Isaiah · Chapter 50

Keritot. A bill of divorce is a form of severance: "Your mother." [The divorce is] between [a man] and his wife; now this would seem to contradict the words of Jeremiah, who said, "And I gave her certificate of divorce" (Jeremiah 3:8). The answer is that Jeremiah spoke concerning the kingdom of Israel, which will never rise again, as it is stated, "and it shall not rise again" (Amos 8:2). Whereas Isaiah spoke concerning the dynasty of David, from whom the Messiah will descend.

Thus says the Lord: “What bill of divorce did I give to your mother?” Now Jeremiah said, “I sent her away and gave her a bill of divorce.” The commentators explained that Jeremiah spoke against the Ten Tribes, to whom He gave a bill of divorce, so that there would no longer be a king from among them, for it is stated in the context of the ingathering of the exiles, “And the servant of David shall be prince over them,” and it is said, “And they shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms.” But to Judah He did not give a bill of divorce; rather, it was like a husband who sends his wife out of his house because he was angry with her, but did not give her a bill of divorce, because he is destined to bring her back to him. So too, Judah is destined to have the monarchy restored to it. We can also interpret it as follows: Since the Ten Tribes did not return when the exile from Babylon ended, and moreover, since their exile, they did not leave the place of their exile, and their exile was very prolonged, they are as if He had given them a bill of divorce. But the children of Judah returned to their land after seventy years and dwelled in their land for four hundred and twenty years. And even though Judah had not yet gone into exile, the prophet spoke about the future and comfort, comforting Israel that they are in this exile and will return, for they were not sold except because of their sins, and upon their return, God will restore their captivity. And he said regarding Judah, “What bill of divorce did I give to your mother?” Meaning: You are close to returning to Me, as you returned once before, for there is no bill of divorce between Me and you. And when you return, the other tribes will also return, for David will reign over all Israel. And similarly, Ezekiel said, “Behold, I will take the stick of Judah, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions, and I will put the stick of Judah upon it, and they shall become one stick.” And even though He gave them a bill of divorce, the divorce was already great, and their exile was very prolonged, yet behold, He will bring them back together with the tribe of Judah. The “mother” is the congregation and the community, and the “children” are the individuals. And behold, you were not sold, and you do not need silver for your redemption; rather, your sins were the price of the sale, and repentance will be the silver of your redemption.

“Which is this scroll, etc.”: This is as if it were saying, “If indeed I gave her a bill of divorce, as it is stated, ‘And I gave her the scroll of her divorce’ (Jeremiah 3:8). But what is this scroll with which I sent her away? That is to say, it appears from it why I sent her away. Was it not because of transgression, as it is stated there? And if so, when you return, the divorce will be nullified.” Or, who are my creditors? Who lent me something, such that I sold you to him in payment of the debt? "Behold, because of your iniquities you were sold." And thus, when you do repentance, you will be redeemed. “And because of your transgressions.” On account of the transgressions, your congregation was sent away (i.e., exiled), and thus, through repentance, the exile will be uprooted.

A bill of divorce. A get that severs and separates: "Your mother": The congregation, which is your mother. From my debts. The matter of a creditor, like a creditor, as it is stated above (24): "When he has a claim against him."

