Chapter 10 of Daniel opens a new stage. Until now, we have seen visions of kingdoms and of beasts rising from the sea, and here an angel arrives to explain to Daniel what he saw, and to inform him what will happen to his people at the end of days. The background is Daniel's profound grief: Cyrus had granted permission to build the Beis HaMikdash, and Daniel had already witnessed the progress toward redemption - but then the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin sent malicious accusations and slander to Cyrus, and Cyrus halted the construction of the Temple. The grief was immense, for everything had been stopped in its tracks. Therefore, the vision came to him from Heaven in order to calm his turmoil and sorrow.
בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ לְכוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס דָּבָר נִגְלָה לְדָנִיֵּאל אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בֵּלְטְאשַׁצַּר, וֶאֱמֶת הַדָּבָר וְצָבָא גָדוֹל, וּבִין אֶת הַדָּבָר וּבִינָה לוֹ בַּמַּרְאֶה׃ - "In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a matter was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the matter is true, but the appointed time is long; and he understood the matter, and had understanding of the vision."
"And the matter is true" - know that what is unfolding now is the truth. "And the appointed time is long" (vetzava gadol) - meaning a long duration: the prophecy I am telling you will unfold over a great span of time. "And he understood the matter, and had understanding of the vision" - the angel tells him: through this vision you will understand all the previous visions you saw. The ram and the he-goat, the beasts rising from the sea, all of those visions - now they will become clear to you, and for this purpose I was sent to explain these things to you.
בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם אֲנִי דָנִיֵּאל הָיִיתִי מִתְאַבֵּל שְׁלֹשָׁה שָׁבֻעִים יָמִים׃ - "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks."
His mourning was over the fact that he saw the Beis HaMikdash was not being built. How long did he mourn? Rashi explains "three weeks" (sheloshah shavuim) as twenty-one years: eighteen years from the first year of Darius the Mede, when he began calculating the timeline, until the second year of Darius the Persian; and regarding the remaining three years, Rashi states he does not know whether he fasted during them beforehand or afterward. The Malbim explains "three weeks" according to its plain meaning - three literal weeks. And why specifically three weeks? Corresponding to the three kingdoms he saw in the vision, which were destined to rule and dominate the Jewish people. On their account, he mourned and afflicted himself.
לֶחֶם חֲמֻדוֹת לֹא אָכַלְתִּי וּבָשָׂר וָיַיִן לֹא בָא אֶל פִּי וְסוֹךְ לֹא סָכְתִּי עַד מְלֹאת שְׁלֹשֶׁת שָׁבֻעִים יָמִים׃ - "I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, until three full weeks were completed."
"Pleasant bread" - fine bread. The Malbim explains: he would fast all day, and even at night, when the time came to eat, he did not prepare an elaborate feast for himself, but ate only minimal fare; and meat and wine never entered his mouth. "Nor did I anoint myself at all" - it was their custom to anoint the body with olive oil, which invigorates and refreshes the flesh, yet he refrained even from this, until three weeks were complete (or twenty-one years, according to Rashi).
וּבְיוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן, וַאֲנִי הָיִיתִי עַל יַד הַנָּהָר הַגָּדוֹל הוּא חִדָּקֶל׃ - "And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is the Tigris."
The first month is Nisan. Ibn Ezra notes: it follows, therefore, that he fasted even during the month of Nisan, and even on Pesach - he did not eat delicacies, nor did he drink wine. He did eat matzah, as eating it is at night, and there is no contradiction between fasting by day and eating at night; but he did not drink wine, as he testifies of himself. And the site of the vision was beside the great river, the Tigris (Chidekel), just as Yechezkel was by the river Kevar.
וָאֶשָּׂא אֶת עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ אֶחָד לָבוּשׁ בַּדִּים וּמָתְנָיו חֲגֻרִים בְּכֶתֶם אוּפָז׃ - And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, there was a man dressed in linen, his loins girded with fine gold of Ufaz.
"Clothed in linen" - white linen garments, where white signifies refinement and purification, being as it were free from physical matter. "Girded with fine gold of Ufaz" - a belt set with precious gems, related to refined gold, the most precious gold. The Malbim explains that this parallels the vision Yechezkel saw in the Chashmal: from his loins upward, a radiant glow, and from his loins downward, a consuming fire. The upper portion represents compassion, while the lower portion represents judgment. From the perspective of the supernal emanation, everything is pure lovingkindness and mercy, which is alluded to by the white linen garments; but from the perspective of the recipients, in the cascading descent below, it is received as judgment. This is represented by gold, which tends toward red, symbolizing stern judgment.
A parable illustrates this: A person who undergoes surgery endures immense suffering, and afterward suffers pain as well. Did the surgeon come to torment him or to do him a kindness? Certainly it is an act of pure kindness - yet to the recipient, it is experienced as suffering. The same is true of spiritual influence: everything the Holy One, blessed be He, does with us is for rectification, refinement, and purification, and it is all pure kindness, but among the recipients it is received as judgment. From this we can understand why we constantly pray that Hashem bestow abundance upon us, but not through suffering and illness. Seemingly, if everything is for the good, what place is there for such a prayer? Rather, we are saying: Master of the Universe, we know that it is good, but we ask for goodness that we can actually experience as good; that to us, the recipients, it will be received as kindness and compassion, and not as judgment.
וּגְוִיָּתוֹ כְתַרְשִׁישׁ וּפָנָיו כְּמַרְאֵה בָרָק וְעֵינָיו כְּלַפִּידֵי אֵשׁ וּזְרֹעֹתָיו וּמַרְגְּלֹתָיו כְּעֵין נְחֹשֶׁת קָלָל וְקוֹל דְּבָרָיו כְּקוֹל הָמוֹן׃ - His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and his feet like the color of burnished copper, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
"His body was like beryl" - the Malbim explains this as a sapphire-like garment, like a most precious gem, a singular kind of attire. "His face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches" - an allusion to the intellect, which flashes and disappears like lightning, representing an exceedingly sharp intellect. "His arms and his feet" - these represent actions, for a person acts with the hands and arms, and they allude to what descends and unfolds into the world. "Burnished" (kalal) - related to kol (sound), as the verse continues, "and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude," with a great roar like the clamor of a crowd.
וְרָאִיתִי אֲנִי דָנִיֵּאל לְבַדִּי אֶת הַמַּרְאָה וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ עִמִּי לֹא רָאוּ אֶת הַמַּרְאָה, אֲבָל חֲרָדָה גְדֹלָה נָפְלָה עֲלֵיהֶם וַיִּבְרְחוּ בְּהֵחָבֵא׃ - And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves.
The men who were with him were Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Daniel alone saw the awesome and formidable vision, and they did not see it - yet nevertheless, a great trembling fell upon them and they fled to hide. This seems baffling: if they neither saw nor heard anything, why did they flee? On the contrary, the one who actually saw it should have fled, yet Daniel, who saw it, did not flee. To this the Gemara poses the question and answers: even though he did not see, his mazal saw.
This is a fundamental principle worth understanding. Often a person experiences feelings and does not know where they stem from. Suddenly, a feeling of sadness or distress comes over him, or conversely, a good feeling of joy, without any visible reason - he did not win the lottery, nor did he just succeed in grasping a difficult Talmudic passage. Where does all of this come from? The Gemara explains that the person himself does not see, but his mazal sees. And what is his mazal? It is the root of his soul located above in Heaven, which exerts influence, descends, and projects feelings all the way down. That is why it is called mazal, from the root of flowing (nozel) and cascading downward, as in the verse, "Water shall flow from his buckets." Rav Chaim of Volozhin explains this in Nefesh HaChaim: the soul above projects sparks of light onto the person's spirit (ruach), and from those sparks we receive an impression. The impression is not clear, for the soul is transcendent to our conscious grasp and we cannot interpret it, but it evokes within us positive or uneasy feelings - because something happened Above, a favorable decree was issued or, Heaven forbid, the opposite. We learn from here that a person can sense things he cannot consciously see. That is precisely what occurred there. This also demonstrates Daniel's superiority over his companions: first, he saw while they did not see; and second, he was not panicked while they were terrified, because their mazal saw.
וַאֲנִי נִשְׁאַרְתִּי לְבַדִּי וָאֶרְאֶה אֶת הַמַּרְאָה הַגְּדֹלָה הַזֹּאת וְלֹא נִשְׁאַר בִּי כֹּחַ וְהוֹדִי נֶהְפַּךְ עָלַי לְמַשְׁחִית וְלֹא עָצַרְתִּי כֹּחַ׃ - And I was left alone, and I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; my radiant appearance turned to ruin upon me, and I retained no strength.
"And I was left alone" - there was no one left to support me. Furthermore, I saw this great vision and no strength remained in me, to the point that "my comeliness turned into corruption" - hod (vigor or comeliness) refers to the power of the intellect, and even in it great weakness set in. "And I retained no strength" - from the powers of my soul I could not muster the strength to overpower the physical bodily faculties and successfully receive the prophecy; I could not withstand that immense intensity, or in modern terms: very high voltage.
It is well known that prophecy is like connecting a person to an immense power source. Therefore, when a prophet began to prophesy, he would fall to the ground, trembling all over, with his bodily faculties completely suspended, unable to endure it. Only a few prophets were capable of standing during their prophecy, and only Moshe Rabbeinu was able to speak with Hashem face to face. Generally, prophecy was received when bodily faculties were suspended, such as during sleep, or in a state of wakefulness in which physical powers were totally negated. We find this similarly with Shaul: when he pursued David, arrived among the disciples of the prophets, and began to prophesy, he immediately stripped off his garments. His royal robe was heavy and dignified, woven with gold, and he could not bear its weight, so he remained in his undergarments. So too Daniel here: at the angel's revelation no strength remained in him, his vigor turned into corruption, and his soul could not summon the strength to absorb his words.
וָאֶשְׁמַע אֶת קוֹל דְּבָרָיו וּכְשָׁמְעִי אֶת קוֹל דְּבָרָיו וַאֲנִי הָיִיתִי נִרְדָּם עַל פָּנַי וּפָנַי אָרְצָה׃ - "Yet I heard the voice of his words; and when I heard the voice of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground."
Hearing the words not only failed to revive him, but added weakness upon weakness: because he heard the sound of his words, such exhaustion fell over him that he collapsed into a deep sleep, with his face toward the ground.
וְהִנֵּה יָד נָגְעָה בִּי וַתְּנִיעֵנִי עַל בִּרְכַּי וְכַפּוֹת יָדָי׃ - "And behold, a hand touched me, which roused me onto my knees and the palms of my hands."
He felt as though a hand touched him to awaken him, propping him onto his knees and the palms of his hands, like someone shaking his fellow slightly to wake him.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי דָּנִיֵּאל אִישׁ חֲמֻדוֹת, הָבֵן בַּדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי דֹבֵר אֵלֶיךָ וַעֲמֹד עַל עָמְדֶךָ כִּי עַתָּה שֻׁלַּחְתִּי אֵלֶיךָ, וּבְדַבְּרוֹ עִמִּי אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה עָמַדְתִּי מַרְעִיד׃ - "And he said to me: 'Daniel, beloved man, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.' And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling."
"And stand upright" - my desire is that you strengthen yourself now. "For I have now been sent to you" - I was sent to convey this message to you. "And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling" - even though I stood up, I was still standing with trembling, quivering, and dread.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי אַל תִּירָא דָנִיֵּאל, כִּי מִן הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ אֶת לִבְּךָ לְהָבִין וּלְהִתְעַנּוֹת לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהֶיךָ נִשְׁמְעוּ דְבָרֶיךָ וַאֲנִי בָאתִי בִּדְבָרֶיךָ׃ - "Then he said to me: 'Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to afflict yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come on account of your words.'"
From the first day you began to pray, I was already dispatched to you, in the sense of "Before they call, I will answer." This raises an obvious question: if his words were heard from the very first day, why did the angel not come to him immediately? Chazal explain that the Holy One, Blessed is He, yearns for the prayers of the righteous. Prayer itself possesses tremendous power, and Hashem wanted Daniel to pray. Nevertheless, the angel informs him: the delay was not because the prayer was insufficient or because merit was lacking - from the very first day you set your heart to understand and afflict yourself, your words were heard.
"And I have come because of your words" - Chazal explain that this angel had been banished from behind the Heavenly Curtain (the Pargod), and now, in the merit of Daniel's prayer, he was brought back inside the Curtain. This is the meaning of "I have come because of your words": through your words, I was returned inside. And why had he been banished? Because he did not carry out the command precisely as he had been instructed, to take the coals from the hand of the angel, and in the meantime the coals cooled down; and even though he did so in order to spare Israel, he had, as it were, defied Hashem's command, and was banished outside the Curtain.
וְשַׂר מַלְכוּת פָּרַס עֹמֵד לְנֶגְדִּי עֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד יוֹם, וְהִנֵּה מִיכָאֵל אַחַד הַשָּׂרִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים בָּא לְעָזְרֵנִי וַאֲנִי נוֹתַרְתִּי שָׁם אֵצֶל מַלְכֵי פָרָס׃ - "And the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood opposing me for twenty-one days, and behold, Michael, one of the foremost princes, came to help me, and I remained there beside the kings of Persia."
