Comforting Haftarah #4: Unlocking Hineini; In the Text and In Ourselves

Every year, at the High Holidays, I focus my four major sermons on a central theme. Yes, I am doing it again this year... no, I will not reveal the theme ahead of
time. Sorry. :-P Some themes are forgotten soon after the holidays end, while others seem to stick with people for one reason or another. I am constantly reminded by congregants of my "Guilt-Free Judaism" theme, even though it's now YEARS old! And another that had staying-power was a single, Hebrew word: Hineini. The straight-forward meaning of Hineini is "Here I am." It is uttered time and again throughout the Hebrew Bible, and often by some of the most prominent individuals. This week, in our Haftarah, Hineini is taken to an even GREATER level, and it has some incredibly powerful implications for our ancestors... and possibly for you and me today.

As I mentioned above, some of the biggest "stars" in the Bible declare "Hineini." As such, it doesn't just mean "Here I am" in a geographical sense, but it implies so much more. It is mindfulness, spiritual and emotional

presence, groundedness, and perhaps most importantly, readiness. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, Samuel; they all say "Hineini" to God when called, indicating they are ready, willing, and able to take on whatever awe-some task God has in mind for them. "Here I am... let's do this thing!!" And in this, our fourth Haftarah of Consolation, the tables are turned, and strikingly it is now God who declares "Hineini!" God's very Presence is a source of great consolation to the people living in exile, and hearing God say "Here I am, fully committed!" heals generations of pain, suffering, and perceived abandonment. To our forebearers in Babylon, no sweeter word could ever be uttered by the Divine.

Something else, however, is also going on in our Haftarah. Something very powerful. I won't go too far down this rabbit hole, but I WILL say that many modern, Biblical scholars do not believe the Torah was written by Moses, as suggested by
the text itself. If you want to learn more about this idea, either write to me, leave a comment on the blog, or check out Richard Elliott Friedman's Who Wrote the Bible? We could spend hours upon hours on that one statement, but for our purposes here, I want to posit that the Hebrew Bible was compiled during the time of the Babylonian Exile, sometime after 587 B.C.E. If you accept that assertion, various hints and allusions start to come alive in the text. For example, in our Haftarah, we find the following verse: "This is what Adonai, God, said: 'Long ago, My people went down to reside in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria'" (Isaiah, 52:4). This simple verse reveals the motivation, perhaps, of the entire Bible: To connect the current suffering of our people to our ancient ancestors, and thus to pray/hope/plead that God will redeem US as God redeemed them.

There are two sides to this coin. By telling and retelling these stories, the authors and editors want to "nudge" God to save them just as the slaves in Egypt were saved. It's a constant, gentle, but firm prodding. At the same time, the word "Hineini" reminds us that it's a partnership.

We have to be like our forebearers, if we hope to emulate their triumphs. We have to declare out loud "Hineini - Here I am! I am ready to take on injustice, stand up to tyrants, demand equality and compassion for those suffering oppression, and treat others as I wish to be treated myself." We can rehash old tales all we like, but if we don't lead by example, we cannot ask God to reward us beyond what we deserve. For the Jews in Babylonia, the stories of the Exodus were IMMENSELY powerful, because the people could draw strength, courage, and resiliency from them. What do the texts mean to us today? If we are not looking for salvation, or hoping to return to Israel, what other messages might we be searching for, hidden under the surface of the text? As we continue to march towards the High Holidays, each of us is challenged to unlock the disguised meanings within the Biblical text; both the ones that spoke to our ancient relatives AND the ones aimed straight at us, right here today.


Images in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of Ged Carroll on Flickr
2. CC image courtesy of Joe Loong on Flickr
3. Title page of Who Wrote the Bible courtesy of GoodReads.com
4.  CC image courtesy of of Tripp on Flickr