Introduction
In this section of the chapter, we reach the climax of the narrative: Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah have already been cast into the fiery furnace, and the miracle has unfolded before everyone's eyes. From here on, Scripture describes their emergence from the furnace, the reaction of the royal ministers, Nebuchadnezzar's blessing, the decree he issued in honor of the God of Israel, and finally the missive he dispatched to all nations. We will follow the order of the pesukim with the commentary of the Malbim, concluding with a wonderful Midrash in Shir HaShirim Rabbah that recounts the entire background of this episode.
"Come Out and Come Here" - The Elevated Furnace
בֵּאדַיִן קְרֵב נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר לִתְרַע אַתּוּן נוּרָא יָקִדְתָּא, עָנֵה וְאָמַר: שַׁדְרַךְ מֵישַׁךְ וַעֲבֵד נְגוֹ עַבְדוֹהִי דִּי אֱלָהָא עִלָּאָה פֻּקוּ וֶאֱתוֹ. בֵּאדַיִן נָפְקִין שַׁדְרַךְ מֵישַׁךְ וַעֲבֵד נְגוֹ מִן גּוֹא נוּרָא. (כו) - Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the opening of the burning fiery furnace; he called out and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out from the midst of the fire. (26)
Nebuchadnezzar approached the opening of the fiery furnace. "Spoke up and said" [aneh ve'amar] - the term aniyah always denotes raising one's voice, as Rashi explains on "and you shall speak up and say" [ve'anita ve'amarta]: in a loud voice. That is, he called out loudly and said: Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah, servants of the Most High God, step out and come forward! And then the three came out from the fiery furnace.
Let us examine the wording: Had the furnace been sunken deep into the ground, how should Nebuchadnezzar have phrased it? "Come up and come here." Chazal explain that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed a miracle and the furnace rose up. Therefore, when leaving, they did not have to climb and needed no ropes - unlike the episode with Yirmeyahu, where Eved-melech the Cushite had to pull him out of the pit with ropes. Here, none of that was necessary. The furnace miraculously rose up, like a hydraulic elevator, and they walked out on level ground. That is why he told them "puku" - step out.
The Malbim notes that from this, Nebuchadnezzar realized that this event did not stem from lower, physical forces, but from supreme spiritual forces; hence he said, "servants of the Most High God." As explained in earlier lessons, their worldview held that there are lower material forces and supreme spiritual forces, and they had access only to the lower material forces - the forces of the Sitra Achara and the like - or as they understood it, the ability to manipulate lower spiritual forces and angels that influence nature. However, they had no access to the supreme spiritual forces. Nebuchadnezzar reasoned: only One Who rules over the highest forces could engineer such salvation. After all, this was a supernatural miracle: burning hot on the outside yet cool on the inside. This could only be Gavriel, who exists on a lofty spiritual plane, and only someone with access to Him could perform such a thing. He therefore told them: You are servants of the Most High God, not merely an ordinary deity.
Why They Waited to Be Called - A Lesson in Derech Eretz
"Then they came out" - why does Scripture emphasize that only then did they emerge? The Masters of Mussar explain that from here we learn proper etiquette, derech eretz. Moshe Rabbeinu did not enter the Mishkan until "Hashem called to him," and had he entered without being summoned by the Holy One, blessed be He, how does the Midrash describe him? An animal carcass would be better than him. For whoever lacks derech eretz, a carcass is better than him. Think of how grave this is: even Moshe Rabbeinu, had he entered uninvited, it would have constituted a lack of derech eretz.
So too here. Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah could have stepped out at that very moment, so why did they remain inside? They said: We were cast in here by someone, and no one has told us to leave. If we have not been told to leave, we do not leave. Only when the royal command to come out is issued will we step out. And the moment the command came, they emerged. This is a fundamental rule of derech eretz: if you were not called, do not come; if you were not told, do not enter. Derech eretz precedes the Torah, and it is even more essential and elevated than the performance of the mitzvos of the Torah.
