Daniel · Chapter 12

Now at that time, Michael...will be silent He will be silent like a mute person, for he will see the Holy One, blessed be He, judging by Himself and saying, “How will I destroy a great nation like this for the sake of Israel?” and it will be a time of distress in heaven there will be accusations against Torah scholars, [and there will be] plunderers and plunderers of plunderers, as our Rabbis said in the Aggadah in the last chapter of Kethuboth (112b). your people will escape The kingdom of Gog will be destroyed and Israel will escape. everyone who is found inscribed in the book This is a short verse, [meaning] whoever is found inscribed in this Book, through the dreams inscribed in it (7: 11): “until the beast is slain”; (verse 18): “and the high holy ones will receive the kingdom.” All will be fulfilled.

And at that time — then the day will come and the time will arrive of which it is said, ‘until thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days sat’ (Daniel 7:9). We cannot explain [Michael's] ‘standing up’ to mean that he merely stands still; rather, he stands up in order to overthrow the thrones of the kings of Ishmael. The proof is what is written just after: ‘who stands for the children of your people.’ This trouble will be upon the whole world, and none will escape except through Michael's being the great prince over Israel; therefore your people will escape — everyone who is found written in the book, that is, the righteous. And it is written, ‘and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Hashem’ (Malachi 3:16).

Shall Michael stand up – To seek mercy for Israel. Who stands – Who is accustomed always to stand ready to argue in defense of Israel. And there shall be – Then there will be a time of trouble upon Israel such as had not been upon them from the time they became a nation until that time; for the little horn, which is the kingdom of Ishmael, will distress them greatly, as it is said, "and he shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High," etc. (above, ch. 6). And at that time – When he distresses them so greatly, your people will be delivered; but only all who are found written in the book will be delivered, that is, the righteous and those who fear Hashem, of whom it is said: "and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Hashem," etc. (Malachi 3).

And at that time shall Michael stand up — as I explained above, that at the time when the constellation of the heavens and of nature would necessitate the utter destruction of Israel, then Michael shall stand up, by virtue of miraculous providence, which is above the natural order and overrides it; for he is one of the chief princes, higher than the princes who govern the natural order. And [Scripture] explains why Michael shall stand up: because there shall be a time of trouble — meaning that, according to the natural order, there would then necessarily be a time of trouble such as never was; and therefore Michael will be compelled to save them in a miraculous way. And at that time your people shall be delivered — meaning the righteous. Of this it says every one who shall be found written in the book, as it is written, ‘every one who is recorded for life in Jerusalem’ (Isaiah 4:3); or [it means] one who has merits, which are recorded in a book of remembrance, as is stated at the end of Malachi: ‘Then those who feared Hashem spoke one with another’ etc., ‘and a book of remembrance was written before Him’ etc., ‘and they shall be Mine on the day that I make a treasured possession’ (Malachi 3:16–17) — which refers to the time to come, as is explained there.

'For at that time shall Michael stand up' — the great prince who stands watch over the children of your people, to be their advocate. 'And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time' — that is, there will be in the world plague, and sword, and calamity, and famine, and sicknesses, and wild beasts, and captivity, and plunder. 'And at that time your people shall be delivered' — from that trouble — every one found written in the Book of Life, for his righteousness; for the wicked will there meet their end, and then die.

And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken The dead will come to life.

And many — the Gaon said that its meaning is: those who awaken will have eternal life, and those who do not awaken will be given over to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence (dera'on), as in ‘and they shall be an abhorrence [dera'on]’ (Isaiah 66:24) — the word is the same, meaning disgrace. The Gaon also said that ‘many’ here means ‘the few,’ as in ‘and many bring an offering,’ ‘and many of the people of the land became Jews’ (Esther 8:17), and ‘many will entreat the favor of a generous man’ (Proverbs 19:6). But in my own opinion, the meaning is that the righteous who died in exile will live again when the redeemer comes, for it is written of them, ‘for as the days of a tree shall be the days of My people’ (Isaiah 65:22); then they will delight in the Leviathan, the Ziz, and the Behemoth, and afterward die a second time, and then live again at the resurrection of the dead, when they are in the World to Come — where they neither eat nor drink, but delight only in the radiance of the Divine Presence. And he said that this is the meaning of ‘and you shall rest, and stand up to your lot, at the end of the days’ (Daniel 12:13), with which the book is sealed. And Rabbi Yeshu'ah said that ‘those who sleep in the dust’ is a metaphor for Israel, who are in exile as if in houses, and that the redeemer will come for the good of the righteous of Israel and for the harm of their wicked. Let the discerning reader determine which of the two explanations is correct; and the words of the Sages support the Gaon, of blessed memory.

