The Great Omission
My first trip home as a days-old believer was to celebrate Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) with my parents. As excited as I was about knowing Jesus is the promised Messiah, I chose to not announce it and potentially ruin the holidays. But I could not help but see my parents and their apartment with my Spirit-awakened eyes.
The markers of our Jewish identity were everywhere. The mezuzah on the door, the menorah on the buffet, the Hebrew calligraphic art on the walls, and the multitude of books on the shelves, all held a new deeper significance for me.
One book caught my attention. Nestled among larger volumes in the bookcase was a smaller, obviously older book. It was my dad’s copy of the Jewish Holy Scriptures Presented by the Army of the United States which he received while serving during World War II. It contained English translations of the Torah and a selection of holiday readings from other biblical texts, including portions of Isaiah. My attempt to find Isaiah 52:13-53:12 in it was futile.
As I eventually discovered, the verses describing “the Suffering Servant” (Isaiah 52:13–53:12) are conspicuously absent in Jewish liturgy. For instance, of the 54 haftarot (“Concluding” readings taken from the prophets paired with the weekly Torah portions), 15 come from the book of Isaiah, more than any other book. In addition, sections of Isaiah are read during five other Jewish holidays or observances during the liturgical year. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 cannot be found.
The omission of this section appears most obvious in the Haftara readings for the seven weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), celebrated as the Jewish New Year. These seven readings are known as Sheva D'Nechemta, the Seven (Haftarot) of Consolation/Comfort. All seven are taken from the latter half of Isaiah. The name for the readings comes from the first one, Isaiah 40:1-26 which begins “Nachamu, nachamu ami” “Comfort, O comfort my people.”
Each of the seven readings is intended as a healing balm. The people need comfort because the preceding three weeks which lead up to Tisha b’Av are called the Haftarot of Affliction. These readings, two from Jeremiah and one from Isaiah, are heartbreaking words of rebuke, and dire warnings of certain judgment upon the nation.
In stark contrast, the following seven Haftarot of Consolation lead up to Rosh Hashanah and pile prophecy upon prophecy detailing Israel’s glorious restoration – the fulfillment of God’s promises to restore His people to Himself, permanently return them to the Land, bring peace, pour out His blessings on them, and recompense their enemies.
The seven Haftarot of Consolation are Isaiah:
1. 40:1-26
2. 49:14-51:3
3. 54:11-55:5
4. 51:12-52:12
5. 54:1-54:10
6. 60:1-22
7. 61:10-63:9
Note where reading four ends and reading five begins (bolded above). As with my dad’s serviceman’s Bible, Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, the verses describing the Suffering Servant, are absent.
It is not my intention to propose a reason for the omission, as there are many possibilities. Rather, I want to highlight the omission’s ironic and tragic nature.
The irony is that the fulfillment of the seven Haftarot of Consolation for which Israel longs depends on the One described in the missing verses! It is the Suffering Servant’s sacrifice and its power to cleanse and justify unworthy people that brings Israel into a right relationship with God. Only when the nation as a whole receives Yeshua (Jesus) as their Suffering Servant, and say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” will the blessings of the Haftarot of Consolation be realized.
The tragedy is that my Jewish brethren do not recognize their need for what the Suffering Servant provides. The official Jewish understanding of the missing verses is that they refer to the nation of Israel, and not an individual person. Therefore, they claim it cannot point to Yeshua as the Suffering Servant.
Instead, my people are taught to rely on our corporate efforts to achieve righteousness and therefore merit God’s longed-for blessings. Despite their sincerity and effort in so doing, they are rejecting God’s provision and, as a result, tragically cutting themselves off from the very blessings for which they long.
Sadly, my people are still as the Apostle Paul described them two millennia ago:
For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteous of God (Romans 10:2–3).
This year, the final Haftarah of Consolation will be read in synagogues around the world on the morning of September 20 and the Jewish New Year will begin at sundown on the 22nd. As Rosh Hashanah approaches and my people look forward to a new year, may we adopt Paul’s heart for his Jewish people, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”
Join with us in helping my people see what has been hidden from them. Ask God to open their eyes to what/Who is missing. May they abandon the futility and burden of self-effort, and joyfully embrace the new life Yeshua, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, freely provides.
Written by Dan, Life in Messiah Board Member
Do you have Jewish friends? Would you ask them to read Isaiah 53 and ask why it is missing in the haftarot?
To learn more about Rosh Hashanah, check out our page on the feasts.
Would you pray for the Jewish community, especially during Rosh Hashanah, that they might discover the Suffering Servant whom many of them have missed?