Introduction: The Concluding Chapter of the Book of Daniel
Chapter 12 is the final chapter of Sefer Daniel, and it deals entirely with the End of Days: the great distress preceding the redemption, the salvation brought about through the power of Michael the great prince, the resurrection of the dead and the reward of the righteous, and the hidden, sealed time of the End. As is our practice, we will proceed verse by verse, following the commentary of the Malbim.
Michael's Stand in an Unprecedented Time of Trouble
וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יַעֲמֹד מִיכָאֵל הַשַּׂר הַגָּדוֹל הָעֹמֵד עַל־בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ, וְהָיְתָה עֵת צָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נִהְיְתָה מִהְיוֹת גּוֹי עַד הָעֵת הַהִיא, וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יִמָּלֵט עַמְּךָ כָּל־הַנִּמְצָא כָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר׃ - "And at that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book."
The angel begins to describe the future era to Daniel. The Malbim explains that according to the heavenly order, according to natural law, Israel would have been liable, Heaven forbid, to destruction. But then, by the grace of Hashem, Michael, the great prince in Heaven, will arise, and divine providence will become miraculous - transcending nature, rising above the celestial constellations, overturning the natural order. As noted, Michael belongs to the supernal realms that are above the celestial order, not beneath it, and he is unaffected by the stars and constellations. And why is such an intervention necessary? Because "there shall be a time of trouble such as never was" - distress unmatched in history, requiring a miracle that completely transcends nature.
"And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book" - the righteous will be delivered, everyone inscribed in the book, as Scripture states: "everyone who is written for life in Jerusalem." The meaning is that anyone whose merits are inscribed in the book will be delivered unto life. In simple terms: to be saved during that period, one will need merits.
The Resurrection of the Dead: Some to Eternal Life, and Some to Eternal Abhorrence
וְרַבִּים מִיְּשֵׁנֵי אַדְמַת־עָפָר יָקִיצוּ, אֵלֶּה לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם וְאֵלֶּה לַחֲרָפוֹת לְדִרְאוֹן עוֹלָם׃ - "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to eternal life, and some to reproaches and eternal abhorrence."
At that time, the resurrection of the dead will take place. The verse defines them as "those who sleep in the dust of the earth" - meaning they will rise in both body and soul just as they were during their lives. For a person who awakens from sleep is no different from what he was when he went to sleep; perhaps slightly tired, but he is the very same person. So too will they be - like someone asleep whose soul has returned to him.
We also learn two further principles here: First, not everyone will arise at this stage, but only some; therefore it says "many," not "all." Second, not only the righteous will arise, but also the wicked - "some to eternal life," referring to the righteous, "and some to reproaches and eternal abhorrence," referring to the wicked, who will rise to shame and disgrace.
What is the reason for this? The Malbim explains, based on the Abarbanel: Many people suffered in exile and gave their lives to sanctify Hashem's Name. Let no one say that their hope was lost and their expectation vanished, that they died leaving nothing behind. Nor let anyone say of the wicked who tormented them that they died peacefully in bed without facing retribution, as though justice were never done. Therefore, Scripture informs us that they are destined to rise. And when they rise, the righteous will awaken to life, and the wicked to suffering.
And what is the essence of their suffering? Imagine Hitler, may his name and memory be blotted out, rising at the resurrection of the dead and seeing the Jewish people - the very ones he sent to the crematoria, the very ones he murdered - standing at an exalted and sublime level. It is the level of those who merited sanctifying Heaven's Name through suffering, a stature beyond estimation or description. He will then witness the height of their greatness alongside his own utter degradation, and see who the true chosen people really are. In his eyes, that will be the greatest torment of all.
And so it is today as well: take the terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollah - what is the most terrible thing for them? To see us succeed. Our success eats away at them, and therefore their entire arrogant ambition is to humiliate us, to trample and strike. And even when there is quiet and no Qassam rockets, they rush to release messages so that we do not think it is because of the military operation, but rather due to Egyptian pressure. The matter of honor and the humiliation of the Jewish people is more important to them than life and death; they are willing to die just so as not to see the honor of Israel.
Therefore, the greatest punishment they will receive is that they will rise and witness the honor of Israel, and they will be an everlasting abhorrence, enduring terrible suffering for all eternity. All those whom you humiliated to the dust and whose downfall you longed to see - you will behold their greatness, and you will see your own degradation, your low stature, and the agony that awaits you. And then it will become clear to all that Hashem is One and His Name is One, and that the most cherished in the world is the Jewish people, and anyone who mistreated them unjustly will pay for their actions.
The Wise and Those Who Bring the Multitudes to Righteousness
וְהַמַּשְׂכִּלִים יַזְהִרוּ כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ, וּמַצְדִּיקֵי הָרַבִּים כַּכּוֹכָבִים לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃ - "And the wise shall shine like the radiance of the sky, and those who lead the multitude to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."
Why specifically then will the wise shine like the radiance of the sky? Because in this world, a person has impediments to the service of Hashem. Even the greatest tzaddik cannot cleave to Hashem as he desires, for he still possesses physical matter, the coarse body that creates a separation between us and Hashem. Only select individuals merited to sanctify their physical substance until they reached the level of an angel, like Eliyahu HaNavi who ascended bodily to the heavens in a whirlwind; with other tzaddikim, the physical body always serves as a barrier and a separation. But then, physical matter will become refined, and then they will shine like the radiance of the sky.
"And those who lead the multitude to righteousness like the stars forever and ever" - these are those who teach the public, who bring merit to the masses, and who guide the multitude to repentance. They will shine like the stars forever and ever: just as in this world you illuminated the path for others, so too in the World to Come you will merit to shine forever and ever.
Conceal the Words - Why the End of Days Is Hidden
וְאַתָּה דָנִיֵּאל סְתֹם הַדְּבָרִים וַחֲתֹם הַסֵּפֶר עַד־עֵת קֵץ, יְשֹׁטְטוּ רַבִּים וְתִרְבֶּה הַדָּעַת׃ - "And you, Daniel, conceal the words and seal the book until the time of the end; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase."
The angel tells him: conceal the things you understand and seal the book, and do not show it except to one who is worthy of seeing it. And the reason: these events are destined to occur in the very distant future. After all, from that period until today, nearly two thousand five hundred years have passed. If he had told them how long it would be, they would have despaired: "What, another two thousand five hundred years until the redemption? We are engulfed in troubles and expect Mashiach to come every single day, and you tell us such a thing?" Such knowledge could break them. Therefore, these matters will remain concealed until the time of the end, and only when the end arrives will they be able to be revealed.
And then, when the end arrives, says the Malbim, the matter will become clear. For in every generation, people thought that the time spoken of had arrived. Read the words of the Chofetz Chaim, who writes that all the signs that Chazal stated would precede the coming of Mashiach have already been fulfilled in us - and that was a hundred years ago: a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man's enemies are the members of his household, living expenses soar, insolence increases (chutzpah yasgei). Had he known what we see today, he would not have said so.
A story is told of gedolei Yisrael walking along the road, while several idle youths sat on a bench. The great Torah leaders passed before them, and the youths did not rise. One of the gedolim said: "Well, this is already the generation of Mashiach, for Chazal said 'insolence will increase' - the insolence will grow to the point that youth will not honor the presence of the elderly." His companion replied: "What are you talking about? In the generation of Mashiach, we will be the ones sitting on the bench, and the youths will walk by and say: 'Did you see those men? They see us walking by and do not stand up!'" And this is our generation. A government minister, a president, or a complete nobody stands up, and people complain: Why did the gadol hador not show him respect? Why didn't the Rav stand up for him? Who are you, and what are you? Youth completely emptied of Torah and mitzvos, who merely knew how to make the right deals and cut the right political arrangements, and behold, he is a Knesset member. "Youth will not honor the presence of the elderly" means that the youth will even demand that the elder honor him, expecting people to speak to him with deference and hold him in high regard - this is the era of ikvesa deMeshicha.
This is what the angel told him: in every generation, people will say that the signs have been fulfilled in our day, but the matter will remain concealed and sealed until the time of the end. Only when it is revealed, when Mashiach arrives, will they know that this was the generation spoken of; but beforehand, everyone will be certain that their own time is the era of redemption. In earlier times, the time that had passed was short and the future time was long, and therefore the uncertainties were great; but as we draw closer to the end of the world, the time behind us is vast and the remaining time is short. We have roughly two hundred and thirty-one years remaining until the ultimate deadline by which the culmination of history must occur, and within this window Mashiach must arrive, the resurrection of the dead must take place, along with all the signs of redemption. This is the meaning of "many will roam about, and knowledge will increase": everyone will wonder in suspense, "Perhaps it is now? Perhaps it is now?" But as the remaining time dwindles, certainty grows, and through this, knowledge will increase.
The Two Ministers Standing on the Bank of the River
וְרָאִיתִי אֲנִי דָנִיֵּאל וְהִנֵּה שְׁנַיִם אֲחֵרִים עֹמְדִים, אֶחָד הֵנָּה לִשְׂפַת הַיְאֹר וְאֶחָד הֵנָּה לִשְׂפַת הַיְאֹר׃ - "Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream, and the other on that bank of the stream."