The angel relates to Daniel that above in Heaven, the angelic prince of the kingdom of Persia stood prosecuting against the rebuilding that had begun under Cyrus's authorization, seeking to bring accusations against Israel so that the House would not be rebuilt. "And behold, Michael, one of the foremost princes, came to help me" - Michael came to assist him. And what is meant by "one of the foremost princes"? Even among the celestial ministers there are ranks: there are higher ministers and lower ones, and Michael is among the foremost, elevated in stature above the other ministers, serving as the channel of divine influence. This is as Targum Yonatan translates regarding the verse, "And one called to another and said" - they receive permission from one another, granting strength to each other: the higher minister imparts directives, power, and actions to the minister beneath him.
"And I remained there beside [eitzel] the kings of Persia" - the Malbim explains that eitzel is related to ha'atzalah, emanation and influence, as in "and I will emanate [ve'atzalti] from the spirit." This is also the true meaning of the realm of Atzilut: not in the sense of nobility and elevated status, but in the sense of that which emanates and flows forth from it, as Hashem emanates upon the lower sefirot and upon mankind. Therefore, "eitzel the kings of Persia" refers to being alongside the angelic princes who emanate their wisdom onto the nation, and it was Michael who granted him the ability to be the one emanating influence over them. The entire benefit of this arrangement was that since their power derived from him and he was the one influencing them, he was able to turn their hearts toward kindness for the Jewish people rather than judgment, toward favor rather than accusation.
וּבָאתִי לַהֲבִינְךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָה לְעַמְּךָ בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים כִּי עוֹד חָזוֹן לַיָּמִים׃ - "Now I have come to make you understand what will befall your people in the end of days, for the vision is yet for days to come."
Here a brief introduction is necessary: all wars down here on earth are merely the earthly execution of the battles being waged on high. When one sees the army achieve victory, how foolish it is to say, "We fought properly and succeeded," "Let the IDF win," and the like - for many times they were given free rein and failed to deliver the goods. The outcome does not depend on the IDF, but on us: on those who toil in Torah and observe the mitzvot. For before a war unfolds here below, it is already being waged on high among the supernal ministers. And if the celestial prince of Israel is subdued due to heavenly accusations and sins, Heaven forbid, the manifestation down here in this physical world will be defeat on the battlefield.
It follows that all wars must be decided there on high, and how are they won? "Tehillim against missiles." We must strengthen ourselves here below in Torah, mitzvot, and good deeds, and through this we prevail in war. Had we been on the proper spiritual level, we would not have needed to fight at all: we could have gone to sleep like King Chizkiyahu, and an angel of Hashem would come and strike down one hundred and eighty thousand troop commanders in the Assyrian camp. The very necessity of physical battle indicates that the heavenly verdict required a fight, Heaven forbid that casualties should fall from Israel. Thus, the primary investment must be in the spiritual realm rather than the physical.
This principle was voiced at the time by the Brisker Rav following the Six-Day War. There was tremendous euphoria back then; everyone felt that the IDF was invincible, having managed to subdue all the Arab armies in six days. Today we know how much harm resulted from this, as that war led to the capture of territories that remain like a bone in our throat to this day, and from it began the entire plight surrounding Judea and Samaria, Gush Katif, and Gaza. This teaches us that man does not know what is truly good for him: on that day they recited Hallel, saying, "Look, we succeeded, we conquered" - yet who said any true good or benefit would come of it? Today people realize it would have been better had it not happened; Gaza had nothing to do with us, and today there are calls to annex it to Egypt, for they know how to deal with their neighbors and have no "B'Tselem," as Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin once put it.
The Brisker Rav stood up and said: Know that it was not the army that decided the battlefield and the war, but solely the toil in Torah, the study, and the merits of the Jewish people. They said to him, "Well, fine, not solely the army - but surely the army also played a role here." He replied to them, "I tell you that we won the campaign despite the army, not because of the army."
They asked him what the meaning of this was, and he told them a story about his father. When his father, Reb Chaim of Brisk, became engaged into a very distinguished family that offered a large dowry, his grandfather - Reb Yosef Dov, Reb Yoshe Ber, the author of the *Beis HaLevi* and patriarch of the Brisker dynasty - noticed that his son was carrying himself with a certain sense of self-importance: 'Look, I have merited a fine match and a respectable dowry.' Wanting to take the wind out of his sails so he would not become proud, he said to him, 'Know that everything they gave you was not because of you, but because your father is the Rav of Brisk.' Reb Chaim, who was an immense genius, replied, 'True, without doubt the merit of the father played a role, but if the chassan were an empty vessel, they would not have given anything at all; surely I too have a share in this.' His father said to him, 'Know that had you not been involved in the matter, we would have received far more!' In other words, the fact that they gave only this much was because of who the groom was; had someone even more extraordinary been standing here, they would have given more.
