Yeshayahu 65-66 - Matan Al HaPerek

The two concluding perakim of Yeshayahu include both rebuke of the nation’s sinners and discussion of the goodness bestowed on the righteous. The first section of our perek (1-7) harshly rebukes the nation for its addiction to idolatry. In the second section (8-15), the prophet contrasts the punishment of the evil doers to the reward of the righteous. In the third section (16-25), the prophet describes the hidden remuneration saved for the righteous. He likens this reward to the creation of a new world, a description which is parallel to the prophecies regarding the end of days in perakim 2 and 12. The prophecy of consolation in our perek, unlike the previous prophecies regarding the end of days, describes the refinement of Yerushalayim’s reality which will occur within the framework of the natural order.