Daniel saw two other angels, in addition to the angel who had been speaking with him: one on one bank of the Chidekel River, and one on its other bank.
וַיֹּאמֶר לָאִישׁ לְבוּשׁ הַבַּדִּים אֲשֶׁר מִמַּעַל לְמֵימֵי הַיְאֹר, עַד־מָתַי קֵץ הַפְּלָאוֹת׃ - "And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream: 'How long until the end of these wonders?'"
The Malbim explains that he saw the heavenly ministers who would rule throughout that entire era, one on this side and one on that side, and each of them asks the man clothed in linen - who is the angel speaking with him, Michael - when the end of these wonders will come. That is to say: When does my term of rule conclude? These are two ministering angels of the nations, and they are asking when the matter is destined to come to an end.
The Oath: For a Set Time, Set Times, and a Half
וָאֶשְׁמַע אֶת־הָאִישׁ לְבוּשׁ הַבַּדִּים אֲשֶׁר מִמַּעַל לְמֵימֵי הַיְאֹר, וַיָּרֶם יְמִינוֹ וּשְׂמֹאלוֹ אֶל־הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיִּשָּׁבַע בְּחֵי הָעוֹלָם, כִּי לְמוֹעֵד מוֹעֲדִים וָחֵצִי, וּכְכַלּוֹת נַפֵּץ יַד־עַם־קֹדֶשׁ תִּכְלֶינָה כָל־אֵלֶּה׃ - "And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, when he lifted up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it shall be for a set time, set times, and a half; and when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things shall be completed."
Before we explain, let us also read the continuation of the verses: "And I heard, but I did not understand; then I said: 'My lord, what shall be the end of these things?'"; "And he said: 'Go, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end'"; "Many shall purify themselves, make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall act wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand"; "And from the time that the daily offering is removed and the desolating abomination is set up, there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days"; "Fortunate is he who waits and reaches one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days"; "And as for you, go toward the end, and rest, and arise to your lot at the end of days."
Introduction: A Concealed End and an Auspicious Time
Many interpretations have been offered and many pens have been broken over the time written here, which is the time of the end. Yet this is an end that is inherently closed and sealed, as the angel tells Daniel: "The words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end." People will attempt to understand, they will seek to clarify, refine, and purify - and they will not understand; only the wise will understand when the end arrives. And even though explicit dates, timeframes, and numbers of days are written here, the matter will nonetheless remain closed and sealed. If, regarding an end revealed this explicitly, Daniel himself did not understand - all the more so regarding the concealed end, of which we have no grasp or comprehension.
It should be known that many explanations have been given regarding the End of Days, and we will not study all of them, since as is our practice we are learning according to the Malbim. But we should know that aside from the calculation made here by the Malbim, there is the calculation of Rashi, the calculation of Rav Saadia Gaon, calculations of the Geonim, the Rishonim, and the Acharonim, and there is the calculation of the holy Zohar - pointing to the year 5408 (1648), the very year of the massacres of Tach and Tat.
And if all these times were already written in advance, yet to our sorrow, "The harvest has passed, the summer has ended, and we are not saved" - what is the truth of the matter? As we have already explained: these times are real and precise times, and they represent a window of time that is fitting and auspicious for redemption. It is comparable to a municipality that announces, once every few years, an initiative to pay off debts without interest; one who does not pay off his debt at that time is subsequently charged interest, indexation, and surcharges, leaving him in a worse condition - for he had the time and the opportunity to emerge cheaply, yet failed to seize it. So too, the time of redemption written in the sacred texts is an auspicious time: if we capitalized on it, we would merit the arrival of the redemption and the fulfillment of all the wonders written in the holy books; but if we did not seize it, were not worthy, and did not do what was required of us, on the contrary - it arouses divine wrath, as Hashem says: I made Myself available to you; there was an opportune moment of departure; why did you not seize it to escape exile and merit the complete redemption?
Therefore, many times, during periods described as auspicious for redemption, when redemption did not arrive, terrible and numerous troubles followed. Such was the year 5408 (Tach - 1648), which the Holy Zohar describes as a time of redemption, an idea also hinted at in Megillat Esther: the two oversized letters in it are the Tav of "VaTichtov Esther" and the Chet of "Chur Karpas U'techelet" (spelling out Tach). Megillat Esther is the last book written of the twenty-four books of Tanach, and it is the book of the end of days; therefore, the end time - Tach - is alluded to within it. Yet we see that the redemption did not come, and what happened as a result? The massacres of Tach VeTat (1648-1649), severe and horrific pogroms in which millions died and were killed.
