Introduction
In this part of the chapter, the prophecy shifts from accusations concerning the relationship between man and God to accusations regarding relations between man and his fellow. At the opening of the chapter, it is stated: "Ephraim has surrounded Me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit." Until now, the "lies" were explained - the denial of Divine Providence and the worship of celestial powers, meaning the heavenly bodies. From here on, the second half of the verse is explained: "and the house of Israel with deceit" - the sins of fraud and oppression committed between man and his fellow. From this point forward, the prophecy addresses the brazen responses of Ephraim, the forgotten kindnesses of Hashem, and the retribution that follows in their wake.
"A Merchant in Whose Hand Are Balances of Deceit" - The Dishonest Trader
כְּנַעַן בְּיָדוֹ מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה לַעֲשֹׁק אָהֵב׃ - "A merchant in whose hand are balances of deceit; he loves to oppress."
All the commentators explain that "Canaan" here means a merchant. Similarly, the verse states, "and delivered a belt to the merchant [Kena'ani]" (Mishlei 31:24). Because it was the practice of the Canaanites to engage in trade, all merchants were called Canaanites after them, even if they were Israelites.
The Malbim explains: Behold, like that Canaanite merchant who holds dishonest scales in his hand - and why does he hold them? Because "he loves to oppress" - he loves ill-gotten gain, and therefore his scales are crafted fraudulently, neither calibrated nor balanced, but designed always to bring a loss upon the buyer. This was precisely the conduct of Israel in matters between man and his fellow: they sinned in these areas just like that Canaanite merchant who loves to defraud.
"Yet I Have Become Rich, I Have Found Wealth for Myself" - The Promissory Deed of Yeravam
וַיֹּאמֶר אֶפְרַיִם אַךְ עָשַׁרְתִּי מָצָאתִי אוֹן לִי כׇּל יְגִיעַי לֹא יִמְצְאוּ לִי עָוֺן אֲשֶׁר חֵטְא׃ - "And Ephraim said: 'Yet I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they shall find no iniquity in me that is sin.'"
Rashi opens with a Midrash Aggadah expounded by Rabbi Shimon: "'I have found on for myself' - I found a deed of indebtedness proving my right to rule over Israel." The word on denotes a legal document or deed, as in the rabbinic phrase, "they write his deed (ono)." That is to say, when Yeravam ben Nevat came and reigned over Israel, he claimed that he had rights over them and a legal deed proving that they belonged to him. And what was this deed? When the brothers came to Yosef, it is written: "And they fell before him and said: Behold, we are your slaves" (Bereishis 50:18). Ephraim argued: I am Yosef, I am the tribe of Ephraim, and the rest of the tribes are slaves to my father, Yosef. It turns out that I have dominion over them and a rightful claim to their property, for my father acquired them as slaves and I inherited them. Because of this, "I have become rich, I have found a deed [on] for myself."
Following this approach, the verse continues: "'They shall find no iniquity in me that is sin' - there is no sin in me if I take them as slaves, for whatever a slave acquires belongs to his master, and everything that belongs to them belongs to me."
To this, the Holy One, Blessed is He, responds in the following verse: "And I am Hashem your God from the land of Egypt." The Holy One said to him: You did not forget "Behold, we are your slaves," but did you forget "I am Hashem your God Who took you out of the land of Egypt" from the Ten Commandments? You went and set up two golden calves, one in Beit El and one in Dan! The deed claiming that they are owed to you as slaves you did not forget, yet "I am Hashem your God" you conveniently forgot, setting up calves for yourself?
The Plain Meaning - Wealth Derived from Oppression
This is a beautiful midrash, but one must note that it is indeed a midrash, and the plain meaning of the verse (peshat) is not discussing this. Let us understand what the peshat is addressing. Ephraim - that is, the ten tribes - says: "I have found strength for myself" - through extortion, through scales of deceit, as we saw earlier: "A merchant in whose hand are scales of deceit, who loves to extort."
