On Isaiah 12 with Rashi
1. And you shall say on that day, "I will thank You, O Lord, for You were wroth with me; may Your wrath turn away and may You comfort me.
א. וְאָמַרְתָּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אוֹדְךָ יְהֹוָה כִּי אָנַפְתָּ בִּי יָשֹׁב אַפְּךָ וּתְנַחֲמֵנִי Rashi: And you shall say: when you see the nations being sentenced to disgrace and abhorrence. I will thank You, O Lord, for you were wroth with me: and You exiled me, and my exile atoned for me, and now, amends have been made for my iniquity. May Your wrath turn away and may You comfort me. Jonathan renders: I will confess before You, O Lord, that I sinned before You, and, therefore, You were wroth with me, and were it not for Your mercy, I would not be worthy to have Your wrath turn away and comfort me, and behold, Your wrath has turned away from me. MCK COMMENT ON RASHI: "my exile atoned for me" — The secret of Mashiach's atoning death for Israel is that it is extended in divine judgment into his concealment from Israel and from the world, and in this it is made to assume into itself the great exile, from Egypt to Assyria and Babylon, the seven exiles, and in this way the exiles of Israel are made Israel's atonement. If we do not suffer with him we will not reign with him. 2. Here is the God of my salvation, I shall trust and not fear; for the strength and praise of the Eternal the Lord was my salvation." ב. הִנֵּה אֵל יְשׁוּעָתִי אֶבְטַח וְלֹא אֶפְחָד כִּי עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ יְהֹוָה וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה Rashi: for the strength and the praise of the Eternal the Lord: The strength and the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, that was my salvation. We cannot, however, explain עָזִּי, like עֻזִּי, my strength, for we do not find in Scripture עָזִּי vowelized with a short ‘kamatz,’ but with a ‘shuruk,’ reading עֻזִּי, with the exception of three places where it is accompanied by וְזִמְרָת. Also, וְזִמְרָת cannot be explained like וְזִמְרָתִי, my praise, but we are forced to say that וְזִמְרָת is connected to the word following it. Therefore, I say that the ‘yud’ of עָזִּי is merely like the ‘yud’ of (Deut. 33:16) סְנֶה שׁוֹכְנִי, “He Who dwells in the thornbush.” the Eternal the Lord: Until now His Name was divided, and with the downfall of Amalek, it became whole, and so Scripture states (Exodus 17: 16): “For the hand is on the throne of the Eternal (כֵּס יָהּ),” implying that the throne is incomplete and the Name is incomplete until the Lord wages war against Amalek. was my salvation.: Heb. וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה, like הָיָה לִי לִישׁוּעָה, was to me for a salvation, and it is customary for Scripture to speak in this manner. Comp. (Exodus 9:21) “And he who did not heed the word of the Lord, left (וַיַּעֲזֹב) his slaves and his cattle” ; also, in II Chronicles (10:17): “And the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned (וַיִּמְלֹ) over them.” It should say, עֲלֵיהֶם מָלַ. 3. And you shall draw water with joy from the fountains of the salvation. ג. וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם מַיִם בְּשָׂשׂוֹן מִמַּעַיְנֵי הַיְשׁוּעָה Rashi: And you shall draw water: You shall receive a new teaching [from Targum]. from the fountains of the salvation: For their heart will be dilated through the salvation that came to them, and secrets of the Torah that have been forgotten during the exile, because of the troubles, will be revealed to them. 4. And you shall say on that day, "Thank the Lord, call in His Name, publicize His deeds among the peoples; keep it in remembrance, for His Name is exalted. ד. וַאֲמַרְתֶּם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא הוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה קִרְאוּ בִשְׁמוֹ הוֹדִיעוּ בָעַמִּים עֲלִילֹתָיו הַזְכִּירוּ כִּי נִשְׂגָּב שְׁמוֹ Rashi: His deeds: Heb. עֲלִילוֹתָיו, similar to מַעֲלָלָיו. keep it in remembrance: to praise [His Name,] for it is exalted. 5. Sing to the Lord for He has performed mighty deeds; this is known throughout the land. ה. זַמְּרוּ יְהֹוָה כִּי גֵאוּת עָשָׂה מוּדַעַת זֹאת בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ 6. Shout and praise, O dwellers of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. ו. צַהֲלִי וָרֹנִּי יוֹשֶׁבֶת צִיּוֹן כִּי גָדוֹל בְּקִרְבֵּךְ קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל |