'Comfort My People': The Isaiah Scroll was removed from view due to the war, when Israel needs it more than ever
With its poignant passages about beating swords into plowshares, this biblical manuscript is powerfully resonating. A rare exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript at the Israel Museum opened – and closed – within days
Haaretz
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With its poignant passages about beating swords into plowshares, this biblical manuscript is powerfully resonating. A rare exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript at the Israel Museum opened – and closed – within days
"Comfort my people, comfort them, says your God." What line is more fitting now than the one that appears in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 40? Although it was written more than 2,100 years ago, it is wise, true and relevant today. At the beginning of the book, in the second verse, it is written:
"Children I have reared, and brought up, and they have rebelled against Me."
In Chapter 2, some of the most moving and beautiful lines in the entire Bible appear. Many years have passed since I read them in their original context, and today they are like medicine for the heart: "And He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Afterward, a cow and a bear grazing together are also mentioned, and I didn't remember them at all.
The lead headline in Haaretz as I wrote this was: "U.S. and Israel strike Iran, Khameini reportedly killed; Iran's missiles target Israel and Gulf." The complete Isaiah Scroll, which includes the verses cited here and many other equally beautiful ones, went on display on February 24 in a fascinating exhibition at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Originally slated to last four months, the exhibit ended up lasting only four days – for now. Due to the war, the original scroll was hastily returned to a protected vault in the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem, where it will await another day when the cow and the bear will dwell together before being displayed again. The museum spokesperson says that it will be exhibited for the planned four months once the security situation improves.
"Isaiah is relevant and understands the human soul," says Hagit Maoz, director of the Shrine of the Book and curator of the exhibit, "A Voice from the Desert." "He understood that after wars, the human soul doesn't need victory, but comfort. There is no war that doesn't shatter and harm, and Isaiah understood this well. This is a rare and unique opportunity to see the manuscript in its full glory."
A rare and unique opportunity to see the manuscript in its full glory.Credit: Naama Grynbaum
A rare and unique opportunity to see the manuscript in its full glory.Credit: Naama Grynbaum
On the day of our meeting, four days before the opening of the exhibition (and just over a week before the war with Iran would start), Maoz seemed both excited and worried. She simultaneously looked at the weather forecast for the next day, when the scroll was to be moved from the Shrine of the Book to the gallery in a short and delicate stretcher journey, and checked the forecast for war in Iran and missiles on Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Maoz enthusiastically recounted the story of the wondrous scroll, which had not been on public display since 1968 and had never been exhibited outside the Shrine of the Book.
The scroll is undoubtedly one of the most important archaeological treasures in the world. It is the oldest complete biblical manuscript discovered to date. It is the only genizah scroll – a scroll stored in a repository for sacred Jewish texts – that has been preserved in its entirety, and it includes all 66 chapters of the Book of Isaiah. The text is written in 54 columns, on 17 parchment scrolls (known as "gvil") sewn with linen threads. Gvil is a whole, thick, unsplit hide, used mainly for Torah scrolls, while klaf is the upper layer of the hide after it has been split in two, and is used mainly for tefillin (phylacteries) and mezuzahs.
The Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, external view.Credit: Naama Grynbaum
The Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, external view.Credit: Naama Grynbaum
The scroll displayed at the museum is 7.17 meters long and is divided into four main sections. It is written in biblical Hebrew alphabet, also known as Jewish script, square script or Assyrian script, which is similar to modern Hebrew script. Any Hebrew reader can, with some effort, read it and understand most of the words and content.
Its time of writing is dated to around 125 B.C.E. – the end of the Second Temple period. This is about a thousand years before the oldest known biblical manuscripts: The Codex Sassoon, the Leningrad Codex and the Aleppo Codex. The events described in the Isaiah Scroll from the days of Uzziah, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, span a long period, but most of them occurred long before the time of writing, unfolding approximately in the eighth century B.C.E., meaning more than 2,700 years ago.