And many – Since only the upright will stand in the resurrection, and not all, it therefore says "many" rather than "all." Of those who sleep, etc. – Many of the dead will awaken and rise in the resurrection; and by way of metaphor it uses the language of sleep and awakening. Some – Of them will awaken to everlasting life, that is, to live a life of bliss forever; these are the righteous among them. And some – Of them will awaken to suffer reproach and perpetual disgrace forever; these are the wicked among them.

The dust of the earth (admat afar) - The words are doubled using synonyms, similarly, "the goat, the hairy one" (above, ch. 8). Abhorrence (lederaon) - An expression of disgrace, as in "they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh" (Isaiah 66:24).

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake — he explains to him that at that time the dead shall arise and live again, and he explains in this several points: (1) that they shall arise in body and soul, just as they were in life — hence [Scripture] calls them ‘those who sleep,’ like a man who is asleep, whose soul returns to him and he awakes from his sleep; (2) that not all of them shall arise, but only some of them; (3) that they shall arise both from among the righteous and from among the wicked; (4) that they shall then receive the reward of their deeds — these to everlasting life, and those to reproaches. And Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel has already explained that the resurrection of the dead will be contiguous with the redemption. For many who suffered in exile and gave up their lives for the sanctity of the [Divine] Name — one should not say their hope was lost; and likewise the wicked who did them evil — both of these shall awake: these to everlasting life, just as they cut short their bodily life and gave it up to be killed for the honor of His Name; and those to receive their punishment and to see the success of the people whom they afflicted and whom they pierced. And there is a further purpose in this, in his view: that men who were of note in every generation shall arise, and they shall tell and relate to the living who was of importance in that world, and which is the true faith; and through this the truth of the faith shall become known to all the nations, and Hashem shall be One and His Name One.

Then the wonder of the resurrection of the dead will occur anew, for 'many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake' — these 'to everlasting life,' who are the righteous, and these 'to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence,' who are the wicked. And the purpose of their resurrection is so that the wicked will publicly admit that their faith was false, and that those in whom they believed — they pursued after vanity and became vain; and they will recognize that their ancestors inherited a lie.

And the wise who engaged in the Torah and in the commandments, will shine like the brightness of the sky.

And those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament — [the firmament being] that which receives light. And as for those who turn the many to righteousness — their rank is greater; therefore it says ‘as the stars for ever and ever,’ for the rank of the stars is greater than the rank of the [celestial] spheres, and certainly greater than the firmament, which is below the spheres.

And those who are wise – The wise among them will shine, etc. And those who turn the many to righteousness – Those who teach the way of Hashem to the many, they will shine like the stars. For ever and ever – This refers back also to "those who are wise."

Shall shine (yazhiru) - An expression of illumination and radiance.

And those who are wise shall shine then as the brightness of the firmament — for their [bodily] substance shall be purified, and the murkiness of the evil inclination and of the dust shall be removed. And those who turn the many to righteousness — just as they enlightened eyes, teaching righteousness to the many, so shall they shine like the stars forever and ever, measure for measure.

'And those who are wise' — that is, those who fear Hashem — will enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence in their own lifetime, like Moses our teacher, whose facial skin shone because he drew nourishment from the light of the Divine Presence. But the shine of his face will not be at that same degree, only 'as the brightness of the firmament,' which is a pure, sapphire-like body. And 'those who turn the many to righteousness' — those who in their lifetime performed the righteous deeds of Hashem, and caused others too to act and do good, thereby gaining merit and bringing merit to the many — will enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence at a still greater degree, for the shine of their faces will be 'as the stars.' And this will be 'for ever and ever,' for they will no longer sin — since it is on account of sin that one loses one's rank — but on the contrary, they will be perfected in absolute perfection, there being no longer any hindrance or oppression from exile, or from Satan, or from the evil inclination; and their soul will part from their body, after many days, by a kiss, without any harm or pain at all, and will cleave to the right hand of Hashem forever.

But you ... shut up the words — in that you had the capacity to know them. And seal the book — so that none shall see it except one who is worthy to see it. Even to the time of the end — I have already explained this. Shall run to and fro — as in ‘they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Hashem’ (Amos 8:12).

Shut up the words – Even the little that you know of that prophecy, write it in obscure terms and hints. And seal – Write them in the book in sealed terms; and the matter is stated twice, in order to urge and caution him all the more. Even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, etc. – Until the time of the end of the redemption arrives, many will roam about in the movement of thought, seeking to grasp the true time of the end, and knowledge will increase all the more as they search; as if to say: they will search until the time of the end and know nothing, but when the time arrives, then the eyes of all will be opened to understand the allusions to the time of the redemption.