The Ministers Come to Investigate - and the Natural Explanations Collapse
וּמִתְכַּנְּשִׁין אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּא סִגְנַיָּא וּפַחֲוָתָא וְהַדָּבְרֵי מַלְכָּא, חָזַיִן לְגֻבְרַיָּא אִלֵּךְ דִּי לָא שְׁלֵט נוּרָא בְּגֶשְׁמְהוֹן, וּשְׂעַר רֵאשְׁהוֹן לָא הִתְחָרַךְ, וְסַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן לָא שְׁנוֹ, וְרֵיחַ נוּר לָא עֲדָת בְּהוֹן. (כז) - And the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw these men, that the fire had no power over their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their robes altered, nor had the smell of fire clung to them. (27)
The satraps, prefects, governors, and the king's counselors gathered, drew near, and saw that the fire had no power over their bodies: the hair of their head was not singed, their garments were unaffected, and not even the smell of fire or smoke clung to them.
The Malbim cites the words of Chazal: only four categories of ministers are mentioned here - satraps, prefects, governors, and the king's counselors. Earlier in the chapter, however, we saw that there were also the adargazraya and gedavraya, who were idolatrous priests, yet here we do not see them. Why do they not appear? Chazal explain: those four groups were burned at that time by the fiery furnace. For we saw that the fire was tremendous, and the flames struck not only those who threw them in - but whom else did they strike? Those four.
The Malbim explains: What does it mean that the sparks of fire struck them? Chazal, in their poetic language, were hinting at something profound. Those ministers represented various idolatries, and some of them were fire-worshipers - for many worshiped fire, viewing it as the mightiest force that burns and consumes everything. Yet here they received a devastating blow to their faith: suddenly it became clear that there is a God stronger than fire, and that the God of the Hebrews can save even from the flames. What truly happened to them was that they were utterly humiliated by their faith, and that is why Chazal said they were "burned." The Malbim notes: it is not necessary to interpret this as a literal burning - it can be understood that way, but it can also mean that they were "burned" in the sense of being shattered by shame, their confidence and faith burned away before their very eyes.
The ministers came, felt them, and searched for excuses to explain why Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah had not burned, looking for rationalizations. There are always people, men of science, who, whenever a miracle or something supernatural occurs, attempt to provide a natural explanation, as if by doing so they have disproven the existence of the Creator of the universe. But even if you have a natural explanation - is nature itself not a set of laws? And if there is a law, is it not obvious that someone legislated it? You have not gained much by that, but such has always been the way of skeptics.
Therefore, here too, they sought explanations. They said: perhaps they anointed themselves with salamander blood. The salamander is a creature formed from an oven heated for seven years, and was well known even in the time of the Rambam. It is fireproof, and anyone wishing to be protected from fire anoints his flesh with it so that the fire cannot harm him. However, this anointing protects only the skin, whereas hair would still singe. Therefore, Scripture emphasizes: "and the hair of their head was not singed" - had this been accomplished through a salamander, the hair would have been singed, yet you see it was not.
They then suggested: perhaps hair also draws nourishment from the body, and the anointing protected it as well. To this, Scripture adds: "and their robes were unchanged" - their garments did not alter at all. What can be said about the clothes? Were they also anointed with salamander? Some suggested: there are fireproof garments made from minerals or stone fibers; fire does not affect stone - at most it blackens it, but will not consume it. Perhaps, then, their garments were cleverly crafted from a special stone. Therefore, Scripture concludes: "and the smell of fire had not settled on them" - there was not even a scent of fire on them.
And what explanation could there be for that? What natural contrivance could a person devise so that not even the smell of fire clings to his flesh? When someone enters dense smoke and a place of raging fire, how could it be possible that not even the odor sticks to him? At this point, they were forced to admit that this was solely from Hashem, blessed be He.
Nevuchadnetzar's Blessing: "Who Sent His Angel"
עָנֵה נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר וְאָמַר: בְּרִיךְ אֱלָהֲהוֹן דִּי שַׁדְרַךְ מֵישַׁךְ וַעֲבֵד נְגוֹ, דִּי שְׁלַח מַלְאֲכֵהּ וְשֵׁיזִב לְעַבְדוֹהִי דִּי הִתְרְחִצוּ עֲלוֹהִי, וּמִלַּת מַלְכָּא שַׁנִּיו וִיהַבוּ גֶשְׁמְהוֹן דִּי לָא יִפְלְחוּן וְלָא יִסְגְּדוּן לְכָל אֱלָהּ לָהֵן לֵאלָהֲהוֹן. (כח) - Nevuchadnetzar spoke up and said: Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Aved-Nego, Who sent His angel and rescued His servants who trusted in Him; they defied the king's decree and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve or worship any god except their own God. (28)
Nevuchadnetzar cried out: Blessed be the God of Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah, Who sent His angel and saved His servants who relied on Him; they altered the king's command and gave over their bodies to be burned, refusing to worship any god other than their God.
