Perush Yeshaya 41

The fragment Yeshaya 41 verses 21-29:

קָרְבוּ רִיבְכֶם, יֹאמַר יְהוָה; הַגִּישׁוּ, עֲצֻמוֹתֵיכֶם, יֹאמַר, מֶלֶךְ יַעֲקֹב. יַגִּישׁוּ וְיַגִּידוּ לָנוּ, אֵת אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרֶינָה; הָרִאשֹׁנוֹת מָה הֵנָּה, הַגִּידוּ וְנָשִׂימָה לִבֵּנוּ וְנֵדְעָה אַחֲרִיתָן, אוֹ הַבָּאוֹת, הַשְׁמִיעֻנוּ. הַגִּידוּ, הָאֹתִיּוֹת לְאָחוֹר, וְנֵדְעָה, כִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם; אַף-תֵּיטִיבוּ וְתָרֵעוּ, וְנִשְׁתָּעָה ונרא (וְנִרְאֶה) יַחְדָּו. הֵן-אַתֶּם מֵאַיִן, וּפָעָלְכֶם מֵאָפַע; תּוֹעֵבָה, יִבְחַר בָּכֶם. הַעִירוֹתִי מִצָּפוֹן וַיַּאת, מִמִּזְרַח-שֶׁמֶשׁ יִקְרָא בִשְׁמִי; וְיָבֹא סְגָנִים כְּמוֹ-חֹמֶר, וּכְמוֹ יוֹצֵר יִרְמָס-טִיט. מִי-הִגִּיד מֵרֹאשׁ וְנֵדָעָה, וּמִלְּפָנִים וְנֹאמַר צַדִּיק; אַף אֵין-מַגִּיד, אַף אֵין מַשְׁמִיעַ--אַף אֵין-שֹׁמֵעַ, אִמְרֵיכֶם. רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן, הִנֵּה הִנָּם; וְלִירוּשָׁלִַם, מְבַשֵּׂר אֶתֵּן. אֵרֶא וְאֵין אִישׁ, וּמֵאֵלֶּה וְאֵין יוֹעֵץ; וְאֶשְׁאָלֵם, וְיָשִׁיבוּ דָבָר. הֵן כֻּלָּם, אָוֶן אֶפֶס מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם; רוּחַ וָתֹהוּ, נִסְכֵּיהֶם

The bold-faced verse appears in our list. The English Standard Version is as follows, with some comments intertwined. Discussed is, in my view, the "Psak Din" regarding P.

Set forth your case, says the Lord; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed will discuss and terrified see together.

Hence, P will be accepted as Torah, provided that there is anything to it. It could be that there is something from the "gods." "Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come."

Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you.

As you are nothing, who chooses you, chooses nothing, and is an abomination.

I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name; he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, “He is right”? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words. I was the first to say to Zion, “Behold, here they are!” and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news. But when I look, there is no one; among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer. Behold, they are all a delusion; their works are nothing; their metal images libations are empty wind.

In the court case, "there is no man," "there is no counselor," nobody answers the questions. We could answer for them. One could make the point that first verse of Parshat Tetzaveh would seem to be in P. One could answer that P_E, definitely divine, would seem to be part of P. "I was the first to say to Zion, `Behold, here they are!`" They did not believe in their case and hence they were silent, and it is their very silence that is suspect. See, the silence of the rabbanim, the worshippers of P, was foretold. They can give no answer to a single real question. "They are all a delusion." The word נִסְכֵּיהֶם is to be translated as "their libations," as P prescribed to do them. Therefore, P is mere "empty wind," "their works are nothing." But the word can also be translated as "their metal images," as the English Standard Version has it, and then P is like idol worship. Thirdly, the word could also be translated as "their masks," particularly apt on Purim.

Purim Sameach!