Shall run to and fro (yeshotetu) - An expression of moving here and there, as in "range to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem" (Jeremiah 5:1); it is used here figuratively for the movement of thought.

But you, O Daniel — because He knew that the time was very far off, He told him that the words should remain shut up until the time of the end. For it would not occur to people how distant the time truly was; rather, each one would think it would arrive in his own lifetime, and therefore the time had to remain hidden. But at the time of the end the doubt will be removed, and the closer the time comes, the smaller the doubt becomes — for we know that the redemption must come before the seventh millennium. Accordingly, in the earlier period the ‘certain’ portion (that is, the time already past, which we know for certain was not the appointed time) was small, while the ‘doubtful’ portion (that is, the future time remaining until the seventh millennium) was large. But the closer the time draws to the seventh millennium, the larger the certain portion becomes and the smaller the doubtful portion becomes — and through this, knowledge shall increase.

'But you, O Daniel, shut up the words' — when you write them in a book, add no explanation to them. 'And seal' — the understanding of the book's meaning, 'even to the time of the end' — for I know that many will run about to interpret them, and 'knowledge shall be increased' about them, yet it is My wish that they not understand them. And indeed this is the truth: of all these obscure matters, whatever the commentators have said about them is vanity — and the proof of this is that the interpretations of the earlier commentators on it, when tested against what actually came to pass, turned out to be the opposite of what they had explained. And may Hashem grant us to see eye to eye when Hashem returns to Zion, and then we will understand these matters as they truly are.

Then I ... looked — [and saw] two angels. The meaning of ‘other’ [two] is that neither of them was the one who had spoken with him in all that is written above.

Other two – Two other angels, besides the angel who had been speaking with me. The one... here – That is, from this side of the riverbank. The river – That is the Tigris.

The river (haye'or) - In the Torah, the Targum [renders it] "nahara" [river].

Then I ... looked — he saw the celestial princes in heaven who govern throughout that entire span of time, standing one on each side. And [one] said — meaning, each of them said to the man clothed in linen, ‘How long until the end of these wonders?’ For their dominion is limited until that time, and it was not made known to them when their dominion would come to an end.

'Then I Daniel looked' etc. — he relates that in his vision he saw 'other two' standing, which alludes to the intellect and the imagination, which are other and foreign to one another, the one spiritual and the other physical — 'standing, the one on the bank of the river on this side, and the other on the bank of the river on that side,' which alludes to the fact that both stood ready to receive the emanation symbolized by the waters of the river.

And one said — [that is,] one of them [the two angels mentioned above]. To the man — [used in a general sense], as in ‘not a man was missing’ (Isaiah 40:26). And he asked him, ‘How long shall it be to the end of the wonders?’ — all this so that Daniel would hear it.

And [one] said – One of them said. To the man clothed in linen – That is the angel who had been speaking with him (Daniel), for so they saw him dressed, as stated above. Who was above – Who stood above [the waters of the river], etc. How long – That is, how long will the hidden end be delayed?

The wonders (hafla'ot) - That which is hidden, as in "if a matter is too hard for you" (Deuteronomy 17:8).

'And one said to the man clothed in linen' — each of these two said to the man clothed in linen, who is Gabriel, who was above the waters of the river, for he is the one who bestows the emanation upon them: 'How long shall it be to the end of the wonders?'

and when they have ended shattering the strength of the holy people Heb. נַפֵּץ יַד, lit. shattering the hand. When Israel’s strength terminates, [similar to] (Deut. 32:36): “that power has vanished (אָזְלַת יַד) and nothing left to keep or abandon.”

And I heard — the point is that they swear by something enduring, as in ‘once have I sworn by My holiness’ (Psalms 89:36) — that is, the Holy Temple; or it is the heavens, as in ‘when I lift up My hand to heaven’ (Deuteronomy 32:40), which I have already explained. For the everlasting King, who lives forever, is Hashem, who gives life to all. And the meaning [of ‘lives forever’] is that He sustains all things the way life sustains a person; and so too, ‘and You give life to them all’ (Nehemiah 9:6).

And I heard – I heard the man, etc., who was speaking. When he lifted up his right hand, etc. – In the manner of those who take an oath, as it says, 'I have lifted up my hand to Hashem' (Genesis 14:22). Him who lives for ever – By Hashem, who gives life to the world and sustains it. For a time, times, and a half – For a period of two time-units and half a time-unit. And when they have made an end – That is, when the shattering of the strength of the holy people comes to an end; meaning, when the iniquity is purged and the shattering of the power that was theirs amid the harshness of the exile comes to an end for them, Israel will receive the kingship in the land of Israel.