The Malbim explains: Nevuchadnetzar was awed that He "sent His angel," for the angel acted in a supernatural manner. As we saw, the angel of hail and the angels of cold and rain wanted to descend and cool the furnace, but Gavriel told them: No, there will be greater glory to Heaven if I, an angel of fire, boil it from the outside and cool it from the inside. This is the exact reversal of natural reality: an angel of fire ought to cause burning, yet here, through the power of fire itself, cooling occurred - an act completely above nature. Therefore he said, "Who sent His angel," recognizing that this was a supernatural angelic mission.
He further declared: Know that this did not happen through mystical charms or sorcery, but solely by virtue of their trust in Hashem - "His servants who trusted in Him," who relied upon Him and placed their faith in Him. And lest you think their trust was incomplete, he adds: "and defied the king's decree" - they were ready to alter the king's word and refuse the royal edict; and furthermore, "and yielded their bodies" - they were prepared to surrender their bodies to the flames, even if Hashem would not save them. As we will see further on, they were actually told in prophecy that Hashem would not save them, yet they were nevertheless fully prepared to give their lives for Kiddush Hashem.
Moreover, they sacrificed their lives not only against serving - "that they would not serve" (di lo yiflechun) - but even against "nor worship" (ve-lo yisgedun). What is the difference between serving (lifloach) and worshipping (lisgod)? Lifloach means to serve as a deity; lisgod means merely to prostrate oneself. A person can bow down out of honor and respect without any intention of divine worship. Nevuchadnezzar said to them: "At least bow down!" Yet they refused even this. Not only were they unwilling to serve it and accept it as a deity, but they were not even willing to make a simple bow, an act of mere prostration. And even though there was room to argue that a royal monument is not actual idolatry - and as is well known, Chazal record a dispute on this matter as to whether it was an actual idol or merely a royal monument - they were nevertheless prepared to give up their lives unconditionally.
The King's Decree in Honor of the God of Israel
וּמִנִּי שִׂים טְעֵם, דִּי כָל עַם אֻמָּה וְלִשָּׁן דִּי יֵאמַר שָׁלוּ עַל אֱלָהֲהוֹן דִּי שַׁדְרַךְ מֵישַׁךְ וַעֲבֵד נְגוֹא, הַדָּמִין יִתְעֲבֵד וּבַיְתֵהּ נְוָלִי יִשְׁתַּוֵּה, כָּל קֳבֵל דִּי לָא אִיתַי אֱלָהּ אָחֳרָן דִּי יִכֻּל לְהַצָּלָה כִּדְנָה. (כט) - "Therefore, I issue a decree: that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and his house made a dunghill, because there is no other god who can rescue in this manner." (29)
Nevuchadnezzar issues an order and a decree: Any people, nation, or language - and we have previously explained the distinction between people (am), nation (umah), and language (lashon) - that speaks shalu, meaning an error, an insult, an improper remark, or speaks disparagingly, as it were, against the God of Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah - hadamin yit'aved, "shall be torn limb from limb," hacked to pieces; u-veiteh nevali yishtaveh, "and his house made a dunghill," his home demolished and destroyed. And why? Kol keval di la itai elah ochoran di yichal lehatzalah chidnah - seeing that there is no other god capable of delivering such a great and awesome salvation, it is manifest that Hashem is greater than all gods.
בֵּאדַיִן מַלְכָּא הַצְלַח לְשַׁדְרַךְ מֵישַׁךְ וַעֲבֵד נְגוֹ בִּמְדִינַת בָּבֶל. (ל) - "Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon." (30)
Then the king advanced Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah. Not only did he not banish them from his realm, but he added honor upon honor to them, elevating and exalting them with ever greater prestige.
