|
Messiah It is
curious that RASHI, who greatly honors the Talmud and its traditions, departs from
its interpretation when it comes to the 53rd chapter of the Book of Isaiah.
Undoubtedly, the primary reason RASHI opted for a different interpretation
was the controversy stirred as a result of Christians invoking the chapter to
prove that it was fulfilled in Yeshua (Jesus). The opinion, however, that the whole
chapter refers to Israel or even to the prophet Isaiah, runs contrary to
ancient tradition, Targum, Talmud, Midrashim, and
the Rabbinic commentaries which were examined in Chapter Thirteen of this
book. It was not until the 13th
century that the opinion seriously arose, as exposited by RASHI that both the
suffering and exaltation passages in Isaiah 53 applied to Israel. Several expositors followed RASHI'S lead thereafter, and today this opinion has
unfortunately influenced many.
There are a number of reasons why the chapter does not refer to Israel or to the prophet, but instead. to the Messiah. When the chapter is examined verse by
verse, it is clear that the singular is used throughout. Hence. it is
written: he shall grow up; he has he has no form nor beauty; he is despised
and rejected; we hid our faces from him; he bore
our grief's; he was wounded for our sins: the Lord laid upon him the iniquity
of us all; he was oppressed; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter; he was
taken out from prison and justice; he was cut off out of the land of the
living: he made his grave with the wicked and the rich.
It is all a description of one person only, and that person is masculine. In
Scripture, Israel is referred to more often in the feminine. This is, of
course, not conclusive, since there is scriptural precedent for the use of
parables, symbolism's and other usage's where the intent is something other
than the plain meaning.
In order for the chapter to apply to Israel, however, verse eight,
"[f]or the transgression of my people was He stricken," would have
to be seriously contorted. "My people" are the prophet Isaiah's
people - Israel. For the servant to be Israel would mean that Israel was
stricken for Israel because of Israel’s sins. This would be absolutely
contrary to normative biblical principles of atonement. The sacrificial
offering for sin, the Sin Bearer, had to be separate from the sinner. The
substitutionary offering and atonement are graphically presented in the
chapter: He was wounded for our
transgressions ... and with his stripes we are healed. 1 ... This Servant bears the
sin of Israel and hence is not Israel, this Servant, in any event, is "without
guile," whereas chapter comprehends the need for Israel's atonement because of Israel's
guile. And he made his
grave among the wicked, and his tomb among the rich: although he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 5
Israel is not now, nor has it ever been, without sin (guile), but the
Servant is innocent. All others, including Israel and the prophet Isaiah, are
"as an unclean thing." 6 According to Isaiah, the
Servant did not complain of the injustice : He was oppressed,
and he was
Since when has Israel remained silent in her oppression? Certainly it
was not when she was carried away captive to Assyria or to Babylon. Neither
did she remain silent when she was oppressed by the Greeks but instead rose
up under the leadership of the Maccabees. Neither did she remain silent under
Roman rule nor when she was forced into Dispersion. Israel has always, to
this day, been outspoken, and she does not have a reputation for being in
silence. He was
cut off out of the land of the living for my people, the passage states. After the sacrifice,
however, he is seen alive in verse 10. it becomes clear that this is the Lord's
doing. Yet it pleased the Lord
to bruise him ; ... He shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 8 [Emphases added.] Who is the seed that the Lord shall see?
The Lord sees this Servant's seed, and
it is in connection with extended life and pleasure. There are two obvious
possibilities: First, the seed may
refer to the physical offspring of the Servant. This is the opinion Rabbi Izaak of Troki who wrote Faith
Strengthened, a polemical work against New Covenant faith. Troki maintained that the word for seed, z'roah, is used only for bodily heirs in the Bible. This
is not always the case, however. 9 Moreover, the chapter opens with the
Servant being introduced as z'roah adonai, translated "the arm of the Lord." This
phrase is used over thirty times in the Scriptures and always in reference to
God’s divine person. 10
Yet none of the passages referring to this Divine Person speak
of him having any physical offspring. The second, and the most likely
interpretation, is that it applies to the disciples of the Servant - his
spiritual offspring. These are those who have received and believed in
the Servant. They are the Servant-Messiah's seed, and live with him in
“pleasure" for eternity. They are
the ones whose eyes have been opened to the redemptive work of this Suffering
Messiah. References: What
The Rabbis Know About The Messiah by Rachmiel
Frydland For further information contact
To
return to Torah, Talmud,
Midrash, Biblical Discussion Articles To
return to MENORAH'S
HOME PAGE |