Breaking in pieces (nafetz) - An expression combining shattering with scattering, as in "and the pitchers were shattered" (Judges 7). The power (yad) - [Literally "hand"] an expression for the strength that is in one's hand.

And I heard the man ... swore — for the redemption depends on two possible times: ‘if they merit it, [I will hasten it]; if they do not merit it, [it will come] in its due time.’ He could not swear that the redemption would not come before this time, since it is possible that they might merit it sooner; rather, he swore only that it would not be delayed beyond this time, and that by then the troubles mentioned above would come to an end. Abarbanel explains that this means the dominion of Ishmael itself would then come to an end. And a matter stated by oath cannot be altered in any way, for this is the final time by which they must certainly be redeemed — I have already explained this period above, in discussing ‘a time, times, and a half.’ He told him: after ‘a time, times, and a half’ of the total period had passed, and when the shattering of the power of the holy people was complete — that is, the time of the scattering of the holy people and their dispersion, of which it is said, ‘their power is gone, and there is none remaining, shut up or left at large’ — then all these things would be finished. Abarbanel explains that this means the dominions of the princes standing on the bank of the river would come to an end, for then the kingdom of heaven would begin, as stated above in the first vision: ‘and to him was given dominion and glory.’

Then I heard Gabriel — who lifted his hands to heaven and swore 'by Him who lives forever,' that is, by God, may He be exalted, who sustains the world and its life — that it would be 'for a time, times, and a half'; that then the shattering of power, and the plague, and the exile would come to an end for the holy people — 'all these things shall be finished,' and the whole world would be under a single faith, for on that day 'Hashem shall be one, and His name one.' Now the meaning of 'a time, times, and a half' is as I explained regarding [the phrase] 'a time, times, and half a time.'

but I did not understand I did not know what “the time of two times and a half” means. what is the end of these the end of these calculations.

And I heard, but I understood not — this makes clear that Daniel did not understand the time of the redeemer's coming.

And I heard – Although I heard the angel's words, I did not understand how long this appointed time was. Then said I – To the angel who was speaking with me. What shall be the latter end of these things – What is the end and conclusion alluded to by these appointed times?

And I heard, but I understood not — Abarbanel explains that he did not grasp the reckoning of the time periods, since it was not an explicit reckoning. And he says, ‘O my lord, what shall be the latter end of these things’ — meaning, what will be the end of the dominion of the princes standing on the bank of the river; that is, what will become of the nations under their influence.

I heard these words, but truly I did not understand their meaning; and then I said, 'My lord, what will be the end of these things?' — meaning, their interpretation as well.

until the time of the end until our redemption draws near.

And he said, ‘Go your way’ — meaning, as if to say: go on your way, and ask no more, for the words are shut up and sealed. And this is a sign that when the time of the end arrives, the wise will understand the angel's hints; therefore, after this it goes on to say, ‘many shall purify themselves and make themselves white’ (Daniel 12:10) — a metaphor drawn from bodies and applied to souls, meaning that they will grow wise and accept the truth.

Go your way, Daniel – That is, drop your question and ask no more, for the words concerning the redemption will remain closed up and sealed in allusion, so that they not be known until the time of the end; but when the end comes, everyone will grow wise enough to understand the allusion.

And he said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up ... and [as follows in the next verse] shall be purified — then many of the nations will recognize the true faith and know the truth, and will be purified and refined to walk by the light of Hashem. But the wicked shall do wickedly — there will be found wicked people who will not repent, but will persist in wickedness, going out to fight in the war of Gog and Magog. And he explains that the wicked will not understand the workings of Hashem and the deeds of His hands, while the wise among them will understand and recognize the truth.

'And he said: Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end.' And the reason they are sealed is so that—

They will be clarified and whitened [i.e.,] these calculations. and...will be purified [i.e.,] many [will be purified] by them to understand them. and the wicked will pervert the calculations by computing them incorrectly, and when they terminate, they will say that there is no more redemption. will not understand All the wicked [will not understand] them. but the wise will understand them when the time of the end arrives.

Shall purify themselves – The matters will be clarified and made clear by those who investigate and calculate [the time of the end]; that is, they will wish to clarify and elucidate the matters, in order to know the truth. And be refined, many – That is, many will make calculations, and their reckoning will turn out refined and purified, free of error. But the wicked shall do wickedly – And because of this the wicked will act wickedly, saying: since the Messiah did not come at the time that came out by their calculation, he will never come. And none of the wicked shall understand – To attribute the matter to an error in the calculation. But those who are wise – But the wise will understand [enough] to attribute the matter to an error in the calculation, and will not despair of the redemption.

Shall purify themselves (yitbararu) - From the root meaning clarity. And make themselves white (veyitlabnu) - From the root meaning whitening; its meaning is establishing the matter in its clarity.

—'many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined' — namely, those who sanctify Hashem's name and die for His sake, believing that the coming of the Messiah is near. 'But the wicked shall do wickedly' — the wicked, who do not believe in the coming of the Messiah, and who forsake their faith. Therefore it is My will that no wicked person understand it; 'but those who are wise shall understand' something of it.

And from the time the daily sacrifice was removed in order to place a silent abomination in its stead, are days of one thousand two hundred and ninety years since the daily sacrifice was removed until it will be restored in the days of our King Messiah, and this calculation coincides with the calculation of (8:14): “evening and morning, two thousand and three hundred” from the day of their exile to Egypt until the final redemption: Egyptian exile 210; From their Exodus until the First Temple 480; First Temple 410; Babylonian exile 70; Second Temple 420; Totalling 1590. The daily sacrifice was removed six years before the destruction, which equals 1584. Add 1290, and the total sum is 2874; like the numerical value of בֹּקֶר עֶרֶב (
) plus 2300 (
).

And from the time — I have already explained this. And afterward it says, ‘Happy is he who waits and arrives...’ (Daniel 12:12). The meaning is that this number is like half of a ‘week’ [of years, i.e., three and a half years]. Now, the Second Temple stood for close to three and a half years without the daily offering, and was then destroyed, and Israel went into exile; and for a period close to this same number, Israel will stand in a great trouble the like of which has never been, caused by the little horn, which is one of the kingdoms of Ishmael, for most of the exile dwells within their land. And this is [the meaning of] ‘they shall be given into his hand until a time, times, and half a time’ (Daniel 7:25). Now, Aramaic has no marker for the dual ‘two’ as the Holy Tongue does — [where, for example, ‘two years’ takes a special dual form, while] an ordinary plural, such as ‘ways’ (derakhim), [needs a numeral, since] a plural's minimum is three; and the proof is that, [lacking a dual form in Aramaic, the word for ‘times’] may be understood in one of two ways. Therefore a single idan is used [in Aramaic] to mean one year, as in ‘at its appointed time, from year to year’ (Exodus 13:10); and so, once ve-idanin is added, that makes three years, plus a half year from u-falag idan — so greater precision was needed, and that is why it says ‘a time, times, and a half.’ For a single ‘time,’ on its own, can serve to mean a year, as in ‘at the appointed time of the month of Aviv’ (Exodus 23:15) — so that ‘times’ in the plural would mean three; and since the true additional span is close to only half a year, it was necessary to specify the exact number of days. This is the point of ‘happy is he who waits and arrives’ — meaning that he will have to endure the great trouble, for it is written there, ‘to change the times and the law’ (Daniel 7:25). And Daniel joined together these two sets of numbers even though they are not from the same period, because — just as the number of days that Jerusalem stood in distress before the exile was a certain figure — a similar number of days will Israel stand in great distress before the coming of the redeemer. So, according to this interpretation, it becomes clear that when the king of the north goes forth and takes Egypt, the redeemer will come to Israel three and a half years later — only we do not yet know when this king will go forth to the land of Egypt.

And from the time – This too is [part of] the words of the angel, who told him: from the time that the tamid offering was annulled at the destruction of the Second Temple, and it was decreed that in the place of the Temple the detestable thing would be set up, standing silent, like a stone. Days – That is, from that time, count a thousand [two hundred and ninety] days, etc.; and we do not know whether these are literal days or years, nor what will happen then.

And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away — it is clear that the verse gives two time-spans: one is the point from which the possibility of redemption begins, if Israel is worthy, as our Sages said, “if they merit it, I will hasten it” (cf. Isaiah 60:22); and before that time there is no reason to wait at all. It says that this time-span will be a thousand two hundred and ninety years from the time the continual offering is removed and the detestable thing that causes appalment is set up. This cannot be referring to the removal of the continual offering at the destruction of the Second Temple, for then the second time-span that follows it would fall after the seventh millennium, which is impossible. Nor can it be referring to the removal of the continual offering at the destruction of the First Temple, for at that time no detestable thing that causes appalment was set up — the Temple was simply burned and razed to its very foundation. It must therefore be referring to another occasion on which the continual offering was removed and a detestable thing that causes appalment was set up, and this happened three times: (1) in the days of Manasseh, who abolished the continual-offering service and set up an image in the Sanctuary; (2) before him, in the days of Ahaz, who shut the doors of the House of Hashem and burned incense to other gods (as recounted in 2 Chronicles 28); (3) before all of these, in the days of the wicked Athaliah, of whom it is written, “for her sons had broken up the House of God, and had also used all the hallowed things of the House of Hashem for the Baalim” (2 Chronicles 24). At that time the continual offering, which was brought from the public fund, ceased — as it says there that Jehoiada appointed officers of the House to offer up burnt-offerings (ibid. 23) — and it further says, “and they offered burnt-offerings in the House of Hashem continually all the days of Jehoiada,” which shows that before this the daily burnt-offerings had been discontinued, and that a detestable thing that causes appalment had been set up as well, for at that time the temple of Baal stood. Since the verse states this without specifying which occasion is meant, reason dictates that we reckon from the first of these — the days of Athaliah, who reigned six years; at the end of her reign the continual offering was discontinued, which is why Jehoiada then rose up against her. She died in the year 3061, and the continual offering had been discontinued in the year 3060. Counting a thousand two hundred and ninety years from then brings us to the year 4350, from which the possibility of redemption began, that Israel would be redeemed whenever they became worthy. This is why it says, “Happy is he who waits” — meaning that from that point on we have reason to wait for the redemption. And it is known that at that time permission was granted by the emperor to build the Temple in Jerusalem, and it was indeed built by the Jews at great expense, by order of the emperor Julian. In the year 4349 there was a great earthquake throughout the world, and the great Temple they had built collapsed; and on the following day a great fire came down from heaven and melted all the ironwork of the building, and many Jews were burned. And in the following year, the year 4350, there was a great pestilence throughout the world, and whoever sneezed fell down dead, as is recorded in the chronicles of that era. This shows that the opportunity for redemption existed at that time, but Israel's sins prevented it. And from that time — “Happy is he who waits” — from then until the very last end we have reason to wait, for if Israel becomes worthy they will be saved even in the middle of this period, until it reaches the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. And if you count a further thousand three hundred thirty-five years from the year 4350, you arrive at the year 5685, when the destined end of wonders will occur. We have already explained that two further time-spans are stated: “a time and times and half a time,” whose term arrives in the year 5673, as stated above (7:25); and the second time-span, until “two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings,” when “the sanctuary shall be victorious” — which was told to him in the second vision — is completed in the year 5688, as stated above (8:14). Thus these three time-spans converge: the beginning will be in the year 5673, and it will continue fourteen years, comprising two “weeks” — one week that our Sages called “the week in which the son of David comes,” and the week of Gog, described in the verse as burning weapons and kindling fires with them for seven years (cf. Ezekiel 39:9) — that is, from the year 5673 to the year 5688. In the year 5685, three years before 5688, the building of the Temple will begin, and it will take three years to complete. And by the time 5688 — which fulfills “until two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings” counted from the year in which the angel spoke with him, the third year of Belshazzar — “the sanctuary shall be victorious,” and the continual offering will be restored to its place; for there, in that vision, he had asked about the restoration of the continual offering, and this is the answer he was given, as explained there. We are writing these words in Cheshvan of the year 5628 (1867 CE), and according to the calculation we have derived, the time of the redemption is still sixty years away. And since our eyes long to see the flourishing of Israel's strength in our own days, before our own eyes, we wait for it, hoping it will come any day. It has already been explained in the Zohar, parashat Shemot, that in every sixty years within the final millennium in which the redeemer is to come, an awakening toward redemption arises; accordingly, it is fitting that some awakening occur in this year or the one following it. And I felt it worthwhile to seek out a calculation and understanding regarding this year, in the hope that our words might find favor and hasten the time of salvation. I say that there is room to calculate the period of “a time and times and half a time” by reckoning that each “time” is four hundred years, like the duration of the Egyptian exile; three “times” are then twelve hundred years, and half of twelve hundred is six hundred, for a total of eighteen hundred — which comes out to this very year, for we are exactly eighteen hundred years into our present exile. And even though the days will go on until the matter is fully accomplished, the vision has already begun to sprout. Likewise, what is said, “for it shall be for a time, times, and a half,” means that at that point the two figures he saw standing on the bank of the river will come to their end, and through this the shattering of the power of the holy people will conclude, so that they will no longer be oppressed as before. And when “a time, times, and a half” arrives, which is the year 5628, the torment and suffering caused by the shattering of the power of the holy people will begin to end; and when the shattering of the power of the holy people is fully complete, all these things will end — that is, the two figures standing on the bank of the river. (And I have seen that the book Chazon LaMoed likewise made a calculation for the year 5628, by its own method.) The second time-span that he saw, “until two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings,” begins from the day of the destruction of the First Temple, in the year 3338, and concludes in the year 5638; and then “the sanctuary shall be victorious” — meaning that from then on the nations will recognize the righteousness of Israel and the holiness of their Torah, and will no longer continue to afflict them. The third time-span, “and from the time that the continual offering shall be taken away,” begins from the time the continual offering was removed at the destruction of the First Temple (and what is said, “and the detestable thing that causes appalment set up,” refers to the fact that at that time the idol-worshippers grew powerful and declared that their own worship had triumphed); this was in the year 3338, and the first period of a thousand two hundred and ninety years concludes in the year 4628. And the meaning of “Happy is he who waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” is as follows: this period divides into two. After a thousand years have passed from the end of the first time-span — that is, a thousand years after the year 4628 — Israel's strength will begin to flourish, as he was informed regarding the time-span of “for it shall be for a time, times, and a half,” as above; this is the meaning of “Happy is he who waits and comes to the thousand days” — that is, the year 5628. And from there it will continue another three hundred thirty-five years until the time of the resurrection of the dead, which will occur in the year 5963, thirty-seven years before the seventh millennium. And he goes on to explain, “But go you your way till the end be; and you shall rest, and shall stand up to your lot, at the end of the days,” that the “end” begins in the year 5628 and continues until 5963, when “you shall stand up to your lot” at the final end, when the resurrection of the dead will occur; and you will see that this matches the number given by the verse.

'For from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away' — that is, the destruction of the First Temple, in the days of Daniel — for it was then that honor was given in the world to 'the detestable thing that causes appalment,' a thing void of all knowledge—

Fortunate is he who waits etc. Forty five years are added to the above number, for our King Messiah is destined to be hidden after he is revealed and to be revealed again. So we find in Midrash Ruth, and so did Rabbi Eleazar HaKalir establish (in the concluding poem of the morning service of the portion dealing with the month of Nissan): “and he will be concealed from them six weeks of years.”

Happy is he who waits – Happy is the one who waits for it [the redemption] and lives to reach it. And [the verse] goes back and explains that this hope, upon its arrival, will be at [the completion of] the thousand three hundred thirty-five days, etc.; and this too we cannot fathom, any more than the other. For if Daniel himself said, 'I heard, but I understood not,' and the angel answered him that the words are closed up and sealed, how then could we possibly know them?

He who waits (hamechakeh) - An expression of hope, as in "acts for him who waits for Him" (Isaiah 64:3).

'Happy is he who waits' to reach the time — that time will be 1,290 years. There are another 1,335 years besides, which together total 2,625 years. And if you add to them the 3,391 years from the creation of the world until the days of Daniel and Cyrus — a bit less or a bit more — the sum comes to approximately 6,000 years, whether a little less or a little more; for these obscure matters can only be spoken of approximately. At that time the world will come to its end, and the noble souls will separate from their material substance and cleave to their Maker — which is the ultimate, absolute happiness, the thing hoped for and awaited by every perfected being.

go to the end You will depart to your everlasting home. to your lot to receive your portion with the righteous. at the end of the days Heb. לְקֵץ הַיָמִין, like בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָמִים. We cannot interpret הַיָמִין as an expression of the right hand, because it is mentioned in the Large Masorah among the six words that are unusual because they have a final “nun” at the end of the word, which serves instead of a “mem,” and there is none like them, e.g. (Job 31:10): “and may others (אֲחֵרִין) kneel upon her;” (ibid. 24:22): “and he is not sure of life (בַּחַיִין)” (Ezek. 4:9): “take yourself wheat (חִטִין)”; (ibid. 26: 18): “Now the isles (הָאִיִן) will tremble;” (Prov. 31:3): “to the pleasures of kings;” (here): “to the end of the days (הַיָמִין).”

But you ... at the end of the days — the nun [in ha-yamin] stands in place of a mem [i.e., in place of the expected ha-yamim, ‘the days’]; and so too in ‘and you, take for yourself wheat [chittin]’ (Ezekiel 4:9), ‘and upon it others shall kneel [yikhre'un acherin]’ (Job 31:10), and ‘he will not trust in life [ba-chayin]’ (Job 24:22). The word ‘Binyamin’ is likewise an example of this. Yefet ben Ali said that this verse is Daniel's own words to every wise person: that he should go his way and not search after the end of days, until the one whom Hashem has decreed to bring the redeemer in his days discovers it — and that this is the meaning of ‘and you shall stand up to your lot’: [namely,] if it has been decreed that you should be alive [then]. But this interpretation is far-fetched; how much more honored would the Gaon's interpretation have been, had he told us the reason for ‘standing to the lot’ in connection with ‘the end of days’ — for, in any case, all these are the words of the angel, and not the words of Daniel. The Book of Daniel was completed, in this commentary, in the month of Marcheshvan, in the year four thousand nine hundred and sixteen [from Creation], in the city of Rhodes; and thanks to Hashem alone, who helped, in His abundant kindness, His servant Abraham — he is the author, he is the scribe.