Thus says the Lord: “What bill of divorce did I give to your mother, by which I sent her away?” Or, to whom among my creditors did I sell you? The question “What bill of divorce” refers to the type of divorce document. When a man divorces his wife from his house, it is either because he has loathed her, or because she has rebelled against him, and there is a difference between the two. If he sends her away because he has loathed her, he divorces her completely and gives her a bill of divorce in her hand, and then she has no hope that he will return to her again. But if he sends her away because she has rebelled against him, he divorces her from his house only temporarily, and he does not give her a bill of divorce in her hand; and when she improves her ways, she will return to his house. Regarding this, the question is raised: “What bill of divorce did I give to your mother, by which I sent her away?” Did I not send her away without a bill of divorce? And this is a sign that I did not send her away because I loathed her, but only because she rebelled against Me, and the bond between us has not been severed. Alternatively, the question is: “To whom among my creditors did I sell you?” When a man sells his sons, it is either because he has loathed his wife and thereby also loathed his sons, and in this case there is no hope; or because he needed money to pay his debts, and in this case too there is no hope, for from where will he redeem them, since he does not have the money for their redemption? And after the Lord has clarified that He did not send away the mother of the children because He loathed her, there remains only to say that He sold His sons to pay His debts. Therefore, He says: “To whom among my creditors did I sell you?” To whom did I incur a monetary obligation? “Surely for your iniquities you were sold.” The difference between “iniquity” (avon) and “transgression” (pesha) is that “iniquity” stems from the intellect, which is incited to deny the commandments of God. The “transgressor,” however, rebels against God, casts off His yoke, and does not engage in arguments of denial and heresy. “The maimed” (ma’uvah) is one who has a physical defect that impairs his intellect, so that he does not distinguish between good and evil. The “transgressor,” however, has a sound intellect and knows what is good and what is evil; he merely rebels against his God. Now, a son who sins against his father through rebellion has no hope. But if he sins because he is deranged, his father shows him mercy and hires a physician to heal him. Therefore it says, “Surely for your iniquities you were sold”—not because of rebellion, but because your intellect is muddled, and you have hope, for “I will heal your foolishness.” But regarding a woman’s sin against her husband, it is the opposite: if it stems from derangement, it is a physical defect in her and she has no remedy. If it stems from rebellion, however, there is a remedy if she repents from her rebellion. Regarding this it says, “And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.” For if you had been sold because of your transgressions, and your mother had been sent away because of your iniquities, there would have been no hope. (The intended meaning here is that we find that God compares His relationship with His people to the relationship of a father to his sons, and we also find that God compares them to the relationship of a husband and wife. The father’s relationship to the son is by virtue of birth, and similarly God’s relationship in this manner is by virtue of birth, because the soul is a portion of God from above. The husband’s relationship to the wife is by virtue of the voluntary bond formed between them, and similarly God’s relationship to Israel in this manner is established through the acceptance of the Torah, whereby they accepted His commandments, as it is written, “I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice.” His relationship to us as a father to sons applies to each individual by virtue of his birth and the origin of his soul. His relationship as a husband to his wife was established with the nation as a whole when He gave them His Torah. And I say that His relationship to us as a husband to his wife, regarding the obligations incurred by us through this relationship—such as clothing, food, and the like—is severed by transgressions. From this perspective, there is still a remedy, for since this relationship was established through the acceptance of the Torah, as long as they still believe in the roots of the religion, even though they rebelled against Him, there is a remedy if they repent from their rebellion. Not so if it were severed by iniquities, whereby they denied the Torah in its entirety. And I also say that His second relationship, as a father to sons, is severed by iniquities and intellectual error. In this case, the father is certainly compelled to show mercy to his son, to enlighten his eyes and return him to the truth, and there is a remedy.)

"Why have I come? To draw near to you, and there is no one—none of you turns to Me."

"Why have I come?"—this is an allusion to the prophets who prophesied, perhaps Israel will return there. “Behold, in My anger...” – This is complete proof that you should not slacken your hand from redeeming [Israel].

"Why are you delaying the Redemption? For I am ready to receive you in repentance if you return. And why is this so? Because 'I came, and there was no one to answer Me.'" "I called." "Return to Me, and I will return to you." And there is no answer. From you: “Is My hand indeed too short to redeem?” And do you think that the length of your exile is due to My shortness of hand, that I have not redeemed you until now? This is not so; it is only because of you, in that you did not return to Me. The bringing and the calling are the words of the prophets, as we have written in many places, that God accepts the repentant at all times. He calls them to Him with a whole heart, He is close to them, and He is ready to accept them. “Behold, in My rebuke.” How do you think it is that you have not yet been redeemed? Is it because of the shortness of My hand? Behold, I will dry up the sea with My rebuke, just as I did at the Sea of Reeds with a rebuke alone. And so it is written: “He rebuked the Sea of Reeds, and it dried up.” And the rebuke that drove the east wind, which made the sea a dry land. "I will make rivers in the wilderness": When I desire, I will dry up the rivers, just as I did with the Jordan, which I dried up until Israel crossed over, and from the place of crossing to the sea, the river was dry, as it is stated, "And those who went down to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were cut off and disappeared," and the fish that were in the river died when the waters ceased and dried up. And what it says regarding the Jordan, "rivers," refers to it along with two other rivers that flow into it; and similarly, it is said concerning this, "You dried up rivers of mighty ones," as I explained in the Book of Psalms.

