In the previous part, we saw the praise of Iyov: blameless and upright, God-fearing and shunning evil, a man about whom the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself testified that "there is none like him on earth." Yet precisely after this great praise, the Satan enters the picture and does not back down. From here on, we will proceed according to the order of the verses: the Satan's claim, Hashem's response, the proposal of the test, and the descent of afflictions upon Iyov - all based on the commentary of the Malbim, together with the words of Chazal and the Rambam.
וַיַּעַן הַשָּׂטָן אֶת־יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמַר הַחִנָּם יָרֵא אִיּוֹב אֱלֹהִים׃ - And the Satan answered Hashem and said, "Does Iyov fear God for naught?"
The Satan does not deny the facts. He concedes: true and correct, Iyov has mastered his desires, Iyov gives the spirit dominion over the physical body. But his argument is entirely different: Master of the Universe, a person can perform the deeds of a tzaddik, but what must be examined is the source from which those deeds stem - what driving force propels them.
A parable illustrates this: If a person is told, "If you fast, you will receive five hundred shekels," and he fasts, would we say of him that he is a tzaddik who overcame the desire to eat? Certainly not. In this person, two desires are in conflict: on one hand, the desire for food, and on the other hand, the desire for money. What happened here is simply that the desire for money overpowered the desire for food. What kind of tzaddik is he? He is merely someone whose one desire overcame another.
This is precisely the claim: we must examine whether Iyov's fear of Hashem is "for naught" - that he receives nothing in return for it, but acts solely for the sake of serving Hashem and fulfilling His will. If that is the case, it is truly wondrous. But the Satan contends that with Iyov, this is not so.
הֲלֹא־אַתָּה שַׂכְתָּ בַעֲדוֹ וּבְעַד־בֵּיתוֹ וּבְעַד כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ מִסָּבִיב מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו בֵּרַכְתָּ וּמִקְנֵהוּ פָּרַץ בָּאָרֶץ׃ - "Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock has increased abundantly in the land."
The Satan claims: Master of the Universe, Iyov receives cash payouts. It pays for Iyov to be God-fearing; it is profitable for him. After all, a person can have two physical motives that lead him to fear God. The first is fear of harm: lest trouble befall me, lest anything happen to the children, and for that reason he serves Hashem. The second is the hope of reward: he is not afraid of harm, but rather hopes for compensation. It is worthwhile to serve the Holy One, Blessed be He; I am submitting a business proposal here, investing, and expecting a return.
This is like people seen looking for a tzaddik before making investments. Before entering a project, a person looks for a rav, seeks a blessing, and asks who is a serious tzaddik he can consult. Until today you never sought out rabbis, and suddenly when a financial matter arises, you search for one. Why did you not ask regarding many other matters? You did not put on tefillin and did not ask whether to put them on, yet specifically here you ask? This shows that sometimes a person does things purely for personal benefit. Thus, we have two situations: to be saved from harm, and to gain benefit. And neither is lishmah (for its own sake), but rather for oneself and one's own advantage.
And this is precisely what the Satan says: "Have You not made a hedge around him" - making a hedge around him means that You saved him from harm: I shield you, saving you from all kinds of afflictions that could strike you. "Around his household, and around all that he has on every side" - that is one element, and it is enough to make Iyov serve You, for it is worthwhile for him; he has an umbrella of protection. And what is more: "You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock has increased abundantly in the land" - he also has the hope of reward; he receives even more good things, blessing in his commerce and blessing in his business affairs.
What is the meaning of "and his livestock has spread out in the land" (paratz ba'aretz)? It means in a supernatural manner. The Gemara in Masechet Bava Batra (15a) asks: What is "and his livestock has spread out in the land"? Rabbi Yose bar Chanina said: The livestock of Iyov broke through the natural boundaries of the world. The way of the world is that wolves kill goats, but with Iyov, the goats killed the wolves. You see that for him, wealth and success were supernatural.
Therefore, the Satan comes and argues: Iyov cannot be cited as an example and paragon of a righteous person who serves God with perfection, when You have shielded him so thoroughly from harm and granted him blessing and success in all his possessions. Well, what do You expect Iyov to do in his spare time? He serves God because it pays off. If so, all the righteousness You spoke of turns out to be service not for its own sake (shelo lishmah) - like a person who fasts for money, who has not truly overcome his desires; rather, his desire for money simply overpowered his desire to eat. Here too, the desire for blessing, honor, and prosperity overcomes other desires, and therefore he suppresses his nature to do Your will - because it pays off for him.
וְאוּלָם שְׁלַח־נָא יָדְךָ וְגַע בְּכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ אִם־לֹא עַל־פָּנֶיךָ יְבָרְכֶךָּ׃ - But put forth Your hand now, and touch all that he has, [and see] if he will not curse You to Your face.
The Satan says: This needs to be tested. Perhaps You are right, and perhaps not, and how can we check? Put forth Your hand. If his righteousness is truly genuine, stemming from an inner service of Hashem rather than a goal to profit and receive, then when hardship strikes Iyov, when he loses his property and acquisitions, he will still continue to believe in Hashem - for "I do not believe in Hashem because it pays off, but because I truly believe." But if his faith and righteousness stem from the fact that You hedged him about and bestowed good upon him, then as soon as the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not uphold the bargain - why should he continue to serve Him? He is no longer delivering the goods. Let us take everything away from him, and then You will see whether I am right or not.
Moreover, the Satan adds: Not only will he cease to be righteous before You, but quite the opposite - "he will bless You to Your face." "Will bless You" is used here as a euphemism for cursing: You will see if he does not revile and blaspheme against Heaven. In other words, his entire service is nothing more than utilitarian worship.
The Malbim explains that the expression "to Your face" (al panecha) alludes to individual Divine Providence (hashgachah pratit). "May Hashem shine His face upon you" - Hashem turns His face toward a person, meaning He watches over him with specific, personal providence. At times, this also applies to retribution: "And I will set My face against that man" - I will supervise him individually to bring misfortune upon him. The Satan says: You will see that "he will curse You to Your face" - that he will go so far as to condemn and claim that not only are You not a righteous judge, but that You actively commit injustice. "You are not a righteous judge" means You do not intervene when troubles befall me; but "to Your face" means he will assert that You Yourself, through direct individual providence, initiated all these troubles against me. Then You will truly be able to see Iyov's genuine worldview and mindset.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־הַשָּׂטָן הִנֵּה כׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ בְּיָדֶךָ רַק אֵלָיו אַל־תִּשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ וַיֵּצֵא הַשָּׂטָן מֵעִם פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה׃ - And Hashem said to the Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand; only upon him do not put forth your hand." And the Satan went out from the presence of Hashem.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to him: "All that he has is in your hand" - but do not lay a hand on his body. In the first stage, the trials are restricted to his possessions alone.
The Malbim notes: come and see that right here, the author of the book has already revealed to us everything that Iyov will search for throughout forty-two chapters. Iyov searches: Why am I suffering? His companions come, and each offers him a different reason for his suffering. But this is not a suspense novel, and therefore the verse reveals to us in advance: know that Iyov's suffering was a test; Hashem came to test him, and this was the underlying premise of the test. Iyov himself does not know this, which is why he has a question - why does a righteous man like me suffer and endure such agony? Later on, we will see other reasons for Iyov's suffering, but what the author of the book reveals to us is that his suffering stems from Hashem's desire to put him to the test.
The Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim (Part 3, Chapter 22) writes: "And his misfortunes are mentioned according to the values of human opinions" - that is, when you examine Iyov's troubles, you see that they are arranged according to the perceptions of human beings. There are people who are thrown into panic by the loss of wealth; financial loss can drive them out of their minds, and even to suicide. And there are people who are not shaken by the loss of wealth, but tremble at the death of children - if, Heaven forbid, one of their children dies, God forbid, they lose their sanity. And there are people whom even the loss of children does not break, but physical pains they cannot bear.
