”:

– The Jewish Sage Rashi’s interpretation of Isaiah 53 identifies the Servant with the people of Israel. It was followed by the famous interpreters Ibn Ezra and Radak. But Rashi’s interpretation is not the only voice on Isaiah 53 within traditional Judaism. Nor is Rashi’s interpretation representative of the oldest view. In fact, the identification of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 with the Nation of Israel is entirely absent in Rabbinic literature before Rashi. In Targum Jonathan and the Midrashim the Servant in Isaiah 53 is rather identified as the Messiah.

Further vitally important reviews to read if you truly seek Final Redemption:

The Stumbling Block in the Way of Final Redemption

The Stumbling Block – its role and purpose

9 Isaiah chapters define ‘The Servant’ as an End Time Group Body

Note – For those who wish to delve deeper into this controversial topic regarding the true identity of the singular person “Servant of HaShem” in Isaiah 53 versus the group / nation Servant of Isaiah Ch. 41 – 49, please write to us and request to join a private study group on the topic. We will consider and discuss alternative evidence and studies from Rabbinic sources, and you are free to submit questions and conclusions for further discussion. Together we shall attempt to find a solution for this hidden, problematic topic that causes such great division amongst religious followers of the God of Israel. This study is particularly important for this current Time of great expectation of the “Coming of Mashiach.”