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It is important to note that chronologically the book of Isaiah should have begun here, with chapter 6. The five chapters that precede this were mostly concerning the destruction of “Judah and Jerusalem,” because at that time the state of Israel had already been destroyed by the Assyrians. This came long after the reign of Uzziah, by whose reign the beginning of chapter 6 is dated. This is one of the places that follow the famous rule that “there is no chronological order in the Torah.”
The correlation between the Parshah and the haftarah is the vision of the heavenly spheres that open the narrative in the latter. At the time of the giving of the Torah, “the heavens opened” and the Jewish people saw all that the prophets would later describe in mystical terms. In a similar vein, the haftarah for the first day of Shavuot (the date of the giving of the Torah) is taken from the first chapter of Ezekiel, who describes his vision known as the Merkavah (Divine “chariot”). These are portions of Tanach that enter the realm of the esoteric and “heavenly” part of of the Torah, known in Jewish vernacular as Kabbalah. All the physical terms therein must be divested of their simple meaning, as they describe something that is only analogous to the physical description.
After witnessing the Divine service of the heavenly angels, a seraph angel brings a “coal” to Isaiah’s lips and atones for his sin (see below). The voice of G‑d is heard and, as if speaking to the angels, He wonders who might go as a messenger to His people below who have gone astray. Isaiah answers the call, this while fully realizing the consequences of such a position.
G‑d tells Isaiah of how the people’s heart had grown “fat,” their ears “heavy” and their eyes “sealed.” If only they were more sensitive, they would return to G‑d and not have to endure the troubles looming on the horizon. Unfortunately, it would not be until destruction came that the people would awaken. Still, then, it would be likened to a “terebinth and an oak” in the fall: even though they lose their leaves and beauty, there is still vitality in the trunk. By the same token, although the Jewish people would lose tremendously, they would nevertheless endure forever.