Hence the order: first the loss of wealth - let us see what the effect will be; next the loss of his children; and only in the third stage, physical afflictions. The Holy One, Blessed be He, tested him with every possible trial, so that one should not say: There are people who are not shaken by financial loss, and indeed Iyov lost all his money and remained a servant of God, but test him with the loss of his children or with bodily agony, and you will see. Indeed, the most difficult of all is physical suffering, for the Gemara says that a person who is tormented by physical agony can even come to deny the Creator of the world - if told that the suffering will be removed from him, he may even utter words of heresy because he cannot endure the pain. When there is bodily suffering, one is helpless; it is something that seemingly cannot be resisted, and therefore the Holy One, Blessed be He, tests him with all kinds of trials.
What is meant by "So the Satan went out from the presence of Hashem"? The Malbim explains: as we explained, the meaning of the Satan is absence and privation; the Satan is harm, whereas the Holy One, Blessed be He, is the complete opposite - every good thing emanates from Hashem, may He be blessed, and every evil thing comes through the Satan. Consequently, when the Satan comes to inflict harm and cause absence, he cannot do so from within the presence of the Holy One, Blessed be He.
And so we find regarding Navot HaYizre'eli: when that spirit said, "I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets," so that he would go up and fall at Ramot Gilad, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to it, "Go out, and do so." What does "Go out" mean? Hashem said to it: Leave My presence, for "one who speaks falsehood shall not remain before My eyes." You want to be beside Me and speak lies? That cannot stand before My eyes. We learn from this that in proximity to Hashem there can be no privation, no harm, and no falsehood, and therefore Hashem tells it to go out.
The Malbim adds: in order for harm to occur, the Creator of the world does not need to initiate damage. For the world to return to chaos and void, does the Holy One, Blessed be He, need to bring in a demolition company? No. He merely withdraws His will from the world, and that is all. To what may this be compared? A person holds a cup up high; what must he do for it not to remain up there? Simply open his hand. He does not need to throw it down - he opens his hand, and it falls. The Holy One, Blessed be He, sustains all created beings at every single moment, and for death or harm to occur, He merely withdraws His will and ceases to will that it live; He does not need to send something active to kill or to harm. Therefore, "So the Satan went out from the presence of Hashem" - the moment something departs, as it were, from before Hashem's presence, harm and deficiency inevitably follow.
וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וּבָנָיו וּבְנֹתָיו אֹכְלִים וְשֹׁתִים יַיִן בְּבֵית אֲחִיהֶם הַבְּכוֹר׃ - And the day came, and his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother.
"And the day came" - the verse emphasizes that the catastrophe did not stem from an earlier sin, nor from any sin of his children. For we recall the routine of the children: every day one of them would host a banquet, and on the first day the eldest would begin. When were they at their most righteous - on the first day of the cycle of feasts, or on the last? On the first day. For as we said, after the seven days of the cycle, Iyov would offer sacrifices and atone for them. If so, in the next cycle, the first one who begins the feasting is the cleanest; they might accumulate transgressions by the end of the seven days, but on the first day they are still pure and clear, since on the seventh day he had already sacrificed on their behalf. This is what the verse tells you: "And the day came, and his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother" - lest you think this occurred because of a sin, for this was already after Iyov had atoned for them. Their own actions caused nothing; this was the day on which they were completely pure and clear.
וּמַלְאָךְ בָּא אֶל־אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַר הַבָּקָר הָיוּ חֹרְשׁוֹת וְהָאֲתֹנוֹת רֹעוֹת עַל־יְדֵיהֶם׃ וַתִּפֹּל שְׁבָא וַתִּקָּחֵם וְאֶת־הַנְּעָרִים הִכּוּ לְפִי־חָרֶב וָאִמָּלְטָה רַק־אֲנִי לְבַדִּי לְהַגִּיד לָךְ׃ - And a messenger came to Iyov and said, "The oxen were plowing and the she-donkeys were grazing beside them. And the Sabeans attacked and took them, and struck the youths with the edge of the sword, and I alone escaped to tell you."