"Why have I come?" I have come to draw near to you, yet no one turns to Me. "I called out, 'Come to Me,' but there was no one to answer Me." Is it too short? That is to say: Is there no benefit in Me? And is My hand too short to redeem you? "In My reproof." When I reprove the sea, it becomes desolate and dry, and the rivers become dry like a desert place. This means: I will destroy the idolaters, who are likened to abundant waters. “Their fish shall stink.” The mass of fish will rot due to the shortage of water, for they will die of thirst and rot. He intended to say that the nations will perish. And since He compared them to rivers, He used the language that applies to rivers drying up.

Behold. In truth: In my rebuke. The matter of the cry of reproof: Achriyav. From the language of chorev and yovesh: "taveish." The meaning is putrefaction:

Why? And if so, why did I come and there was no one? Since I did not despise your mother, and you were sold for nothing, and I will quickly restore you to Me, it was fitting that immediately upon My coming to you, you would run after Me to seek My face. Why, then, was there no one? And not only this, but I also called to you and began to reconcile with you, and yet there was no one answering. “Is My Hand Too Short to Redeem”: This means that I have not shortened My hand from redeeming you, for you were not sold because I needed money; rather, you were sold for nothing. Can I not redeem you? And if you say that your buyers will not wish to accept money for your redemption and will detain you by force, do I not have the power to rescue you by force? Indeed, with My rebuke—nay, with a mere rebuke alone—I will dry up the sea and make the rivers like a desert, in which no water will be found at all; and the fish in them will first spoil due to the lack of water, and afterward they will die of thirst.

"I will clothe the heavens." The host of heaven — the princes of the nations — when I come to punish a nation.

“I will clothe the heavens with blackness.” A garment of blackness; the meaning refers to the clouds. And some say it refers to the blackness of the sun, when it becomes entirely darkened at midday, as if a sack were their covering, because the sack is black.

"I will clothe." And similarly, I did this in Egypt, in the destruction of their air, for I clothed their skies with gloom, so that they had darkness for three days. “And I will make sackcloth their garment.” This implies that their garment was like sackcloth, meaning they saw no light; and sackcloth is black. Nevertheless, I did this, and I can do even more to bring you out of exile, even though you are among many nations. He mentioned water and air because they are the elements; and if He accomplishes His will with the elements, how much more so with the creatures created from them. One may also interpret “I will clothe the heavens with blackness” as referring to the blackness of the sun and the moon, or to the clouds, as it is said regarding them: “The heavens were darkened with clouds and wind.” However, it is more appropriate to interpret everything in terms of what He did for the sake of Israel. It is also possible to interpret these verses allegorically: just as the nations had abundant good things, like the sea and the rivers, He says that He will lay them waste and dry them up, meaning that He will cut off their prosperity because of the evil they did to Israel. The matter is as we explained in the verse: “I will make rivers into islands, and pools I will dry up.”

"I will clothe the heavens." And sackcloth, etc. The matter is repeated in what is stated:

Darkness. The matter of blackness, as it is said: “The sun and the moon were darkened” (Joel 2:10).