The Rav continued and said: The Torah states, 'And your camp shall be holy, that He see no unseemly thing in you, and turn away from you.' An 'unseemly thing' (*ervas davar*) is the most terrible offense, for which the Holy One, blessed be He, abandons Israel on the battlefield, Heaven forbid. If we had an army conducted entirely according to the rules of Halachah, just as the Torah prescribes how a camp must be run - where even one who needs to relieve himself must step outside the camp, because the Shechinah rests within it - I would agree with you. But unfortunately, that is not the reality, and without wishing to speak ill, everyone understands what is meant. Thus, by their conduct, they ought, Heaven forbid, to bring about ruin. As the Gemara recounts regarding that sage who arrived in a city and asked, 'Where are the guardians of the city?' When they showed him the armed sentries, he exclaimed, 'Are these the guardians of the city? These are the destroyers of the city!' For by acting contrary to the Torah, they bring about ruin.
For the battle is not waged down here at all. What we see here is merely the execution of verdicts sealed Above; that is where everything is determined. Therefore, when there is a defeat on the battlefield, we should not search for where the military blunder occurred or why they were unprepared; rather, we must ask ourselves: Is our Torah study proper? Is our observance of the mitzvos fitting? Is our prayer sincere? We must make demands of ourselves. And make no mistake: practical effort (*hishtadlus*) certainly must be made, but we must remember that the outcome is not determined in the realm of practical effort, but in the spiritual realm. Were we spiritually worthy, we would triumph on the battlefield even if the enemy possessed advanced weapons and nuclear bombs while we came with only a sling and a stone, subduing them just as David subdued Goliath. And if we are not worthy, a boy with a slingshot can drive the strongest army in the Middle East out of the alleyways of Gaza. Everything depends on our deeds, not on pouring more millions into the military or forming this or that unit. Salvation springs from us, and this places a tremendous demand upon each individual to strengthen himself more and more.
This is what the angel tells him: 'Now I have come to make you understand what will befall your people in the end of days' - although I am currently overcoming the ministering angel of Persia, know that this is only temporary, for other kingdoms will yet rule over the Jewish people, and those I will not be able to overcome, and they will harm Israel. 'For the vision is yet for many days' - the trouble is not the king of Persia, who is already under my control and whose matter will be resolved; rather, there is a vision concerning the days yet to come, which will be difficult times when other kingdoms will arise to rule over the Jewish people.
וּבְדַבְּרוֹ עִמִּי כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה נָתַתִּי פָנַי אַרְצָה וְנֶאֱלָמְתִּי׃ - "And when he spoke these words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless."
After the angel continued speaking with him of great prophecies concerning the future, Daniel was once again overcome by immense weakness; he set his face to the ground and became speechless.
וְהִנֵּה כִּדְמוּת בְּנֵי אָדָם נֹגֵעַ עַל שְׂפָתָי, וָאֶפְתַּח פִּי וָאֲדַבְּרָה וָאֹמְרָה אֶל הָעֹמֵד לְנֶגְדִּי אֲדֹנִי בַּמַּרְאָה נֶהֶפְכוּ צִירַי עָלַי וְלֹא עָצַרְתִּי כֹּחַ׃ - "And behold, one in the likeness of human beings touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, 'My lord, because of the vision my joints have turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.'"
The angel appeared to him in human form and touched his lips so that he could speak. And what did he say? "Because of the vision my joints have turned upon me" - a *tzir* is like the hinge on which a door pivots; Daniel meant that all of his limbs, which are connected as if by hinges, seemed to come undone and dislocate from sheer dread and trembling, and he retained no strength.
וְהֵיךְ יוּכַל עֶבֶד אֲדֹנִי זֶה לְדַבֵּר עִם אֲדֹנִי זֶה, וַאֲנִי מֵעַתָּה לֹא יַעֲמָד בִּי כֹחַ וּנְשָׁמָה לֹא נִשְׁאֲרָה בִי׃ - "For how can this servant of my lord speak with this, my lord? As for me, right now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me."
