All of Us Who Call Earth Home

Isaiah 18:3

How far can the prophet’s vision reach? Can a tribal legacy become a universal law?  Isaiah says it must.

Beyond the familiar borders of the land he was born in and would be buried in, and way beyond the familiar language of his people - or ours - Isaiah is talking to the world and he is coining a new poetic phrase that will walk this universal talk: “Yoshevi Tevel”  - those of us who dwell on earth and call it home.

As in previous chapters, chapter 18 is full of cryptic words and most commentaries and scholars still struggle to make sense of who exactly Isaiah is talking to or about in this context:

“Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Africa, where envoys sent by sea in papyrus boats sail over the water. Go, swift messengers, to these people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, a strong nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.” (Isaiah 18:1-2)

The land of whirring wings is likely where the migrating birds fly to and from - whirring wings, as envoys sent beyond the humanly familiar. The Hebrew word used here for Africa ‘Kush’ has many different possible locations, from Yemen to Ethiopia to the entire continent itself. 

The gist of Isaiah’s message to the people so far and foreign is the same as for the folks nearby - do not lose hope and listen to the call. Once again he thinks big and far ahead, offering a vision of post-war and what unity may look like. The unifying moment of togetherness is depicted as the tallest and the loudest invitation, a way to make us, no matter how far,  all look up, and gather: 

כׇּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֥י תֵבֵ֖ל וְשֹׁ֣כְנֵי אָ֑רֶץ כִּנְשֹׂא־נֵ֤ס הָרִים֙ תִּרְא֔וּ וְכִתְקֹ֥עַ שׁוֹפָ֖ר תִּשְׁמָֽעוּ׃    

“All you who live in the world and inhabit the earth,

When a flag is raised in the hills, take note!

When a ram’s horn is blown, give heed!”

Isaiah 18:3

The rest of the chapter indicates that this flag is raised on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, and that is where the shofar will be blown. From far away the people of Kush will cross rivers and bring gifts to the new day of salvation.  They are among the people of the earth named here explicitly, for the first time as - ‘Yoshevi Tevel’ - all of us, together. 

It would wait until the 20th century, but the expression ‘Yoshevi Tevel’ would eventually enter mainstream Jewish liturgy - at least in the liberal world. I’m not sure when it happened and who was first to do so (research on this would be very welcome!) but at some point in the 20th century, this expanded sense of ‘we’ was added to closing of the Mourners’ Kaddish  - where we pray for peace not just for Jews - but for all. This ever-expanding sense of humanity at large begins with grief but slowly grows to give more of us in this fluid community of identities to address what Isaiah was after from the start - a greater sense of interconnectedness.

And while some will still read this prophecy as an appeal to Zionist aspirations of all the people in Jerusalem - I feel it’s more about the listening to the flag on our tallest mountain and the sound of the ram’s horn that calls on us to decenter our humanity and listen to the primal voice the predates borders and dialects, and meets us at home - in the heart.

PS. On this day, June 12 2023, the Lab/Shul community that I has the honor of co-founding in 2013 is celebrating 10 years together. “Everybody-Friendly” is one of our main mottos, and many of us will gather tonight, with a Shofar blast to get things started, to mark this milestone and to commit to Isaiah’s vision of togetherness, honoring our legacy and widening the tent as far as possible. MazelTov Lab/Shul! May the prophetic promise keep expanding and may we hold each other’s hands and hearts for many more years ahead.

“Like Watchmen in the Night”

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