“I will clothe,” and what is meant by the sea being dried up and made arid is not due to the heat of the sun, for this will occur at the time when I clothe the heavens with darkness, as they will be darkened by clouds and mists. And also, “I will make sackcloth their garment,” meaning they will be filled with fog and rain, as if they were covered with sackcloth. (The metaphorical meaning is that I will devastate the lands of the nations, which are like the sea in their tumult, and their rulers, who are like rivers in their roaring, and the fish, which are the nations dwelling in their land, will be consumed. And this will not be due to the influence of the constellations and the heavens, for this will occur at a time when the heavens, from their side, will pour out rains of blessing upon My servants.)

He gave me a tongue of learning. Isaiah used to say: The Lord sent me, and He gave me a tongue fit for teaching, so that I might know how to revive the weary and the thirsty for hearing the words of the Holy One, blessed be He. “L’et.” Menachem associates it with the dispute regarding the verse, “The time has come for the Lord to act” (Psalms 119:126), [which teaches] to establish fixed times for them. He will awaken my ear. He arouses my ear with His Holy Spirit: "To hear like those who are taught. In the manner of the students, truth and correctness:"

"Ye" etc. These are the words of the prophet: They are taught. From the description of the Name, and the proof is “taught” from speaking (Jeremiah 2:24), to hear as taught. And “le’ot” is connected with “to know” [and the word “le’ot” is from the root “ayin-tav”]. And the meaning is weary. The heart of the student, when he learns difficult matters and becomes weary and tired. And behold, "le'ot" (for a sign/time). To designate a time, or it is a foreign word; there is no harm in it. And the meaning of “He will awaken” etc. is that the Lord will awaken me every morning. The interpretation of “He will awaken me” is that He will awaken my ears so that I will be attentive to Torah study. And indeed, I am a disciple of the Name.

“Adonai Elohim.” These are the words of the prophet, which he said about himself: “He has given me a tongue of those who are skilled in speech, i.e., people accustomed to language, just as one is accustomed to speaking.” And similarly, it was stated above, “And He set my mouth like a sharp sword.” He refined my tongue to speak clearly and swiftly, like a person accustomed to a matter, in order to know the words of God and to sustain with them him who is weary. That is to say, one who is thirsty to hear the word of the Lord, just as the weary one in the desert is thirsty. And similarly, “in a land of drought and weariness, without water.” And the explanation of “la’ut” is: to speak a word at its proper time. “Ye’ir b’boker b’boker” – Perhaps his prophecies came in visions of the night, and it was as if God aroused him in the morning for prophecy; or alternatively, “b’boker b’boker” means day after day, for there was no interruption in his prophecy such that he would be without a new prophecy for a day or days. He will awaken my ear. Behold, He has set my mouth to speak and my ear to hear all that is taught, as it is said: "The Lord God has given me a tongue of those who are taught."

5. Isaiah himself says, "The Lord sent me to prophesy, and He gave me a clear tongue, fit for teaching." "To know how to wait." To attain and teach according to the time and season, one who desires to hear the word of God, like a person weary who desires water. He would rouse me in the morning. Every morning he would awaken me to go to prophesy: He will awaken my ear. He was arousing my ears to hear the prophecy, just as a teacher arouses the ears of his students to hear his words.

For a time. The language of "time" and "season": Ya'ef. From the language of exhaustion and thirst: Yaeir. The term denotes awakening: "Kilmodim" means: like students. And similarly, "Chatom Torah" means: among my disciples (above, 8).

“Hashem, God” – this phrase returns to his earlier words: “Why do I come, and there is no man? I call, and there is no answer.” And if you were to say that you did not hear the Lord call you. Has not Hashem given me a tongue of learning and clarity of speech to awaken you to His service? And behold, the one who advocates for the nations and prophesies to the Gentiles requires that three conditions be fulfilled for him: 1. That he possess a tongue that speaks great matters, so that he will be able to advocate for exalted things concerning every lofty and elevated matter. And regarding this it says: “He has given me a tongue of learning, to know how to sustain with words him who is weary.” That is, to speak the word of the weary, the lofty, and the exalted, I am able to speak and advocate for it with ease. 2. That this power be found in him constantly, not at one time and not at another. And regarding this it says: “He awakens morning by morning.” 3. That he speak his words in a clear vision and not in riddles, and that he be able to nourish his words according to the intellect of the listeners and their comprehension. And regarding this it says: “He awakens my ear to hear like the learned.” That is, I heard the prophecy from His mouth according to the capacity of the learned and the students, and according to their comprehension.

