Isaiah · Chapter 40

“Comfort, comfort.” This repeats his prophecies that are to come, for from here until the end of the book are words of comfort; this section interrupts between them and the calamities. “Comfort, you prophets; comfort My people.”

"Comfort, comfort My people." This passage is attached [to the preceding one] because above it was mentioned that all the treasures of the king, as well as his sons, would be exiled to Babylon; therefore, after this [mention of exile], comes the consolation. These are the first consolations, from the middle of the book, according to the view of Rabbi Moses the Priest, concerning the Second Temple; and according to my opinion, everything refers to our exile. However, there are within the book words concerning the Babylonian exile, for the sake of remembrance, because Cyrus sent the exiles. Nevertheless, at the end of the book, the matters are regarding the future, as I will explain. Know that the compilers of the commandments, of blessed memory, said that the Book of Samuel was written by Samuel, and this is true up to "And Samuel died" (I Samuel 25:1). Now, the Book of Chronicles will prove that there, generation after generation, down to the sons of Zerubbabel. And the proof is, "Kings shall see, and princes shall arise and prostrate themselves" (Isaiah 49:7). And one may respond: when they hear the name of the prophet, and if he is not there, the discerning person will understand. The word "comfort" refers to the words of the Lord to His prophet or to the leaders of the people. The meaning of "times" is either a manner of swiftness or one moment following another.

“Comfort, comfort.” All these consolations are destined for the days of the Messiah, and the repetition serves to strengthen the message. Jonathan the Targumist translated: “Prophets, prophesy words of comfort to My people, saying: ‘Comfort.’” And “speak” is interpreted as we explained in the verse “Strengthen the feeble hands,” namely: “speak.” “Her warfare” means her appointed time. And similarly, “Is there not warfare for man upon the earth?” And the explanation of “for her warfare is fulfilled” is that her appointed time has been completed, meaning the time that was destined for her to be in exile. And Jonathan the Targumist translated: “For it is destined that her exile will be completed.” He translated “her warfare” according to its plain meaning from the root “to wage war, warfare.”

“Comfort, comfort.” Your God says to the prophets, “Comfort My people.” The doubling of the word indicates intensification.

“Comfort, comfort, My people,” says your God. You, the prophets, comfort My people. And since the redemption will come either earlier than the appointed time due to merit, or if they receive their punishment, or at least even if they do not merit it, He will redeem us at the fixed time, therefore He said a double comfort:

"For her army is full." The Targum [renders]: "she is destined to be filled from the people of her exiles" — as if [it said] "for she is filled from her host (mi-tzeva'ah)." And some interpret "her host" in the sense of "Has not man a term of service (tzava) upon earth?" (Job 7:1). He was pleased. He was appeased: "For she has taken..." The Targum translates: "Because she has received double consolation from before the Lord, as if she suffered twice for each of her sins." And according to the simple meaning, it is possible to explain that "she has taken" means she has received double retribution. And you might ask: How is it the manner of the Holy One, blessed be He, to repay a person double for his sin? We find a complete verse (Jeremiah 16:18): "And I will repay them double for their iniquity and their sin."

“Speak.” Always, speech is to the heart to remove the sorrow and anxiety that has passed; and likewise, “And he spoke to their heart” (Genesis 50:21). And the meaning of “Jerusalem” is the Congregation of Israel. "For her army is full." This means that her days were completed, similar to the verses: "All the days of my army I have waited for" (Job 14:14), and "Surely there is no army for man" (Job 7:1). The commentators said that it should be understood literally, but the first interpretation is the correct one. "For it is pardoned." [This means] it is completed and finished, as in "until he fulfills, like a hired man, his day" (Job 14:6); [and] "then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths" (Leviticus 26:34), in the manner of "your iniquity is completed" (Lamentations 4:22). “Double.” Of the distresses that every nation exacted [from her]: “Because of all her sins.” On account of all her sins.

For “her iniquity is accepted” – “I will complete her punishment,” just as in “then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths” (Lev. 26:34); and likewise, “answer” and “punishment” [are linked], as in “for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:16) and so on. And Targum Jonathan renders it: “I will remit their debt.” “for she has taken from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.” The term “double” can mean two times or more, as in “and the sword shall be tripled,” which means it shall be multiplied three times. And when it says “double,” it means two, and he is referring to the two exiles of Israel: the exile of Babylon and this exile. And why did this occur? Because of all her sins. And the wise man, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, explained that “double” refers to the afflictions that every nation has taken. And our Sages of blessed memory explained that “double” means their sins and the sins of their fathers, as the prophet Jeremiah said, “Our fathers sinned, and they are no more, and we have borne their iniquities.” And the Targum: “For she has received a cup of consolation from before the Lord, as if she took double for all her sins.”

On the heart. Matters that are accepted by the heart: And they called to her. They said to her: "You, who have been filled and whose time of exile has been completed." "Ki nirza." Her iniquity is appeased; that is to say, her iniquity is atoned for. "For she has taken." For she has already taken recompense from the Lord. "Double." This means two exiles: the exile to Babylonia and the exile to Rome. "In all her sins." On account of all her sins:

Tzavah. Its meaning is a fixed time, and similarly: "Is there not a tzavah for man?" (Job 7:1). "נרצה" – from the root meaning "to be pleasing" and "to make atonement."

“for her time of service is fulfilled”: That is to say, either they will be redeemed at the time when their appointed period becomes complete, and this will be if they do not merit to be redeemed beforehand; or they will be redeemed before the appointed time, by means of “for her iniquity is pardoned,” if they make their iniquity acceptable through repentance and merit; or by means of “for she has taken from the hand of the Lord double,” meaning that He will multiply their afflictions and punishment until the measure of punishment and suffering corresponds to all their sins, as in the parable of one upon whom it was decreed to sit in prison for ten years, and they would administer to him each day ten lashes, but the chief jailer administered to him each day one hundred lashes, so that he received his punishment corresponding to his sins in one year, and went out free. And so it was in Egypt, where the severity of the bondage completed the count of four hundred years in two hundred and ten years. (And the verses of the Scripture limit His word: “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, for her time of service is fulfilled,” and “Call out to her, for her time of service is acceptable.” For one upon whom exile for a long time was decreed, and who suffered his punishment according to the determined time, does not need to be called afterward to return to his home, for when the time is completed he will return of his own accord. But he needs to be comforted and spoken to concerning his heart, because he suffered so much and no kindness was done to him to forgive him anything. And this is what is said: “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, for her time of service is fulfilled.” But if kindness is done to him and his iniquity is forgiven before the determined time, then he does not need to be spoken to with words of comfort, but he needs to be called, for he will not return of his own accord after his time of affliction is not yet completed. And this is what is said: “Call out to her, for her time of service is acceptable,” etc.)

"Voice." The Holy Spirit calls out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” The way of Jerusalem, for her exiles to return to her.

"A voice of one calling." They are the heralds: "Be gone." He says to every nation: "The way of the Lord." The meaning is: those who were in exile and will return to the Holy Mountain—this is "the way of the Lord." They made straight. The reason is twofold:

"The voice of one calling." It is as if a voice were calling, and the meaning of "Prepare in the wilderness" is that they will find in the wilderness and in the desert a paved road, as if people had prepared and straightened it for them; and the meaning of "for our God" is that He is the One who guides this people emerging from exile.

"The voice of one calling." It is as if a voice proclaims and says: "Clear a path in the wilderness for the Lord, to return in it the children of the exile." They made straight in the wilderness. They made a straight path for our God in the wilderness, for He would walk before them.

Penu. The matter of removing an obstacle. And similarly, "And I have cleared the house" (Genesis 24:31): ישרו. The word is derived from "straight and level." In the wilderness. Its meaning is like that of a desert: Mesillah. A beaten path:

"The voice of one calling" depicts one who hears the voice of the caller, for the prophet sees the matter as if it has already come, and he portrays, in contrast to it, how at the time that the caller was silent for a moment, he heard a voice saying "Call" (verse 16), as one urging him not to remain silent for a moment, as will be explained there. In the wilderness, the multitude of wonders that were performed for our ancestors in the days of their exodus from the land of Egypt, in the wilderness, in the wasteland, will now wander before the prophet in his holy spirit, a visionary in his spirit, for the path that the Lord paved then, which is the miraculous and providential path, He prepared and also preserved for their children’s children to traverse it again at the time of the final salvation, as it is written, “As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show you wonders.” But the Lord will yet add to reveal His mighty hand also on a new path that He has never trodden before, and He will perform miracles and marvels that were not created from ancient times. And behold, there is a difference between “wilderness” and “plain,” for just as in inhabited land there are places of gardens and orchards, so in the wilderness there is found a place of plain and depression, and these are places where thorns and thistles grow, and this place is called “plain.” And there is a difference between “turn aside a way” and “make straight a highway,” for “turn aside a way” refers to a path that already exists, and one clears from it stumbling stones, but “make straight a highway” means that a new highway is paved and raised, which had never existed before. And there is a difference between “the Lord” and “our God,” as I have explained everywhere, that the name “the Lord” is called by Him from the aspect that He is the Creator of the world and renews it, and the name “our God,” the designation “our,” indicates the cleaving that He has with Israel and the particular providence that He singles out for them to perform marvels and do wonders. This is the meaning of the words: “Behold, in the wilderness, where the children of Israel went when they came out of the land of Egypt, and there is already found the way of the Lord, in which He trod in the previous miracles, turn aside this way from stumbling stones, for now this way will be renewed and these miracles will be revealed again. However, in the plain, which is more wild than the wilderness, and where the children of Israel did not go, and where a highway is needed by raising up, for it is not possible to make there a simple path because of the thorns, there they will make a new highway that was never before, and this highway will be for our God, who is singled out to us in His wonderful love for us, and it is that He will add miracles, signs, and wonders that were never revealed before.”

"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain." This indicates a smooth, level, and easy path. "And the ridges." Mountains that are close to one another, and due to their closeness, the descent between them is steep and not winding, so that it is easy to descend and ascend. (The word "ridges" is translated in the Targum as "gadudav," a term denoting height, like the banks of a river.) The clasps. As it says, “and they clasped the breastplate” (Exodus 28:28): “to the plain.” K’nafniya in the vernacular: a smooth and level land.

"Every valley" – that is, a place that is low will be raised. And behold, the word "valley" is not adjacent [to another noun] as in "the Valley of the Multitude of Gog" (Ezekiel 39:11). And it is possible that the word "valley" is omitted, such that it reads "so-and-so valley," similar to "What of the night?" (Isaiah 21:11). The meaning is that the returnees will come without toil. “העקוב” – like “עקוב הלב” (Jeremiah 17:9), and it is the opposite of “מישור” (a level surface). And the ridges. From the root of "the ridges of a man" (Psalms 31:21), with the meaning of a place that is crooked:

“Every valley.” All of this is metaphorical, for ascending mountains and descending valleys would weary travelers on the road, but they will not be wearied nor become exhausted. And “the crooked” refers to the winding path. "And the ridges." A swelling of the roads, for it is a matter of height; and similarly, "from the ridges of man (me-rukhsei ish)" (Psalms 31:21).

"Every valley": Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain shall be made low, so that the way shall be straight and level. “The crooked.” The way of the perverse shall be made straight: And the heights. The lofty places shall become a valley:

Gai. Valley: The word "ha'akuv." The meaning of "akum" and "avut" is like "akuv" in the verse "a crooked heart" (Jeremiah 17:9). To a plain. The word is derived from "straight and level": And the heights. The term denotes elevation; similarly, "the heights of a man" (Psalms 31:21), which is interpreted as "from the pride of man" and "from his haughtiness."

