Sedra of the week: Devarim
Rabbi Jonny Roodyn looks ahead to this week's portion of the torah
Shabbat Chazon (the Shabbat of Vision) takes its name from the opening line of the Haftorah, usually read by the rabbi to the haunting tune of Eicha. Chazon details the vision of Isaiah, which concerns the fate of Judah and Jerusalem.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch introduces us to the book of Isaiah by explaining this prophecy took place some 150 years before the destruction of the Second Temple.
The eyes of Isaiah’s contemporaries were completely closed to the state of the decay. They instead saw a perfect picture, Jerusalem full of Jews, its marketplaces full of abundant food, a functioning Temple, Kohanim, Leviim, korbanos, a fire on the altar, 10 open miracles on a daily basis.
To the eye fixed on the externals, nothing was missing and everything seemed fine and dandy.
Chazon is Hashem opening Isaiah’s eyes to the condition of the Jewish people. To the mind’s eye, the eye that rests in the chazeh (chest or heart), the disconnect between the people and the mission was palpable.
The rabbis tells us that, like Hashem, the soul cannot be seen, but it has the ability to see.
One who is able to ‘see’ with his soul, perceives the world for what it really is, rather than the obscured illusion of the material world.
Chazon means to behold something in its fullest sense, rather than just view an object or a situation with a pair of eyes.
Isaiah, with his divinely-inspired ability to see through prophecy, perceives the Jewish people are on a collision course.
This catastrophe will take place well over a hundred years from his time, but he has to act now if anything is going to alter the course of Jewish history and destiny forever.
Chazon is the ability to see things for what they are, rather than what they appear to be. It is the long-term vision, one that doesn’t just see what is immediately in front of our faces, but one that invests in the Jewish future.
Rabbi Jonny Roodyn is education director of Jewish Futures and serves Finchley Federation Synagogue
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
