Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort, always follows Tisha B’Av – a day that embodies Jewish suffering throughout the ages. What message of comfort does this juxtaposition offer the Jewish world and Israel today?

The message of Nachamu – the haftarah from Isaiah 40 – is that even after destruction, God’s comfort is assured. This theme is found in parshat Va’etchanan as well, which opens with Moshe’s heartfelt plea to enter the Land of Israel. Moshe had led and carried the Jewish people from their earliest days, yet because he disobeyed God, he was denied the privilege that even the simplest Jew can experience today – entering the Promised Land. God’s response initially seems harsh: “Look at it well, for you shall not go across this Jordan.” Yet the Sages understand this exchange differently. God compassionately comforts Moshe at the end of his life by allowing him to gaze upon the land, even if he cannot enter it. God also assures him that the future is hopeful: his disciple Joshua will lead the people into Israel.

No matter how difficult Jewish history has been, the Jewish people have always found the strength to read Nachamu after commemorating the tragedies of Tisha B’Av. The haftarah promises comfort to the people of Israel and to Jerusalem. It reminds us, as Moshe understood, that the soul of the Jewish people is bound to this land, and that we suffer and find comfort together.

Following a week in which New York’s thriving Jewish community has felt less secure, and in which the lessons of the churban and the dangers of baseless hatred have felt particularly relevant in Israel, these sources remind us what a blessing it is that Israel exists. Wherever we live, we must keep our gaze fixed on it and do all we can to strengthen and protect it. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson