Isaiah · Chapter 4

And they took hold. And they seized: “Seven women for one man.” Due to the multitude of widows, they come to a single man and request that he marry them. “Gather.” [This teaches that they] concealed our disgrace, just as it is written, “and you shall bring him into your house” (Deuteronomy 21:12), [indicating] that when a woman is married, the status of being ownerless does not apply to her. And some say that Nebuchadnezzar decreed that they should not be sexually violated, lest they be punished; therefore, they sought to have the status of being under their husbands’ authority.

"And they held fast to seven." The reason is the majority, on account of the days of the week; all this is so that the males might die in war.

"והחזיקו" – this is like the phrase "והחזיקו את ידך" ("and they strengthened your hand"). This occurred in the days of Ahaz, when Pekah, son of Remaliah, killed in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand men in a single day, and the women remained. Regarding this it is said: "Their widows have increased to Me more than the sand of the seas" (Jeremiah 15:8). The term "seven" does not denote an exact numerical count; rather, it is the manner of Scripture to use "seven" or "seventy" to indicate a large number, since all the days of the world are reckoned in weeks. Just as in the verses: "seven times as your sins" (Numbers 14:34), "A righteous man falls seven times and rises again" (Proverbs 24:16), and "On one stone, seven eyes" (Zechariah 3:9). Similarly, "seven women" means many women. “Let us eat our bread.” That which a person is obligated to provide from his own means—namely, food and clothing—they say to him, “We will provide food and clothing from our own means; only take us as wives, so that people will say of us: ‘They are married men.’” “Gather up our reproach.” For it is a disgrace for a woman to dwell without a husband. And there is an interpretation that Nebuchadnezzar commanded his soldiers not to have sexual relations with a married woman; therefore, the women sought to have a husband in name.

"And they took hold." Our Sages of blessed memory said: Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree upon his people that they should not force married women, and because widows would increase, seven women would take hold of one man to marry him. “Say: ‘Thus shall you speak: Do not be concerned or anxious about the need for provision and sustenance, for we shall eat our bread and wear our garments, and we have no need of you for anything else, except that your name be invoked over us, so as to say that you are our master and we are betrothed to you.’” “Gather.” This means: Let the disgrace be gathered away from us, so that the army of Nebuchadnezzar will not force themselves upon us.

And they held fast. The meaning of "holding fast": “Gather.” [This means] to bring in, as it is written: “And there was no man gathering” (Judges 19:15).

“And they shall take hold” – the widows will increase so greatly that many women will take hold of a single man, and they will say to him: “Exempt us from the obligation incumbent upon the husband to provide them with bread and clothing; rather, just take us as wives in order to gather up their shame.” And this is a punishment of measure for measure against their arrogance in ancient times. And if you ask: After the arrogance is humbled, and “ornaments of gold and jewels of fine gold” will no longer be a blemish, what then will be the honor of the House of Israel? I say:

"On that day." After the adornments and ornaments of the harlots and the wicked have been exhausted, the glorious beauty of their honor will no longer be spent on these (another reading: "will not be weighed [tissoleh]," i.e., valued, against these). ""The branch of the Lord shall be." For you, for beauty:" “to beauty and to the glory.” They are the righteous ones who remain in them, and the sages, students of Torah, in them they hang their glory and honor. "And the fruit of the land" – these are the children of the righteous. "The fruit of the tree of life" – they shall be for glory and for beauty — in which the remnant of Israel shall glory and be praised. "Tzvi" – beauty: a thing of desire (tzivyon), in which there is delight.

"On that day." "The plant of the Lord"—some say this refers to Hezekiah, but the correct view in my eyes is that it refers to the righteous of Jerusalem who were saved. "For glory." Just as it is written, "it is a glory to all the lands" (Ezekiel 20:6) — like splendor. And some say it is derived from the Aramaic root, as in "to him who is favored, He shall give it" (Daniel 4:14). And Rabbi Moses the Cohen explained "shoot" (tzemach) according to its plain meaning, that God will bestow blessing upon the shoot and upon the fruit.

"On that day." We have already explained above that "on that day" refers to the day of salvation, when the Redeemer comes. And the meaning of "the Branch of the Lord" is the Messiah, son of David, as it is stated, "And I will raise up for David a righteous Branch." “Litzvi.” Its meaning is “desire,” or “glory and splendor,” as in “Her beauty is for all the lands” (Isa. 23:18), “for a crown of beauty” (Isa. 62:3). And “the fruit of the earth” is also said of the Messiah. At first, he will be like the beautiful shoot that brings joy to people when they see him, and when he comes to bear fruit, they will derive even greater benefit from him and rejoice in him more. So too, King Messiah: at first they will rejoice in him, and afterward, when he performs deeds and defeats the war of Gog and brings peace and tranquility to the land, so that all the world will stand in awe of him, afterward he will become a glory and splendor, and they will boast and take pride in him among all the nations. And He said “lefilat,” as it is written: “And I will remove from your midst the arrogant and proud, and I will leave behind in your midst a poor and humble people, who will take refuge in the Name of the Lord…” (Zech. 13:8–9), and similarly He said: “Behold, those who remain…” (Isa. 10:20). And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated “Tzemach Adonai” as “Meshikha d’Adonai” [the Messiah of the Lord], and he translated “ve’pri ha’aretz” as “ve’avde ar’a” [and the servants of the earth].

"On that day" means that after the iniquity of Israel has been expiated through difficulty and the majority of afflictions, then there will be a complete redemption, and the Branch of the Lord will be for splendor and glory. This refers to the Messiah, son of David, who is called "Branch," as it is stated: "And I will raise up for David a righteous Branch" (Jeremiah 23:5). And the fruit of the earth. This too refers to the Messiah, as it is said: For the remnant of Israel. For those who remained, who took refuge in the place and stood firm in their faith:

"litzvi" – for beauty and splendor, as it is said: "and the beauty of his ornaments" (Ezekiel 7:20). To the Gaon. To a great ruler; and likewise before the breaking of pride (Proverbs 16:18): For the survivors. For the remnant:

"On that day, the Branch of the Lord will be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the land will be pride and splendor for the survivors of Israel." This refers to the generation that remains, and the righteous who will be found within it will be the beauty and glory of the House of Israel, and the fruit of the land—they are the deeds of the righteous, and the fruit of their works will be for pride and splendor. [Note: Know that the acquisitions of excellences are of two kinds: a) The excellence of the body in its matter and its externality, which is grasped by sense and imagination, such as beauty, grace, and appearance. Upon these fall terms such as "beauty" (tzvi), "desire" (chemdah), "longing" (ta'ava), and their like. b) The excellence of a thing regarding its form or a moral excellence, which is not attained except through intellect and knowledge, such as the excellence of wisdom and old age. The senses will not judge to honor wisdom or old age; only the intellect obligates this. The intellect decrees that wisdom is honored because it is a formal excellence, and old age is honored because it is a moral excellence. Upon these excellences fall terms of "honor" (kavod). It is clear that the two terms attributed to the Branch of the Lord—"beauty" (tzvi) and "honor" (kavod)—refer to Him from two aspects: "beauty" from the aspect of His matter, and "honor" from the aspect of His form. That is to say, the Branch of the Lord, which is the remnant that remains, will be complete: if in His matter, He will be magnificent in beauty and splendor before the eyes of beholders; if in His form, He will be honored, for He will attain spiritual and soully perfection. And know that "pride" (ga'on) and "splendor" (tif'eret) in the second clause, which are attributed to the fruit of the land, correspond to "beauty" and "honor." "Pride" is the pride of the thing and its strength, which is grasped from the aspect of the senses, and corresponds to "beauty," which is also sensory. "Splendor" is from the aspect of a formal excellence, grasped by the intellect, such as the splendor of wisdom, understanding, and the rest of the soully excellences, and corresponds to the term "honor" in the first clause. However, what is the difference between "beauty" (tzvi) and "pride" (ga'on), and between "honor" (kavod) and "splendor" (tif'eret)? Know that the acquisitions of excellences, whether material or formal, are divided into two divisions: a) Excellences that a certain entity possesses by virtue of birth and nature, whether material—such as appearance, beauty, and their like—or formal—such as old age and its like. b) Those acquired through choice, diligence, and effort, whether material—such as one who learns the arts of war, wealth, and their like—or formal—such as one who engages in wisdom, refines his character traits, fears the Lord, and their like. And the philosophers have agreed that "splendor" (tif'eret) cannot apply to a natural excellence, but only to an excellence acquired through choice and will. For just as the bee is not glorified for the perfection of its work in the six-sided honeycomb, nor the spider for its webs which it weaves, because it is natural to them, so too a person does not glorify himself in appearance and beauty or in old age. Therefore, they honor the elders and glorify the wise. This is the difference between "honor" and "splendor" in excellences coming from the aspect of form: "honor" is fitting for a natural excellence, and "splendor" for a chosen excellence. And this itself is also the difference between "beauty" and "pride" in material excellences: "beauty" falls upon sensory, material, natural excellences, and "pride" upon material excellences that he acquired through his diligence. For a person does not boast in a natural excellence, just as he does not glorify himself in it. And if he boasts in it, it is not the true pride to which this verse refers. According to this, we come to the explanation. The prophet depicted that generation that remains, the survivors of the sword after the general destruction that was then upon the House of Israel, as a forest growing trees or an orchard, whose all shoots, branches, trunks, and roots were cut down to destruction. And after the growth was destroyed, it grew again by the desire of the Lord, and He made it strong and splendid. And this He calls here "the Branch of the Lord," because human hands did not engage in it this time, but the Lord alone. And it is the metaphor for that new generation which grew by the desire of the Lord, in place of the generation cut down by the sword. And he depicted this Branch that it will be for beauty and honor, meaning that two kinds of perfections will be found in it: the material in strength and wealth, and the spiritual in wisdom, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. But he did not attribute to it "pride" and "splendor," for it did not grow through human effort but by the word of the Lord. Now, he transfers himself in his vision and depicts this Branch after it has grown, multiplied, and put forth a flower, and made grapes, which he calls in his rhetoric "the fruit of the land." He attributed the fruit to the land and not to the Lord, as he did with the Branch, for the fruit that it will make will be from its own side and its power, and from the side of the land. And in the metaphor, after that generation multiplies and strengthens itself through the good deeds that the righteous will do—which is the fruit of the Branch and its yield, the branches of the vineyard that the Lord planted—the deeds are attributed to the generation itself, for this depends on the power of their choice. Therefore, he attributed to them "pride" and "splendor," which are attributed to chosen deeds. Whereas initially they were for "beauty" and "pride" through their strength and wealth, and whereas they were for "honor," they will be for "splendor." For "honor" is not inherited except by the one who is honored alone. Now, through their soully excellences, many will be justified in it, and in it they will boast.]

"And it shall come to pass that the remnant among them shall dwell in Zion:" And the remainder. In every place they shall dwell in Jerusalem: "Holy" shall be said to Him. All of them shall be righteous. And you might say: "Righteous ones who died before that day—will their honor be lost?" Therefore it states: "All who are inscribed for the life of the World-to-Come shall be in Jerusalem," as per Targum Jonathan.

"And it shall be." All that is written concerning the living in Jerusalem, I will explain in the book of the Twelve Prophets, in the verse "Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another" (Malachi 3:16):

"And it shall be." The remembrance of Zion and Jerusalem, for it is the head of the kingdom of Israel, or because there the war of Gog and Magog will take place. "He shall say to him." "He shall say" on his behalf: "For He is holy." And the verse states that He is righteous, so that He should decree for him to live according to his uprightness and his good deeds. And similarly, "Erase me, I pray You, from Your book which You have written." And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated the verse thus: "And let that which remains return to Zion, etc."

"Those who remain in Zion." Those who remain from Israel shall dwell in Zion, and those who are left among them shall reside in Jerusalem, and the matter is repeated in what is stated: "He shall say to him." Regarding all that remains, it is said that it is holy. All that is written. Everyone who is written in the Book to live in the eternal world will dwell in Jerusalem.

"And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion" — "he who is left" refers to those who remain by design, whereas "he who remains" refers to those who remain not by design. Now, in Zion, there were the esteemed members of Israel, the sons of kings and the graspers of Torah, from among whom the enemy deliberately left some, as is mentioned (in Daniel 1). And not only "he who is left in Zion," but also "he who remains in Jerusalem." In the general population of the city, where the masses dwelt, the enemy did not deliberately leave them; rather, some of them remained by chance. Yet even this multitude shall be called "holy." For all of them shall be righteous — that is, the entire group written about. The meaning is that indeed it cannot be avoided that wicked people will also remain, and certainly "holy" will not be said of them. Therefore, the condition is stated only for all those written about in Jerusalem who are destined for life — namely, only for the righteous who will remain for the life of the World-to-Come. Only of these shall it be said "holy," but not of the wicked who will be written down for disgrace and eternal shame (as it is stated in Daniel 12:2). Of them it will not be said "holy."

"If he washed." For the word if (im) is sometimes used in the sense of for (ki), as it is written, "if it swallow him up from his place" (Job 8:18), meaning for it swallows him up; and so too "until she had finished giving them drink" (Genesis 24:19), where the word if (within "ad im kalu") is likewise used in the sense of for. Tzavat. "Tig'alta" – as its Targum [translates it], namely, that You removed their iniquity through afflictions and eradicated them from the world. Yadich. It is a term for washing, in the language of the Mishnah and in Scripture, as it is written: “And they shall wash the burnt offering” (Ezekiel 40:38). "In the spirit of justice." Through afflictions, in Old French "Talent," so that it should come upon his spirit to judge them. And with a consuming wind. To consume them from the world. The word "consumes" is like the Old French term "bayyok," which in the foreign tongue means "to go."

If. According to the opinion that, or its meaning is holy, it says regarding the remainder: if God washed, so from Zion: yadich. Like "they shall wash away" the burnt-offering (Ezekiel 40:38), like "they shall wash." "be-ruach ba'ar" – from the root of "u-vi'arta ha-ra'" (Deuteronomy 21:21):

"If he washed." If this is its meaning, like "And it shall be, if he comes to his brother's wife," "If the Jubilee shall be for the children of Israel," and "If you offer a meal-offering of first-fruits," and similar cases, as we have written in the book Mikhlol, and the explanation of the verse regarding the matter mentioned above, "Holy shall he say to him," etc., when will this be? When the Lord shall wash the filth of the daughters of Zion, meaning the mucus and the filth, and it is a metaphor for the evil deeds that are in Zion today; then they will no longer be there, and "I will remove from your midst the boastful ones of your pride." "And he washed." The past tense is used in place of the future tense, and similarly there are many such instances in the words of prophecy. And he washed. And he shall wash away: this is a repetition of the same idea using different words. Similarly, "feces" and "blood," and likewise "judgment" and "he shall purge away." That is to say, through judgment He shall act, and He shall not prolong [the process] for the wicked; and by this He shall purge away all evil, and nothing of it shall remain. And He attached "spirit" to the language of washing away and cleansing, meaning that due to the great intensity of the purging, nothing shall remain of the moisture of sin, just as the wind dries things. Or, the interpretation of "spirit" is like "with the breath of His lips" and "with the breath of His mouth," and so did Jonathan translate: "with His words."

"If He shall wash" – This means that this matter will be as it is said, "when the Lord shall wash away the filth," etc., meaning when He will remove from them the impurities of sin. The blood of Jerusalem. The innocent blood that is shed within it. “With the breath of judgment.” With the strength of judgment, afflictions. That is to say: just as this wind dries up moisture, so too do afflictions wipe away the moisture of sin. And with a spirit of burning. Through suffering, He will burn up the sins from the world.

If. Its meaning is like "when," as in: "And if the Jubilee shall be" (Numbers 36:4). Tzo'at. From the root tzoh, and it is said regarding disgraceful transgressions: yadich. From the language of rinsing and washing: In the matter of "ba'ar" (emptiness). The subject is one who is devoid of the world, as it is said: "Behold, I am setting fire after Baasha" (1 Kings 16:3).

If he has washed, one does not say that all that remains is holy, for that which will become holy will not be so immediately, but only after the Lord first washes away the filth of the harlot, the daughters of Zion, and washes away the sin of the children of Jerusalem who shed innocent blood, by the Spirit of judgment and by the Spirit of burning. And with what will He wash away these iniquities? “With the spirit of judgment and with the spirit of burning” – this means that the destruction which will come then will not be a general destruction that does not distinguish between the pure and the impure; rather, it will be with the spirit and desire of judgment, so that first each person will be judged according to his deeds, and after the wicked alone are identified, they will then be removed with the spirit and desire of eradication and destruction.

And regarding its scriptural passages: those that are read within it. "A cloud by day and smoke" – to protect them from the nations. "For upon all glory": That which is said to them, "Let the canopy be that which will cover My Divine Presence over them." And there are seven canopies here: cloud, smoke, radiance, fire, flame, canopy, and Divine Presence.

"And the Lord created." Initially, the Cloud of Glory rested in the Tabernacle and in the Temple. But at the return from exile, the Cloud of Glory will be seen upon the houses of the sages, the great ones, and the pious. This is what is stated: "Upon all the habitation of Mount Zion" – meaning, upon every place that is established and exalted by the honor of its inhabitants. That place is also called a "place of reading" because the congregation is called before the sages there. The pronominal suffix (meaning "her") "the" in "her readings" refers to Zion. And there, by day, there will be a cloud and smoke, and by night, the brightness of a flaming fire, just as it was in the Tabernacle: the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. "Smoke" refers to the dense cloud. Jonathan the Targumist translated it as "cloud and mist." Its interpretation is in the manner of what is said: "And darkness was around Him." It is an allegory for the apprehension of the truth of God, which cannot be attained in its absolute truth, for "Man shall not see Me and live." Even the living creatures of the chariot do not see Him. And it is stated that in that time, the apprehension of mankind will increase. “For upon all honor He has covered.” The explanation is: “Upon all honor” refers to the houses of Jerusalem; that is to say, the honor of God will cover them with the cloud by day and the fire by night. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it: “upon every site, upon every sanctuary of the mountain of Zion.”

“And He created, etc.” Then the Lord will create a new cloud to dwell by day over all the places prepared for dwelling, which are on Mount Zion. And regarding its scriptural verses: concerning the men who are called to come to them. "And smoke, etc." – "By night": all these shall rest upon them by night. “And the brightness of a flame of fire.” It refers to the illumination of the flame of fire. "For upon all, etc." – In addition to the honor that will be theirs at that time, all these [things] will serve as a covering over them, to protect them from the nations.