“Open my ear.” And He made me hear: “Whom shall I send?” (above, 6). I sent Amos, and they called him a “Pasilus.” I sent Micah, etc., as it is stated in the Pesikta de-Rav Kahana: “Comfort, comfort.” "And I did not rebel." From the verse: "I went on His mission, and I did not turn back, but I said, 'Here I am, send me'" (ibid.).

And I, etc. After the Name opened my ears, meaning that He revealed His secret to me, I did not rebel against being His agent.

“Adonai, Elohim.” He said “Hashem Elohim” twice, and then he also said “and Hashem Elohim.” This is “Hashem Elohim,” because he was speaking about prophecy, and prophecy comes to the prophet through the angels, who are called “Elohim.” "I did not rebel [from going on His mission], and I did not retreat backward [from not going]; rather, I said, 'Here I am, send me.'"

“Open my ear” – to hear His words, [namely] what He said: “Whom shall I send?” (above 6:8). I did not rebel. I did not refuse to go: "Behind..." – I did not turn back in order to speak, and this is duplicated in what is stated:

“Mariti.” From the language of “meri” and “seruv”: "נסוגותי" – the matter of returning backward, as in "and we went back from behind our God" (below, 59):

“Lord GOD,” and you also cannot say, “Even though the Lord granted me the language of learning, I transgressed in my mission and did not proclaim to you the matter of the Lord,” for immediately as the Lord, God, opened my ear at the entrance, however small, immediately I did not rebel and I went forth in my mission. And do not say, “Even though I went, nevertheless, until I came to the people, I was afraid to speak before them and I retreated backward.” Not so, for I did not retreat backward and I did not fear any man.

"I gave my back to those who struck me." He said to me: "Isaiah, My children are stubborn, My children are troublesome; on condition that you not become angry at them, I said this to you."

"Goy, etc." I did not care whether I had applied the term "goy" to the smiters.

Goy. And even though I was despised because of the mission, I did not refrain on account of this; rather, I went willingly. This is not like the words of Jeremiah, who said, “And I said, I will not mention Him,” etc. As for what he said, “A nation I have given to those who strike me,” it is possible that this was the case, but we do not find this in the written text. And it is possible that the explanation of the verse is thus: Even if they were striking and tearing me, I would accept it willingly, out of love for God. Lamartim. One who shaves the hair of his cheeks and his beard.

"I have given my back to those who strike." I surrendered my body to those who strike, meaning that I did not refrain from going out due to the fear that they would strike me. And my cheeks I delivered to those who plucked; my cheeks to those who plucked out their hair. "I did not hide my face." This means: I did not refrain from going out of fear that they might shame me and spit in my face.

Goy. "Gufei" is like "guviti" (the body of) Saul (1 Samuel 31): And my cheek. So is called the place that is next to the eye: "l'mortim." The matter of plucking out the hair is similar to [the verse] "and I plucked out the hair of my head" (Ezra 9:3): “Mekhalamot” is derived from the language of shame and disgrace. And saliva. Saliva of the mouth:

My back, and not only this, but even though I knew that they would strike me, I offered my back to those who strike; and not only this, but I turned my face to them so that they might scourge my cheeks (for they who strike do so from behind); and not only this, but I did not hide my face from shame and spitting; and moreover, even when they spat in my face, I did not hide my face with my hand, lest the spittle reach my face, for I stood firm against them in the matter of the Lord.

"And the Lord God will help me. If they rise up against me:"

"And the Lord my Master will help me; therefore, I have not been shamed." The meaning is that the Lord will fulfill all the words of My prophecy.

