Introduction
In this chapter we follow the early steps of Daniel and his companions in the royal court of Babylon: the youths chosen from royal lineage to be educated in the king's palace, the changing of their names, the test of the food, and the spiritual stature they attained. We will proceed through the verses in order, primarily following the commentary of the Malbim, while incorporating insights from other commentators and the Midrashim.
Four from the Children of Judah
וַיְהִי בָהֶם מִבְּנֵי יְהוּדָה דָּנִיֵּאל חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה׃ - Now among these of the children of Judah were Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah.
Out of all the many youths chosen to study in the royal palace, four were from the tribe of Judah, that is, of royal lineage: Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah, with Daniel at their head.
Changing Names - Seizing Control over One's Essence
וַיָּשֶׂם לָהֶם שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים שֵׁמוֹת וַיָּשֶׂם לְדָנִיֵּאל בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר וְלַחֲנַנְיָה שַׁדְרַךְ וּלְמִישָׁאֵל מֵישַׁךְ וְלַעֲזַרְיָה עֲבֵד נְגוֹ׃ - And the chief officer assigned names to them: to Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar, to Chananyah, Shadrach, to Mishael, Meshach, and to Azaryah, Abed-nego.
The chief officer changed their names: Daniel was called Belteshazzar, Chananyah - Shadrach, Mishael - Meshach, and Azaryah - Abed-nego. And one must ask: what was the point of changing their names? After all, they were not ill, so why was there any need to rename them?
Rather, such was the practice in those days: when a king wanted to take someone into his royal service, he sought to make him entirely subservient, to the extent that even his most personal possession would be under royal control. And what is a person's most personal possession? His name. Incidentally, there is a riddle: what belongs to you personally, yet is used far less by you than by others? Your name - it is entirely yours, yet others always use it more than you do. Changing their names was thus meant to redefine their very essence: until now you were a private individual, and your parents decided to call you Daniel; from now on you belong to me, and I am the one who determines your name. Your destiny has shifted, and you are completely under my authority - even your very name is in my hands.
We find the same with Yosef: when he arrived at Pharaoh's court, they changed his name to "Tzafenat Pane'ach" - Yosef was no more; from now on, it was Tzafenat Pane'ach. Similarly, "And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shifrah and the name of the other Pu'ah" - and who were Shifrah and Pu'ah? Yocheved and Miriam. Chazal explain: what does this naming signify? He assigned them names, calling one Shifrah and the other Pu'ah. He changed their names in order to subjugate them completely to his will.
Belteshazzar - Named After His God
Notice that Daniel's name was specifically changed to Belteshazzar. First, "Bel" was the name of their pagan deity. Furthermore, the suffix "-tzar" symbolized royalty and power among the Chaldeans - Nevuchadnezzar, Belteshazzar, Sheshbazzar; many kings bore names ending in "-tzar."
Primarily, Belteshazzar was the name of their god, and as we will see later, it says: "whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god" (דניאל ד:ה). Why was this? When people in antiquity saw someone with truly extraordinary talents, they would make him a god. That is, they would say: this person is the embodiment of a divine reality in this world; he possesses supernatural powers and divine abilities. Thus Pharaoh said to Yosef, "Since God has made all this known to you... you shall be over my house" (Bereishit 41:39-40), because he saw "a man in whom is the spirit of God" (ibid. 41:38) - as if the gods they believed in (or the Creator of the world, when speaking of the true God) had invested a portion of their spirit in this man. This is also what Chazal mean when they say that Pharaoh was turned into a god: did people not know his mother? Of course they knew who his mother was, and they knew he was born of flesh and blood! Rather, they claimed that divine forces resided within him, as though the deity had placed its powers inside him.
As we will see later, Nebuchadnezzar truly recognized the extraordinary talents and special qualities in Daniel and thought: this man is a god - meaning, he possesses divine spiritual powers. They did the very same thing to Yoash: after he had spent seven years hidden inside the Kodesh Hakodashim ("Yoash was seven years old when he became king"), the ministers came and said to him: you are a god; you possess immense spiritual power, and God has invested His powers in you. If you were capable of living in a place that the Kohen Gadol enters only once a year, only with incense, only after solemn confessions, and even then unsure if he will emerge alive - yet you lived there, ate, drank, and slept in the Holy of Holies - then you must be a god! This, by the way, is similar to the Christian belief regarding that man: a person allegedly born of a virgin who is essentially divine, as if God partnered in his creation - according to their corrupted conception. Such was the mindset in ancient times. Therefore, he changed Daniel's name to Belteshazzar, after the name of his god. As for the others, he changed their names to those common at the time - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. "Abed" means a servant, a worker, or an assistant. All of these are names or terms in the Chaldean language.
