When Israel fears God, the nations fear Israel. When Israel abandons its fear of God, the nations attack. And the enemy pursuing them is not a military power. It is the consequence of their own abandonment. "Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him" (Hosea 8:3). The rabbis understood this as a spiritual law, not just a political one.
David's psalm makes the point in the first person: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1). This isn't bravado. David has been hunted, exiled, betrayed. He's writing from experience. The claim that God's presence eliminates fear is not theoretical, it is the conclusion a man reaches after surviving Saul's court, the caves of En-Gedi, and everything that followed.
Aggadat Bereshit uses David's psalm to frame Israel's relationship with the nations. The nations do not have independent power over Israel. They have derivative power, power granted them when Israel's own faithfulness lapses. This is an uncomfortable theology because it refuses the comfort of blaming outside forces. But it is also a theology of agency: if the nations' power over Israel is conditional, then Israel's choices genuinely matter. Every return to God is also a reversal of geopolitical fortune. The rabbis were not naive about exile. But they were absolutely certain about what caused it and what ended it.
Chapter 14: Prophets [1] The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz (Isaiah 1:1). May his memory be a blessing. "And I will speak about the prophets, and I am the great vision" (Hosea 12:11). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I will surely speak about the prophets, but I am the great vision, for none of their prophecies is like mine." How did Amos see me standing, as it is written, "I saw the Lord standing beside the altar" (Amos 9:1)? Isaiah saw me sitting, as it is written, "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne" (Isaiah 6:1). Moses saw me as a warrior, as it is written, "The Lord is a man of war" (Exodus 15:3). Daniel saw me as an elder, as it is written, "And the hair of his head was like pure wool" (Daniel 7:9). Therefore it is said, "And by the hand of the prophets I am pictured" (Hosea 12:11). "What was your intent in the letter you wrote to Kefor Bebenek, where you told me to bring witnesses and write that I deny my son? He said to him, 'Did I tell you in anger that I deny him? God forbid, do I have anyone else in the world besides him? I do not deny my son.' Perhaps someone else resembling me said it to you, and you thought it was me. Similarly, Israel angered God, and he called to Isaiah and said to him to write that I deny my children, 'Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth' (Isaiah 1:2). Why do I deny them? They, my children, angered me - I raised them and exalted them, 'You have known Me, O ox, and My friend is you' (Isaiah 1:3). After some time, Israel asked God and He accepted them, that same mouth which said 'They rebelled against Me' (Isaiah 1:2) also said 'I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud' (Isaiah 44:22) and accepted them, as it is written 'Return to Me, for I have redeemed you' (Isaiah 44:22). Isaiah said to God, 'Master of the Universe, are You not signing what You wrote to deny Your children?' God said to him, 'I do not deny my children. Perhaps you mistook me, as it is written "I will speak through the prophets" (Hosea 12:11).' " [2] The interpretation of the vision of Isaiah. The fear of the Lord will add days and years to one's life, and the harvest of the wicked will be cut short (Proverbs 10:27). The fear of the Lord will add days, as in the case of Isaiah who lived many years. His garment was as large as the folding of many kings [edit: and the skirts of His robe filled the Temple Isaiah 6:1], as it is said: "The vision of Isaiah..." Our Rabbis have said: Isaiah lived for one hundred and twenty years, corresponding to the lifespan of these four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Why did the fear of the Lord add days to his life? [3] According to the vision of Isaiah, prophecy can be expressed in ten different forms: speech, words, allegory, parable, metaphor, riddle, euphemism, oracle, burden, and vision. None of them are more difficult than a vision, as Isaiah said, "Hard visions have been told to me" (Isaiah 21:2). When the Lord appeared to Abraham in a vision, Abraham was afraid that a difficult matter would be revealed to him, as it says, "After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield'" (Genesis 15:1). The Lord reassured Abraham that He only reveals Himself to His children through visions and that He will protect him. Daniel also saw a vision and said, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea" (Daniel 7:2). Do not be afraid if I have revealed myself to you in a vision, as the Lord said to Abram, "Fear not, Abram."(Genesis 15:1) [4] This is from the commentary on the book of Ezekiel. The vision of Isaiah: Two prophets prophesied in this language, Isaiah and Obadiah. Isaiah is the greatest among the prophets, and Obadiah is the smallest among the prophets. Some say that he was a convert. How do we know this? Because every prophet who does not mention his father mentions his place of origin. Thus, Hosea son of Beeri's origin is mentioned (Hosea 1:1) because his father was also a prophet. Amos mentions his place of origin, "The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa" (Amos 1:1). Similarly, Micah the Morashtite (Micah 1:1) is mentioned as a prophet. Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo the prophet (Zechariah 1:1) was a son of a prophet. Zephaniah was a son of a prophet. Obadiah did not mention either his father or his place of origin, but merely his vision (Obadiah 1:1), as he was a convert and the least of the prophets. However, Isaiah's vision is the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, and Obadiah's vision, both are equal. So why did Obadiah prophesy only before the elders, as it says, "The vision of Obadiah: Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom" (Obadiah 1:1)? This is because it came from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. How do we know this? Because it says, "We have heard a rumor from the Lord" (Jeremiah 50:46). Similarly, Isaiah prophesied from the mouth of the Sanhedrin, as it says, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send?" (Isaiah 6:8), from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, and "Who will go for us?" (Isaiah 6:8), from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. Although they prophesied from the Holy One, blessed be He, if the Sanhedrin did not permit it, they had no authority to prophesy. This is why "Whom shall I send?" is from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, and "Who will go for us?" is from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. Therefore, both of them prophesied in a vision, as the gematria of "vision" [חזון] is seventy-one, and they both prophesied in the seventy-one member Sanhedrin. Rabbi Benaiah says that the vision that they both prophesied in the seventy-one member Sanhedrin is in the same language. Isaiah is the greatest among the prophets, and Obadiah is the smallest among the prophets. Why? Because there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few (1 Samuel 14:6).
