Redemption without Teshuva

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1. The Abominations of their Fathers

   Part 2

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   The act of offering children to Molekh and passing them through fire – was common among pagans and is echoed in the story of Akeidat Yitzhak. It led to a perception that such practices had Divine legitimacy. Yirmiyahu emphasizes, in each of the three verses where the burning of children by fire is mentioned, that the act violates God’s command; that such an idea never “came into God’s mind,” and that God would never mislead His people  this way. If indeed – as it appears from Yehezkel – the view prevailed among the people that this act was legitimate in God’s eyes, then it is clear why Yirmiyahu repeats over and over the prophetic message that there is no basis for it.

    

   According to Yehezkel’s prophecy, the future revival of the nation will not come because of the covenant of the forefathers – which is not mentioned here at all – nor as the result of the nation repenting. It is a “forced” redemption, motivated by the desecration of God’s Name inherent in the very fact of the nation’s exile. The nation should therefore be ashamed of its deeds because of the Divine motivation to restore them to their land. This redemption is “forced” upon the people, as it were, with no opportunity for them to exercise their free choice – perhaps even against their will. It is for this reason that the whole nation will not return.

2. Yehezkel’s Description of the Nation’s Purification

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   The various descriptions of redemption in Sefer Yehezkel suggest that the occurrence of the redemption is not dependent on the nation’s deeds, rather the process is carried out in its entirety by God. The prophet states the reason for this: the ingathering of the nation into its land takes place solely because of God’s desire that His Name be sanctified in the eyes of the nations. The Destruction and the exile do not cause any fundamental change in the nation’s attitude towards God, and therefore the desired processes – purification and atonement - will take place without any preconditions.

3. The Love of a Father

   Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

4. Yehezkel’s Prophecy regarding Gog and Magog

   Part 3 - The Nations will Know God

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   God exiled His people because of their sins, and because God’s chose to hide His face. In the pagan world, by contrast, the harm inflicted on a particular nation was proof of the weakness of their god; the suffering was not interpreted as a punishment or as the hiding of a divine face. This sharply contrasts the Jewish view.

   The purpose of redemption – the ingathering of the exiles and the war against Gog – is that not only will God’s name become known among the nations, but His name will also be magnified and sanctified, so much so that many nations will recognize Him. This will compensate for the desecration of God’s name that transpired when His people were exiled.

5. Obscure Reveries

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   Anyone who steals the Temple’s materials or otherwise defiles the holy house will be cursed. All this refers to the Jews’ enemies, who seek to stifle the Jews’ attempts to build the Temple by way of theft and any other means possible. Their end, hints the prophecy, will be that of curse and failure.

   The appointment of multiple leaders without a clear hierarchy is generally a recipe for disaster. The prophecy predicts that despite the potential for tension, Yehoshua and Zerubavel will cooperate peaceably. The Hasmoneans acted contrary to the spirit of this prophecy.

   Zekharia transitions to an uplifting messianic vision depicting the old and young flourishing in the streets of Jerusalem. He concludes, all the fasts associated with the destruction of the Mikdash will be transformed into joyous occasions.

   Whereas at the beginning of the sefer the prophet presents repentance as a necessary precondition for the Jews to receive Divine reward, by the end of the eighth chapter, the two appear to have been disentangled from one another. Certainly the Jews are required be righteous. Still, the simple reading of our chapter indicates that the salvation will be forthcoming whether or not the Jews follow God’s word.

6. Paradigms of Geulah

   Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

   תאריך פרסום: 2023 | | Hour and 12 minutes

   In this lecture, we will explore the various facets of redemption that appear throughout the Tanakh, with a particular focus on the portrayals by different prophets, each emphasizing different aspects of the people's relationship with God. Additionally, a fundamental question about the process of redemption will be addressed: Is repentance needed to attain redemption?

    

    

   Dedicated by Ruth M. Shane in memory of her mother, Sarah Poliakoff Shane חיה שרה בת חיים רפאל והענא גיטל, and her aunt, Bess Poliakoff Krivitsky פעשא בת חיים רפאל והענא גיטל who were חובבי תורה and devoted to the Land of Israel and her children