Machon. From the root meaning "preparation": The reading thereof. Those who are summoned and prepared to come to it: And the shining. Illumination and rising: Chuppah. The matter is that of a covering:

And regarding the word "will create," the Prophet devised a wondrous strategy to elucidate in his speech that not all will be established in Jerusalem, and He will not say "Holy" to all of them. For just as the righteous will delight in the pleasantness of the Lord, so too a flame will burn the wicked. His speech is aligned with the prophecy of Malachi (3:19-20): "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that is coming shall set them ablaze," and "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings." He depicted lofty matters in his speech: that very thing which will burn the wicked is the very thing in which the righteous will delight. He drew a parable from the sun, which illuminates for righteous eyes but blinds the eyes of the bat and the snail. So too, the light of the Lord, in which the righteous will see light, is the very same that will burn the wicked to ashes, as it was in Egypt: light for Israel and darkness for Egypt. Based on this, he depicted here the honor of the righteous, by means of what existed in ancient times in the wilderness, where the Lord would go before them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire. And He says, "The Lord will create over the site of Mount Zion and over all those who are called to be within it"—including both the righteous and the wicked—a cloud by day and smoke. By day it will be a cloud, which is a matter of divine honor, like the pillar of cloud in the wilderness for the righteous; and it is the very same that will be smoke consuming and blinding the dark eyes of the wicked. And so by night it will be a shining of fire: a pillar of fire illuminating for the righteous, and it is the very same that will be a flame burning the wicked. For "over all glory He will create a canopy." The canopy mentioned, which will then be of a pillar of cloud and fire, will not be everywhere, but only "over all glory," meaning only over every place worthy of honor; only there will it spread its covering. Not so over the tents of the wicked; it will not spread its covering over them, but rather it will burn all who draw near to it.

"And the booth shall be for shade..."—from the heat of the day that is coming, as it is said concerning the wicked: "and the heat of them the day that is coming" (Malachi 3:19), that the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring forth the sun from its chamber and scorch them with it. And for a shelter. The language of covering: And to hide. To hide in her. Mizaram. The fire that gushes from the River of Fire flows upon the wicked in Gehinnom, as it is stated: “Upon the head of the wicked it shall fall” (Jeremiah 23:19). In the tractate Hagigah: And from "rain." The rain that falls upon the wicked, as it is stated: "He shall rain upon the wicked snares" (Psalms 11:6).

"and a canopy." And that same canopy, which was to serve them as shade by day from the scorching heat, so that the sun and the intense heat would not strike them, and likewise the rain would not harm them, for the canopy would be to them as a shelter and a refuge; and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated [in the Targum]: "And over Jerusalem it shall be..."

"And the booth shall be." This cloud shall serve to shelter her, providing shade during the day to protect from the scorching and burning heat of the sun. “Mizram.” From the washing of the waters, and it is a metaphor to say that He will shield them so that the hand of the enemy will not reach them.

“From drought.” The matter of dryness, as it is said, “And I will make the rivers dry” (Ezekiel 30:12). And the meaning is: from drought and heat that bring about dryness. Mizram. The matter of washing and the flowing of the waters:

And regarding the word "sukkah" (booth), he also derived this expression from the booths in which the Israelites dwelled in the wilderness, as it is stated: "In booths I made the children of Israel dwell" (Leviticus 23:43). The phrase "from the heat of the day and from the sword" means that the Lord will protect them from constant evil, such as the sword, and also from evil that comes intermittently, such as a flood and rain. The word "mehasheh" (refuge) is a small "hes" (protection), which is smaller than a "mistoter" (hiding place). He stated this in the manner of an a fortiori argument (kal va-chomer): if it serves as a "hes," all the more so will it serve as a "mistoter" (hiding place) from a great flood, and even from rain, which is the rain that falls in its normal manner. This means that they will be protected from every blow. Furthermore, he indicated that God’s providence will bring about opposites: just as He will protect from the sword and the flood, which are opposites in their nature—one being dry and the other wet. (And according to the homiletical approach, it may be said that the righteous will then be guarded with such intense providential protection that it will be praised that the evil itself will serve as the guardian of the righteous, saving them from its harm.) “The sukkah shall be for shade by day,” and from what shall the sukkah be made? From the heat; the heat itself shall provide covering and shield the righteous. (And the sukkah shall be) for a refuge and a shelter, and from what shall the sukkah be made? From the flood and the rain; the flood and the rain themselves shall cover the righteous, so that no evil shall touch them.