The identity of the writers of the scrolls found in the Qumran caves is disputed. Until the 1990s, the accepted view was that the scrolls were written by members of the Essenes, a Jewish ascetic sect of the 2nd century B.C.E. to 1st century C.E., who lived in the area and hid the scrolls in the caves during the Great Revolt. Prof. Eleazar Sukenik was the first to present this hypothesis with the initial publication of the scrolls.
Hagit Maoz, director of the Shrine of the Book and curator of the exhibit, "A Voice from the Desert."Credit: Naama GrynbaumHagit Maoz, director of the Shrine of the Book and curator of the exhibit, "A Voice from the Desert."Credit: Naama Grynbaum
But in the last 30 years, much evidence has been gathered contradicting this hypothesis. The accepted claim today is that the writers of the scrolls were not the Essenes, but another group from which the Essenes split, or as researchers, including Prof. Rachel Elior, convincingly argue, the scrolls were written by Zadokite priests, referring to the descendants of Zadok, the high priest during the reigns of David and Solomon.
An unbelievable wonder
Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in the Qumran caves in the northern Dead Sea. Hundreds of scrolls were found in the desert caves, but the current exhibition focuses exclusively on the complete Isaiah Scroll, which was found in Cave No. 1.
The rooms adjacent to the hall where the scroll is displayed feature a desert-like environment, which also forms a path that leads to the highlight of the exhibition in which visitors enter a kind of "cave" where the jars were found. The Isaiah Scroll was preserved in such a jar for 2,000 years.
Preserved in a jar for 2,000 years.Credit: Naama GrynbaumPreserved in a jar for 2,000 years.Credit: Naama Grynbaum
In a separate display, the objects found alongside it are presented to the public – a cooking pot, two bowls, a well-preserved linen wrapping and two oil lamps. All of these came from the Rockefeller Museum in East Jerusalem, where they were kept for about 70 years.
Afterward, visitors enter another hall, where they watch a movie that tells the story of the scroll and its various transformations, and then another room where the temperature and humidity are regulated. Finally, in groups of 25 visitors at a time and for only seven minutes, visitors stand before the Isaiah Scroll. It is displayed in a narrow, long and special glass case brought from Belgium, protected from humidity, light, and heat. The humidity is constant – 48 percent. The temperature is 19 degrees Celsius.
The Isaiah Scroll is one of the most important archaeological treasures in the world. It is the only genizah scroll that has been preserved in its entirety.Credit: Itay CohenThe Isaiah Scroll is one of the most important archaeological treasures in the world. It is the only genizah scroll that has been preserved in its entirety.Credit: Itay Cohen
Here it is: a very ancient, yellowish-brown gvil scroll, with dark ink spelling out, in Hebrew, the prophecy containing the vision of the End of Days and eternal and beautiful lines like Isaiah 35:1: "The wilderness and the parched land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose."
The story of the discovery of the first scrolls has been reconstructed in detail. In the winter of 1947, Bedouin shepherds removed eight cylindrical clay jars from a desert cave. In one of them were three scrolls, two of which were wrapped in cloth. The three scrolls were later identified as the complete Isaiah Scroll, the one displayed in the museum, the Community Rule scroll, and the Habakkuk Commentary scroll. Afterward, the Bedouin removed four more scrolls from the cave.
The Bedouin tried to sell the scrolls in Bethlehem, but the merchants refused to buy them. Finally, the scrolls were sold to Khalil Iskander Shahin – a Christian from the Syrian community. He sold them to the head of the Syrian community's church in Jerusalem, Metropolitan Athanasius Samuel, who purchased four scrolls for 24 Palestine pounds, about $110. The other three scrolls were purchased by archaeologist Prof. Eleazar Lipa Sukenik, father of the Israeli military officer, archaeologist, and politician Yigal Yadin, in Bethlehem with funds from the Hebrew University.
Preparing the original scroll for the exhibit.Credit: Itay CohenPreparing the original scroll for the exhibit.Credit: Itay Cohen
Only in 1949, under Jordanian rule, did systematic archaeological excavations begin in Qumran. The Isaiah Scroll and three other scrolls were moved, to protect them, first to Beirut and then to the United States. The Jordanian government issued a statement arguing that the scrolls were its property because they were found in territory under its control and it considered them stolen property.
