Chapter 9 in Daniel is a chapter of calculation and prayer. Daniel sits and studies the books of prophecy to determine whether the time for redemption has arrived. He discovers two different wordings, and corresponding to them, two different destinies. From this inquiry, he realizes that an opportunity lies before him: perhaps the redemption can be hastened through prayer. From this point forward unfolds one of the greatest prayers in Tanach - an orderly confession, justification of the divine judgment, and an appeal for mercy on behalf of the entire nation.
בִּשְׁנַת אַחַת לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ בֶּן־אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ מִזֶּרַע מָדָי אֲשֶׁר הׇמְלַךְ עַל מַלְכוּת כַּשְׂדִּים׃ - In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans.
There were two individuals named Ahasuerus: there was the Ahasuerus of Haman's time, who was the king of Persia. Here, however, Scripture speaks of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, Darius the Mede. Ibn Ezra writes that this is not Darius the son of Queen Esther, since we are standing long before the reign of Ahasuerus of Persia, and it was from Ahasuerus of Persia that Darius the son of Esther was born. Therefore, Scripture emphasizes "of the seed of the Medes" - to distinguish him from the later Darius, who was of the lineage of Ahasuerus. These are two distinct kingdoms.
בִּשְׁנַת אַחַת לְמׇלְכוֹ אֲנִי דָּנִיֵּאל בִּינֹתִי בַּסְּפָרִים מִסְפַּר הַשָּׁנִים אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָה הַנָּבִיא לְמַלֹּאות לְחׇרְבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה׃ - In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books the number of years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, to accomplish seventy years for the desolations of Jerusalem.
"I understood" (binoti) - I contemplated, I scrutinized. In which books did he look? The simple meaning is that he studied the Book of Jeremiah, as he seeks to understand the word of Hashem that came to Jeremiah the prophet. And what did he wish to comprehend? Whether the seventy years had already elapsed and the time for redemption had arrived, or whether the time for our redemption had not yet come.
The Malbim explains that there are two separate calculations here. In Jeremiah chapter 25, it is written that they would serve the king of Babylon for seventy years, and afterwards "I will punish [efkod] the king of Babylon" - and so it was: Belshazzar died, and with that the seventy years came to an end. In chapter 29, by contrast, it is written: "For thus says the Lord, after seventy years are accomplished for Babylon I will remember you [efkod etchem]" - meaning, I will redeem you - yet this had not yet occurred. Thus, one destined promise had already been fulfilled: Hashem punished the king of Babylon, his appointed time was completed, and Belshazzar, the last in the dynasty of Babylonian kings, died. But the second destiny, "I will remember you" - I will redeem you - had not yet arrived, as we see that we have not been redeemed.
In both places it says seventy years, which appears to be a contradiction. To resolve this contradiction, Daniel needed to "understand from the books" - to delve deeply into the texts. He found a text in which the phrasing is different: not "after the fulfillment of Babylon," but rather "to accomplish seventy years for the desolations of Jerusalem," and this too was a text transmitted through Jeremiah. Now the question arose: What is the true text, and from which point are the seventy years counted?
According to the wording in the Book of Jeremiah before us, the time of reckoning is counted from the moment Nebuchadnezzar began to reign: seventy years from the start of his kingdom, and indeed his kingdom reached its end and was cut short. But according to the second wording, which Daniel quotes here - "to accomplish for the desolations of Jerusalem" - the count begins from the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. According to this, eighteen years remained until the redemption.
From this Daniel understood that there are two destined fulfillments: one dependent on their deeds, and one dependent on time - corresponding to the aspects of "I will hasten it" (achishenah) and "in its time" (be'itah). The one dependent on their deeds is "I will hasten it," which was said regarding the visitation upon the king of Babylon at seventy years; yet we were not worthy - seventy years passed and we were still not redeemed. But there is another timeframe: if the count begins from the ruins of Jerusalem, it is eighteen years later, and then the visitation will be "in its time," at the predetermined date. Had we been worthy, the Holy One, Blessed be He, would have hastened our redemption already now.
