This Shabbat, the last one before the holiday of Passover, is known as
Shabbat ha-Gadol, the Great Sabbath. This Shabbat has a special
haftarah, the reading from the Prophets which follows the Torah
reading. On Shabbat ha-Gadol, we read from Malachi, the last of the
prophetic books (in the Hebrew Bible; the Christian Testament orders the
books differently). The haftarah portion is Malachi 3:4-24, the last
verses of the (rather short) book.. The prophet tells of the end times,
of a Judgment Day when God will judge the righteous and the wicked.
The portion ends with these words, "Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah
to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of the Lord. He
shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents so
that, when I come, I do not strike the whole land with destruction.
It
seems to tell us that one of the the things that will keep God's wrath
at bay is when parents and children are reconciled with each other, and
get along. All of us with families know that this is not always the
easiest thing to accomplish; perhaps that is why God leaves the task to
one of the greatest prophets. As we gather with our families on this
Passover, and pour a cup of wine for Elijah, let us reflect on the
importance of loving and respecting one another, and doing our part in
helping Elijah do his job.
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