The scroll was flown to Israel on September 7, 1954. In January, the Israeli government decided to establish the Shrine of the Book where it would be housed and displayed. The unique-shaped building was designed by architect Armand Phillip Bartos, chosen by Gottesman, the project's financier. The choice drew criticism because Bartos was Gottesman's son-in-law, the husband of his daughter Celeste Ruth. Architect Frederick John Kiesler was a partner in the design of the avant-garde, temple-like structure, which was inaugurated in April 1965. The Israel Museum opened a month later.
The Isaiah Scroll. More than 7 meters long.Credit: Itay CohenThe Isaiah Scroll. More than 7 meters long.Credit: Itay Cohen
Until 1968, the original Isaiah Scroll was displayed, until it became clear that the exposure was causing damage and that the conditions were not suitable for preservation. Subsequently, it was removed and transferred to a protected vault in a shelter. A copy of the scroll has been on display in the Shrine of the Book ever since. Even the most distinguished visitors, including world leaders, did not get to see the original.
Many disputes have arisen around the treasure. Some are academic – the identity of the authors, the exact date of the scroll's writing – while many others are political. The scroll was found before the establishment of the state in the Judean Desert, in an area that is currently occupied territory. It is not the Israel Antiquities Authority that operate there, but rather the Israel Defense Forces staff officer for archaeology.
Until 1967, excavations were conducted under Jordanian patronage, and other scrolls were kept for years in the Rockefeller Museum. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have many reservations regarding the ownership of the concealed scrolls, which in Israel are seen as the bedrock of Jewish existence. But with the opening of the exhibition, it is worth setting all these issues aside for a moment and focusing on the scroll itself. Simply stand for seven minutes in silence before an object and words that have survived a hundred generations.
Originally slated to last four months, the exhibit ended up lasting only four days - for now.Credit: Itay CohenOriginally slated to last four months, the exhibit ended up lasting only four days - for now.Credit: Itay Cohen
A prophet of peace
Israel Prize Laureate Prof. Emanuel Tov of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of the leading biblical scholars and Dead Sea Scrolls researchers, is considered the foremost authority on the subject. Prof. Tov has extensively analyzed the Isaiah Scroll as part of his research on the development of biblical text. He emphasized that these scrolls, which display full spelling and linguistic changes, reflect the diversity of texts before the consolidation of the Masoretic Text, the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible. The scrolls also attest to the background of the Second Temple period.
Prof. Tov's speech is very restrained and professional, but at a certain moment in our conversation, his tone changed, and in what sounded on the phone like unbridled enthusiasm, he blurted out: "It's unbelievable how beautifully it has been preserved, with all its gvil sheets, from beginning to end. The quality of the sheets and the script is also extraordinary."
Later, in a more professional tone, he added, "I believe it held an important status within the group that wrote it because it has many markings, in the margins, and between the different columns and above the text. Some of these markings are still not understood by us. A small part of them appear in letters of a secret script, which was used in about 20 or 30 of the writings of the sect members. I assume that whoever wrote these letters marked passages that were important in their eyes."
Curator Hagit Maoz. Written in biblical Hebrew alphabet, a modern Hebrew reader can, with some effort, read it and understand most of the words.Credit: Naama GrynbaumCurator Hagit Maoz. Written in biblical Hebrew alphabet, a modern Hebrew reader can, with some effort, read it and understand most of the words.Credit: Naama Grynbaum
What is the importance of the current exhibition?
"It is important to see the original scroll face to face. It is important to be impressed by the beautiful script. Until the scrolls were found in Qumran, we did not know at all what biblical scrolls looked like. Now, for the first time, we see a beautiful script, an ornate scroll, and this is important for the public in Israel and worldwide. There is, of course, a difference between the general public and researchers.
"It is important for the public to see the original. I am old enough to remember the scroll in the 1960s, but it was damaged in those years more than in the two thousand years it was hidden. It is possible that the climate or lighting were not suitable, but the scroll was damaged in those years, and therefore the photograph [of it] was placed in the Shrine of the Book. It is an excellent photograph, but it is funny that tourists came especially from the ends of the earth to see a photograph. Now, finally, the preservation procedures have improved, and it is possible to display the original."