Every such era is therefore an auspicious time. The same applies to the timeframe and calculation made by the Malbim, and it should be stated in advance: this date is already behind us, and we have still not been redeemed. It, too, was a fitting and auspicious time, but unfortunately we did not utilize it properly.
"In Its Time" and "I Will Hasten It" - and the Demise of the Nations' Rule
Let us return to the verse: "And I heard the man dressed in linen... and he swore by the Ever-Living that it would be for a time, times, and a half" - I heard from him that the redemption depends on two distinct times: there is be'itah ("in its time") and there is achishena ("I will hasten it"), two paths and two trajectories. The angel could not swear that the redemption would not occur earlier, for the Jewish people might merit achishena; what did he swear to? That it will not be any later. Beyond the designated time of be'itah is impossible - there is an ultimate deadline for the redemption; but beforehand is certainly possible, as there is a reality in which Hashem may redeem us at an earlier stage than the final set time.
"And when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things will be finished" - the Abarbanel explains: the kingdom of Yishmael, who oppress us at the end of this final exile and from whom we suffer, will come to an end, and then this exile will cease. And from when? "When the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end" - at the time when the dispersion of the holy nation ends, for they are scattered throughout their lands; when this dispersal concludes and there is no longer a state of dispersion, then "all these things will be finished" - the authorities and regimes of the kingdom of Yishmael. And who else are these rulers? They are the heavenly ministers seen standing on the banks of the river. All the beasts seen emerging from the river, and after them the ministering angels standing on its bank, represent the heavenly princes of the nations; and when all those standing on the bank of the river are brought to an end, then the glory of Israel will begin to sprout and flourish.
"And I Heard, but I Did Not Understand"
וַאֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי וְלֹא אָבִין, וָאֹמְרָה אֲדֹנִי מָה אַחֲרִית אֵלֶּה׃ - And I heard, but I did not understand, and I said: "My master, what shall be the end of these things?"
A calculation is stated here: a time, times, and a half. But what is "a time," what are "times," and what is the "half"? This is the very same phrase written earlier, "a time, times, and half a time" (idan ve'idanin u'felag idan), except that there it was in Aramaic and here it is translated into Lashon HaKodesh: a time, times, and a half. Daniel, too, heard and did not understand, which is why he said: "My master, what shall be the end of these things?" - what will be the final outcome of the dominion of the heavenly ministers standing on the bank of the river, and what will become of the nations influenced by those ministers? What will be in the end?
"And the Wise Shall Understand"
וַיֹּאמֶר לֵךְ דָּנִיֵּאל, כִּי־סְתֻמִים וַחֲתֻמִים הַדְּבָרִים עַד־עֵת קֵץ׃ יִתְבָּרְרוּ וְיִתְלַבְּנוּ וְיִצָּרְפוּ רַבִּים, וְהִרְשִׁיעוּ רְשָׁעִים וְלֹא יָבִינוּ כָּל רְשָׁעִים, וְהַמַּשְׂכִּלִים יָבִינוּ׃ - And he said: "Go, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves, make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall act wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, yet the wise shall understand."
The angel tells him: the words are concealed, but until the end of time they will be clarified. And what is the meaning of "they will be clarified" (yitbararu)? At that time, many among the nations of the world will recognize the true faith and come to know the truth; they will be clarified (yitbararu, from birur, separating good from evil) and cleansed (yitlabnu, from libun, whitening and refining) - purified and refined to walk in the light of Hashem. On the other hand, lest one think that everyone will become righteous, the verse states: "and the wicked shall act wickedly" - there will be wicked people who not only will not repent, but will even go out to wage war against the people of Israel in the war of Gog and Magog. The wicked will fail to understand that all of this is the handiwork of Hashem, but the wise - they will truly understand that everything is from Hashem, and that the time of redemption has arrived.
In summary: In this concluding chapter, the sequence of the End of Days is revealed to Daniel: an unprecedented time of distress, during which Michael, the great prince, will arise with miraculous providence transcending the natural order, and all whose merits are inscribed in the book will be saved; the resurrection of the dead, in which the righteous will arise to eternal life and the wicked to shame and everlasting contempt - their greatest suffering being to behold the honor and greatness of Israel whom they had demeaned; and the wise and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the brightness of the firmament and like the stars forever and ever. The time of the end remains concealed and sealed so that people would not despair, and each generation believed its time had arrived - yet as the remaining time diminishes, knowledge will increase. The times recorded in sacred books are auspicious windows for redemption, and when they are not utilized, not only is redemption delayed, but troubles follow in their wake. Ultimately, many will be clarified and purified, the wicked will not understand, but the wise will understand that everything is from Hashem and that the time of redemption has arrived.