The Letter to All Nations
נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר מַלְכָּא לְכָל עַמְמַיָּא אֻמַּיָּא וְלִשָּׁנַיָּא דִּי דָיְרִין בְּכָל אַרְעָא, שְׁלָמְכוֹן יִשְׂגֵּא. (לא) - "King Nebuchadnezzar, to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: May your peace be multiplied!" (31)
Nevuchadnezzar sends an epistle to all the nations. First, he identifies the sender - "King Nebuchadnezzar," for it was the royal practice to announce the sender's name at the very beginning of the missive, followed by the addressees: "to all peoples, nations, and languages." "That dwell in all the earth" - since he held sway over the entire known world as a universal monarch, he addressed all who dwelt throughout the earth.
אָתַיָּא וְתִמְהַיָּא דִּי עֲבַד עִמִּי אֱלָהָא עִלָּאָה, שְׁפַר קָדָמַי לְהַחֲוָיָה. (לב) - "The signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me, it is pleasing before me to declare." (32)
The signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me - it is fitting and pleasing before me to recount them.
The Malbim explains: Initially, we saw that Nevuchadnezzar denied divine providence and denied that the world had been created afresh, arguing like the heretics that the universe was primordial and eternal. He believed that the Holy One, blessed be He, lacked the power to alter nature and the celestial order through miracles, and in particular, he denied individual providence (hashgachah pratit) - maintaining that God had surrendered the world and its governance to the celestial forces. For this reason, their idolatry took the form of bowing down to these cosmic intermediaries: the minister of fire, the minister of water, the god of war, and the like. Now, he comes and says to them: Know this, even though I constructed an image based on astrology and esoteric lore to prove that the golden empire would rule to the end of all generations - I have now arrived at a different conclusion. The signs and wonders that God performed before me have brought me to a complete change of mind.
And what is the difference between signs (*otot*) and wonders (*moftim*)? The Malbim explains: A sign (*ot*) is something that occurs within the laws of nature, yet the moment you witness it, you understand that God exists. For instance, if you are told in a dream that something will happen, and it indeed transpires - is there a supernatural miracle here? No, naturally speaking you were simply informed, yet this sign is enough to prove that God exists and that He foresees all generations from the start. A wonder (*mofet*), on the other hand, is distinctly supernatural. The splitting of the Red Sea - is it a sign or a wonder? A wonder. A dream in which the Creator reveals in advance what is destined to occur - that is a sign: "I will give you a sign that so it shall be." But a sea that splits - that is a wonder, in which Hashem overturns the laws of nature.
Therefore, he says: Hashem performed signs and wonders with me, and it is fitting for me to recount these matters so that everyone will recognize the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He.
אָתוֹהִי כְּמָה רַבְרְבִין וְתִמְהוֹהִי כְּמָה תַקִּיפִין, מַלְכוּתֵהּ מַלְכוּת עָלַם וְשָׁלְטָנֵהּ עִם דָּר וְדָר. (לג) - How great are His signs, and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.
How great are His signs, and how powerful are His wonders; His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and His dominion endures through every generation.
The Malbim explains: Hashem performs signs so that all will recognize that He guides nature, and that everything that occurs in the world happens through Divine Providence (*hashgachah pratit*). Notice the precision of the language: regarding signs it says *ravrevin* - great, while regarding wonders it says *takifin* - mighty. What is the difference? Wherever "great" is used, it points to the primary and ultimate cause of all that happens in the world, referring to events that operate according to nature. In contrast, "mighty" refers to instances where Hashem overturns the laws of nature, which requires overriding force. Therefore, concerning signs he says how great they are, since they function within nature; but regarding wonders - such as the splitting of the Red Sea, or fire that does not burn or consume those who enter it - he says "how mighty," for here Hashem overturns the laws of nature.
And what is the difference between kingship (*malkhut*) and dominion (*shilton*)? The Malbim explains: Kingship is sovereignty aligned with the natural order, whereas dominion (*memshalah*) is the power to alter things even contrary to nature. Kingship is something that requires the consent of the people, whereas dominion is coercive - I rule over you by force. This is what Yosef sent to Yaakov: What is Yosef in Egypt? "Ruler over all Egypt." Egypt does not dominate him; rather, he rules over them. Yaakov said: If so, I know that Yosef is a tzaddik. What was troubling me? Lest Egyptian culture ruled over him; but if he rules over them - rule (*memshalah*) is by force. And so we say: "For kingship belongs to Hashem, and He rules over the nations" - over the Jewish people it is "kingship belongs to Hashem," for we coronate Him and accept His kingship, and a king reigns by the consent of the people; whereas the nations do not accept His kingship, so Hashem's governance over them is in the category of *memshalah*, with a strong hand.