"That He Would Not Defile Himself" - Daniel's Mesirut Nefesh
וַיָּשֶׂם דָּנִיֵּאל עַל לִבּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִתְגָּאַל בְּפַת בַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ וּבְיֵין מִשְׁתָּיו וַיְבַקֵּשׁ מִשַּׂר הַסָּרִיסִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִתְגָּאָל׃ - "Daniel resolved in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's delicacies, nor with the wine he drank; so he sought of the chief officer that he might not defile himself."
As we explained, the king personally arranged their diet, but in the royal palace there was no halachic shechitah. There, they would simply sever the animal's head and prepare steaks. How could he possibly eat such food? There was bishul akum (food cooked by non-Jews), and outright Torah prohibitions - neveilot and tereifot, completely forbidden foods. Therefore, Daniel resolved in his heart not to defile himself (shelo yitga'al), meaning not to soil or contaminate himself, as in the verse, "The table of Hashem is defiled (mego'al)" (Malachi 1:12) - soiled by the blemished offerings brought there. Here too: that he would not defile himself with the king's delicacies and royal wine. So he turned to the chief officer, the general overseer responsible for raising the youths, and said: I do not want to soil myself with the king's food.
Notice something astonishing here. If you are presenting such a request to the royal overseer, speak politely and tactfully! Is this how one speaks - "I do not want this filthy food"? He was risking his life! Had he simply asked for alternative food or something along those lines, it would be understandable. But look at the language: initially, "Daniel resolved in his heart that he would not defile himself" - that is not surprising, for Scripture is merely describing his inner thoughts. But then, "he sought of the chief officer that he might not defile himself" - he explicitly told him: I refuse to defile myself with this filthy food, I will have no part in this foulness! Is that how one addresses an officer of the realm? Are we serving dirt? This is the first question.
And the second question: what about Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah - were they served kosher food? Why did they remain silent without saying a word, while only Daniel took it upon himself to object?
The explanation is that once Nebuchadnezzar elevated Daniel to the status of a god, Daniel realized that by accepting this food, there was a real concern that the king was effectively offering sacrifices and libations to an idol. "In his eyes, I am viewed as a deity, and to a deity they offer sacrifices, bring meal-offerings, and present lavish fruit baskets - for such was their practice before their gods." Daniel reasoned: if he is treating me as a god and serving this food as an offering to me, eating it presents a grave halachic issue, even at the cost of my life. Why? Because the rule "transgress and do not be killed" applies to all prohibitions except three: idolatry, forbidden sexual relations, and bloodshed. If he deifies me and serves me food, it constitutes an offering of avodah zarah (idolatry), in which case the halachic ruling is yei'hareg ve'al ya'avor - one must let himself be killed rather than transgress.
Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah did not face this issue. Nebuchadnezzar did not turn them into idols, nor did he name them Belteshazzar after his god. For them, the issue was merely eating non-kosher food. While serious, it does not override pikuach nefesh; a person must eat non-kosher rather than lose his life. For Daniel, however, the issue touched upon idolatry, and for that he was prepared to give his life (mesirut nefesh). Therefore, he pulled no punches and said straightforwardly: I will not eat this defiled food, and if you execute me, so be it - I am prepared to die.
Grace and Mercy Before the Chief Officer
וַיִּתֵּן הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת דָּנִיֵּאל לְחֶסֶד וּלְרַחֲמִים לִפְנֵי שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים׃ - "Now God granted Daniel grace and mercy in the sight of the chief officer."
Under normal circumstances, what should the chief officer have done in response to such insolence? He should have had him beheaded! Yet God granted Daniel grace and mercy: not only did the officer refrain from punishing him, he actually took pity on him. Furthermore, not only did he answer him gently, as we will see momentarily, but he did not even report the incident to his superior. He did not go to Nebuchadnezzar and say, "My lord, you are harboring a viper here! Listen to how he disparages your food, see the utter contempt with which he speaks of the finest delicacies we provide them." He said no such thing, keeping the matter entirely to himself - even though he was not prepared to take the risk of actively helping Daniel, as we shall soon see.