Daniel wants to capitalize on the momentum: the seventy years from the start of the Babylonian king's reign have already elapsed, so perhaps the redemption can be brought earlier. And through what? Not through declarations and street posters - but through prayer.
וָאֶתְּנָה אֶת־פָּנַי אֶל־אֲדֹנָי הָאֱלֹהִים לְבַקֵּשׁ תְּפִלָּה וְתַחֲנוּנִים בְּצוֹם וְשַׂק וָאֵפֶר׃ - "And I turned my face toward the Lord God, to seek prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes."
Since there are two calculations here, and according to one of them the time of remembrance has already arrived, I have no choice but to turn my face to Hashem to hasten the redemption and deliverance of our souls. The Malbim explains: Daniel seeks to pray on behalf of the community, and praying for the public requires special preparation. First, "to seek prayer and supplications" - that Hashem grant him the right words and an answer of the tongue, just as the prayer leader precedes his prayers with supplications asking Hashem to guide him to pray properly, and as we say, "O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise." He also made further preparations: "with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes," all of which bring the prayer to the proper intent and acceptance before Hashem.
וָאֶתְפַּלְלָה לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי וָאֶתְוַדֶּה וָאֹמְרָה אָנָּא אֲדֹנָי הָאֵל הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא שֹׁמֵר הַבְּרִית וְהַחֶסֶד לְאֹהֲבָיו וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֺתָיו׃ - "And I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, and I said: 'Please, O Lord, the great and awesome God, Who keeps the covenant and loving-kindness for those who love Him and for those who keep His commandments.'"
At first glance, there is redundancy here: first "to seek prayer and supplications," and then "and I prayed to Hashem." Yet according to the Malbim, everything is resolved: the first is the request that Hashem open his mouth, and the second is the text of the prayer itself. Within the prayer itself, there is a clear order: first, "and I prayed to Hashem my God and made confession" - he prayed for himself and confessed his own iniquity. For the prayer leader, in order to be worthy to intercede for the community, must follow the order: "and he shall atone for himself," then "for his household," and only then "for the entire congregation of Israel." A person must begin with himself, and only afterward pray for the community. And then, "and I said" - here begins the prayer on behalf of the public.
"Please, O Lord, the great and awesome God" - God forbid that I doubt Hashem's ability. It is clear to me that if He wills it, He can certainly redeem, and the matter depends not on His power but on His will, for His power is limitless and boundless. "Great" indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, is the primary source of all that exists in creation, while "awesome" indicates Divine Providence, inspiring awe in His creatures. Regarding His will and the fulfillment of the promise, he says "Who keeps the covenant and loving-kindness" - I know that You do not alter Your promise. However, there is a condition: "for those who love Him and keep His commandments," and we, regrettably, do not meet this prerequisite.
חָטָאנוּ וְעָוִינוּ הִרְשַׁעְנוּ וּמָרָדְנוּ וְסוֹר מִמִּצְוֺתֶךָ וּמִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ׃ - "We have sinned, we have dealt iniquitously, we have acted wickedly, and we have rebelled, departing from Your commandments and from Your judgments."
Regarding sins between man and God, he says "we have sinned and dealt iniquitously": chet (sin) stems from desire, while avon (iniquity) derives from distortion - a distortion of the intellect, where it is not mere physical temptation, but a twisted mind desiring corrupted things, which borders on heresy. Regarding sins between man and his fellow, he says "we have acted wickedly," for a rasha (wicked person) usually denotes one who wrongs his fellow man. And "we have rebelled" means acting with rebellion and treachery, not out of being overcome by desire.
Afterward, he elaborates corresponding to each category: corresponding to "we have sinned and dealt iniquitously" is "departing from Your commandments," which are between man and God. Corresponding to "we have acted wickedly" is "and from Your judgments," for judgments (mishpatim) govern relations between man and his fellow, as in "Now these are the judgments that you shall set before them," civil laws between man and his fellow.