And what is the difference between *alam* (everlasting) and *dar vedar* (generation to generation)? *Le'olam* (eternity) is an indivisible continuity, whereas *dor vador* is divisible - one generation, and another generation, and another generation. The verse comes to teach: Hashem's kingship is an everlasting kingdom, because kingship relates to miracles performed through nature, matters that are not supernatural, and this continues for all eternity - these are the signs. However, supernatural wonders Hashem does not perform in every single generation, but only from time to time, in a specific generation: there was a generation in which the Red Sea split, and there was a generation in which hailstones rained down from the heavens. Therefore, regarding dominion, which is the governing power required to overturn the laws of nature, it says "with each generation" - only according to the need of that specific generation. Anyone who reflects can see how many miracles the Holy One, blessed be He, performs for us within nature itself, and this is truly *le'olam*, eternally, and not only in special generations.
The Midrash in Shir HaShirim Rabbah: The Background Story
With this the chapter concludes, but let us examine a Midrash that provides the background story to everything that took place here. The Midrash in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, Parashah 7: According to Rabbi Shimon, Israel did not worship idols. How so? Nevuchadnezzar set up an image and selected three representatives from each and every nation, and from Israel he selected three - Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah. They stood firm, protested, and did not worship idols. They said: Come what may, we will not worship idols.
They went to Daniel. They said to him: Our master Daniel, Nevuchadnezzar has erected an image and selected three from every nation, and from Israel he selected the three of us. What do you say to us: "Shall we bow down to it or not?" Notice that they did not say "shall we serve it (*niflah leh*)," but rather "shall we bow down to it (*nisgod leh*)" - meaning, there was no possibility that they would worship it, but what about bowing alone, out of honor to Nevuchadnezzar, due to danger to life, and because perhaps it is merely a monument? Daniel was greater than they were, a minister over all of them and their master. He said to them: Behold, the prophet is before you; go to him. There is a prophet whom you can ask, why are you asking me?
They immediately went to Yechezkel and asked him the same question. He said to them: I have already received a tradition from my teacher Yeshayahu - "Hide for but a little moment until the indignation passes." I have an instruction from my master for times like these, for times of distress: when there is trouble, when turbulent waves surge - to each and every wave, bow your head. Lower your head, hide for a bit, wait for the wrath to pass, and then raise your head. In simple words: do not try to serve as a breakwater, because the waves will break you.
They said to him: What do you want, that people should say that all nations bowed to this image? If we hide and no one knows we object, no one will know that there is anyone protesting this idolatry, and tomorrow the headlines will read: To the image that Nevuchadnezzar erected, every single nation bowed down! He asked them: And what do you say? They answered: Our wish is to cast a flaw upon it, that we be there and not bow down, so that everyone will say: To this image, all nations bowed except for Israel. In simple words: we want to sanctify the Name of Heaven. We do not want the headline to be that Nevuchadnezzar set up an image and everyone bowed down; the headline should be the outrage - Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah did not bow down to the image. Would you want the matter to pass quietly, with everyone thinking that all bowed to the image and there was no one to protest?
He said to them: If this is your wish, wait for me until I consult with the Almighty (Gevurah). And this is what is stated in Yechezkel, chapter 20: "Certain men from the elders of Israel came to inquire of Hashem, and sat before me" - and who were they? Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah. According to this, "elders of Israel" does not mean elderly in years, for we have seen that they were young lads; rather, "elders of Israel" means the sages of Israel, for they were truly the wisest in Israel.
Yechezkel said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah seek to give their lives for the sanctification of Your Name. Will You stand by them or not? Will You save them or not? He said to him: I will not stand by them. And this is what is stated there: "Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them: Are you coming to inquire of Me?" - since you caused Me to destroy My House, burn My Sanctuary, and exile My children among the nations, after that you come to inquire of Me? Do you have requests and demands that I save you? "As I live, I will not be inquired of by you." This was the response Yechezkel received.
At that moment, Yechezkel wept, lamented, and wailed to himself, saying: Woe to the enemies of Israel - a euphemism, meaning woe to Israel - the remnant of Yehudah is lost! For no one was left of Yehudah except these alone, as it says, "And among them from the children of Yehudah were Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah," and this is the response they received! And he went about weeping: Who remains of Yehudah? Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah - and they receive such an answer, that they are destined to die and Hashem will not save them?
