{"id":68712,"date":"2020-01-18T23:48:03","date_gmt":"2020-01-18T21:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=68712"},"modified":"2023-08-13T09:30:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-13T06:30:49","slug":"for-the-sake-of-zion-i-will-not-be-silent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/for-the-sake-of-zion-i-will-not-be-silent\/","title":{"rendered":"For The Sake Of Zion I Will Not Be Silent"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The themes of righteousness and salvation that Malbim* struck in the previous chapter are continued in his commentary into the current chapter as well. On the opening verse: \u201cFor the sake of Zion I will not be silent, for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still, till her victory emerges resplendent and her triumph like a flaming torch,\u201d he wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n

[The prophet] continued to speak about two matters that he addressed in the previous chapter. [A] Righteousness: God wanted to reveal Israel\u2019s righteousness, and the verity of their Torah and their faith. [B] Salvation: God wanted to deliver them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s righteousness is symbolized by Zion, because Zion was the seat of the Sanhedrin and the Temple. Jerusalem symbolizes Israel\u2019s salvation because that is where the masses returned and where the exiles would be gathered, as stated [previously]: \u201cClothe yourself with strength, Zion, clothe yourself with garments of glory, Jerusalem\u201d (52:1). Zion would clothe itself with inner strength and spiritual victory and Jerusalem [would wear] the outer garments of corporeal victory.<\/span><\/p>\n

To validate Israel\u2019s righteousness and the truth of its Torah, requires the production of arguments and evidence, hence \u201cFor the sake of Zion I will not be silent,\u201d I will not refrain from arguing and proving her truth. To deliver Israel from its exile requires action and deed, hence \u201cfor the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still,\u201d I will not be at rest, inactive; rather, I will act promptly to save them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Malbim\u2019s commentary here can be seen as autobiographical, since he was engaged throughout his rabbinic career in precisely those two areas: proving the validity of the Torah as he defined it and working towards Israel\u2019s salvation. His efforts in the former realm were characterized by his stalwart opposition to the Reform movement, for which he paid a heavy price, including incarceration by the Rumanian authorities on a trumped-up charge of blaspheming Christianity. (His release was secured only through the intervention of Sir Moses Montefiore). His contribution to Israel\u2019s salvation took the form of steadfast disapproval of the Haskalah (Enlightenment), which he saw as a threat to many traditional Jewish values.<\/span><\/p>\n

*For the significance of Malbim\u2019s commentary to the Book of Isaiah,<\/span> see our introduction to chapter 1.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":false,"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"For The Sake Of Zion I Will Not Be Silent","main_caption":"To deliver Israel from its exile requires action and deed, hence \u201cfor the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still,\u201d I will not be at rest","main_caption_size":"2","sub_caption":"","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":false,"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68712"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68712"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68713,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68712\/revisions\/68713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}