* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Last night in Israel we changed the clock, and as a result, we got an extra hour of sleep. But the haftarah we read yesterday on Shabbat reveals a secret that will enable us to begin every day with renewed energy, even without that extra hour of sleep.
The passage from the prophet Isaiah reads:
“Who gives strength to the weary… Youths may grow faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But they who trust in God shall renew their strength…They shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not tire.”
Here Isaiah is telling us that it is God who gives the tired strength; in other words, our energy comes from a different source than we imagine. Young people can grow weary and stumble, but those who are “kovei Hashem”—who put their “trust in God”— are endowed with renewed vigor, regardless of their biological age. They will have energy to walk and run without getting tired. “Kovei Hashem” is such a beautiful phrase—it describes those who continue to hope even when their dreams and goals have yet to berealized.
The prophet is saying that a person who is connected to God and has faith in Him will be constantly rejuvenated.
Every morning in Birkot Hashachar (the introductory prayers at the start of the morning services), we recite a blessing based on this verse from Isaiah: “Blessed are you the Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who gives strength to the weary.”
Amen.
May we be blessed with a week of strength, vitality, and renewal.