When he reached them, they said to him: What did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to you? He told them: I will not stand by you. By that calculation - they were going to die. They said to him: Whether He stands by us or does not stand by us, we give our lives for the sanctification of His Name. It makes no difference to us; we do not give our lives so that He will stand by us, but rather, whether He saves us or does not save us - we give our lives for the sanctification of His Name.
The Two Statements to Nebuchadnezzar - Before and After
And you can know that this is so, because before they came to Yechezkel, what did they say to Nebuchadnezzar? "We have no need to answer you concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to save us" - we have a God who is capable of saving us. That was when they still thought Hashem would stand by them. But after they went to Yechezkel and heard the response, they said to him: "And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor will we bow down to the golden image that you have set up" - and even if He does not save us, let it be known to you, O king, whether He saves us or does not save us, that is no reason for us to accept your decree. Chazal, through their careful reading of the verses, reveal that on the one hand they said "Hashem will save us," and on the other hand "and if not" - and these two statements were made at two different times: the first before they asked Yechezkel, and the second after they asked.
When Yechezkel left them, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to him and said: Yechezkel, what do you think, that I will not stand by them? I will certainly stand by them! Would I not save My beloved children? And this is what is stated: "Thus said the Lord God: Yet for this will I be inquired of by the house of Israel." Initially He said, "As I live, I will not be inquired of by you," and ultimately, "I will be inquired of by the house of Israel." He said to him: All that I replied was an answer intended for them; but to you, Yechezkel, as I see that you are weeping and grieving, I will reveal that I intend to save them. However, He warned him: Leave them be and do not tell them anything. I will save them, but I will allow them to walk in their integrity, as it is stated, "He who walks in integrity walks securely." For what is the greater test: to go when you know you will be saved, when you hold an insurance policy, or to go prepared to die? Where is the reward greater? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I wish to increase their reward and I want them to perform self-sacrifice (mesirat nefesh); therefore, I will tell them that I will not save them - but in truth, know that I will save them.
They Dispersed Themselves Among the Populace
What did they do? They went and dispersed themselves among the populace. Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah decided to do this openly and publicly. They said: If we gather together in some corner without drawing attention, that is not Kiddush Hashem. They went and sought out the most central locations, so that while everyone else bowed down, they would stand like candles, conspicuous to all, making it clear to everyone that there were people here who would not bow down.
Rav Avdimi of Chaifa said: Six miracles were performed on that day. The furnace floated - meaning it rose up, for it had been sunk into the ground and now miraculously rose, as we saw in the verses; the furnace was breached - it burst open; its lime melted; four kingdoms were burned - these are the four prominent ministers we mentioned; Nebuchadnezzar became an "imos saruf," meaning half of him was scorched; the wind toppled the idol; and Yechezkel revived the dead in the valley of Dura.
"Resembles a Son of God" - and the Slap from Michael
Rabbi Yitzchak said regarding the verse: King Nebuchadnezzar arose in haste, spoke up and said: Behold, I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, "and the appearance of the fourth resembles a son of God." Rabbi Pinchas says in the name of Rabbi Reuven: At that moment, the angel Michael descended and struck him across the mouth. He slapped Nebuchadnezzar on the mouth and said to him: Wicked one, God forbid! Does He have a son? What are you, a Christian? What does "a son of God" mean? Retract your statement and speak properly!
Indeed, you see that afterward Nevuchadnezzar retracted and corrected his words, saying: "Blessed be their God, Who sent His angel" - it does not say "Who sent His son," but rather sent His angel, and rescued His servants who relied on Him. Suddenly, a different tune: at first, "a son of God," and after he received a slap and understood that this is no way to speak of the Creator of the universe - for He has no son - he corrected his words and said, "sent His angel."
Daniel and the Tzitz in the Idol's Mouth
Rabbi Elazar said: That day was Shabbat and Yom Kippur. And the Rabbis say: How much did Nevuchadnezzar try to entice Daniel, saying to him, "Will you not bow down to an idol that has power and dominion, and has real substance? Come and see what it can do, and of your own accord you will bow to it. Give the statue a chance to express itself - come, Daniel, see what kind of statue this is, and I tell you that you will bow down to it."