What is the meaning of Isaiah's prophecy in our time?
Prof. Tov laughs for a moment as if he recognizes a trap, and then replies seriously, "I will not talk to you about the importance of Isaiah in 2026. He is a prophet of peace who said, 'and they shall beat their swords into plowshares.' It is also worth mentioning that he is very important to Christianity, as Isaiah's prophecy speaks much about the Messiah. Beyond that, he is a prophet of comfort, with many sublime ideas and the sublime language of a literary genius."
In the Qumran Caves
Prof. Rachel Elior of the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has published two books on the scrolls, "Temple and Chariot" and "Memory and Forgetfulness: The Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls" in Hebrew. According to her, the scrolls belonged to the library of the Zadokite priests, descendants of Zadok the priest.
This library was lost due to conflicts between them and the Hasmonean priests, referring to the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled Judea from the 2nd to 1st centuries B.C.E., in the second century B.C.E.
It was also lost due to conflicts between the Sadducees, a Jewish sect during the Second Temple period, typically associated with the priestly aristocracy, and the Pharisees, a Jewish sect during the Second Temple period, known for their emphasis on the oral law, in the first century B.C.E.
Transporting the scroll to the exhibit. Due to the war, the original scroll was hastily returned to a protected vault.Credit: Itay CohenTransporting the scroll to the exhibit. Due to the war, the original scroll was hastily returned to a protected vault.Credit: Itay Cohen
According to Elior, there is no connection between the scrolls and the Essenes, and the identification with them stems from a historical error.
"I am very happy that the Isaiah Scroll is being put on display and that the public is being brought back to read the book," she said in our conversation. "It is important to see the wonderful Hebrew and to know what research says about the book, which is one of the most wonderful there is. This is Hebrew unique in its beauty. It is a voice from the distant past in elevated poetic language."
"In the Book of Isaiah, there are between 90 and a hundred hapax legomena – words that appear only once in the Bible – and this is an indescribable richness. There are two voices in the book – a voice of comfort and another voice of rebuke. It also promises wonderful things as a vision of the End of Days. This is the pinnacle of the human spirit. It says that we will get rid of the horror of violence, war, occupation, oppression. His idea of peace was stated thousands of years ago, and we have not advanced even one step, but the vision stands, and it contains a wonderful view of nature, of the Land of Israel in its full beauty."
"He wants peace and brotherhood of nations and does not hesitate to intervene in politics, but the beauty of the book lies in its linguistic breadth. I hope the exhibition will draw our attention to all of these – to the verbal richness, to the question of why we are here, how we are connected to the past. The Hebrew language belongs to all of us, and the well of the past belongs to all of us equally. It is worthwhile for everyone to approach it, even a little. This is the oldest textual find, attesting to our connection to the Land of Israel and to biblical creation."
Tourists once traveled worldwide to see a photograph; improved preservation now allows the original scroll to be displayed.Credit: Itay CohenTourists once traveled worldwide to see a photograph; improved preservation now allows the original scroll to be displayed.Credit: Itay Cohen
Still hidden
Cave 53 is one of about 500 caves between Qumran and Masada where there is still a chance of finding concealed scrolls, according to archaeologist Dr. Oren Gutfeld of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Seven years ago, I accompanied him there, crawling through Cave 53 in Qumran. The excavation there had ended a few days earlier. No concealed scrolls were found.
Recently, while on an excavation in Hyrcania, about five kilometers east of Qumran, Gutfeld still sounded optimistic about finding valuable artifacts in the area. He expressed hope that the new exhibition would give a boost to the continuation of excavations in the Judean Desert. "The last word has not yet been said in the Qumran caves," he said. "Even if we don't find scrolls – there are other important things there. Recently, we found a bronze cooking pot from the second century B.C.E. with seven arrowheads. This could have been a cave with another scroll. I believe there are more sealed caves that need to be discovered."
In Isaiah 52:7, it is stated: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, that announceth peace, the harbinger of good tidings, that announceth salvation; that saith unto Zion: 'Thy God reigneth!'"