And my Lord, God, will help me. If they struck me, and [I said] “Help me,” so that He would not deliver me into their hands to kill me; and if they did not strike him, the meaning of “Help me” is that He will help me by establishing the words of my prophecy. Therefore, I was not ashamed to declare publicly the words of my prophecy, for I knew that I would not be put to shame, for my words would be fulfilled. As hard as flint. Explanation: The hard stone.

“May He help me.” This means that the matter was close to causing me shame, but the Lord helped me; therefore, I was not shamed. "Therefore I set my face like flint": This means that since I saw that the Lord was helping me in this matter, I set my face like flint to speak harsh things, knowing that I would not come to shame.

Like flint. A hard rock, like flint, into a fountain of water (Psalms 114:8):

“And the Lord God” — it is said in truth that according to the arrogance of the generation, it would have been easy for them to strike me and pluck out my cheeks. Only because the Lord God helped me was this the reason that I was not put to shame. Therefore, after I perceived the particular providence of the Lord over me, that shame would not come upon me from others, I set my face like flint, and I knew within myself that I would not be ashamed on my own account either, for I saw that I had a Helper from the Lord.

"My Vindicator is near." The Holy One, blessed be He, is near to me to justify me in judgment.

"Near is he who vindicates me." Near is the time when I shall see that I am vindicated in the words of the prophecies; then I shall say, "Who will contend with Me?"

“Near is He who vindicates me.” This means that He will vindicate My words and establish them as truth. And “He is near to me” — He constantly renews prophecies to me, and He also repeats to me certain prophecies, such as the matter of Sennacherib. And since He repeats them to me, in any case He will fulfill them, unless they do repentance, for it is said, “They spoke, and He relented from the evil.” Alternatively, the meaning of “near” is that shortly He will vindicate My words. "Who will contend with Me?" — That it should not be as I have prophesied.

"The righteous are near to me." The Lord who justifies me in judgment is near to me; therefore, whoever wishes to contend with me, let us stand together. I and He, as it were, saying: "Behold, surely he will not be able to [prevail] against me." Who is the owner of my rights? Who is the one who wishes to come with me to court, let him approach me. And this is duplicated in what is stated:

“Near are My righteous ones”: There is a distinction between *riv* (contention/litigation) and *mishpat* (judgment/legal claim). *Riv* refers to matters involving arguments and counter-arguments, whereas *mishpat* refers to a clear-cut matter. One who has a *riv* against his fellow should approach the judge, and he shall judge them. But one who has a *mishpat* against his fellow goes to him personally and demands what is due to him by law. This is what is meant by: “Whoever desires to contend with Me”—that is, one who has arguments and disputes against Me—let us go to the judge. However, behold, “Near are My righteous ones,” and I shall emerge as righteous in my judgment. And “whoever has a legal claim against Me”—that is, one who says that he has a clear-cut legal claim and verdict against Me—let him approach Me personally and demand his claim. But I know that this is a matter in which it is impossible for Me to be the wicked one in the judgment, for

Ash. The worm that eats garments:

“Behold, etc.” And after God has helped me, who will condemn me? And those who are condemning me with their mouths—they all will wear out like a garment, in the sense of “they will perish.”

"Behold, the Lord is God." Who is he that will condemn me in his words? And it did not say, "Who will not find one who will condemn him," for there were many who condemned him; rather, it says, "Who is he that will condemn me?"—like a garment that wears out. And the meaning of "will condemn me" is similar to "and they caused the wicked to be condemned," as it is written: "Who will condemn the elect of God?" All of them. All those who stand against me to refute my words:

“Behold, the Lord is my helper” – Truly, the Lord will assist me. If so, who is there that can condemn me or hold me liable? Behold, they are all in truth; all who stand against me shall rot, like a garment that is rotting. "The moth shall eat them." Since He compared them to a garment, He used the term that applies to a garment.

They shall be worn out. From the language of wear and decay: A worm. So too, "the worm that eats the garment" is called a worm, and likewise, "as a garment it shall eat them up" (below, 51).