But go your way till the end be – That is, when your days are complete you will go to your eternal home, which is the end for all flesh, and there you will rest with the righteous; and you will rise in the resurrection to take your lot, given as your portion after the resurrection — and this is expressed in the language of people who divide [inheritances] by lot. At the end of the days – That is, the rising in resurrection and the taking of the lot will occur at the end of days.

The days (hayamin) - Equivalent to "hayamim," with a mem.

But go you your way till the end be; and you shall rest, and shall stand up to your lot, at the end of the days — [the words] “to the end of the days” [lakeitz ha-yamin] come out, numerically, to two thousand two hundred ninety, which is the time of the beginning of the first end, in the year 5628 (1867/68 CE). And the two words “to the end of the days,” [taken by themselves,] add up to three hundred thirty-five, which is the span from the first end until the last end, that of the resurrection of the dead. That is why “to the end of the days” is reckoned twice — because they are two different ends. And the meaning is: “and you, go your way” to the [first] end — that is, to “the end of the days” — and then you will still be at rest; “and you shall stand up to your lot” for the [second] “end of the days,” the second end, which likewise comes out, numerically, to [the value of] “to the end of the days.” That is why “yamin” [days] is written with a final nun, rather than — as grammar would require — with a final mem. What emerges from this is that, according to the second interpretation, from this year (5628 / 1867–68 CE) on, they will no longer continue to afflict the people of Hashem on account of their faith and their Torah; and from the year 5638 (1877/78 CE), “then shall the sanctuary be victorious” (Daniel 8:14) — though we do not know which holiness will be victorious, until, as it were, “the days shall speak” (Job 32:7) — whether it means the holiness of the [Jewish] people, or the holiness of their faith. And from the first appointed time until the time of the resurrection of the dead there will be another three hundred thirty-five years, at which point those who dwell in the dust will awaken and sing for joy (cf. Isaiah 26:19), and the man greatly beloved (Daniel 10:11) will arise to his own lot. And according to the first interpretation — “write the vision, and make it plain upon the tablets” (Habakkuk 2:2) — the message is that the flourishing of the horn of the House of David, the building of the Temple, and all the promises of the prophets will all be fulfilled together, and their light will shine forth from the year 5673 (1912/13 CE) until the year 5688 (1927/28 CE), by which time the Temple will already stand established on its site, and “the city shall be built upon its own mound, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner” (Jeremiah 30:18), and all the promises of the prophets will be fulfilled — “and the kingdom shall be Hashem’s” (Obadiah 1:21), and “Hashem shall be King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9). And there is reason to give for why the time of the possibility of redemption did not arrive until one thousand two hundred ninety [years] (cf. Daniel 12:11), according to both interpretations. According to the second interpretation, whose time was the year 4628 (867/68 CE) — that is, eight hundred years after the destruction of the Second Temple — an exile of eight hundred years, double the [decreed] Egyptian exile, was decreed upon them. And according to the first interpretation, whose time was the year 4350 (589/90 CE) — that is, five hundred twenty-two years after the destruction of the Second Temple — it may be suggested that two exiles were decreed upon them, each of four hundred years; but they were actually in Egypt only two hundred ten years, and in Babylon only seventy years, so they would need to remain in this last exile five hundred twenty years in order to complete the [full decreed] eight hundred years — for two hundred ten, plus seventy, plus five hundred twenty, come to eight hundred years. Now the destruction of the Second Temple was at the end of the year 3828 (67/68 CE); the reckoning began from the year 3829 (68/69 CE) and was completed in the year 4349 (588/89 CE); and in the year following that, the possibility of redemption began — if they should merit it.

'But go you your way' — Daniel — until the end of your life in this world; and afterward, at your death, you shall rest in the rest of the Garden of Eden. And 'you shall stand up to your lot, at the end of the days' — at the end of days you shall stand and arise in the resurrection of the dead, and you shall merit your goodly portion in the World to Come. It is complete and finished — praise to the Hidden One! Its completion took place on the festival of Passover, in the year reckoned by the words 'the righteous shall flourish in his days' (Psalms 72:7), here in Massa Fiscaglia, in the house of the eminent one, my father-in-law, commander of my legions, Don Gedalia ibn Yahya, who was under the dominion of the Duke of Ferrara — may his glory be exalted — as I fled from the horrors of the plague that was in Romagna, the land of my sojourning. May Hashem grant me to show forth wonders from His Torah, and cleanse me from my errors.