To this Hashem replies: "Yet I am Hashem your God" Who brought you out of the land of Egypt - there in Egypt, I distinguished between the drop of a firstborn and one that was not a firstborn. I am the One Who knows, and I am the One Who exacts retribution from someone who sets up deceitful scales and from someone who buries his weights in salt to cheat. For deceitful scales are by nature concealed: a person does not know he is being cheated, for had he known, he would not buy any longer and would also take you to court. Therefore, the method is to deceive the buyer while he remains certain that you are acting honestly. What would they do? They would bury the weights in salt, and the salt erodes them so that an imperceptible amount is diminished; when he places a one-kilo weight on the scale, it is actually only 950 grams. Twenty people bought today, and I profited a kilo. This is what is meant by scales of deceit.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: You think that no one knows and no one recognizes your deeds. "Indeed, I have become rich, I have found strength for myself" - I have wealth, power, and riches, and from where? From the extortion of deceitful scales. But indeed, "I am Hashem your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt," and you have forgotten that in Egypt I knew how to distinguish between the drop of a firstborn and the drop of a non-firstborn. You may be able to deceive those around you, but not the Holy One, blessed be He.
Furthermore, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: You say to yourself, "I have become rich, I have found strength for myself," yet it would have been far better for you to say in your heart, "All my wealth is not sufficient to atone for my sins." That would have been much better, and at least you would have found reasons to repent. This is the meaning of "all my toil will not find in me iniquity that is sin" - all my toil will not suffice to atone for the iniquity and the sins I have committed.
And Targum Yonatan translates accordingly, as the prophet tells them: "All your wealth will not endure for you on the day of payment for your sins" - all your wealth will not endure for you on the day your iniquity is paid for, meaning it will not suffice to atone for your actions. On the surface, the wording of the Targum suggests that the wealth itself will not endure, akin to "he amasses wealth, but in the midst of his days it will leave him." However, it is possible that Rashi understands "will endure for you" (yitkayem lechon) as "will stand by you": the meaning is not that the wealth will vanish, but that the wealth will not stand to defend and save you on the day I hold you accountable for your sins. According to this, "will not find" (lo yimtze'u) means "will not suffice," as in the verse, "If flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would it suffice for them (u-matza lahem)?" - meaning, be sufficient for them. In other words: it would have been better had you said to yourself, "All my wealth will not suffice to atone for the iniquities and sins I have committed."
Radak: The Arrogance of "My Strength and the Might of My Hand"
Radak explains that there is a claim against Ephraim here. "And Ephraim said: Indeed, I have become rich, I have found strength for myself" - this is the exact opposite of "and hope to your God continually," where a person must always hope to Hashem and know that everything comes from Him. Yet Ephraim approaches with arrogance and says: I became rich, I found strength for myself, my strength and the might of my hand have accumulated this wealth for me. He forgets that "it is He Who gives you strength to amass wealth," and as it is written, "and you forget Hashem your God." "I have become rich" - of my own accord I became wealthy.
And Radak interprets "I have found on" in two ways: either on in its simple sense of strength, for money is power; or on as an interchange of letters with hon (wealth), as the letters aleph and heh are interchangeable, meaning I have acquired great wealth for myself. Either way, he forgets that everything is from the Blessed Creator, and imagines that everything is from himself.
There is an additional evil here as well, says Radak: he extorts and then declares, "In all my toil they will not find in me iniquity that is sin" - in all that I have done, there is no money tainted by iniquity and sin; everything is kosher and legitimate. He does not feel at all that this is wealth acquired through robbery and transgression. And should you claim that there was an intentional iniquity (avon) here, he will tell you that it was merely an inadvertent sin (chet). The difference between avon and chet is that avon is intentional, whereas chet is inadvertent. In other words: even if something tainted clung to me, it was unintentional and without my knowledge.
Malbim: "That's Just Business" - When Extortion Becomes an Ideology
Malbim explains that Ephraim is responding here to the Holy One's accusation, "A merchant in whose hand are scales of deceit, who loves to extort." Ephraim comes and argues: Master of the Universe, I am not extorting, that is just business! These are the conditions of commerce; what can one do? Whoever walks a completely straight line ends up in the graveyard; one has to know how to be flexible, how to smooth things over - all sorts of sanitized euphemisms whose plain meaning is outright robbery, extortion, and deceit. But everything is smoothed over in the name of earning a livelihood: a person has to make a living, a person has to know how to get by.
