And give no rest to Him, Until He establish Yerushalayim And make her renowned on earth Isaiah 62:7
וְאַל־תִּתְּנוּ דֳמִי לוֹ עַד־יְכוֹנֵן וְעַד־יָשִׂים אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם תְּהִלָּה בָּאָרֶץ
v’al tit’nu dami loh ad y’choneyn v’ad yasim et Yerushalayim t’hilah ba’aretz.
תְּהִלָּה [tehillah]
NOUN: Praise, glory, adoration
The Hebrew word for rest in this verse is damee (דמי), which also means ‘silence.’ Interestingly, the same Hebrew word, dam (דם), means ‘blood.’ Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel 16:6, “Live in spite of your blood.” The hidden meaning behind the verse is, ‘by your silence you shall live.’ In relationships, the truism “silence is golden” can protect against an insensitive remark. So too when it comes to our relationship with Hashem. Oftentimes we cannot comprehend His ways, and we become frustrated and even angry with the suffering we see in this world. Nevertheless, we must try to emulate Aharon’s example after losing two of his sons: Vayidom Aharon (וידם אהרון), ‘Aharon was silent’ (Leviticus 10:3).
Comments