וְלֹא שָׁמַעְנוּ אֶל־עֲבָדֶיךָ הַנְּבִיאִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבְּרוּ בְּשִׁמְךָ אֶל־מְלָכֵינוּ שָׂרֵינוּ וַאֲבֹתֵינוּ וְאֶל כׇּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ׃ - Neither have we listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our officers, our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
And corresponding to "we have rebelled," he explains: "Neither have we listened to Your servants the prophets" - that was the rebellion. The prophets spoke in Your name, and their words were addressed to everyone: to our kings, our officers, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. The directives were explicit to all, so that no one could say, "Those words were not meant for me." And yet, even though we had prophets who came and declared that they brought a message from Hashem, we rebelled against them and refused to accept it. There is no greater rebellion than this: it is as if Hashem Himself comes to speak with you and you say, "I do not wish to hear." A person's emissary is like the person himself, and the prophet came to speak in Hashem's name.
לְךָ אֲדֹנָי הַצְּדָקָה וְלָנוּ בֹּשֶׁת הַפָּנִים כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה לְאִישׁ יְהוּדָה וּלְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וּלְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקְּרֹבִים וְהָרְחֹקִים בְּכׇל־הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר הִדַּחְתָּם שָׁם בְּמַעֲלָם אֲשֶׁר מָעֲלוּ־בָךְ׃ - To You, my Lord, belongs righteousness, and to us shame of face, as on this day: to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which You have driven them because of the betrayal they committed against You.
Master of the Universe, You did not hold back either; for what we did, You punished us, and we accept the justice of the verdict. The punishment we received was entirely just and deserved; commensurate with our sins, so did we deserve to be punished. The Malbim links "and to us shame of face" to the continuation of the verse: the shame of face is felt "in all the lands to which You have driven them." Everywhere we arrived, we bear humiliation, for all the inhabitants of those lands know that we betrayed You and were punished for rebelling. That is a profound disgrace, when a person is told: You thought you were on top, you thought you could do whatever you pleased - and now you have strayed from the path and received a resounding blow.
The verse enumerates them all: "to the men of Judah," who were exiled in the days of Tzidkiyahu; "to the inhabitants of Jerusalem," who were exiled in the days of Yehoyachin; "and to all Israel" - the Ten Tribes, who were exiled in the days of Sancheirev. "Those who are near and those who are far away" - whether those exiled to a nearby land, the people of Judah and Jerusalem who were exiled to Babylon, or the Ten Tribes who were exiled to distant lands. All of them experienced disgrace and shame in the lands of their exile, knowing that we disobeyed and rebelled against Hashem and received our just punishment.
יְהֹוָה לָנוּ בֹּשֶׁת הַפָּנִים לִמְלָכֵינוּ לְשָׂרֵינוּ וְלַאֲבֹתֵינוּ אֲשֶׁר חָטָאנוּ לָךְ׃ - Hashem, to us belongs shame of face: to our kings, to our officers, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
Here Daniel adds a profound insight: we are not ashamed merely of the punishment. One might have thought that the entire shame was just the unpleasantness of having rebelled and being put in our place. The verse says: No. Our shame is over the sin itself. I am not distressed merely because of the pain I received, but because I sinned and angered You, Master of the Universe. This is a much higher level, for often a person does not genuinely regret his deeds, expressing remorse only out of the pain of the blow. Here he says: I truly recognize that I acted improperly. And this shame encompasses us, our kings, our officers, and our fathers - for even though they themselves did not receive this specific punishment, but rather we were the ones punished, they nevertheless feel shame over the sin they committed.
לַאדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ הָרַחֲמִים וְהַסְּלִחוֹת כִּי מָרַדְנוּ בּוֹ׃ - To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him.
The compassion and forgiveness we seek do not reflect our merit, but pertain to Him, Blessed be He. If a person sinned inadvertently, was punished, repented, and was shown mercy, one could say that compassion is due to him by right of justice, since he did not act out of rebellion and betrayal, and pardon is rightfully deserved since he did not sin intentionally. But someone who acted out of deliberate rebellion and betrayal, intentionally to provoke - no forgiveness is deserved at all. If he is forgiven nonetheless, it is not by any merit of his own, but pure chesed from Hashem; thus all glory and praise belong solely to Hashem, Blessed be He, who was under no obligation to forgive a sin of outright rebellion and betrayal. This is why the verse states: "To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness" - and why to Him? "For we have rebelled against Him."