"Every valley" – this depicts how the path mentioned in it, by which the exiles will return, will be a straight path; valleys and ridges will not hinder them. Rather, it states that it will not then be according to the custom of the world, that when one wishes to straighten a path and finds a mountain, hill, valley, and depression before him, one then carries the earth of the mountain into the valley and depression, until the mountain is lowered and the depression is raised, such that according to nature it is necessary that first the mountain and hill be lowered, and thereby the valley is raised. But then it will be not according to the way of nature; rather, first every valley will raise itself on its own, and afterwards the mountain and hill will be lowered. "And it shall be the crooked place straight" – behold, the custom is that when they wish to straighten the crooked, which is the path that goes in a winding manner because there are found there many small ridges and hills that one must circumvent, surely first they will level the ridges into a plain, and then the crooked will become a plain of itself. But then it will be not in the natural order; rather, first the crooked will become a plain before the ridges are removed, and afterwards the ridges will become a plain.

"And it shall be revealed." When God will renew this miracle, then the Glory of God will be seen. "For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." These are the prophecies:

"And it shall be revealed." This refers to the time when they will emerge from exile with uplifted hands, and they will find even in the wilderness water and all their needs, as it is stated, "They shall not hunger nor thirst." Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed to the eyes of all nations. “And all flesh shall see”: Let all human beings know that the mouth of the Lord has spoken. That is to say, they will then know that these consolations which the prophets spoke in the name of the Lord were indeed spoken by Him, when they see that the prophecies are fulfilled. And “shall see” denotes knowledge and understanding, meaning the sight of the heart, as in “My heart has seen much” and similar verses.

And it shall be revealed. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all of them shall see that the mouth of the Lord has spoken these consolations, since they have been fulfilled.

And it is revealed from the verse that the Divine manifestation, exalted be He, will be in the future on six levels higher than in the past. 1. For until now, the Divine apprehension was wrapped in many garments, veils, and partitions of cloud and mist; but in the future, “and it shall be revealed,” the Glory will be uncovered and visible in a clear mirror. 2. Until now, they apprehended only the Glory of Elohim, which is the providence by which He guides, orders, and oversees, which is attributed to the Name Elohim, or Shaddai, or Tzevaot. Not the Glory of the Lord, which is the Essential Name indicating His Glory from His own aspect and essence, as it is written, “I appeared to the Fathers as El Shaddai, but by My Name YHWH I was not known to them.” But then the Glory of the Lord will be seen, and they will know Him. 3. Until now, they did not see, but only apprehended and knew; they did not see the Glory of the Lord with the apprehension of the physical eye, but now “eye to eye” they will see. 4. Until now, even those who saw and beheld visions of God did not see with the physical eye, but with the eye of the soul, the prophetic eye; but now all flesh will see, and even the flesh will see with its eye the awesome vision of the Glory of the Lord and the revelation of His Divinity. 5. Until now, those who saw and apprehended the Glory of the Lord were few, individuals, the remnants whom the Lord calls, and the children of ascent were few; but then all flesh will see, for “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.” 6. Until now, they did not all see on one level, as it is written, “And Moses alone approached the Lord, but they did not approach,” and “the people did not ascend with him,” for Moses’ level was “approaching,” the elders’ level was “ascending,” and the people’s level was lower than even that, as stated there; but now all flesh will see together on one level, equally. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken and promised this:

"Voice." From the Holy One, blessed be He, who says to me: "Call out!" “And he said.” My spirit [says] to Him: what shall I call? And the voice answers him: call this — “All flesh is grass.” This means: All those who exalt themselves, their greatness will turn into grass. (An alternative explanation of “All flesh is grass”): The end of man is death. Therefore, if one says he will perform an act of kindness, it is like the flower of the field, which withers and dries up, and one should not rely on it, for he has no power to fulfill his promise, lest he die. Just as when the grass withers, the flower fades, so too when a person dies, his promise is nullified. But “the word of our God will stand forever,” for He is living and enduring, and it is in His power to fulfill it. Therefore — “get you up upon a high mountain, O herald of Zion” — for the promise of the good tidings is from the mouth of Him who lives forever. “And all His kindness is like the flower of the field.” For it is written: “Kindness of peoples is a sin” (Proverbs 14).

Voice. It is attached to the glory of God, for God speaks and His word stands alone, unlike a human being. And the meaning of "Voice says" is "Call," referring to the angel who will say to the prophet, "Call." "All flesh is grass. Like grass, as it is stated: 'For the Lord God is a sun and shield' (Psalms 84:12)." “Like the flower of the field.” “In the morning it flourishes and passes away; in the evening it withers and dries up” (Psalms 90:6):

A voice saying, “Call!”—as if a voice is calling, or its meaning is that a prophetic voice calls to the prophet, saying, “Call,” and the prophet said, “What shall I call?” And the voice said to him, “Call and say, ‘For all flesh is grass.’” This refers to the nations that will come with Gog and Magog, most of whom will die. And what it says, “all flesh,” is an expression of exaggeration, like “and all the land went down to Egypt” and similar expressions. And why does it say, “and all his kindness”? Even if they performed many acts of kindness, they will not be remembered for them, because their sins are numerous. Moreover, they did evil to Israel and will receive their punishment. And it compares them to grass and to the flower of the field, which wither quickly, and the flower also falls with the blowing wind.

A voice says, "Read." A voice of prophecy says to the prophet, "Read and proclaim publicly." And it says: “And He said.” This is as if the prophet asks, “What shall I proclaim?” and the voice of prophecy answers him, “Proclaim, saying: ‘All flesh is grass.’” This means that all the nations that will come with Gog against Jerusalem for war will wither and perish like grass. "And all His kindness." This means: Even if any of them performed an act of kindness, it would not be counted as anything at all, and it would be like a flower of the field that is quickly withered, because they greatly harmed Israel and tipped the scales.

Hay. Like hay: Like a blossom. Like a flower:

"The voice said: 'Cry out!'" It depicts that the voice which cried out, as mentioned in verse 3, fell silent and ceased from crying out, and he heard another voice saying to him: "Cry out again; why do you remain silent?" And it says, “What shall I cry?” The first voice that called said to the second, “Why should I cry out again a second time? Is it not that all flesh is like grass?” The intent of his speech is as if a voice had called out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” for the redemption was ready to come immediately. However, due to the sin of that generation, it did not come then, and that generation died out completely, being cut off. The voice was silenced and fell silent, because the footsteps of the Messiah were not seen. Then another voice came to him and urged him to cry out a second time and not remain silent. He replies, “Why should I cry out? Is it not that all flesh is like grass? All that generation has died, and many generations have perished, yet the redemption has not come.” And this is what is meant by the statement, “Is it not that…”

"Withers." Like "withered":

"Dry is the grass." It is the moist plant, and so too in the language of the Ishmaelites: “Nishba bo.” Like merachefet, from the root of “Abram drove them away” (Genesis 15:11). And if they are two matters [should be: two binyanim]: Indeed. Like grass, all the people:

Yavesh. The past tense is used in place of the future tense, as is customary, and in prophetic speech it is the majority practice.

"Dry grass." This teaches that they shall become dry like grass, and their blossoms shall wither like a flower. For the spirit, etc. This means that when the spirit is diminished, they will perish. Indeed. Truly, the people who will be with Gog will be like grass, and the matter is repeated to reinforce it:

Wither. The meaning is like "to be wasted away," as in "and its foliage shall not wither" (Psalms 1:3). Neshavah. The meaning of the term "the blowing" is akin to "his spirit sat" (there 147):

"Dry is the grass, for the breath of the Lord has blown upon it, and the grass has withered, and the flower has faded by the blowing wind; so too, man is like grass, his days are like grass, for the wind has passed over him and he is no more. And why should I call?" The other voice answers him: "Indeed, not as you say. Do not despair, for only the grass of the people, only the people are like grass, and only..."

"Dry up, and so on." After it becomes like grass, it dries up, and after it becomes like a flower, it becomes like a withered fruit. Only the word of God will stand, just as "will stand" (יקום) implies, and there is none who can reverse it. "For the spirit of the Lord." The meaning is that the spirit which He will send will blow upon the grass and dry it up.

Dry. The matter is repeated in order to strengthen the matter. "And the word of our God." That He spoke through His prophets:

"Dry grass." This nation will become dry like grass, and wither like the green herb, and they shall all perish; and the word of God, which He promised through the prophets, will be fulfilled forever, and they will not be able to annul His words.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God and His promise will stand forever, as it is stated: “Man is like grass; his days are like the passing wind, and he is no more.” But “the kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear Him.” And even if many generations pass and they do not merit salvation, the word of the Lord will necessarily stand, and the appointed time will not be delayed. (And there is a difference between “withers” [yavesh] and “fades” [navel], for the withering of grass occurs at the end of summer, at its proper time, whereas its fading signifies the severance of the power of growth and its weakening, even while it is still in its bloom. And there is a difference between “grass” [chatzir] and “flower” [tzitz], for the grass withers when its time is up, and it does not wither before its time; but its time ends and it withers quickly. However, the flower that sprouts of its own accord fades and grows weary even while it is still in its bloom. And the commentators have already explained that the thing upon which one relies must possess two conditions: strength and endurance. In contrast to this, it says: “Behold, all flesh is grass, and the grass withers quickly and will not last long; his days are few and will not be prolonged.” Thus, the condition of endurance is lacking. And even while he is alive, “all his kindness is like the flower of the field; it fades, for it lacks strength and permanence.” How then can we rely on him for redemption? And He answered him: “Truly, the grass of the people [withers], only the grass withers, the flower fades.” But in the word of our God are found both conditions: “It will stand,” in which is found permanence and strength; “forever,” in which is found endurance for eternity.) Therefore, “Go up to a high mountain,” for you need not fear that the word of the Lord will not be fulfilled.

“Bringing tidings to Zion.” These are the prophets who bring tidings to Zion. And in another place it says, “The feet of him that brings good tidings” (ibid. 22). If they merit, [the word] is light, like a male; if they do not merit, [it is] heavy, like a female. And he delays his steps until the end.

“Concerning.” [The verse reads:] “A heraldess of Zion.” The reason is that it says “edah” (a congregation/assembly) rather than a literal female individual.

“On a high mountain.” By way of parable: whoever wishes to make his voice heard ascends to a high place. Since Jerusalem is the essence of the Land of Israel, and likewise Zion—for both are one city—therefore He mentions them in the words of prophecy as if they are heralding to the other cities. And the meaning of “Zion heralds to Zion” is that the heralding [voice] of Zion [is addressed] to the heralding [voice] of Zion; and likewise, “Jerusalem heralds.” "Do not be afraid. Do not fear to proclaim and say to the cities of Judah: 'Behold, your God!' For in any case, He will come—meaning that His Glory will return to Jerusalem. And the reason that Judah is mentioned is on account of Jerusalem, and also because the kingship belongs to Judah."

“On a high mountain.” To cause the voice to be heard from afar: “O herald of Zion” – this refers to the congregation of prophets who announce the redemption to Zion. Do not fear. This means: do not fear to raise your voice, even if you think that you will be regarded as a liar and a deceiver. "Behold your God": The Omnipresent came to redeem you.