And so he says: Indeed I have become rich and found strength for myself; I have methods for profiting in commerce, and even though I had scales of deceit, it is no sin. After all, I did not obtain this through outright theft, but through standard trade, and business involves shrewd maneuvers. "All my toil" - since I attained this through my own toil, "they will not find in me" any "iniquity that is sin."
And what is the difference between an iniquity (avon) and a sin (chet) according to the Malbim? An iniquity is a distortion of the intellect - when a person finds a justification for himself and turns it into an ideology, that is called an avon, and it is considered deliberate, since in his own view this is how one ought to act. A sin (chet), by contrast, generally arises from desire and in inadvertence, for passion itself is a type of unintentional error. And Ephraim says: neither iniquity nor sin will be found in me. According to the Malbim, his meaning is: even if this were an iniquity according to the Torah, it is not a sin in and of itself, since it was acquired through hard work. "They will not find in me any iniquity that is sin" - no iniquity will be found in me that is inherently sinful, for this iniquity exists only from the perspective of the Torah, but among men, these are the norms of commerce; this is how merchants trade, and this is standard practice.
"I Will Yet Make You Dwell in Tents" - A Return to Poverty or a Good Promise
וְאָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עֹד אוֹשִׁיבְךָ בׇאֳהָלִים כִּימֵי מוֹעֵד׃ - "And I am Hashem your God from the land of Egypt; I will yet make you dwell in tents as in the days of the appointed season."
The Malbim explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, responds to Ephraim: Behold, "I am Hashem your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt." And specifically regarding the laws of interest and the laws of weights and measures, the Exodus from Egypt is mentioned. Why? Because in Egypt they were in a state of utter poverty: they did not lend with interest, for a poor person has no money to lend; nor did they possess deceitful scales, for someone who is poor and not engaged in commerce has no way to cheat. Therefore He tells them: Remember the day you went out of the land of Egypt - if you lend with interest, and if you cheat in weight, I will return you to your condition in Egypt. In Egypt you took no interest and did not cheat in weights, because of extreme poverty. Do you really wish to return to that reality?
Therefore, if you continue to weigh with deceitful scales - "I will yet make you dwell in tents as in the days of the appointed season," meaning I will return you to being poor tent-dwellers, without a house and without permanent dwellings, just as you were in the days of your departure from the land of Egypt. Thus, it is in your best interest to act honestly so that I do not return you to that condition. And the Malbim offers another explanation: "As in the days of the appointed season" - that you will cease from matters of acquisition and commerce just as one rests from business on festivals and holidays. I will return you to poverty like the days of a festival, when you will be unable to conduct commerce, just as there is no trading on festival days.
According to Rashi, however, this verse is a positive prophecy: "I will yet make you dwell in tents" - I will cut off from your midst the deceitful merchants, and I will make you dwell in tents, meaning I will raise up from among you Torah scholars who engage in Torah study. As the Sages expounded on the verse, "When a man dies in a tent" - that one must devote himself completely in the tent of Torah. Hashem says: I am Hashem who brought you up from the land of Egypt, and I make you a good promise - I will yet make you dwell in tents, I will remove the deceitful merchants from among you, and there will arise from you Torah scholars who flourish in Torah.
The Radak also finds here a grievance against Ephraim: How dare you rebel against My word after all the goodness I have bestowed upon you? According to the Radak, all the following verses are explained along this line - that Hashem reminds them of the goodness and kindnesses He performed for them, and consequently the complaint grows even stronger: How, after all these kindnesses, did you do evil, and how, after all the good I showered upon you, can you be so ungrateful? "And I am Hashem your God from the land of Egypt" - for even since then your ancestors knew Me; I performed signs and wonders for them and brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You ought to have known Me and attached yourselves to Me, and when you failed to do so, you displayed ingratitude, and you did not take to heart to contemplate the goodness I performed for your ancestors and for you.