וְלֹא שָׁמַעְנוּ בְּקוֹל יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ לָלֶכֶת בְּתוֹרֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְפָנֵינוּ בְּיַד עֲבָדָיו הַנְּבִיאִים׃ - And we did not listen to the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He placed before us by the hand of His servants the prophets.
And even afterwards, when He sent us prophets to warn us, we did not heed the word of Hashem delivered through them.
וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עָבְרוּ אֶת־תּוֹרָתֶךָ וְסוֹר לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמוֹעַ בְּקֹלֶךָ וַתִּתַּךְ עָלֵינוּ הָאָלָה וְהַשְּׁבֻעָה אֲשֶׁר כְּתוּבָה בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד־הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי חָטָאנוּ לוֹ׃ - And all Israel have transgressed Your Torah and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; and the curse and the oath written in the Torah of Moshe, the servant of God, was poured upon us, for we have sinned against Him.
Lest we think that these were merely isolated individuals upon whom Hashem cast the punishment of all, the verse states: "And all Israel have transgressed Your Torah," and also, "and turned aside, not obeying Your voice," meaning they did not heed any of the prophets.
Here the Malbim explains a profound concept. The Tochacha (admonition) appears twice in the Torah: in Parashat Bechukotai in Sefer Vayikra (Torat Kohanim), and in Parashat Ki Tavo in Mishneh Torah (Devarim). The curses in Mishneh Torah are double the number of those in Torat Kohanim. And what is the difference between them? The curses in Torat Kohanim were stated regarding the future, and therefore they are all framed in the future tense: "And if you despise My statutes," "And if despite these things you will not listen to Me," "And if despite this you will not listen to Me." They are gradual, strike after strike, meant to bring them to repentance: "I will discipline you further, sevenfold for your sins," "I too will do this to you," "And if you walk with Me with casual indifference, I will walk with you in furious indifference" - progressively escalating, more and more.
However, the curses in Mishneh Torah come to punish for the past. After Hashem already brought upon us the curses in Sefer Vayikra gradually and it did not help, and we did not change our ways but stiffened our necks, then Hashem brings, God forbid, the curses in Ki Tavo, which are immediate curses. One who pays close attention will see that in Mishneh Torah there is no gradual progression at all - there is no "and if you do not listen" or "and if you continue" - the curses are delivered all at once. That is to say, when Hashem brings the second admonition, it is a sign that we have already rebelled and stiffened our necks, having rejected all the rebukes in Sefer Vayikra, and the initial, gradual blows failed to have their intended effect.
This is the meaning of "and the curse and the oath was poured upon us." "Was poured" (vatittach) - blows like rain poured out onto the earth, not gradually, but like a single downpour. Notice the phrasing: "the curse (ha'alah) and the oath (hashevuah)." Where were the curses accompanied by a curse and an oath? In Mishneh Torah, where it says, "Cursed is he who does not uphold the words of this Torah," and "to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God and into His curse." In the curses of Sefer Vayikra, on the other hand, neither a curse nor an oath is mentioned. Thus, Daniel is confessing that we have already received the second set of curses, demonstrating how deeply we rebelled. And why did they come? "For we have sinned against Him" - for the sins of the past, for we endured the initial curses and were not swayed, but persisted in our sins.
וַיָּקֶם אֶת־דְּבָרוֹ אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר עָלֵינוּ וְעַל שֹׁפְטֵינוּ אֲשֶׁר שְׁפָטוּנוּ לְהָבִיא עָלֵינוּ רָעָה גְדֹלָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נֶעֶשְׂתָה תַּחַת כׇּל־הַשָּׁמַיִם כַּאֲשֶׁר נֶעֶשְׂתָה בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And He confirmed His word which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, to bring upon us a great calamity, such as has never been done under the whole heaven as was done in Jerusalem.