The Chief Officer's Reply: "You Will Endanger My Head"
וַיֹּאמֶר שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים לְדָנִיֵּאל יָרֵא אֲנִי אֶת אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר מִנָּה אֶת מַאֲכַלְכֶם וְאֶת מִשְׁתֵּיכֶם אֲשֶׁר לָמָּה יִרְאֶה אֶת פְּנֵיכֶם זֹעֲפִים מִן הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר כְּגִילְכֶם וְחִיַּבְתֶּם אֶת רֹאשִׁי לַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And the chief of the officers said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who has assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking worse than the youths of your age? Then you would endanger my head to the king."
He said to him: I cannot do this, because I fear the king. For the king himself is the one who appointed your food, and if I go and tell him that it is not suitable for them and that they do not want his food - that is outright rebellion against the king, and he could take off my head and yours. The king says: I arranged this for you, I gave you the very best, and you tell me that this does not suit you? Such a thing is treated like treason. Whatever the king gives - you must accept and say thank you. Especially when the king has provided you with the finest he has.
And if you say: You do not need to reveal anything to the king at all; tell the king that everything is normal and in order, and in the meantime arrange to bring us kosher food. Is the king standing right here watching you? To this he replies, "for why should he see your faces looking worse than the youths of your age" - I have another fear. After all, instead of the royal food you will be eating legumes and seeds, and your faces will not look like someone who eats fine steaks and drinks choice wine. A person who eats lentils and water all day long - he will lack many nutrients; for example, he will lack protein. Iron he might have, since he is eating lentils, but protein he will lack, and this will cause a physical change. If so, ultimately the king will find out. Do you really expect me to do this deceitfully? Furthermore, he also has a basis for comparison: he sees all of you, and in a month he will see all of you again, and he will say: These youths look terrible, their complexions are blotchy, they lack vitamins, something seems to be missing. And then whose head will be on the line? Mine - for not raising you properly.
Approaching the Steward - Wisdom in the Protocol
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּנִיֵּאל אֶל הַמֶּלְצַר אֲשֶׁר מִנָּה שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים עַל דָּנִיֵּאל חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה׃ - Then Daniel said to the steward, whom the chief of the officers had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
Daniel sees that his salvation will not come through the chief of officers, so he turns to a lower echelon. Going through the chief of staff does not work - so he turns to the company commander. He says to the steward: I wish to achieve my request through you.
And if he could turn to the steward, why did he not approach him from the start? Because someone who approaches a subordinate when he ought to approach the superior is considered to be rebelling against authority and bypassing the chain of command. Why approach the subordinate when protocol requires going to the superior? Would a subordinate ever do something for you contrary to the wishes of his supervisor? Such a matter must be handled through the proper channels, addressing the top authority. Therefore, Daniel acted with great wisdom: first he approached the superior, so that he would not feel his authority had been bypassed. Once the superior answered that he had no objection in principle, but merely feared for his life, Daniel understood that he would not object if Daniel turned to someone who did not fear for his life, and where, if discovered, the superior would not pay with his head. After such tacit consent, it is permissible to turn to the lower echelon without it being a breach of protocol. The melzar is the steward who serves the portions, and Ibn Ezra notes that this is a Chaldean word - its origin is not in the Holy Tongue, but in the language of Chaldea.
The Proposed Trial: Ten Days
נַס נָא אֶת עֲבָדֶיךָ יָמִים עֲשָׂרָה וְיִתְּנוּ לָנוּ מִן הַזֵּרֹעִים וְנֹאכְלָה וּמַיִם וְנִשְׁתֶּה׃ - "Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us legumes to eat and water to drink."
He said to him: I understand that you too are fearful, just as the chief of officers feared - that we will not look well after eating seeds and legumes. Therefore, I have a proposal: let us conduct an experiment; test us for ten days. For after ten days, there must already be a visible change; as the natural scientists explain, after nine days a physical change is already noticeable if there is a dietary shift, as the commentators cite. If you see that a change has occurred in us - we will return to the previous, richer foods; but if you see that over ten days no change has occurred in us at all, there will be no obstacle to continue giving us legumes instead of the king's delicacies, for your entire fear is that the king will find out, and he will never be able to discover it as long as he sees us healthy and well.