“Behold, the Lord will help me; who is he that will condemn me?” And who will prevail against me in debate and arguments against my prophecy? “Behold, all of them are like a garment that wears out.” The wearing out of a garment occurs either through excessive use of it, or through the garment being eaten by moths, which happens when it is not used. Therefore, regarding the litigant who will come against him with a lawsuit and arguments, He says that he will wear out like a garment that wears out if one uses it excessively; so too, if they employ their arguments and proofs and frequently turn them about, they will wear out like a garment. And regarding the one who brings a legal case, who wishes to come against him with a clear matter, He says that He will not need to argue against him at all, for His words are the words of the living God. And when He leaves the words of the one bringing the legal case alone and does not engage with them, they will be eaten by moths, because no person will engage with his false and fabricated judgment.

"In the voice of His servant": In the voice of the prophets. “Who walks in darkness.” Even if a calamity befalls him, he should trust in the Name of the Lord, for He will deliver him.

Who [among you]. The prophet speaks to these. “Who walks in darkness.” This refers back to “the one who fears the Name,” meaning that he should not seek greatness or the desires of this world; rather, he should place his trust in the Name. And there is one who says that “who walks in darkness” [refers back to “the one who fears the Name”] as a description of His servant, who is the prophet. The meaning is: “Is there any among you?”—just as if it said, “There is none among you”—because you have seen that the prophet has no honor in this world. And this is the correct interpretation, on account of the verse that follows.

"Who among you?" After there are those who cause Me to be regarded as wicked, whoever among you fears the Lord, let him heed Me. And even those who have walked in darkness until now, let them return from their evil way and trust in the name of the Lord, and it will be good for them.

"Fear of the Lord": One who fears the Lord and heeds the voice of His servant, the prophet. “Who walks in darkness.” Even if he walks in the darkness of troubles and has not yet found illumination and salvation. “He shall trust in the Name of the Lord.” That salvation shall come to him. And he leaned—this is a double expression, as stated:

Nogah. The matter is one of illumination and radiance, as it is said, "from the brightness before him" (Psalms 18:13). וישען. The meaning is support:

“Who among you?” Since that generation did not believe in the words of the prophet and came against him with arguments and disputes, as it is stated, “Who will contend with Me? Let him approach and tell me” (Isaiah 50:8), and none was found except one person in the city who believed absolutely in what he said in the name of the Lord, He says, “Who among you is found to be one who fears the Lord, who heeds the voice of His servant?” Then, even though he walks in darkness, he will trust in the name of the Lord. But you are like glowing embers of fire; go in the light of your fire—this is the order of the verse. And its explanation is that it compares the believers in the prophet and those who reject his words to two men who sat in the desert on a dark and gloomy night. One trusts in the Lord to save him from every harm and does not light a lamp; and despite this, even though he sits in darkness, he lies down securely and does not fear, for his heart is steadfast in the Lord. The second, who does not trust in the Lord, is afraid to sit in the darkness, so he lights a fire and blows on the coals until he burns himself and his face becomes blackened from the charcoal. Nevertheless, this availed him nothing, for despite all this, he lies down in sorrow and fear, terrified of the night and the desert. So it is with this matter: “Who among you is found to be a man who fears the Lord, who heeds the voice of His servant and believes the words of the prophet?” That man, even though he did not light a lamp to investigate the matter of the prophet and examine his words by the light of a torch, but rather walked in darkness like a blind man leaning on a sighted one, with no light for him because he did not investigate the prophet’s words at all, nevertheless, he gains in two ways: First, that he will trust in the name of the Lord, for thereby his heart trusts in the Lord and his soul rests in security; Second, the ultimate goal itself, for thereby he truly leans upon his God, for through the trust in which he trusts, he will find support in the Lord, and the Lord, who saves, His protection will be his support. But

"Behold, all of you. For you do not heed the voice of His prophets:" "Kindle a fire." His wrath is upon you: “Who gird yourselves with firebrands (zikot).” Holders of firebrands — sparks and coals of fire that are hurled with a sling; it has a parallel in the Aramaic tongue, “zikukin de-nur” (sparks of fire), [and] “such-and-such a zikata was decreed for us.” “Come in the light of your fire.” According to your ways you shall be punished. From My hand. "This shall be your reward for you."