What did that wicked man do? He took the Tzitz of the Kohen Gadol, the very golden plate that was upon the forehead of the Kohen Gadol, engraved with "Holy to Hashem," bearing the Holy Name written in holiness and purity, and placed it inside the idol's mouth. He then gathered all the musical instruments and they played praises before it, and the idol would say: "I am Hashem your God." By virtue of what? By virtue of the Holy Name inside its mouth.
When Daniel saw this, he said to him: "Nevuchadnezzar, do me a favor. Bowing down is not enough - bring a tall ladder, a crane, something; I want to reach the statue and kiss it: 'Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,' that is what I want. Why merely bow down? That is not enough." He said to him: "And why specifically on its mouth?" He replied: "Because the mouth gives expression to the matter, it speaks, it says 'I am Hashem,' 'He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.' Bring me a ladder; I want to kiss it on its mouth."
Immediately he gave him permission and arranged for a ladder to be brought to him. Daniel climbed up, adjured the Tzitz, and said to it: "I am flesh and blood, and I am the emissary of the Holy One, blessed be He. Beware lest the Name of Heaven be desecrated through you, and I decree upon you to follow me." He came to kiss it - and extracted what was swallowed from its mouth. He caught the Tzitz with his mouth, pulled, and brought it out.
When he climbed down, all the musical instruments gathered and played praises before it. Previously, whenever they played praises, the statue would begin to speak by power of the Tzitz - but now they praised before it and it remained silent. They thought perhaps the batteries had died, changed the batteries - and nothing! The statue did not speak and said nothing at all. Not only that, but at that moment the wind toppled the statue: once the Tzitz was taken from it, which had been its entire life-force, the wind came and knocked it down.
When the nations of the world saw the miracles and mighty deeds that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed for Chananyah and his companions, they took their gods and their idols, smashed them, made bells out of them, and hung them around the necks of their dogs and donkeys - the most degraded and base thing - clanging them and saying: "Look at what we were worshiping, look at the vanity we used to bow down to!" This fulfilled what is stated: "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols are upon the beasts and cattle." And "Bel" was the god of Babylon, after whom the city was named, after whom Nevuchadnezzar named his son Belshazzar, and after whom he also named Daniel Belteshazzar when he saw divine powers in him.
"And the Fragrance of Your Breath Like Apples"
The Midrash on Shir HaShirim further states: "'Let your breasts be like clusters of the vine' - these are Peretz and Zerach. Just as burning was decreed upon Peretz and Zerach yet they were not burned, since Tamar was taken out to be burned and ultimately saved from burning, so too with these men, burning was decreed upon them yet they were not burned. 'And the fragrance of your breath like apples' - Rabbi Elazar said: Since it is written of them, 'nor did the smell of fire pass onto them,' how can you say 'and the fragrance of your breath like apples'? To what was their fragrance comparable? To the scent of an apple orchard. Not only did they have no smell of fire, but they bore a sweet fragrance, a fragrance of spices, the scent of an apple orchard."
And the holy Zohar in Parashat Terumah (page 175) adds and seals the matter: This is what is written, "And I will take away his swallowed prey from his mouth, and the nations shall flow to him no more" - this verse was fulfilled when Daniel extracted the Tzitz bearing the Name of Hashem from the mouth of the idol, and thereby "the nations shall flow to him no more," for they would no longer accept its dominion and rule.
In summary:
At the conclusion of the chapter, we see how the self-sacrifice of Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah - undertaken with the knowledge that there was no guarantee they would be saved - brought about a tremendous sanctification of Hashem's Name throughout the entire world. Out of derech eretz, they waited inside the furnace until they were summoned to exit; the fire had no power over their bodies, their garments, or even their scent, until all natural explanations collapsed and everyone was compelled to acknowledge that the hand was the hand of Hashem. Nevuchadnezzar blessed their God, recognizing that Hashem directs nature and exercises individual Divine Providence, and distinguished between signs within the natural order - "ravrevin" (great) and "an everlasting kingdom" - and wonders that overturn the laws of nature - "takifin" (mighty) and "a dominion from generation to generation." And the Midrash reveals to us the underlying secret of these events: that the Holy One, blessed be He, concealed their salvation from them in order to increase their reward, and that through the fall of the idol and the removal of the Tzitz from its mouth, the verse was fulfilled: "And I will take away what he has swallowed out of his mouth."