Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

Turn white like snow

"Go please and argue, G-d will say, if your sins will be scarlet they shall turn white like snow. If they will be red… they will be like wool. (Yeshaya 1, 18)

On this verse in Yeshaya the holy Mekubal Rabbi M.A. of Pano ob'm said: This verse is surprising. When a person has a claim against his friend, it is clear that he will invite him to court to have him charged by law; but here G-d, Master of the Universe says to Israel: "Go please" a soft tone of request. Even more surprising is the fact that G-d says to Israel; "Come argue" for "if your sins will be scarlet" I will purify you from these sins until "they shall turn white like snow".  We therefore must understand: If G-d wants to clean away Israel's sins, why does He say "Please go argue"? What benefit will there be from arguing with Israel?

Rabbi M.A. of Pano says: It says in the gemara that a person is judged by the majority. If he has more credits than sins, the minority of his sins is not considered and he is considering righteous and comes out innocent in the judgment.

However, sometimes prosecution is aroused on Israel if they have a minority of mitzvahs and a majority of sins and the prosecuting angels demand from G-d that he punish Israel.

For this G-d has a wonderful idea which is: "Go please and argue, G-d will say…". Rabbi M.A. of Pano explains: We have learned a clear halacha: How do we know that if two people came to be judged and one is dressed in rags and the other is dressed in stately clothing costing a hundred, that the wealthy man is told "Dress like him (the pauper) or dress him like you"? Because it says "You should distance yourself from lies". The halacha is ruled that the wealthy man is told to dress like the pauper or have the pauper dress like him so that the pauper should not feel like holding back his arguments upon seeing the wealthy man dressed stately while he is dressed in rags.

We know that the Children of Israel are judged before G-d in two manners. In the first manner G-d is the Judge over Israel for all their deeds, good or bad. In the second way G-d is the Contestant who comes to bring charges against the Children of Israel in a judgment before the Heavenly Court, the Sanhedrin in Heaven – and their role is to hear G-d's claims against Israel.  We know that G-d's clothing is as if white, compared to Israel, if they have sinned, whose clothing is red like scarlet, alluding to sins.

Therefore, when G-d wants Israel to come out innocent in the judgment according to the Torah, he says to them, "Go please and argue", in other words, I will not be a Judge over you; please go with a request to the Heavenly Court and we will argue before them about your sins. Now, according to the halacha, the Heavenly Court must, as if, say to G-d, after seeing Him dressed in white like snow and Israel dressed in scarlet clothes: Either You put on clothes like Israel (red) or clothe Israel with white clothing like You.  And since it is unheard of G-d should wear red clothing that alludes to sins, He will have to remove Israel's red clothing and clothe them in clothing that is white as snow and thereby He will purify them from their sins.

And that is what G-d says to Israel: "Go please and argue, G-d will say, if your sins will be scarlet they shall turn white like snow." Since G-d wants Israel to come out innocent in the Judgment, He says to them, "Go please and argue" – Come let us go to the Heavenly Court for them to hear My claims against Israel and then I will have to whiten their sins because the two litigants must wear the same clothing, and they will therefore come out innocent in the Judgment.

SHABBAT SHALOM!!