“Bringing tidings to Zion” – this implies that Zion itself will be the messenger, and likewise Jerusalem. And it states: “To Zion, the bringer of tidings, ascend on a high mountain,” and “To Jerusalem, the bringer of tidings, lift up your voice with strength.” Do not fear that the matter you herald will not come, for surely it will come. Moreover, it also says to the cities of Judah: “Behold your God,” as if one were to point out His place with a finger regarding a matter that has already occurred and come to pass. (And I have explained in many places that “Zion” was the name for the seat of the king and the Sanhedrin, and the site of the Temple, whereas “Jerusalem” was where the multitude dwelt. Zion will herald the return of the Divine Presence to Zion, along with the kingship and the priesthood; therefore, it urges on her behalf: “Ascend on a high mountain.” And Jerusalem will herald the ingathering of the exiles; therefore, it urges on her behalf: “Lift up your voice with strength,” so that the scattered ones may hear and gather from the four corners of the earth.)

"With strength He will come. To take vengeance on the nations:" “Behold, His reward is with Him.” It is ready for the righteous. And His work. The reward for the work that He is obligated to give them:

Behold. “With strength He shall come.” This is a description of the hand, for it is found in the masculine form, as it is said: “And behold, in His hand was a scroll” (Ezekiel 2:9). "Behold His reward." He will give reward to those who wait for Him, and He performs their work as the work of a hired laborer. The meaning is "the reward of the laborer." And in my opinion, this meaning is not connected to the passage; rather, He is saying that He is not like one who seeks reward, and the meaning is not like a hired shepherd. Therefore, "His flock shall He pasture" [it should read: "He shall pasture His flock"].

"Behold, the Lord will come with strength." With a mighty hand, for He will not require another hand, but rather His own mighty hand. “and his arm shall be his own.” This means that it will stand for him alone to rule over the nations. The hand is described with the term *chazak* (strong), which is in the masculine form, for we find the masculine form used similarly in the verse: “and behold, in it was a scroll of a book.” His reward. That He will grant to those who trust in Him in exile: And his work. The reward, i.e. wages, for the workers of truth, and behold, it is his work and their work. Similarly, “I have poured out” is read as “my kings,” [as in] “My kings from of old in the house of my prayer, I have heard your prayer,” and similar cases. And the defect [in spelling] of the reward in “her work” is like “You shall not let the wages of a hired worker remain with you overnight,” meaning the reward of the work of a hired worker.

In strength. With power and with might: And his arm shall rule for him. This means that he will not need the assistance of another. “His reward is with him.” The reward for the deed is prepared with Him, to pay each according to his recompense. And His work. The reward for the deed is prepared before Him, and this is a double expression of what is stated:

Behold, he adds to prove that the messenger need not fear lest the Lord not fulfill His word, for that the Lord should not fulfill His word can only be conceived in two ways: either due to a lack of power, or due to a lack of will. And neither of these can be conceived regarding the Lord. He explains that the absence of power can only occur in two ways: 1. When the one making the promise finds an obstacle and a severance of power such that he is unable to fulfill the promise. But behold, the Lord God comes in strength. 2. It can be conceived that a king who promises a people to aid them will be unable to fulfill his promise unless the commanders of his armies and his troops agree with him. And this is not found regarding the Lord, for His arm rules for Him; His dominion does not depend on the opinion of others or the power of His armies, but only on His outstretched arm and His great power Himself. Likewise, a change of will from willing to unwilling can also only be conceived in one of two ways: 1. If the one promising to aid and save was hoping to gain reward for this, and now he does not need the reward, or hopes for a greater reward from another, or the hand of the one being aided does not reach to give his reward—then his will would change and he would not keep his promise. He says that this too cannot be conceived regarding the Lord, for He does not hope for reward from any creature; behold, His reward is with Him, not from another. 2. If the one promising did not hope for reward, but promised to save and aid because the action itself found favor in His eyes, or was good before Him, it might be that over time the matter would change, and He would not wish to perform this action. He replies that all this can necessarily be conceived regarding human beings who aid and promise, but regarding the Lord, His action was before Him from long ago, for at the time He promised, He had already acted and done it, for He formed it and made it; He promised, and from then on the matter stood before Him as if it had already been done, in a way that no change can be conceived in Him at all.

כרועה. Just as a shepherd who tends his flock with his arm, gathering the lambs and carrying them in his bosom: “Eilot yehal.” This refers to the suckling of young animals; the ewes that are nursing: Yenehal. Like menahel:

"And he shall carry him in his bosom." [This refers to] one who is unable to walk. "Olah": These are the pregnant females, upon whom the males mount. He will guide them. Gently, and this is the meaning: that God will gather the exiles and bind up the brokenhearted.

“כרעה עדרו” – Just as a good shepherd tends his flock, gathering the small lambs that are not yet able to walk like the other animals, collecting them one from here and one from there, and carrying them in his bosom, while the ewes, which are their mothers, he leads gently and does not drive harshly; so too does the Holy One, blessed be He, lead Israel out of exile gently, supporting every sick person and every broken one. And the ewes are called “עולות” (ascents) on account of their offspring, who are young like “עול ימים” (newborns), who lean upon their mothers to nurse. And my father, of blessed memory, was precise regarding the word “עדרו” (his flock), for the flock that is his own he treats with more compassion than the flock he guards for hire.

“כרועה” – Like a shepherd who feeds his flock gently, gathering the lambs in his arm and not with a staff, and carrying them in his bosom, the smallest among them; he leads them gently. So too, the Omnipresent will lead them gently when they return from exile.

He will gather. He will collect: "Young ones." [This refers to] young ones, and it is from the word for a young child and a nursing infant. Yenahel. The matter of guidance in a gentle manner, and similarly, "I will lead gently" (Genesis 33:14).

“Like a shepherd who feeds his flock,” meaning, a shepherd who tends his own flock, which is his own property and acquired with his money, has greater compassion for it than a shepherd who tends another’s flock for wages. For then, with his arm he will gather the lambs that are born, which are tender and unable to walk; with one arm he will gather them and carry them in his bosom, and with his other hand he will lead their mothers, the nursing ewes, because of his great compassion for them. So too, the Lord will have compassion on His people, to bring them out and lead them Himself, because they are His possession and His inheritance, not for the sake of wages, like a shepherd of another’s sheep.

"Who has measured..." All of this demonstrates that He possesses the power to create, and all the more so does He possess the power to keep these promises. “beshelo.” In his going, as it is stated: “Thy horses trod the sea” (Habakkuk 3:15). “Beshelo” is like “bimsho’ol” (Numbers 22:24), meaning a path or trail through the vineyards. Another interpretation: “She’el” is named after a vessel, and similarly “besha’alei se’orim” (Ezekiel 13:19). Takan. In Old French, it is the term for "measure" and "number," as in: "You shall give them a measure of bricks" (Exodus 5:7). "And all in a third." And it measured in its thirds: a third desert, a third inhabited land, a third seas and rivers. Another interpretation: "in a third" from the height down to a cubit, and "third" refers to the fingers. And Menachem explains that it is the name of a vessel, and similarly, "and you shall water it with tears, a third" (Psalms 60:9). "And he measured the mountains with a plummet." Everything depends on the land: a heavy mountain is driven into hard ground, and light ones into soft ground.

"Who, etc." And they wonder how this can be, for surely God, created everything and knew how much water is in the sea, as if He had measured it. “beshelo” – Like “besheli se’orim” (Ezekiel 13:19). “And He stretched it out.” He spread it out like a curtain; He knew their measurements, for He created them with His might according to His wisdom, as though He had measured them with a span. The verse speaks in the manner of a human being. And he measured. Like "he measured," and the Targum translates "they measured by the omer" (Exodus 16:18) as "and they completed." “Beshlish.” Like mishurah, and it is possible that it is derived from the root shalash (three); therefore, we do not know today what the ancient measures were. Likewise, “and you shall water them with tears, beshlish” (Psalms 80:6). “And he measured with a balance-scale.” This is what is called a *kriston*; it has a long arm, and it is derived from the root *plis*, as in “balance” (Proverbs 4:26). "And hills in balances." The meaning is that he places one hill in one scale pan and another in the other scale pan, and this is a metaphorical expression.

“Who has measured.” He said: Let the nations not be astonished if I bring Israel out of their bondage, in which they have been under their dominion for many years, for He who created the world from nothing can certainly do this. Therefore He said, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand.” And the meaning of “in the hollow of His hand” is that it is like a metaphor, for He, blessed be He, has no literal hand or fist, blessed be He. And the meaning of “measured” is that the waters were in their place like a mikveh, as a person who measures water and pours it into a vessel, knowing its measure; so too the Holy One placed the waters in their place and knew their measure. And regarding the heavens, since they are spread out, He said “with the span,” for a spread-out thing is measured with a span and a reed. And He said “to set them in order” because of the surface, which requires setting in order, as it is written, “He stretched them out like a tent to dwell in.” “And meted out (ve-khal).” It means: and measured; [as] the Targum of “and they measured with an omer” (Exodus 16:18) is “ve-khalu be-umra.” "In the third." A large measure; and likewise, one-third of tears. "בפלס" – This is the iron rod that is marked with dots, in order to know the weight by them. “With scales.” It is known, and He said, “And all [the earth] is measured out for him,” as if it were measured by Him; and likewise the mountains and the hills, as if they were weighed by Him. And He created them all with good measure and correct proportion, as it is stated, “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” And he who accomplished all this without any helper—can He not bring Israel forth from the hand of those stronger than them? He mentioned three of the four elements, for He mentioned “heavens” in place of the element of fire, for in the opinion of many, the heavens are of the element of fire. And even if there is a fifth element, according to the words of Aristotle, He mentioned it in place of the element of fire, because it is adjacent to the sphere of the moon. And He did not mention the element of air, because it is not visible, even though it is perceptible. The matter of the verse was not stated except in opposition to the fools, who will not believe except what they see. Therefore, He mentioned the three visible elements. But the wise will not marvel at this if God brings Israel forth from exile, for they know through their wisdom that “the hand of the Lord is not shortened from saving.” And there are those who explain that He also mentioned the wind, namely, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord?” For they explain the word “Lord” as an answer to the question, and it is not dependent on “Spirit” being attached to “Lord.” And the wise man, Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra, explained this in a manner similar to “And the Spirit of God was hovering.” And according to my understanding, the “heavens” that He mentioned are in place of the two upper elements: the heavens in place of the element of fire, as we have explained, and likewise in place of the element of air, for they are called “heavens,” as it is written, “And God called the expanse ‘Heavens.’” And He attached the three to Himself, saying, “with the hollow of His hand” and “with a span,” because they are upper. And even though the waters are lower, sometimes they rise up, like the clouds. But the element of earth, which is the lowest of them and the heaviest, He attached to something other than Himself: “With a line,” “With a plummet,” and “With scales.” And even though this and that are metaphorical, as we have explained.

"Who has measured": This means, who is like Him, who knows the depth of the waters as if He measured them with His fist, and knows the breadth of the heavens as if He determined their measure with a span, and knows the measure of the dust of the earth as if He measured it with a third, and knows the weight of the mountains as if He weighed them with a plummet and scales? And it is as one who says: He who knows all these things, He is able to do this.

In his fist. With his fist; and similarly, “in handfuls of barley” (Ezekiel 13:19): "Zereth." A measure whose length is half a cubit; and likewise, "zereth" refers to its length (Exodus 27:). Takan. The word means preparation: And all. The matter of measurement is that "and they measured by the omer" (Exodus 16:18) – the Targum translates: "and they completed." “Beshlish.” There, the measure is large, and likewise, “And You made them drink tears in large measure, beshlish” (Psalms 80:6). "Pelēs." So is called the measuring rod marked to know the weight of the thing being weighed; and similarly, "a plumb line and scales of justice" (Proverbs 17). “With balances.” This refers to the scale pan.

“Who has measured?” — Now he proceeds to explain in detail what was stated in the verse, “Behold, the Lord God will come with might” (Isaiah 40:10). He says: How can you claim that He lacks the power to fulfill His promise? Did He not measure the foundation of the waters with His measure, and with a span and a finger He established the heavens, which are the foundation of fire? And He measured the foundation of the earth, and all [its parts] with a third, a measure, and a calculated weight, so that the sphere would not collapse from the center which He placed beneath it, under the multitude of spheres surrounding it. Until He weighed the great mountains with a large plumb line, and opposite the mountains He weighed the small hills, one against the other, with small scales, to equalize the weight, the value, and the proportion between them. And likewise...

Who has measured it? The Holy Spirit in the mouths of the prophets—God has measured it, and it is worthy of being believed. "And a man his counsel shall inform him." The Targum translates: "His spirit." And according to its plain meaning, "a man his counsel" refers back to the beginning of the verse: "Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, and who, being His counselor, has taught Him?" Thus, "a man his counsel" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, meaning: Who is the man whose counsel He informs?

"Who has established..." The Gaon said that [the text] did not mention the Spirit together with the three foundations, and he said that the word "answer" [is to be understood as follows], as if it said, "Who has established the Spirit?" and the answer is "God." And in my opinion, this is not correct, because the verse reads "the Spirit" [with the definite article], and what is the meaning of "a man's counsel shall inform us"? And so is its interpretation: "Who has established the Spirit of God?" and the word "Spirit" is attached to it, like "and the Spirit of God was hovering" (Genesis 1:2). And who is the first [entity] that draws the second [after it]? And who is the man who will inform us of God's counsel? Why did He create thus?

“Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord?” When He did all this, who directed His Spirit? Just as it says, “and what His soul desires, that He performs” (Job 23:13)—there is no angel, and all the more so no human being, who could direct His Spirit and inform Him of His counsel when He created the world, saying to Him, “Do thus and thus.” And He said, “Who stretched out the heavens alone?” And whoever remembered stands in the place of two, as if it said, “And who is the man who will inform Him of His counsel?” And He repeated the matter again and said:

"Who has directed?" — Who has prepared the will of the Omnipresent? That is to say, who has inclined the will of the Omnipresent, according to His own mind? "And a man." This is dependent on the word "who," to say: Who is the man to whom the Omnipresent will make known His counsel?

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord? He is the foundation of the airy spirit. And after He prepared and created the four foundations—water, fire, earth, and wind—how much more so is His power abundant over that which is composed of them, namely, physical existence in its entirety. And who can withhold against His ability? (And by this is clarified what was said, "The Lord will come with strength.") And do not say that He will lack the wisdom and counsel to fulfill His promise. He answers: Who is the man (who)... "His counsel He will inform him"—from whom is he required to take counsel and seek advice?

With whom does He consult and understand Him? With whom among the nations does He consult, as He consults with the prophets, as it is stated regarding Abraham: "And the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?'" (Genesis 18:17), etc. And He shall make them understand and teach them in the way of justice. To which of the non-Jews did He do so, teaching them wisdom, as He did for Abraham, who applied his mind to recognize Him on his own and to understand the Torah, as it is said, "And he shall keep My charge" (Genesis 18:19), and it is said, "That He may command" (ibid.), and his kidneys were flowing with wisdom, as it is said, "Even the nights instruct me with my kidneys" (Psalms 16:7). (To whom does He consult and make understand? The man to the Holy One, Blessed be He. For are all nations before Him not like a drop from a bucket, and how could they teach Him?)

“With whom does He consult?” It is from the Nifal conjugation, a past-tense verb; therefore, the ayin is open. With whom did He consult? "Va-yevinehu" – [who] gave understanding to God, and taught Him in the path of justice? For it is He who set every rule and discipline. And He taught him knowledge: the things that are to come:

“With whom does He consult, and who instructs Him?” – “In the path of justice,” meaning: by way of the nature of the one who taught it to Him. Similarly, “the palace remains in its place” means: according to His nature. And likewise, “As the first judgment,” and similar verses.

“Whom did He consult? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him in understanding, and who taught Him the way of justice, and who taught Him knowledge, and who made known to Him the path of understanding?” The matter is repeated many times for the beauty of the diction.

“With whom does He take counsel?”—a person’s knowledge and comprehension depend on another in two respects: A. From God, Who grants understanding, Who implanted in man the nature of science and intellect. For it has been agreed among the philosophers that there are primary intelligibles that God planted in human nature, to which all inquiry and investigation ultimately leads. For example, the intelligible that it is impossible to unite two contradictories in one subject is implanted in human nature, and it is the foundation for all theoretical research. The masters of logic called it the law of contradiction (der Satz des Widerspruchs), which can be explained but not demonstrated by proof, because every demonstrative proof necessarily terminates in this law, and without it one cannot construct a theoretical proof for anything. This is called natural knowledge, which God planted in the human intellect. In contrast to this, it says regarding God: “With whom does He take counsel, and Who teaches Him knowledge?” Secondly, it is implanted in the nature of the human intellect to form judgments and inferences, to combine two perceived concepts and judge the subject to affirm or deny of it some predicate, to relate the predicate to the entire subject or to a part or an individual of it, to relate it to it necessarily, absolutely, or possibly. For the manner of forming these judgments is found implanted in the nature of the intellect, as explained at length in the wisdom of the clarity of the intellect. In contrast to this, it says regarding God: “With whom does He take counsel, and by paths of understanding does He inform Him”—the ways of understanding and its paths. B. Human knowledge is not completed by itself, and one needs another from among human beings, either to explain the intelligible until he understands it, and in any case, even if he understands by himself, he needs one to teach him the path of judgment, the ways of study, and the paths of understanding, for a person does not learn these by himself but from another. In contrast to this, it says regarding God: “With whom did He consult, and who instructed Him?” And even if one were to say that He merely taught Him the path of justice, not only is He in no need of instruction from another, but He also did not receive His intellect and nature from another. Regarding this it is stated, “He teaches Him understanding, and informs Him of the ways of wisdom.” All of this elucidates what is written, “His arm rules for Him,” meaning that He requires no assistance from another, even in counsel and wisdom.

"Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket." The idolaters, who refuse to acknowledge their Creator, are not esteemed by Him to the point that He would appoint prophets from among them to reveal His secrets. Like a bitter drop that drips from the rim of the bucket, settling the filth of the water and rotting the wood, "limonide (muddy)" in the Western language. "And when the scales are worn out." For the copper develops a patina and becomes worn. As it is written: “Fine dust.” “Fine dust”: He shall take up. Like dust that is borne and rises through the wind — like fine [dust] that is taken up.

Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket. Like a drop falling from the bucket, and it causes no harm to it: "And when he grinds." This refers to the fine dust. As it is stated, "And you shall grind it very fine" (Exodus 30:36). And since all human beings are but vanity in comparison to it, against whom can one set his teeth? "Yattul" – he shall cast, as in "and they cast (va-yatilu) the vessels" (Jonah 1:5). However, it is from a different root. Rabbi Jonah, the grammarian, said that "יטול" is in the Nifal conjugation, in a distant manner; or its meaning is "יטול" – "he shall lift," like "נוטל" – "one who takes."

Behold, the nations. And after He has done all this, from whom is there any helper and from whom is there any teacher? How then can the nations prevent Him from bringing Israel out from among them? Are they not all before Him like a drop from a pitcher, which is a small thing in comparison to the water of the pitcher? And the pitcher is mentioned because the drop falls from the pitcher when one draws water. Or like the fine dust of the scales. For it is a matter of the slightest of small things, for with a slight puff of air, that fine dust which is in the scales is expelled. "Behold, the islands are like a thread, that he may take them." When He wills, He lifts all the islands and takes them and turns them over like a thin thread. And Targum Jonathan says: "Behold, the isles are like fine dust that flies." The explanation is that "yittol" is an intransitive verb; if so, it is of the nifal conjugation, from the root tet-vav-lamed. And so wrote Rabbi Judah Chayyuj.

"They are nations." The might of the gentiles is considered in comparison to Him as a bitter drop dripping from the rim of the bucket, which is a small thing in comparison to the waters of the bucket. And like the fine dust of the scales, they are considered. In the eyes of the Omnipresent, they are valued as dust that is worn away from the rust of copper scales, which emerges from them with a light breath. “Behold, they are islands.” The islands of the sea—He will cast them away like fine dust. And if so, how could they stand before Him to protest against His hand, forbidding Him from bringing Israel out from among them?

Like a drop from a bucket: The vessel from which water is drawn is called a "deli" (bucket), as it is said, "And they came and drew" (Exodus 2:16), meaning that they drew water using the bucket; and the drop that falls from the back of the bucket is bitter due to the mold on the back of the bucket. "וכשחק" – The word is derived from "shchikah" (grinding) and "tachinah" (pulverizing), as in "and you shall grind it fine from it" (ibid. 30). As fine dust: as fine as dust. "he shall take." [The Targum renders it] "he shall cast," and likewise, "and they cast the vessels" (Jonah 1:5).

“Behold, the nations”—this means: Is it not so that He, who created the four elements by His power, the Blessed and Holy One, possesses dominion over all existence in its entirety? And even more so over the nations, who are like a drop from a bucket in relation to general existence. How, then, could they obstruct His hand, so that He would be unable to fulfill His promise? There is a difference between “a drop from a bucket” and “the dust of the scales.” For the drop that falls from the bucket, although it is as nothing compared to the water in the bucket, is nevertheless a part of that water and is considered of its kind. Not so is the dust of the scales, which is the fine dust found on the scales; it is separate from the scales and is not of the metal’s kind at all. So too, if you consider all that exists on the globe of the earth—the inanimate, the vegetative, the animate, and man—one nation is valued among them as a drop from a bucket. Although it is considered as nothing in relation to the bucket, and a single nation is nullified in relation to all that exists on the globe, nevertheless, it is a part of it. But if you consider all that exists on the face of the globe in relation to the globe itself, behold, all the offspring of the earth in relation to the globe, and all the more so in relation to the spheres and the countless host of existing beings, are like the dust of the scales—ground-up dust that is not connected to the globe at all and is nothing compared to it. From this perspective, the nations are considered as a drop from a bucket in relation to the offspring of the earth, and as the dust of the scales in that they, together with the offspring of the earth, are nullified against existence itself and are subordinate to it. “Behold, the nations”—the great nations are considered as a drop from a bucket, and all the more so the small islands, which are like fine dust, like fine, floating dust that is considered as nothing at all.

There is not enough fuel for burning. Upon its altar: "And its beasts." Of Lebanon; there is not enough for a burnt offering. Another interpretation: "And Lebanon has not enough fuel for burning," etc., to atone for the sin of the nations.

“Lebanon.” And there is no need for the name [to refer to] burnt offerings, for Lebanon is not sufficient for burning; rather, the meaning of “Lebanon” is so that those who hear will understand that the sense is “all the trees of the land,” and similarly is the meaning of “its beasts.”

And Lebanon: To the nations who think about Me and say that I do not have the power to bring Israel out from their hands, it will not be atoned for them by any burnt offering that they will bring before Me, after they see that I will bring them out and they will regret what they said. All the trees of Lebanon to kindle a fire, and all the beasts of Lebanon to burn them as a burnt offering before Me, will not suffice for them. And what is said, "Lebanon," refers to the present, because it is a forest in the Land of Israel.

"And to Lebanon." Because of the abundance of His greatness, the trees of the forest of Lebanon are not sufficient to kindle the fire upon His altar, nor are the beasts of Lebanon sufficient to be offered as burnt offerings before Him.

“And Lebanon.” The name of a forest in the Land of Israel. Be’er. The language of “be’urah” (burning) and “mokad” (burning place):

Regarding “Lebanon,” after having explained what was stated, “He shall come in strength, and His arm shall rule for Him,” lest one think that He will retract from His promise due to a lack of power, He proceeds to explain what is stated, “Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him,” lest one think that His will would change because of the reward that the nations will give Him to appease Him. He asks: What reward will they give that would cause His will to change? Will they seduce Him with harlots and sacrifices? Is not all of Lebanon insufficient to fuel the fire on His altar, and is not all its wildlife insufficient to be offered as burnt offerings upon it to appease Him and change His will? As it is stated, “I will not take from your house a bull…” for “to Me belongs every beast of the forest.” Will the Lord be appeased by thousands of rams, etc.? (And this limits the scope against the implication of “Behold, His reward is with Him.”) And if you were to say that the Lord Himself will be appeased by the nations, for they will find favor in His eyes thereby, He responds.

“as if there were none before Him”: As if they were nothing in His eyes, and they are not considered significant before Him.

"All the nations..." And behold, He mentioned all the bodies, which are mankind, and afterwards the plants and animals, the reason being that after all the bodies are as nothing. And the mem of “afes” [nothingness] is like the mem of “hem” [they are] in “They are together as breath” (Psalms 62:10), as if it said: they are considered less than nothing. And I am astonished at the Gaon, of blessed memory, who stated that human beings are more esteemed than the angels of God; but did he not read this passage?

All the nations are from nothing. Less than nothing, by way of the verse: “They are a breath together.”

Like nothing. Like a non-entity: They were credited to him. In comparison to Him, they are considered as if they were from nothingness and void.

From nothing. A thing that has no substance: And tohu. A matter of emptiness:

"Behold, all the nations are as nothing before Him, and they are accounted as nothing." Now, there is an absolute value and a relative value. In the absolute value, one examines the worth of the thing itself, whether it is considered or not considered in its own right. In the relative value, one examines the importance of the thing in relation to something else. According to this, it says, "All the nations are as nothing before Him." If we look at them in a relative value in comparison to God, they are nothing. And more than this, even in an absolute value, they are considered as nothing and void in His eyes, for they themselves are not considered as anything at all. (This limits the meaning of "before Him" and its function, so that His actions are not changed because of the nations.)

"And to whom will you liken Me?" – "Them" (i.e., *Elohim*), without the definite article *ha-*; this is similar to the verse "For He, God, knows" (Joshua 22:22).

“And to whom?” You think that just as your deities have no power to save, so too is God? Far be it from you to compare or liken them to Him, for the idol that you make into a god is the work of human hands.

“Va’el mi.” “To whom?” To whom among the things will you liken the Omnipresent, and what is the likeness that you will equate to Him? And the matter is repeated in what is stated:

Demut. From the word dimyon: "Set up" (te'archu). The root is *arach*, meaning "value" or "worth."

To whom will you liken Him? To you, who are uncertain of God’s ability to fulfill His promise, and who speak of Him as if He were a limited power possessing matter, debating what He can do and what He cannot, what He desires and how He desires it, and whether He changes His mind? For you imagine that He resembles one of the existing beings, and you cannot conceive of God’s existence unless He possesses matter and a body—only that His matter, in your view, is more elevated and superior than the bodies of other beings. And according to this, you make for Him a carved image and every likeness, so that you may prepare before Him, directing your focus toward Him to worship Him. I say to you, fools: To whom will you liken God? Surely God has no likeness at all, for He is not characterized by attributes or form, but is a sublime power, a supreme intellect without end. But even according to your folly, in which you consider Him to have form and be susceptible to image and likeness, surely you should at least have depicted this form as a sublime one, like one of His upper servants, an angel or a celestial sphere. But look, I pray, at the form you prepare for Him. Surely you prepare for Him...

Nesekh. Lo maskah: "Nesekh cheresh." The craftsman of iron casts it from iron or from copper, and afterwards the smith beats it with strips of gold and plates it from above. Oratqot. Chains:

"The graven image" – it is that which is carved from stone or from wood. Nesekh. Like the calf of the molten image (Exodus 32:4): "Yirka’enu" – like "vayirka’u et pachei hazahav" ("and they hammered out the sheets of gold," Exodus 39:3), and it is from the root of "raqia" (Genesis 1:7): "ורתוקו'." Like "He made the binding" (Ezekiel 7:23), in the manner of chains.

“The molten idol.” The term “molten” refers to the concept of covering, meaning that one makes the idol from stone or wood and then covers it with gold or silver. Alternatively, the term “molten” refers to the concept of smelting, and its meaning applies to silver and gold. ירקענו. Like “and they hammered out sheets of gold.” "Silver chains." Chains of silver, as in "make the chain (ha-ratok)" (Ezekiel 7:23), though it is not of the same pattern: TTzoref. The smith puts silver chains on it; and Targum Jonathan [renders]: “chains of silver the smith fastens to it.”

“The graven image.” And if you were to liken it to the graven image that the smith melted from metal, and the goldsmith overlaid it with gold on top, and the goldsmith made silver chains for it to be drawn by them, yet it would not move from its place.

The graven image. So is called the form that is worshipped: Nesekh. The meaning is “to melt,” as in “molten gods” (Exodus 34:17). Charash: A craftsman. "Yirka’enu" – The meaning is stretching out and flattening, like "beaten silver" (Jeremiah 10:9). Urtukot: chains, as it is said, “He has made it fast” (Ezekiel 7:23).

The idol, which was cast by a craftsman: How have you acted foolishly, to set up something so lowly and contemptible as this before the Exalted One? “Cast by a craftsman”—He mocks them, saying: Are not these golden idols and silver statues, which are precious in your eyes on account of their metals, defective with regard to the agent, for they were cast by a craftsman? It does not require a wise and skilled artisan to pour and melt them, for any craftsman can do it, and any smith can hammer them into gold. Likewise, they are defective with regard to their form, for the metals are inanimate, which is inferior in form to the vegetable kingdom. And likewise, they are defective with regard to their matter, for they are merely overlaid with gold on the outside, while underneath they are made of iron, lead, or tin. And so, is it not

"The poor person" [is one who] separates terumah. Or, if one intends to make it from wood, [he should] choose wood that is seasoned, in order to distinguish between wood that endures and other woods that do not rot quickly. The poor man. The learned one, like (Numbers 22:30) "Have I ever been accustomed to do thus to you?" Terumah. The section [deals with] the selection of the wood:

“ha-mesaken.” Some say that “ha-mesaken” is like “saken” (Isaiah 22:15), meaning the one appointed over the treasuries; so too, “ha-mesaken” refers to one who is appointed over the heave-offering. However, the correct view is that it is a description [of the wood], indicating that it is stored in the treasury, being heave-offering from which an idol is to be made. He shall choose. the owner of the offering: It shall not be moved. To strengthen it with pegs:

"The poor man brings terumah." "Poor" is like "a poor child," for above it recalls gold and silver, which are the wealthy ones who make idols of gold and silver; but the poor man, who cannot make [an idol] of gold and silver, chooses for himself good wood that will not rot, and from it he makes his idol. Such is their confidence in the idol.

"The poor man." The poor man, who cannot spare from his money for the idol like the rich, will nonetheless choose from among the trees a strong tree that will not rot, and he will seek for himself a skilled craftsman to prepare for him from it a strong idol that will not wobble, meaning that its parts will not separate from one another. And it is as if saying: If it is necessary to strengthen it so that its parts do not separate from one another, how can it be compared to the Most High?

The poor man. The needy and the destitute, as in: "Better is a poor child" (Ecclesiastes 4:13). Terumah. The parashah: yimot. The word means inclination and corruption:

“The poor person’s contribution, the contribution of the poor and the destitute, that he shall make the idol out of wood—this is a contribution of greater importance and elevation than the contribution of the wealthy. A. For wood is chosen, and in this there is for it an intrinsic excellence, for the form of the growing thing is superior to that of the inanimate. B. For wood that does not rot is chosen; since it is necessary to seek out wood that does not rot, inevitably one must choose the wood from among other woods, in such a way that he exerts himself more in its making. This is not so with the contribution of a golden idol, which takes metals that come readily to hand. C. From the perspective of the worker, inevitably a wise craftsman must be sought for him; one must seek and search after a wise craftsman and artisan, so that he may prepare an idol that will not topple. For in wood, due to the weakness of its material, the excellence of the artisan and his skill are more apparent, if he makes it strong and enduring.”

Do you not know? Who established the foundations of the earth? Him it was that you were to serve.

"Are you not aware?"—this is based on the principle of sound judgment, which is the fundamental rule. “Will you not listen?” – meaning, that others will teach it to them. Was it not made known beforehand? And this [interpretation] is inferior to all the other opinions. From the beginning. From the day you existed, and if you lack understanding, have you not comprehended the foundations of the earth?

“Do you not know?” He said this in response to the idolaters: How can you err in this matter and serve an idol, as if it were the Master of the World? Do you not know, from your own understanding, who is the Master of the World? And if you do not know this from your own understanding, do you not hear from what is written in the books? And if neither this nor that, do you not receive it from what was declared to you from the beginning, which is the tradition? Did you not hear through the path of tradition, which has been passed down from ancient times, that through these three means a person knows or understands: either he understands by himself, or he learns from one who teaches him, or he hears from those who declare it through tradition? He then repeated, “Do you not understand the foundations of the earth?” That is to say, if you possess the intellect to understand, you can understand from the foundations of the earth. We will elaborate slightly on this matter and say that the idolaters do not think that the stone itself, or the wood itself, or the gold or the silver created the world and that it is the Master of the World. It does not enter the mind that there is a fool in the world who would believe this. Rather, the idols were originally made for the sake of a star among the stars, or a form among the upper forms. The makers originally imagined that they were bringing down the power of that star onto that form, and that one who serves the form is as if serving the star. And since the stars govern the lower world, it is fitting to serve them. Until this matter became entrenched in the hearts of people to serve the forms, and they did not pay attention to what was done at the beginning, but rather think that this form, made of stone or wood or some other material, since it was made in this form, does good and does evil, and others in another form. Thus, the first ones erred in their understanding, and the later ones erred without understanding. On this account, the prophets would reprove them, as it is said, “And he does not return to his heart,” and so on; “Half of it I burned in the fire,” etc. And similarly it says, “It will not move from its place.” And similarly it says, “Even to them they will not smell,” etc. It appears that they thought that those forms would do good and do evil, and they would offer sacrifices to them, pour libations, and burn incense for them. They did not pay attention to the fact that there is a Creator of the world, and He governs the world, doing good to the good and evil to the wicked. Rather, they viewed the world as it is and will be, without a Creator and without a Governor, like something that happens by chance. And these matters, which we serve and honor, our ancestors also did, and in this service they succeeded, and so do we after them. And similarly, they thought regarding many matters and actions that they would perform, saying that that matter will benefit or harm, cause illness or healing. And those matters are neither according to the path of wisdom, nor according to the path of medicine, nor according to the power of the known categories, but rather as one generation became accustomed after another, thinking that those matters are fundamental, and there is no need to seek a Creator, or a Governor, or an Intentional Agent. And these are the ways of the Amorites that our Sages of blessed memory mentioned. And whoever strives with his intellect to understand the world in general and in particular will understand that there is a Governor of the world, and to Him it is fitting to appeal. Therefore, the prophet said in response to the idolaters, “Do you not understand the foundations of the earth?” That is to say, if you possess the intellect to understand, you can understand from the foundations of the earth and from the heavens, as it says, “Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,” and as it also says later, “from the stars.” The prophet said, from all this you can understand that there is a Creator of the world who governs it and created it in an ordered arrangement; it did not fall into this state by chance. The foundations of the earth are the four elements: fire, air, water, and earth. And all the creatures on earth are blended from these four elements. And among these elements there is conflict, and their natures are different from one another. Behold, fire is hot and dry, and water is the opposite, cold and wet. And both are spheres, one upon the other. And the air between them does not prevent the fire or the water from passing through it. Therefore, a boundary was set for the fire so that it would not descend from its place, and for the water so that it would not ascend from its place, until they meet each other, and conflict is found between them, and the stronger prevails, as we see with fire and water among us when they meet each other. Therefore, who can say that this happened by chance, without the governance of a Governor who placed in fire the nature not to descend but to ascend, and in its ascent also set for it a boundary, so that it cannot ascend beyond the sphere of the moon, because there the sphere of the moon is strong in its nature against the sphere of fire, so that fire cannot pass through it, even though its nature is to ascend. And similarly, He placed in water the nature to descend and not to ascend, and in their descent also set a boundary, so that they do not descend beyond the earth, because there the earth has a strong and hard nature to withstand the water, which is wet and soft, while the earth is dry, and the water cannot pass through it. And similarly, He placed the air between the fire and the water to separate between them. Therefore, the air is hot and wet, resembling fire in its heat and water in its wetness. And who can say that all this was not by an ordering Wise One who placed each of them in an order such that each can stand, and each stands in its order and does not change forever? And a thing that is by chance will not remain in one fixed order, but sometimes it will be so, and sometimes it will be so. Furthermore, the four elements are blended in one living body, and they are against each other, and their nature is the opposite of their companion. How can the body in which they are stand in peace, except that there is an Ordainer and Governor who orders their arrangement in a way that one does not overpower its companion, and He establishes all four as one body until the time of its end comes. And also in dead bodies, such as stones and metals, all four are blended in each and every one according to its measure. Behold, the world in its entirety is like a built house, and the heavens are like the roof over the house, and the stars are like lamps in the house. And the plants of the earth are like a set table in the house. And the Master of the House who built the house is God, blessed be He, in the world. And man in his world is like the steward in the house, who was given into his hand all the affairs of the house. And he has not seen the Master of the House with his own eyes, but rather he grew up in that house, and they told him that his father was a steward in this house, and he too will be so after him. If the steward is intelligent, he will inquire after the Master of the House, who he is, so that he may come before him constantly, and so that he will not sin in his stewardship, because he knows that in a short or long time he will come to account with him regarding his stewardship, and he thinks in his heart as if the Master of the House is always upon his head, and he keeps his eyes on him and on his deeds. And if he performs his deeds with intelligence, he will find favor in the eyes of the Master of the House. And if evil is found in him, He will remove him from his stewardship. But the foolish steward will not do this, but rather, since he sees himself as a steward, he will do in it as he wishes and as his heart desires. He will not pay attention to the Master of the House, who he is, and say in his heart, “Since I do not see with my eyes that this house has an owner, who will bring me to think that it has an owner? Rather, I will eat and drink what I find in this house, and I will do in it as my heart desires, as long as I find it. I do not care whether there is a Master of the House or not.” And when this becomes known to the Master of the House, He comes and removes him from the house with pushing and great anger. So too, God, blessed be He, is the Master of the World, and He placed man as a steward in the lower world. If he pays attention to the fact that there is a Master in the world, and it is He who placed him as a steward in the world, he will fear Him like a slave who fears his master, because he sees with his intellect that this world cannot exist without a Master who governs and orders it. He will find favor in the eyes of the Master. But if he is a fool and does not return to his heart, neither knowledge nor understanding, and says in his heart, “I do not care whether there is a Master or not, for I will walk in the stubbornness of my heart, and I will do according to the strength of my heart, according to the desire of my heart,” God will expel him and uproot him from the world, and withhold power and ability from him. Therefore, He said after this, “He makes princes to be nothing,” and so on. He shows them that He is the Master of the World, impoverishing and enriching, humbling and even exalting.

"Do you not know? From the balance of judgment you can know who is the Master of the world:" "Will you not listen?" From the one who instructs and teaches, who has investigated with his own knowledge. “Is it not made known?”—From tradition, man from man’s mouth, that which is received by him from of old, meaning from ancient times. “Have you not understood?”—Can you not comprehend the foundations of the earth, what they are? It is as if saying: Does it not have foundations, since the heavens encircle it on all sides? Upon what does it stand, if not by the decree of the Omnipresent?

“Do you not know?”—knowledge is derived from four aspects: 1. From rational principles; regarding this it says, “Do you not know?” 2. From matters that are well-known; concerning this it says, “Do you not hear?” for the matter is widely known. 3. From matters that are traditionally transmitted; concerning this it says, “Do you not declare it from the beginning?” 4. From matters that are perceptible to the senses and from experience; concerning this it says, “Do you not understand the foundations of the earth?”—from the foundations of the earth, its simple and composite elements, you shall see and comprehend the power and might of God.

chog. From the root chogeh (see below, 44): to circle, to round, compas in Old French. And its inhabitants. Before Him like grasshoppers: Like a sheet. "Teile" in the vernacular:

“Who sits upon the circle of the earth”: This is derived from the phrase “and with a compass” (Isaiah 44:13). The meaning is the instrument that makes the circle, which is the line surrounding in a round shape. And behold, it is known that the earth is round, not square. And even if there is no need for the verse, since the matter is known through conclusive proofs, the meaning of “who sits” is that all is full of His glory. As it is stated: like a "pavilion" (Jeremiah 43:11), and this [term] is similar in form to the structure of the tent, and these heavens are not the spheres. And He stretched it out. Like "And He spread them out": "to sit." Underneath it, and the reason is that the Name is the One who sits upon the circle of the earth.

“Him who sits” – it is as if He said that the heavens are the circle of the earth, just as a person does with a circular compass, for a compass has two legs: one remains stationary, and with the other he traces the circle, and behold, the point is within the circle. The earth is like that point, for it is the lowest part of the circle, and the heavens surround the earth like the circle. And He said “Him who sits” by way of parable, for He, exalted be He, is beyond all imagination, just as for a person sitting on a very high place and looking down at a low place, the great thing appears small to him; therefore He said, “and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.” Just as it is said, “and we are like grasshoppers in our eyes,” and so were we in their eyes. And Jonathan translated [it]: “He who dwells in the might of the heights, the Shechinah of His glory.” He translated “Him who sits” as “Him who causes to sit.” And these heavens, which are the circle of the earth, He stretches them out. And He repeated the matter in different words, for “and stretched them out” is like “He who stretches,” and “like a tent” is like “spread out.” For the meaning of “spread out” is a sheet from which a person makes a tent, and the meaning of “to dwell under them” is that a person does not dwell in a house if there is no roof over it. And Jonathan translated “He who stretches” as “spread out,” and “stretched” as “small.” And the matter of “and stretched them out” is stretching and spreading. And so in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: “A place that is stretched with it and from it is called a sack, a bag,” as we explained in the book Mikhlal, in the section of grammar, from it.

"He who sits..." – Is He not sitting upon the heavens that encircle the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth are in His eyes like grasshoppers? And He employs a parable according to the manner of a person who sits above, for everything that is beneath him appears in his eyes as small. "He who stretches out." Is He not the One who stretches out the heavens, as a person stretches out any membrane, however small? And He stretched them out. He spread them out like a tent, to be ready for dwelling beneath it.

“Circle of the earth.” So too, the heavens are called a circle, and this term is borrowed from the circle drawn with a compass: one leg of the compass is fixed in one place, while the other leg moves around in a circular motion. The point where the fixed leg stands is called the central point, and the circular path is called a circle. Likewise, the heavens encircle the earth, and they serve as a circle for it. Kadok. The matter of a film is like that of "or cheese, or thin" (Leviticus 21:20): “and he stretched them out.” The term refers to the concept of stretching and extending. Our Sages of blessed memory stated: “One who stretches a vine shoot from tree to tree” (Kilayim, Chapter 6). This is related to the phrase “the sack of Benjamin” (Genesis 44:12), because it was stretched out when they were filling it.

He sits, because the masses of people imagine for themselves that God sits in the heavens, and the earth is the footstool of His feet; and some imagine Him as a King sitting and dwelling among them, with the heavens spread above Him like a tent. He says: If you imagine Him in your imagination as sitting on the circle of the earth—that is to say, on the heavens, which are the compass-circle of the earth, where the earth is the center of the compass-circle and the sphere of the heavens, and the heavens are the compass-circle surrounding the center of the earth—then it necessarily follows that those who dwell on it are like grasshoppers in His eyes, like one who looks from a great distance, where the perceived object appears small to the eye; and so the inhabitants of the earth will appear small in His eyes and be considered as nothing in comparison to the height of His place. And if you imagine Him in your imagination as stretching out the thin heavens, which are stretched like a thin sheet to spread as a tent and screen over the earth, and He stretches them around the earth like a tent stretched out to dwell under it, and so He sits under the tent of the firmament over the center of the earth, like a King sitting among the people of the province, then according to this you will necessarily imagine that a King so great, surely He is...

"He who gives princes." [The word] "rosemary" [is used here to mean] deputies, like the "downfall of a ruler" (Proverbs 14:28), for the names of titles change.

"Who sets up rulers and judges of the land"—those who are arrogant in their greatness and trust in their strength and might. And just as it says, "He has drawn over it a line of chaos," so too, for destruction is not an act done in accordance with the way of truth. "And the princes." It is well known, as in the phrase "and the princes were established together," as in the matter of "princes and great ones."

"He who gives"—it is He who gives, causing kings to be as if they were nothing. “Who made it waste.” He made them to be like a thing that is waste.

Nobles. Princes, as it is said, "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the nobles took counsel together" (Psalms 2:2):

He who renders the princes as nothing, so that they are nullified in their very existence before Him, for in His perfect wisdom He has no need of the counsel of the princes. And there is a distinction between “princes” and “judges of the land”: the princes are the officers of counsel, whereas the judges of the land are those appointed over matters of judgment. Now, a king of flesh and blood, due to the deficiency of his wisdom, needs the counsel of the princes, and due to the deficiency of his power to judge every individual of the nation by himself, he needs judges. But the Lord, in His perfect wisdom, will render the princes as nothing; and in His perfect power to judge each person according to his ways, He will make the judges of the land as chaos—He will nullify the counsel of the princes and break the power of the judges.

Also, they were not [even] planted. Even they are considered as though they had not planted. Even if they did not sow. And furthermore, it is even more so than this: they will be uprooted and eradicated as if they had not been sown; sowing is less [significant] than planting. “Bal” is a root in the earth, their trunk. When they are uprooted, the trunk will not take root in the earth. In every instance where the word “shorash” (root) appears in Scripture, its pronunciation is with the accent on the first syllable, and the letter resh has a patakh vowel, and this is its meaning below, and it is dotted with a qamats, because it is a verb in the passive voice, in the foreign tongue called “inert.”

Even though, etc. The reason is: "As trees that are lost" is in the nifal conjugation, implying that they are as if they were not planted; whereas "sowing" is in a conjugation whose active participle is not named. Only the root. A verb from the simple active binyan (pa'al). "And also He blew." Just as it says, "You blew with Your wind" (Exodus 15:10). And the meaning of "and also" is like "still" or "yet."

"Indeed, they are not even planted." They are rendered null and void to such an extent that people would say of them: “They did not plant, nor sow, nor did their rootstock take root in the land,” following the manner in which it is said of them, “And their place was not known” (Isaiah 63:19), and it is further said of them in this manner: “If He should swallow him up from his place, and diminish him, I would not see him” (Job 23:10). And it states “also” three times, each instance to include its companion, just as it says: “Also we, also you, also our children.” Root. Its meaning is like "to be rooted," and it is from the binyan (verbal pattern) whose active form is not mentioned, following the pattern of the four-letter root. “Gizem.” The root of the tree: that which is visible above the ground is called the gizem, and that which is buried beneath the ground is called the root. This is as our Sages of blessed memory stated: “That which grows from the gizem, not from the roots, belongs to the owner of the house.” “And also by a breath.” And their uprooting is also swift, like the blowing of the wind; “neshaf” (a breath) is akin to “neshafatah biru’achecha” (You blew with Your wind), "And a storm." Like "and a stormy wind."

Indeed, they were not even planted. And they are considered as if they were never planted at all, and even as if they were never sown at all, which is less than planting. Indeed, not even a root, etc. When they are uprooted, they will not take root again, even the stump in the ground so as to sprout anew, which is to say, they will not return to their former state. “And He also blew upon them.” Even by mere blowing, they shall be ashamed, they shall perish, and a stormy wind shall lift them from their place, like chaff that is carried away by the wind.

“גזעם” – their root. And similarly, “from the stock of Jesse” (above 11:1). Neshaf. The meaning of "blowing" is like [the verse] "You blew with Your wind" (Exodus 15). Like chaff. Straw:

Similarly, regarding "those not planted," they are likened to vegetation that was not established through the blessing of grafting, wherein one takes a shoot and plants it in the ground. And even regarding "those not sown," meaning those not established by sowing a seed into the ground; although that which is sown is weaker than that which is planted, and even regarding their trunk, which sprang up on its own without taking root in the ground—having no root at all—on this account, their existence is exceedingly weak, and they are prone to withering of their own accord. Moreover, in addition to the weakness of their existence, a harsh wind blows upon them, and consequently they wither. Afterwards, the storm lifts them up like chaff, meaning that they are weak in themselves, even if destruction from the Almighty comes upon them.

"And to..." The meaning is that He says to the idolaters: "Are there, in your eyes, any people more honored than the nobles and the judges? Behold, you see that the Name will destroy them in an instant." And I will be equal. I will be equal to Him: And the meaning of "holy" is that the Name is holy, in that He is distinct from any of His creations, even from one of His works.

“To whom will you liken Me, that I should be equal?” To whom can you liken Me, that I should be likened to that thing and be equal to it? For you cannot liken Me with your words, except through intellect, and because of your imaginings I shall not be equal. If so, I am the One and the Creator of the entire world, and He said “Holy,” for He is Holy and the Master of thoughts.

"And to whom will you liken Me?" This means: Since all these things are Mine, to whom will you liken Me, so that it would be truly equal to Me? "He shall say 'Holy'": This means that God shall say to whom, etc.

Tadmioni. The word is from the root "dimyon" (likeness):

“And to whom will you compare Me?” The verse states: “Behold, all that I have argued with you until now, regarding what was said, ‘What likeness will you set for Him?’—the graven image, the molten image, the dumb idol—as if it were conceivable to assign Him a likeness, only that the likeness which you set for Him will not resemble Him. And likewise, what I likened Him to as exalted, sitting in the heavens or upon the center—all this I spoke according to the limitation of your intellect, which cannot conceive of a force abstracted from matter, nor can it conceive of a separate entity, but only according to what your senses and faculty of imagination are accustomed to. According to this, you would liken even the Infinite as sitting, dwelling, encamping, and moving from place to place, as if He had a bodily vessel and instruments of motion. But in truth, the Holy One, separated from all corporeality and all imagination, says from His own aspect: ‘To whom will you liken Me and make Me equal?’ For I have no likeness or imagination at all. And there is a difference between likeness and equality: for things that are not equal can also be likened, as when it is said, ‘My beloved is like a gazelle,’ meaning in his lightness and swiftness, and even this is only in imagination, to compare and explain. But equality is in things that are equal in quantity or quality. The Lord says: Can you liken Me to anything and truly make Me equal to it? For I say, ‘Try now.’”

Who created these? All the host that you see in the heavens. "From abundance of strength." That he has, and that he is a man of might, a soldier, not lacking, so that he may be called by name.

“Lift up.” Who created these? The luminaries that are there, and who is it that brings them forth each day in the number of their host? This is addressed to the beholders. It is also possible that this is an allusion to the wandering stars (planets), each of which has a known number associated with the Name. Yet the peoples of the East and all the astrologers, even to this day, have not been able to ascertain the true number of the emergence of each one. Or perhaps it refers to the number of the stars in the highest sphere, for it is impossible to know their number. “From the multitude of His powers.” [This teaches] that these belong to the Name, and that He is mighty in strength. “No man is absent.” The reason is that the number, or the very essence of each star, never dies; and behold, “a man” is like an essence. Similarly, “the man Gabriel” (Daniel 9:21):

“Lift up your eyes on high.” He said: “Contemplate the stars, for they are immense and great bodies in their substance and appearance among the lower creations. And He had already told them to understand the four elements, and the earth, and the heavens spread over them like a tent. Now He tells them to contemplate the stars, which are immense creations, and see with your intellect who created them, for they are created and not creators. For a person must understand through the ways of wisdom that the world is newly created. And once it becomes clear to him that the world is newly created, it is known that it has a Creator, for a thing does not create itself, and the Creator cannot possibly be other than One, as will be proven by demonstration through the ways of wisdom. Therefore, the stars, which are many, are created and not creators. And also see with your intellect the One who brings out their host by number, which is not within human power to count them. And what the astronomers said and agreed upon, that there is a number to the stars, and they are one thousand and ninety-eight, this applies to the great stars that illuminate the earth. But it is known from the ways of wisdom that there are many stars whose number is incalculable for human beings, but He who created them knows their number. And the interpretation of ‘He calls them all by name’ is as David, peace be upon him, said: ‘He numbers the host of the stars; He calls them all by name.’ This means that for each of them He calls a name suitable to it, according to the thing created because of it, to cause that thing after its own cause. For each star has power and dominion over the lower creations, each over a known species, imparting to it power to perform its function and its generation. And so our Sages of blessed memory said: ‘There is no herb below that does not have a constellation above that strikes it and says to it, “Grow,”’ as it is said: ‘Do you know the ordinances of heaven? Can you establish their rule on earth?’ And this is what He said: ‘Behold, also because of the multitude of His powers, the names He calls them—because of the multitude of powers that each of them has over the creatures below. And according to the power that a star has, its name is called according to that matter, and each of them is mighty in power, for its power is not lost nor does it change, as is the case with the lower creations which are corrupted by their elements, even though they stand apart from them. But the upper creations, none of them is ever lacking in any lack, neither in its entirety nor in part. And as it was on the day of its creation, so it will be all the days of the world; it will neither increase nor decrease, for increase is only for those who have deficiency, and they are perfect in their creation. And all this a person is obligated to learn from the books of wisdom and to understand with his intellect regarding the creations, both the upper creations and the lower creations, and from them he will recognize the Creator. And behold, this prophet warned people regarding this and said: ‘Do you not know? Have you not heard? Have you not understood?’ And he said: ‘Lift up your eyes on high and see.’ And the interpretation of ‘and see’ is as we explained, ‘the sight of the heart.’ And our Sages of blessed memory said: ‘Anyone who does not calculate the seasons and constellations, regarding him the verse says: “They have not considered the work of the Lord, nor observed the work of His hands.”’ And they said: ‘From where do we know that it is a commandment for a person to calculate the seasons and constellations, and if he does not calculate, it is forbidden to speak from him [i.e., to derive instruction from him]?’

Who created these? The stars and constellations visible in the heavens, and who is it that brings out each day the heavenly host in a single number? "To all of them." To every star He called by a name that is fitting and appropriate for it, as it were saying, "Does not the Lord do all these things?" “From abundant strength.” On account of the abundance of strength and the mightiness of power that He possesses, therefore none of them will be missing for all the days of the world, because from the beginning He created them so that they would endure forever.

Ayonim. The matter of strength, as it is written, “and his strength in the muscles of his belly” (Job 40:16): “and the mighty man.” This refers to the strength of a man. It means: one of them. "Is absent." The matter of a deficiency, as in "one of these is not absent" (above, 34):

“Lift up your eyes on high,” in order to provide me with an image and to depict for me a parable from one of the awesome bodies, the wondrous spheres flying there, or from the angels that move them. But pray, turn and see: Who created these? And how will you take a likeness from the created to the Creator? Are not all these wondrous creatures limited in their power? First, from the aspect that they are created beings; this is what is meant by “Who created these?” Second, from the aspect that they are not capable of procreating and generating offspring from themselves, for He has brought forth their host in a fixed number; their number is determined and limited, and their count will not be added to. Third, from the aspect of the limitation of their action, for they are all called by name; each one has a specific name according to its action. For example, Saturn suppresses and destroys; Jupiter performs acts of righteousness; Mars sheds blood; and it is impossible for them to change their action to another action. Fourth, for the permanence and continuity that appear in them, whereby they remain in existence, is not due to their own power, but only from the abundant might of their Creator, who sustains them according to His will. Only through this do they not cease to exist, and their individual entities do not perish, not by virtue of their own power.

"Why do you say" — My people Jacob — "and speak" in exile: "My ways have been hidden from the Lord. He has concealed from before His eyes all that we have served Him with, and He has caused those who did not know Him to rule over us." "And my right passes away from my God." He caused to pass before Him the judgment of good retribution that He had to pay to our fathers and to us.

"To what purpose? 'My way is hidden from the Lord.' He does not see what I am doing, and thus my cause passes by unnoticed; and the meaning is that my cause passes away from me, and He will not judge me according to my ways."

"Why do you say, O Jacob." He speaks concerning Israel, who are in exile: why do you say this? Because of the length of the exile, you say, "Your way is hidden from the Lord, and He does not regard you and the afflictions of the exile that you endure." "His ways" – meaning, the matters in which I am involved; and similarly, "Why have the ways of the wicked prospered?" and there are many verses like this. “His judgments shall pass away.” The judgments and legal disputes that he had to contend with the wicked who serve Me shall pass away from him, and they shall not stand before him as a reminder, for he does not concern himself with them. And why do we say this?

"My ways have been hidden." He averted His eyes from all that we served Him with, and He removed from before Him the judgment of recompense, for He did not repay us good in accordance with the recompense.