וְיֵרָאוּ לְפָנֶיךָ מַרְאֵינוּ וּמַרְאֵה הַיְלָדִים הָאֹכְלִים אֵת פַּת בַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכַאֲשֶׁר תִּרְאֶה עֲשֵׂה עִם עֲבָדֶיךָ׃ - "Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's delicacies be observed before you, and as you see fit, do with your servants."
You will look at us, and compare us to the youths who eat the king's royal food, and thereby you will see if we are lacking anything, or if we look unwell as a result of what we eat. On the contrary, says the Malbim, Daniel told him: Know that simple foods make a person healthier in body and soul than overly refined delicacies. Foods high in fat are harmful, whereas simple meat is healthier, and seeds are healthier still. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about; and if you are still concerned - test us.
The Test and Its Results
וַיִּשְׁמַע לָהֶם לַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיְנַסֵּם יָמִים עֲשָׂרָה׃ - So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days.
He accepted their words, and each day he would come and test them. There was great kindness from Above in this, for he could have refused outright, yet despite everything he did not refuse and was willing to try. And why did he agree to try? For the simple reason that the king did not see them every day; once a month or once every few months they would be brought before the king to check on their progress, their comprehension, and their pace of study. Thus he knew that during this period they had no audience with the king, and even if negative changes appeared - they could be remedied immediately by returning them to the menu the king had designated. Furthermore, he checked them every single day; the Ibn Ezra explains in the name of Yefet that he inspected their appearance every day throughout the ten days - so that no significant decline would occur without his noticing, and so that nothing irreversible would happen.
וּמִקְצָת יָמִים עֲשָׂרָה נִרְאָה מַרְאֵיהֶם טוֹב וּבְרִיאֵי בָּשָׂר מִן כָּל הַיְלָדִים הָאֹכְלִים אֵת פַּת בַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And at the end of ten days, their appearance looked better and healthier in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's royal food.
After ten days had passed, these youths looked better than all those who ate from the king's delicacies.
What Were These "Seeds"?
The Ibn Ezra cites: "And the Gaon said" - referring, it seems, to Rav Saadia Gaon - that this was a great miracle. But the Ibn Ezra writes: There is no need, one does not need to invoke miracles here, for they were eating rice, called in Arabic aruz. It is highly esteemed and more pleasant than wheat, produces pure blood, is the staple of the people of India who have no wheat, and various cooked dishes are made from it. Rice expands and swells considerably when cooked in milk. In general, a little of it is filling and heavy in weight - from a small amount a person receives much; its grains are very slender and not round, and its nature is warm and moist. The Ibn Ezra also cites another interpretation, that the seeds were millet, but rejects it: millet is an inferior food and harmful in nature, so how could they have sustained themselves on such a food and remained healthy? Therefore, he does not accept this explanation, but maintains that they prepared rice for them each day.
The Ibn Ezra was wise in all the sciences known in his day. To be sure, the Rambam was wiser than him in the science of medicine, as related in the famous story: Ibn Ezra came to visit him, and the Rambam locked him inside a barn. For three days he remained there, weeping over his bitter fate - a dark barn, with no way out. After three days, the Rambam brought him out, and Ibn Ezra asked him: What did I do to you that you saw fit to lock me in a barn? The Rambam said to him: And what did you do in there? He answered: I wept bitterly; I filled a cup with my tears. The Rambam said to him: Look into the cup. He looked and saw inside it what seemed like tiny, slender worms. The Rambam told him: As soon as you arrived, I noticed extremely fine worms in your eyes, and these worms could have caused you total blindness. I knew that if left untreated, you would lose your sight. The only way to treat them is through continuous weeping, because crying causes the eyes to discharge all their fluid, and the worms with it. Therefore, I had no choice but to place you there to bring you to tears. Then the Ibn Ezra thanked him and blessed him for having cured him. The Rambam was undoubtedly a greater physician than the Ibn Ezra, but the Ibn Ezra was thoroughly versed in all the sciences accepted and known in their era.
The Meltzar Takes Away Their Royal Food
וַיְהִי הַמֶּלְצַר נֹשֵׂא אֶת פַּת בָּגָם וְיֵין מִשְׁתֵּיהֶם וְנֹתֵן לָהֶם זֵרְעֹנִים׃ - So the meltzar took away their royal food and the wine of their drinking, and gave them seeds.