“Those who gird themselves with sparks.” Just as with sparks, in the sense of this passage, the reason is: “Your soul.” From My hand it was; a decree: "In sorrow you shall lie down": "In sorrow they shall die," just as it is written, "And David slept with his fathers" (1 Kings 2:10), and many other verses are similarly worded.

“Behold, you are all”—this means the majority of you. For in truth, there were among them those who feared God; but regarding those whom He called “those who walk in darkness,” saying that they should return to Him, He said: “I know that you will not return, for you are all those who have been on the path of evil until now.” “You are burning coals of fire”—that is to say, burning coals of fire in the anger of God, as it says, “For a burning fire has gone forth from My anger.” However, that verb form is intransitive, whereas this one is transitive; and similarly, this one is transitive as well: “For a burning fire has gone forth from My anger.” “M’azrei zikot.” The matter is expressed twice in different words: “those who bring forth fire from wood and from stones” are called “m’azrei zikot.” Zikot. These are the sparks of fire, and Jonathan rendered it as “migrin ba’asha,” as in the Targum of “and I will send among you” (Leviticus 26:22): “and I will incite against you.” “Go, walk in the light of your fire.” You have kindled a fire, and that same fire shall consume you, for sin shall devour you. What was this matter? “It is evil for you that you should lie down in sorrow”—this lying down that is mentioned is like the lying down of the sick or the dead, namely, that there will be no strength in you to rise up before your enemies. Ashkhem. The aleph is with a segol, and the shin is unaccented (soft).

"Indeed, all of you." But in truth, almost all of you kindle the anger of the Lord. “Who gird yourselves with sparks.” They encircle the place with sparks of fire, and this is the same matter as that which is stated below: "Come in the light of your fire." This means that according to the deed, so shall be the reward. "And with the sparks that you have kindled." The duplication of the matter is stated in what is written: "From My hand," etc. It was not a chance occurrence, but rather it came by decree, so that you might die in sorrow, for the sorrow shall not depart until you die.

Kadkhi. The meaning is burning, as it is written: “A fire is kindled in My anger” (Deuteronomy 32:22). From "Azari." From the language of "avzor" (to gird) and "machagoret" (a girdle), and similarly, "azru chail" (they girded themselves with strength) (1 Samuel 2). Zikot. Sparks of fire. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: “Sparks of fire came forth from the mouth of Rav” (Hullin 137a). In the light. A flame, as it is said, "I have warmed myself, I have seen the light" (above, 44). Ashchem. The word is derived from the root "ash" (fire). "You have kindled." From the language of burning and setting on fire. "למעצבה" – from the word "עצבון" (ezbon), meaning sorrow and distress. "tishkabun" (you shall lie down). So is death called, as it is said, "and David slept with his fathers" (1 Kings 2:10).

Behold, you are all such that you wish to kindle a light to search for the words of the prophet. And since you do not have good oils and wicks to illuminate, therefore you are kindling fire by means of dry wood and withered thorns, into which you blow sparks of fire, and you surround and encircle the fire with flashes and sparks, until the damage that you will receive from the sparks and flashes is greater than the benefit (that is to say: you do not have true proofs by which to examine the words of the prophet, but only misleading proofs and false premises, which are like flashes that do not illuminate but rather darken the faces of those who blow into them). “Come, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that you have kindled”: This refers to the limited intellect and the sparks of understanding that you have kindled. Come, investigate and ponder with your limited intellect, which is incapable of grasping the light of truth. Nevertheless, “you shall lie down in sorrow”: Meaning, nevertheless, I hereby give you a promise that even though you have kindled a light, you will not lie down in security, like the man who fears the Lord; rather, you will lie down in sorrow, for you will grope like the blind along the wall of doubts, and you will not find rest for your souls.