In the opening verse of the haftara for Nitzavim-Vayelekh, the prophet Yeshayahu expresses his exuberance over the fact that God has "clothed me in clothing of salvation, has enwrapped me in a cloak of righteousness" (Yeshayahu 61:10). He then compares these "clothes" to the exquisite finery of a bride and groom: "ke-chatan yekhahein pe'eir ve-khe-kala tadeh kheileha." This clause is generally translated as, "as a groom adorns himself with glory [or 'turban'], and as a bride dons her garments."
Rav Mendel Hirsch, however, in his commentary to the haftarot, suggests a different reading, translating this clause as, "as a bridegroom invests his finery with priest-like dedication and like a bride who graces her garments." In his view, the prophet here focuses not on the effect the garments have upon the individual, but rather the powerful impact that the individual has upon his garments. This interpretation is predicated primarily upon the verbs yekhahein and tadeh, which Rav Mendel Hirsch understands as referring to more than simply donning garments. The groom does not simply wear his finery; he makes it "priestly" (yekhahein). His inherent grace and charm lends his garments a dimension of glory and enhances their magnificence. Similarly, in Rav Hirsch's words, "it is the most delicate description of feminine grace and charm if one says of a bride that it is she who in truth gives beauty to her bridal dress and ornaments." This verse speaks of a bride who "graces her garments," as opposed to a bride whose garments grace her.
The prophet thus compares redeemed Israel to a bride and groom who bestow beauty and elegance upon their finery. In their state of redemption, Benei Yisrael understand how to infuse their "garments," an analogy for their material possessions, with beauty and meaning. They have finally been taught how to avoid the corruptive influences of wealth and prosperity, and to utilize material goods for the higher cause of moral and spiritual perfection. According to Rav Hirsch's reading, the prophet here foresees the time after the nation's redemption when "material possessions will attain their purest and noblest use by the sons and daughters of Zion now grown to maturity."
This theme emerges as well from a verse a bit later in this prophecy (62:9): "For those who harvest it [the fields' produce] shall eat and praise the Lord." Yeshayahu makes a point of emphasizing that Benei Yisrael will not only reap and enjoy the benefits of their toil, but that this enjoyment will become an occasion for giving praise to God. If the destruction and exile were caused by the abuse and misuse of wealth, by the nation's inability to channel their resources towards the fulfillment of our spiritual destiny, then the redemption will be characterized by their donning a me'il tzedaka ("cloak of righteousness"), the transformation of Am Yisrael's "garments," our material resources, into vehicles of piety and sanctity, as means of bringing the Almighty closer to us and to our lives, rather than a cause for Him to distance Himself from us.
Courtesy of Yeshivat Har Etzion - www.etzion.org.il