"And I Have Spoken to the Prophets" - The Abundance of Prophecy
וְדִבַּרְתִּי עַל הַנְּבִיאִים וְאָנֹכִי חָזוֹן הִרְבֵּיתִי וּבְיַד הַנְּבִיאִים אֲדַמֶּה׃ - "And I have spoken to the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and through the prophets I used similes."
According to the Radak, this too is part of the goodness: Behold, I delivered prophecies to you, "and I have multiplied visions," and I appeared through allegories through the prophets - so how did you dare to corrupt your ways?
According to the Malbim, Hashem says: I wanted to bring them back in repentance, and so I multiplied prophets for them. It is written that in the days of Ahab there were hundreds of prophets, all disciples of Eliyahu, who would rebuke the people, until Jezebel arose and killed the prophets of Hashem, leaving only fifty and fifty hidden in a cave. But before that, there were hundreds of prophets. Hashem says: "And I have multiplied visions" - I multiplied visions and prophecy in order to speak to the people and bring them back in repentance.
And what is the difference between prophets and vision? The Malbim explains that a vision is also a form of prophecy, in which Hashem speaks through imagery and allegories, and regarding this it is said, "and through the prophets I used similes." The vision is what the prophet sees in the prophetic vision; the simile consists of the visual images that the prophet sees, which serve as allegorical representations of the prophetic message - such as "I see a rod of an almond tree," "a seething pot," "a basket of summer fruit" - images that serve as an allusion to the message of the prophecy. And the speech - "And I have spoken to the prophets" - is what Hashem speaks directly to the prophet, who hears the voice of Hashem speaking to him at the time of the vision.
"Is Gilead Iniquity?" - The Blood of the Prophets and the Sacrifices of Gilgal
אִם גִּלְעָד אָוֶן אַךְ שָׁוְא הָיוּ בַּגִּלְגָּל שְׁוָרִים זִבֵּחוּ גַּם מִזְבְּחוֹתָם כְּגַלִּים עַל תַּלְמֵי שָׂדָי׃ - If Gilead is iniquity, they have indeed become vanity; in Gilgal they sacrifice bullocks, and their altars are like heaps upon the furrows of the field.
Rashi explains: "If Gilead is iniquity" - if trouble, violence, and ruin befell the people of Gilead, who were exiled and smitten, it was entirely their own fault and they brought it upon themselves, for "they have indeed become vanity" - all their deeds were futile and empty. Not only that, but "in Gilgal they sacrifice bullocks" - they also offered sacrifices to idols in Gilgal. Furthermore, come and see how many altars they had: "their altars also are like heaps upon the furrows of the field" - just as fields have many furrows that look like heaps of stones, so too did they have an altar everywhere, as numerous as the furrows of the field. This corresponds to the Gemara's statement that in the generation of Achav, there was not a single furrow upon which an idol was not erected.
The Malbim explains based on what we have already seen, that the disciples of Eliyahu the prophet were numerous, and in the end they were murdered there in Gilead. For Gilead was the dwelling place of Eliyahu - Eliyahu the Tishbite, Eliyahu of Gilead - and there Izevel pursued the prophets and slaughtered the prophets of Hashem. Regarding this it was said, "Gilead is a city of workers of iniquity, tracked with blood," and which blood? The blood of the prophets that was spilled in its midst.
This is the meaning of "If Gilead is iniquity" - if such an iniquitous act was committed among them, that they murdered the prophets, then "they have indeed become vanity": it was completely in vain and for naught that I sent these prophets, for not only did their prophecy bear no fruit, but the people even murdered them! On the contrary, through this, "in Gilgal they sacrifice bullocks" - corresponding to the number of prophets they murdered, they went and offered sacrifices to their idols, erecting altars to the Baal, an altar and an olah bull for each and every prophet. Look how terrible this was: for every wicked act of murdering a prophet of Hashem, they brought an idolatrous sacrifice to celebrate it! And this is "their altars also are like heaps upon the furrows of the field," for they believed that through this they were atoning for the spilled blood of the prophets - as if by sacrificing to their idol, they would obtain appeasement for spilling innocent blood, the blood of the prophet.