What is the meaning of "took away their royal food and the wine of their drinking, and gave them seeds"? It means that this meltzar was no great saint; rather, he made a very lucrative deal. He was supposed to serve them food, and what they had been allotted were gourmet meals - dishes one would pay seven or eight hundred shekels for in a restaurant. So he would take away their royal food, carrying their portions off to his own quarters, while supplying them with seeds. Was that not a worthwhile trade? Surely the king must have wondered how this meltzar had suddenly grown so plump and healthy-looking - not only did the youths look good, but the meltzar, Baruch Hashem, looked wonderful as well. And that is what is meant by "the meltzar took away their royal food" - took away, meaning he took it for himself, and gave them seeds instead.
Let us note that this was not granted to Daniel alone: Daniel, out of the greatness of his devotion, earned merit for himself and also earned merit for his companions. Through meriting it himself, he bestowed it upon his companions Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah as well, and so Hashem's Divine Providence hovered over them so that they would not stumble or consume forbidden foods.
Knowledge and Discernment - And Daniel Understood Every Vision and Dream
וְהַיְלָדִים הָאֵלֶּה אַרְבַּעְתָּם נָתַן לָהֶם הָאֱלֹהִים מַדָּע וְהַשְׂכֵּל בְּכָל סֵפֶר וְחָכְמָה וְדָנִיֵּאל הֵבִין בְּכָל חָזוֹן וַחֲלֹמוֹת׃ - And as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and discernment in every book and wisdom; and Daniel understood every vision and dream.
In proportion to their spiritual preparation, so the Divine influence rested upon them. All four of them possessed wisdom, knowledge, and discernment in every book and science beyond all the other youths; and Daniel, whose self-sacrifice was even greater, merited an additional portion - that he understood every vision and dream, and knew how to interpret dreams.
And what is "knowledge and discernment"? The Malbim explains: knowledge in every book, and discernment in every wisdom. This relates to what was explained previously, that there is a concept of parallel structure in verses: when two terms are written followed by another two terms, it is not necessarily the case that the first two go together and the latter two go together; rather, the first of the first pair corresponds to the first of the second pair, and the second corresponds to the second. Here too: "knowledge and discernment in every book and wisdom" means knowledge in every book, and discernment in every wisdom. Knowledge, as we said, refers to things perceived through the senses, or things that are axiomatic - established facts based on earlier, indisputable research. And where does one learn them? From books, for the foundations of mathematics, chemistry, and other disciplines are already recorded in books and their principles are known. This is the meaning of "knowledge in every book" - in each of the known books of science, such as natural sciences and medicine. In addition to this, they also had discernment - there is a concept of exercising discernment in wisdom. Wisdom, as explained, is the faculty to distinguish between what is good and what is not good; such a person is discerning, who through the power of his intellect knows how to distinguish between good and bad.
And regarding Daniel, it is added that he understood every vision and dream. The Malbim explains: there are people who interpret dreams through the power of conjecture - "it seems to me," "this is what I think," "this is how I understand it," "this is my impression"; this is true of ordinary dream interpreters. With Daniel, this was not the case. For those people, even if they try to interpret according to what appears to them, the chance of achieving one hundred percent accuracy is very slim, and they can only succeed partially. Daniel, however, understood through Ruach HaKodesh, and consequently understood every vision and dream - his knowledge encompassed every type of vision and dream, and there was no dream that was beyond his ability to resolve. The reason being that he did not interpret through conjecture. With conjecture, one might say, "Here I do not know what to surmise," but when it comes through Ruach HaKodesh, one possesses a key that opens all gates, and can thus interpret every dream and vision, exactly as was the case with Yosef.
And what is the difference between a dream and a vision? The Malbim explains: a dream is without a visual scene, whereas a vision involves a scene. For example, the statue of Nevuchadnezzar, where he saw a colossal statue and suddenly saw a stone come, strike it, and shatter it - that is called a vision, for he envisions an action. A dream, by contrast, can be a thought passing through the mind during sleep, independent of any visual image a person sees. There is another explanation as well: that a vision can occur even while awake, when a person visualizes something and perceives it in his mind's eye without being asleep, whereas a dream always occurs during sleep.