With this, Hashem confirmed His word and fulfilled what He had said: "Against us and against our judges" - this refers to the curse in Sefer Devarim: "Hashem will lead you and your king whom you set over you." This was especially evident in the days of Yoshiyahu, when they found the Torah scroll rolled to that very verse stating, "Hashem will lead you and your king." They went to inquire of Chuldah the prophetess, and she told them that this verse indicated they were destined to go into exile. And this is "And He confirmed His word which He spoke against us" - what He spoke back then through Chuldah the prophetess, He fulfilled. "And against our judges who judged us" - that we indeed were exiled, in accordance with the verse, "Hashem will lead you and your king." "To bring upon us a great calamity, such as has never been done under the whole heaven" - troubles and catastrophes such as occurred in Jerusalem have never occurred under the entire heavens.
כַּאֲשֶׁר כָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה אֵת כׇּל־הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת בָּאָה עָלֵינוּ וְלֹא־חִלִּינוּ אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ לָשׁוּב מֵעֲוֺנֵנוּ וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל בַּאֲמִתֶּךָ׃ - "As it is written in the Torah of Moshe, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the presence of Hashem our God to turn back from our iniquities and to comprehend Your truth."
As written in the Torah of Moshe, everything that Hashem foretold has come upon us. "Yet we have not entreated the presence of Hashem our God" - we did not pray before Him to plead for His favor. We should have recognized that when the curses recorded in Mishneh Torah (Devarim) befell us, it was a clear sign that the initial curses had already been executed without effect, and we were expected to awaken and repent. For the primary purpose of the curses is not mere punishment, but rather to inspire us to entreat Hashem and return in repentance - yet even this did not avail. We did not set our hearts to turn away from our iniquities; rather, as Scripture describes, we treated it as happenstance, claiming that everything was mere coincidence rather than an act of Heaven, failing to heed the warning.
וַיִּשְׁקֹד יְהֹוָה עַל־הָרָעָה וַיְבִיאֶהָ עָלֵינוּ כִּי־צַדִּיק יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַל־כׇּל־מַעֲשָׂיו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְלֹא שָׁמַעְנוּ בְּקֹלוֹ׃ - "So Hashem watched over the calamity and brought it upon us, for Hashem our God is righteous in all His deeds that He has done, but we did not obey His voice."
The initial rebukes in Torat Kohanim unfolded gradually; but when they proved ineffective, divine wrath broke out against us, and the adversity recorded in Sefer Devarim came with vigilance and speed - "So Hashem watched over the calamity and brought it upon us," not in measured stages, but all at once. Daniel immediately clarifies that this is not a grievance: "for Hashem our God is righteous in all His deeds that He has done" - everything He did to us was just and upright, for He strove to bring us to repentance, yet "we did not obey His voice." All of this was designed to make us recognize Hashem's retribution and His Divine Providence, yet not only did we fail to mend our ways, but we added further wickedness.
Daniel delves into the prophecies of Yirmiyahu and identifies two distinct calculations of seventy years: one beginning from the start of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, which had already reached completion with the reckoning of the king of Babylon and the death of Belshazzar, and another beginning from the destruction of Jerusalem, of which eighteen years still remained. From this he learns that there is a redemption of achishena ("I will hasten it") that depends on our actions, and a redemption of be'itah ("in its time") governed by a fixed calendar - and since we did not merit the former, the only way to accelerate the redemption is through prayer. He prepares himself with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes, praying first to be granted the right words, then confessing for himself before interceding on behalf of the community. In his prayer, he acknowledges Hashem's omnipotence and His unalterable covenant, articulates a precise confession addressing both interpersonal sins and transgressions against God, justifies the divine decree, expresses shame over the sin itself rather than merely the suffering, and recognizes that if we are forgiven, all the glory belongs to Hashem alone, for we rebelled against Him. Finally, he acknowledges that the second series of curses, which came all at once like a driving downpour, attests that we failed to internalize the first - yet despite it all, "Hashem our God is righteous in all His deeds that He has done."