Why do you say, Jacob? Having finished speaking words of comfort to the heart of Jerusalem, he turns his face back to the people of Israel. This people, when they saw the length of their exile and the prosperity of the wicked, their hearts grew faint in believing in salvation. And since they were misled by the apparent disorder in the Divine governance—because the righteous were exiled and impoverished, while the traitors who betrayed Him also succeeded—their intellects retreated into denial, either of Divine knowledge and providence, or of reward and punishment. And foreign lips dripped honey with philosophical arguments, saying that Divine knowledge, which is necessarily simple and unchanging knowledge, leaves no room for free choice; otherwise, God’s knowledge would change according to man’s choice to act or refrain. There is a difference between “Jacob” and “Israel”: the name “Jacob” refers to the masses, and the name “Israel” to the great ones and leaders of the community. There is also a difference between “speaking” (devar) and “saying” (emira): “emira” is simple speech, whereas “devar” is extended discourse composed of several sentences, inferences, reasons, and proofs. Now, Jacob, who represents the masses, says, “My ways are hidden from the Lord,” meaning that God does not know man and does not watch over his deeds at all. Israel, who are the wise-hearted among them, understand that it is impossible to attribute to God a deficiency of knowledge, for that would be a deficiency in the Divine essence, and the definition of perfection is that no deficiency can be ascribed to Him. But in contrast to this, Israel will deliver an extended philosophical discourse to prove demonstrably that man is not free in his actions, for then God’s knowledge would change according to the possibility of choice. Rather, man’s actions are compelled by the pre-existing Divine knowledge. From this perspective, reward will not come to the righteous nor punishment to the wicked, since both are compelled in their actions. Therefore, they say, “From the God of judgments He passes over,” meaning that God does not judge the righteous nor the wicked. (And I have explained many times that the name YHWH is used in reference to God from the aspect that He created the world, and the name Elohim, especially when used as a reference to man, is used from the aspect of specific providence. Therefore, the first group says, “My ways are hidden from the Lord,” from the aspect that He is the First Cause alone, not the One who watches over to the end of all effects and their actions. And the second group says, “From the God who watches over me with simple knowledge, penetrating to the end of all generations by necessity, He passes over the judgments.”) The prophet answers them, addressing both groups.

"He who created the ends of the earth, etc., there is no searching His understanding." And he who possesses such power and such wisdom knows the thoughts: why does He delay your good? Only in order to exhaust the iniquity and put an end to the sin through afflictions.

"Have you not known?" – In the balance of wisdom, for by conclusive proofs the wise person knows his Creator. If you have not heard, [so that] he will believe in the words of the wise. “God of eternity.” “God of eternity,” and the meaning is that He was so, and He will not change. “Creator of the ends of the earth.” I have already explained in the order of Genesis [1:1] that “Creator” is close to the root meaning “to decree” or “to cut off,” and the meaning of “ends” is the surrounding line or boundary, according to the opinion of the wise, that the line is not a physical entity. And since God is eternal, behold, the earth is forever, as He continually sustains it within the celestial spheres, suspended upon nothing. He does not tire, nor does He grow weary, and there is no searching out of His understanding. And behold, forever shall His strength and wisdom not depart. And there are those who say that “My ways are hidden” alludes to the troubles, so that Israel will think that God does not know them, or if He does know them, He is unable to save them.

"Surely you know." From the way of reason, from your knowledge: If you have not heard. From a teacher and an instructor: “For the God of the world is the Lord.” “God” here signifies a judge, just as in the verse, “Until God comes” (Exodus 22:8), where the term refers to a judge; and so it is with every instance of the word “God” when it refers to the Holy One, blessed be He: it means that He is the Judge of the world, who watches over it and judges each person according to his deeds. Yet we do not comprehend the understanding of His judgment in every place. Therefore, He says: How can you think that He does not watch over you, when He watches over the entire world? For He created it, and since it is truly the work of His hands, He certainly watches over it. Moreover, since He truly judges the world, He will take up your cause against those who oppress you. And what is meant by “Creator of the ends of the earth”? It is to inform us that He created the earth as a sphere, situated in the midst of the celestial spheres that encircle it. The earth is like a point within the circle, and the Holy One, blessed be He, sustains it by His power in the center, without any support, as it is stated, “Who hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7). None of its extremities inclines toward any one of the six directions; rather, it is centered from every side and every extremity. This is what is meant by “Creator of the ends of the earth.” If you were to say, “Behold, He is the God of the world, and He created it and watches over it, but perhaps He cannot judge at all times, for He might sometimes become weary and tired,” therefore He says, “He does not grow weary or tired.” For you see that He causes the celestial spheres to revolve, and they revolve in a continuous motion without interruption. This is due to the power of the Mover, whose power has no interruption; therefore, there is no interruption in the revolution of the spheres, for they revolve by a power that has no interruption. Thus, you see that He does not grow weary or tired. Consequently, it is not due to any sign of weariness or fatigue that He does not execute judgment upon the wicked who oppress Israel. If you were to say, “Since He created the world and sustains it by His great power, and watches over it and judges it, and the power is in His hand to judge at all times, and His power has no interruption, why did He allow this long period of distress for Israel in exile, and not save them from their affliction, nor execute judgment upon the wicked?” The answer is: There is no searching out of His understanding. We do not know and are unable to comprehend His wisdom and understanding, nor can we investigate it and know it. But He knows what He will do; it is merely that we do not recognize or know. This is the meaning.

“Have you not known?” – Meaning: Are you not capable of understanding through your own knowledge, unless you have heard from a teacher and instructor? "God of eternity is the Lord." This means: Understand also that the Lord is God forever; He created all the earth from one end to the other, and all is in His hand and under His control. He does not grow weary, nor does He become tired, and His strength is equal at all times. Therefore, He is able to bestow reward at any time and in any place. "There is no searching [of] His understanding." This means that the reason He delays in bestowing the reward is because there is no searching [of] His understanding; for in truth, He does this with wisdom, and we do not know.

Yi'af, yiga. One interpretation for both of them:

Do you not know, from the side of intellect and proof, if not from having heard it from the side of the well-known and the accepted, that the God of the world, the Lord, He created the world, and not only the upper world, but also He is the Creator of the ends of the earth, and not that only the cornerstone was set, and all that is upon it came into being by itself, but rather that He also created the extremities, and established it according to its proper order. And therefore you cannot deny that He did not know what is done upon it. Is it wondrous for the Fashioner to know a thing of the work of matter and its making? And do not say that after the creation from then on He abandoned knowing all that is done in the earth, for He does not grow weary nor does He become tired [He from His work, and in Tanchuma (Parashat Tetzaveh) “and you grow weary and tired, weary from thirst and tired from the way, but the Lord’s strength…”]. And according to this, God’s knowledge of all that is done in the lower world is necessary. And if you ask, how is this consistent with free choice and the two extremes of possibility, to this he answers, as the Rambam wrote, that since God’s knowledge is essential to Him and is not something added to His essence, behold, the inquiry into the quality of His knowledge returns to the inquiry into His essence. And just as His essence is hidden to the ultimate degree of concealment, so too is His knowledge. And just as there is no analogy or similarity between His existence and the existence of others, so too there is no analogy between His knowledge and the knowledge of others. And therefore, if the knowledge known to us cannot be conceived without removing from it the nature of possibility, one should not judge from it regarding His knowledge, which is hidden from us to the ultimate degree of concealment. And this is what it says: “There is no searching of His understanding,” meaning there is no human inquiry that attains to His understanding, and there is no searching and inquiring into it, for it is hidden from the knowledge of one possessing matter. And if you ask, “And therefore, why does He pass over the judgments of God, and why does He not save His people?” he answers that it is He.

"He gives power to the weary." And its end is that He will renew strength for your weariness.

"Gives," etc. How could He grow weary? He is the One who gives strength to the weary, and to him who has no might He greatly increases power, on the pattern of the word "wisdom."

"He gives strength to the weary." And He will, when He wills, give strength and power to Israel, who are in exile and are weary and exhausted from lack of strength.

“He gives strength to the weary.” This refers to the time that will come when He will give strength to Israel, who are weary in exile. And "those who are unable" etc. The duplication of the matter in what is stated:

Strength. The matter of strength, as in: "and the greatness of his power" (Daniel 8).

"He gave strength to the weary"—this refers to Israel, who are currently weary; He will grant them strength. But

"And the youths grow faint." The might of the Chaldeans, who are "youths" in the sense of being estranged from the commandments, shall be exhausted. "Those who are strong will stumble and fall." Those who are now mighty and strong will stumble, but you who wait for the Lord will renew your strength, a new and powerful strength.

And they shall be exhausted. The youths who have strength will be exhausted, and the young men will stumble.

“And the youths shall faint and grow weary.” The wicked of the world, who add strength every day like young men, will grow faint; but when it is God’s will, they will be exhausted and their strength will cease, and they will not even have the strength of youths and young men. The wicked of the world, who are also like young men, being complete in their strength as in the days of youth, their strength will not avail them when God wills, but they will stumble as if they were slipping.

And they shall grow weary. And then the non-Jews, who increase in strength like young men, will grow weary and grow tired. And young men, etc. The duplication of the matter in what is stated:

"And they shall be weary": The youths, who are now strong in their might, shall become weary. And this depends on whether they exert themselves with hope, to wait for Him until He comes and saves them, for,

Wing. [i.e.] a wing:

"And those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength." Before the first strength is exhausted, another strength from the Divine Name will come to them, similar to the verse, "If it is cut off, yet it will sprout again" (Job 14:7). And this phrasing is close to the language of Kedar. "They shall grow a wing." Like "a wing," as in "Would that I had a wing" (Psalms 55:7). And it is possible that this is the meaning: Israel, who hoped, the Lord will sustain them and bring them back to Jerusalem, and the Babylonians, who are mighty, will be weakened.

"And those who wait for the Lord." The word "waiting" (kovei) is written with a single yod, which serves as the ayin of the root, while the yod denoting the plural is concealed from the written text and remains only in the pronunciation. The wicked will stumble and fall, but Israel, who are those who wait for the Lord in exile, even though their strength is exhausted, will yet renew their strength, like a tree that, if cut down, will yet sprout anew. This is the matter of the renewal of the thing in exchange for the thing that has passed and gone by. "And they shall mount up with wings like eagles." Our teacher Saadia wrote that the eagle rises to a height of ten years—meaning a very great height above the firmament of the heavens—and approaches the heat of the fire. Due to the intensity of the heat, it casts itself into the sea, and its skin is sloughed off and renewed thereafter. It then mounts up with wings and returns to the days of its youth. Thus it continues every ten years until it reaches one hundred. In its hundredth year, it rises according to its custom, falls into the sea, and dies. They shall hasten. Upon their return to their land, they shall not be weary; they shall go on the way and shall not grow tired.

"And those who wait for the Lord." But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength at every time. "They shall go up on wings." "They shall grow wings like eagles"—in order to hasten to fly to their land; and this is a matter of rhetorical flourish. "They shall run." When they return to their land, they shall run and not grow weary, and they shall walk on the road and not become exhausted.

They shall exchange. The matter is one of renewal and substitution: Aver. "Kanaf" is like "aver" (as in) "the wing of a dove" (Psalms 55:7). "Yirutsu" – the matter is of swiftness of walking.

"And those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength," until they grow wings, to fly suddenly, like eagles soaring to the heavens; see the explanation of the words.