Standing Before Nevuchadnezzar
וּלְמִקְצָת הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ לַהֲבִיאָם וַיְבִיאֵם שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים לִפְנֵי נְבֻכַדְנֶצַּר׃ - And at the end of the days that the king had appointed to bring them, the chief of the courtiers brought them before Nevuchadnezzar.
That is, at the conclusion of the three years, which was the time the king had designated to bring them before him, the chief of the courtiers brought them before Nevuchadnezzar.
וַיְדַבֵּר אִתָּם הַמֶּלֶךְ וְלֹא נִמְצָא מִכֻּלָּם כְּדָנִיֵּאל חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה וַיַּעַמְדוּ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And the king spoke with them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah; and they stood before the king.
In what language did he speak with them? In Chaldean, and they were already skilled and proficient in this language, as mentioned. "And among them all none was found" - all the other youths were not as gifted as Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah. "And they stood before the king" - these were the ones he stationed to stand before him, for they were worthy of being in the highest position, namely the royal palace.
Ten Times Better Than All the Magicians
וְכֹל דְּבַר חָכְמַת בִּינָה אֲשֶׁר בִּקֵּשׁ מֵהֶם הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּמְצָאֵם עֶשֶׂר יָדוֹת עַל כָּל הַחַרְטֻמִּים הָאַשָּׁפִים אֲשֶׁר בְּכָל מַלְכוּתוֹ׃ - And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in his entire realm.
These youths were so gifted that whenever the king needed to consult his wise and discerning men, he would gather them all and seek their counsel, with Daniel and his companions among them. He consistently found their knowledge, counsel, and wisdom to be ten times greater than that of all his sages. "Ten times" (aseret yodot) means tenfold - ten times the knowledge and wisdom of all the other sages.
And who are the chartumim (magicians)? There are several explanations. Some say that chartumim are necromancers who consult the bones of the dead, the word being a compound: charei timei - timei means bones in Aramaic, and charei denotes heating. They would take a bone and place it, for instance, under the armpit to warm it, and through this the deceased would appear to them and begin to speak, in the manner of those who divine through bones. Another explanation is that chartumim are natural scientists. And the ashafim (astrologers) are those who divine by the constellations, the experts in astrology; while others say they are physicians, and this is how the Metzudat Tziyon explains that ashafim are masters of medicine.
"And Daniel Continued Until the First Year of King Cyrus"
וַיְהִי דָּנִיֵּאל עַד שְׁנַת אַחַת לְכוֹרֶשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.
Daniel remained in exile until the first year of King Cyrus, meaning until the first year of Cyrus's reign, whom we will encounter toward the end of the book. And why only until the first year of Cyrus? Our Sages explain that after Daniel was thrown into the lions' den, as we will see later, he resigned from royal service and took up residence in Shushan the capital. This is also recorded in historical chronicles, in Sefer Yosippon, that he settled in Shushan the capital. And who was in Shushan the capital? Hatach. And why was he named Hatach? Because they cut him down (chatchuhu) from his greatness, as the Midrash states - Hatach is related to chatach (severance), for they stripped him of his high position. Since they slandered him and spoke against him until the king was forced to cast him into the lions' den, he decided to leave political power behind and live quietly in Shushan.
In Summary:
The chapter opens with an attempt to assimilate Daniel and his companions completely into the king's court - even to the point of changing their names, which is a person's most intimate identity, and renaming Daniel "Belteshazzar" after the Babylonian deity. Precisely because of this, Daniel realized that partaking of the royal fare bordered on idolatry, an infraction for which one must give up one's life rather than transgress. Therefore, he took an uncompromising stand with supreme self-sacrifice (mesirut nefesh), whereas his companions, who were not regarded by the king as deities, were not subject to that same stringency. Hashem granted him favor and mercy: the chief officer neither punished him nor informed on him, and Daniel proceeded wisely - approaching first the senior officer and then the steward - proposing a ten-day trial of legumes and water. Not only were they unharmed, but they appeared healthier and more robust than all the others. In the merit of their self-sacrifice, God granted them knowledge in every text and mastery in all wisdom, and Daniel was further endowed with the gift of interpreting all visions and dreams through Ruach HaKodesh rather than mere conjecture, until they were found to be ten times greater than all the magicians and astrologers in the realm; and Daniel lived long in the exile, continuing until the first year of King Cyrus.