"And Yaakov Fled to the Field of Aram" - Chesed or an Excuse?
וַיִּבְרַח יַעֲקֹב שְׂדֵה אֲרָם וַיַּעֲבֹד יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאִשָּׁה וּבְאִשָּׁה שָׁמָר׃ - And Yaakov fled into the field of Aram, and Yisrael served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
Rashi explains that the idea here is like someone saying to his fellow: "Well, where were we? Let us return to what we were discussing before." For earlier the verse stated, "He strove with an angel and prevailed," recounting Yaakov's battle with the angel, and now it returns to speak of Yaakov: Come and see another kindness that I performed for him. "And Yaakov fled into the field of Aram" - he was forced to flee to the field of Aram, and there I protected him. "And Yisrael served for a wife, and for a wife he kept" sheep. This too is an expression of the kindness that the Holy One, Blessed be He, performed for your forefathers; why then do you repay good with evil?
Along these lines, the Radak explains as well: They do not remember the good I did for their forefather when he fled from Esav. Even while there, he had to serve Lavan for a wife so that he would give him his daughter, and that service consisted of tending his sheep; and similarly for the second daughter - "and for a wife he kept" sheep. Hashem says: And there I blessed him and multiplied his possessions, so that he eventually left Lavan's house with great wealth. Have you, then, forgotten the good things I did for you?
The Malbim: Ephraim's Provocative Responses
According to the Malbim, all the upcoming verses are not intended to describe Hashem's kindness toward us, but the exact opposite: they come to demonstrate how deeply Ephraim corrupted his ways and provoked Hashem with his evil deeds, continuing from "If Gilead is iniquity, they have indeed become vanity; in Gilgal they sacrifice bullocks." All of these verses - "And Yaakov fled into the field of Aram," "And by a prophet Hashem brought Yisrael out of Egypt," and "Ephraim provoked Him to bitter anger" - come to show how Ephraim provoked Hashem through these very deeds. This is fundamentally different from the approach of Rashi and the Radak, who explain that these verses recount Hashem's enduring kindness toward them throughout history and their subsequent ingratitude toward Him.
And what was this provocation? The Malbim explains: Whenever Ephraim was rebuked for the denial and falsehood mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, for the worship of the calves to which they sacrificed in Gilgal, and for the deceit of "a merchant in whose hand are deceitful balances" - Ephraim would respond cynically and mockingly with answers designed to provoke. And sometimes, when someone offers rebuke to a person, it would be far better for him to remain silent, for the answer he gives is even more infuriating than the offense itself.
When they would rebuke him for deceit, what would he reply? "And Yaakov fled to the field of Aram" - what are you talking about, this has been in our family for generations! Why was Yaakov forced to flee? Because he deceived his brother Esav, stole the birthright from him, and stole the blessings, and therefore he fled to the field of Aram. It is in our genes! And not only that, we have additional genes from which we inherited deceit: "and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep" - for Lavan deceived Yaakov as well, initially giving him a wife he had not worked for, and afterward he had to tend the flock a second time to receive Rachel. And the deceit succeeded for Lavan. If so, deceit has coursed through our veins from time immemorial, so why do you level against us the accusation, "A merchant [Canaan] in whose hand are scales of deceit"? This is our accepted tradition! And this is an answer steeped in malice and provocation.
"And by a Prophet Hashem Brought Israel Up" - The Pretext for the Calves
וּבְנָבִיא הֶעֱלָה ה' אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם וּבְנָבִיא נִשְׁמָר׃ - And by a prophet Hashem brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded.