Daniel argued: I did not even retain the strength to hear these words, and now am I to speak with the angel as well? After all, speaking requires an exertion of strength, and no strength or breath is left in me - how could I possibly do such a thing?
וַיֹּסֶף וַיִּגַּע בִּי כְּמַרְאֵה אָדָם וַיְחַזְּקֵנִי׃ - "Then one with the likeness of a man touched me again and strengthened me."
וַיֹּאמֶר אַל תִּירָא אִישׁ חֲמֻדוֹת שָׁלוֹם לָךְ חֲזַק וַחֲזָק, וּכְדַבְּרוֹ עִמִּי הִתְחַזַּקְתִּי וָאֹמְרָה יְדַבֵּר אֲדֹנִי כִּי חִזַּקְתָּנִי׃ - "And he said: 'Fear not, man greatly beloved, peace be unto you; be strong, yea, be strong!' And as he spoke with me, I was strengthened, and I said: 'Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.'"
Because of his weakness, the angel needed to appear to him again and strengthen him. "Be strong, yea, be strong" is repeated: "be strong" refers to his physical faculties, and "be strong" refers to his spiritual faculties, which are the intellectual faculties - that he be strengthened in both. Then Daniel said: "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me" - now I have been strengthened, and I am ready to hear.
וַיֹּאמֶר הֲיָדַעְתָּ לָמָּה בָּאתִי אֵלֶיךָ, וְעַתָּה אָשׁוּב לְהִלָּחֵם עִם שַׂר פָּרָס וַאֲנִי יוֹצֵא וְהִנֵּה שַׂר יָוָן בָּא׃ - "And he said: 'Do you know why I have come to you? And now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia, and when I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece will come.'"
The angel says to him: I did not come solely on account of your fasting and for this matter alone. "And now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia" - three more kings will arise from Persia, and I will have to fight with them in order to turn their hearts toward the good of Israel. This is the meaning of "I remained there with the kings of Persia," namely, to influence them not to harm Israel. "And when I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece will come" - the real problem will arise when I depart from there and cease to exert that influence, for then the prince of Greece will arrive; and vanquishing the prince of Greece will be very, very difficult.
אֲבָל אַגִּיד לְךָ אֶת הָרָשׁוּם בִּכְתָב אֱמֶת, וְאֵין אֶחָד מִתְחַזֵּק עִמִּי עַל אֵלֶּה כִּי אִם מִיכָאֵל שַׂרְכֶם׃ - "Nevertheless, I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth; and there is none who holds strong with me against these, except Michael your prince."
"Inscribed in the writing of truth" - this refers to the decree recorded on High. Our Sages ask: Could there be something inscribed in a "writing of falsehood," Heaven forbid? Rather, everything is true; however, "inscribed in the writing of truth" denotes a decree that cannot be annulled, whereas that which is simply "inscribed in writing" is a decree that can still be erased and rescinded. Therefore he tells him: I will tell you the matter that cannot be overturned.
"And there is none who holds strong with me against these" - against the ministering angel of Greece, there is no one to grant me strength to defeat him, for the decree has been sealed and he receives assistance from Above. "Except Michael your prince" - Michael is the guardian angel of Israel, and he can bring salvation in a miraculous, supernatural way. That is to say, everything until now proceeded in a natural manner, but Israel will reach a state bordering on annihilation, where the only way to rescue them will be above the order of nature - and only Michael, who has the power to act through supernatural means, is capable of exerting influence and delivering you from the hand of the prince of Greece.
Chapter 10 serves as the preparation for the momentous prophecy that unfolds in the upcoming chapters. Daniel, mourning and fasting over the halted construction of the Beis HaMikdash, is granted a vision of an awe-inspiring angel: clothed in white linen above and girded with fine gold below - symbolizing mercy from the perspective of the Giver, and strict judgment from the perspective of the recipients. His companions, who did not see the vision, fled in terror, for even though a person does not see, his guardian angel perceives it. Daniel himself collapses and faints from the sheer intensity of the revelation, and twice the angel must strengthen him, with "be strong, yea, be strong" for both body and soul. The angel reveals to him that his words were heard from the very first day, and that in the merit of his prayer the angel was readmitted within the heavenly Curtain (Pargod); that the true struggle takes place in the Heavens among the celestial princes of the empires, and it is there that all earthly wars are decided; and that following Persia, the prince of Greece will arise, whom none can withstand except Michael your prince, in a manner that transcends nature. The lesson for us is unmistakable: our primary investment must be in the spiritual realm - in Torah, mitzvos, and prayer - for from there, and only from there, does salvation spring forth.