The Malbim continues and explains: When they would rebuke them for their denial, for the golden calves, and for denying Hashem, they would reply: What do you want? We must have an intermediary between ourselves and Hashem! Come and see, when Hashem brought Israel up from Egypt, how did He bring them up? Through a prophet, through Moshe Rabbeinu, and Moshe was the intermediary between them and Hashem. And what did Israel do after forty days? They made the golden calf. And what was the idea of the calf? That when Moshe was gone, they needed another intermediary to connect them to Hashem. After all, "And by a prophet Hashem brought Israel up from Egypt" - specifically through an intermediary, and then "and by a prophet he was guarded," for the prophet was always the intermediary bringing down divine abundance. So too, we need the calves to bring down divine abundance, since "as for this man Moshe, we do not know what has become of him."
Rashi and the Radak, however, explain, as noted, that all of these verses are an expression of Hashem's kindness toward you: "And Yaakov fled to the field of Aram" - see that I protected him then; "And by a prophet Hashem brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded" - you despise the prophets and mock them, yet Hashem brought you up from Egypt by a prophet! I performed kindness with you and sent you a prophet, and from there you came up with great wealth, and through a prophet you were preserved for forty years in the wilderness. Yet all of this goodness they do not remember, and instead they anger Hashem.
"Ephraim Provoked Most Bitter Anger" - The Recompense of Mockery
הִכְעִיס אֶפְרַיִם תַּמְרוּרִים וְדָמָיו עָלָיו יִטּוֹשׁ וְחֶרְפָּתוֹ יָשִׁיב לוֹ אֲדֹנָיו׃ - Ephraim provoked most bitter anger; therefore his bloodguilt will be cast upon him, and his Lord will repay him his reproach.
According to the Malbim, there is an indictment and a grievance here: through these replies, they provoke Hashem, for they are cynical words of mockery that penetrate to the innermost chambers. This is "Ephraim provoked most bitter anger [tamrurim]." It is not enough that you did evil, but when I come to question you about the evil you did, not only are you not ashamed and do not admit your mistake, but you even make brazen and absurd claims - and through this, "Ephraim provoked most bitter anger." And what is tamrurim? Bitter anger, as in the phrase bechi tamrurim, bitter weeping.
"Therefore his bloodguilt will be cast upon him" - the innocent blood that Ephraim shed, his Master will cast that blood back upon him. "And his Lord will repay him his reproach" - the reproach with which he insulted God when he made the calves, Hashem will turn his retribution back upon his own head. And the Malbim explains that the intent is that he caused bitterness through the deeds he performed.
The Radak explains yitosh as an expression of spreading, as in "spread out [netushim] over the face of the entire land," and as in "and they spread out [vayinatshu] across the camp." "His Lord [Adonav]" - this is the Holy One, Blessed be He; for even though Ephraim does not acknowledge His sovereignty, against his will Hashem is his Lord. His bloodguilt for the deeds he committed will be cast upon him, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will exact retribution from him and return his recompense upon his own head: for the innocent blood he shed, for the altars he built, and for all the sins he committed.
In summary:
In this section of the chapter, the prophet rebukes Ephraim for interpersonal dishonesty: like a Canaanite merchant holding scales of deceit out of a love for oppression. Ephraim boasts and says, "I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself," justifying himself - whether through the claim of Yerovam's promissory note found in the Midrash, or through the Malbim's explanation of "these are the ways of business" - to which the Holy One, Blessed be He, responds: I, Who distinguished in Egypt between the drop of a firstborn and that of a non-firstborn, know and will exact punishment, and it would have been better for you to say that all your toil would not suffice to atone for your sins. And He warns: If you persist with scales of deceit, I will return you to tents and to poverty, as in the days when you came out of Egypt; while according to Rashi, there is a positive promise here that dwellers of the tent of Torah will arise from them. Hashem recalls the multitude of prophets and visions He provided to bring them back, as well as the blood of the prophets shed in Gilad and the pagan sacrifices in Gilgal. According to Rashi and the Radak, the final verses come to recount Hashem's kindnesses toward Yaakov and toward Israel upon their Exodus from Egypt, which they forgot; while according to the Malbim, they represent Ephraim's brazen responses - that deceit is inherited in our genes from our ancestors, and that the calf is merely an intermediary like a prophet. And concerning these, the prophet concludes: "Ephraim provoked most bitter anger," and his Lord will return his recompense upon his head.