עוֹד זֶה מְדַבֵּר וְזֶה בָּא וַיֹּאמַר אֵשׁ אֱלֹהִים נָפְלָה מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם וַתִּבְעַר בַּצֹּאן וּבַנְּעָרִים וַתֹּאכְלֵם וָאִמָּלְטָה רַק־אֲנִי לְבַדִּי לְהַגִּיד לָךְ׃ - While this one was still speaking, another came and said, "A fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you."
עוֹד זֶה מְדַבֵּר וְזֶה בָּא וַיֹּאמַר כַּשְׂדִּים שָׂמוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה רָאשִׁים וַיִּפְשְׁטוּ עַל־הַגְּמַלִּים וַיִּקָּחוּם וְאֶת־הַנְּעָרִים הִכּוּ לְפִי־חָרֶב וָאִמָּלְטָה רַק־אֲנִי לְבַדִּי לְהַגִּיד לָךְ׃ - While this one was still speaking, another came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them, and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you."
עַד זֶה מְדַבֵּר וְזֶה בָּא וַיֹּאמַר בָּנֶיךָ וּבְנוֹתֶיךָ אֹכְלִים וְשֹׁתִים יַיִן בְּבֵית אֲחִיהֶם הַבְּכוֹר׃ וְהִנֵּה רוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה בָּאָה מֵעֵבֶר הַמִּדְבָּר וַיִּגַּע בְּאַרְבַּע פִּנּוֹת הַבַּיִת וַיִּפֹּל עַל־הַנְּעָרִים וַיָּמוּתוּ וָאִמָּלְטָה רַק־אֲנִי לְבַדִּי לְהַגִּיד לָךְ׃ - While this one was still speaking, another came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, when suddenly a great wind came from across the desert and struck the four corners of the house, so that it fell upon the young people and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you."
וַיָּקׇם אִיּוֹב וַיִּקְרַע אֶת־מְעִלוֹ וַיָּגׇז אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ וַיִּפֹּל אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ׃ וַיֹּאמֶר עָרֹם יָצָתִי מִבֶּטֶן אִמִּי וְעָרֹם אָשׁוּב שָׁמָּה יְהֹוָה נָתַן וַיהֹוָה לָקָח יְהִי שֵׁם יְהֹוָה מְבֹרָךְ׃ בְּכׇל־זֹאת לֹא־חָטָא אִיּוֹב וְלֹא־נָתַן תִּפְלָה לֵאלֹהִים׃ - Then Iyov arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground and prostrated himself. And he said, "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; Hashem gave, and Hashem has taken away; may the name of Hashem be blessed." In all this, Iyov did not sin, nor did he attribute anything improper to God.
We have read to the end of the chapter, and now let us return and explain from the beginning of the tidings.
"And a messenger came to Iyov" - a mal'ach here means a messenger. He comes and tells him: "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them." The plain meaning of the verse: "beside them" [al yedeihem] - next to them. But Chazal in the Gemara, Bava Batra 15a, expound: Rabbi Yochanan said, this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Iyov a foretaste of the World to Come - that it was eating shoots from the furrow, for the seed sprouted immediately. The ox passes and sows, and when the animal turns back along that same furrow, the seed has already sprouted and grown, and the animal feeds on it. This is a foretaste of the World to Come, for so it is written concerning the future to come: on the very day they plow, on that day it will grow. And along these lines it is said in Yirmiyahu, "the pregnant woman and she who gives birth together" - pregnancy and childbirth occurring at the same time, just as it was with Adam HaRishon.
And so it is cited in Midrash Batei Midrashot, Midrash Iyov: Rabbi Chananya bar Rabbi Yose HaGelili says, an example of the Messianic era existed in the days of Iyov. What do we find concerning the Messianic era? "The plowman shall meet the reaper" - this one finishes reaping, that one begins harvesting grapes; this one finishes harvesting grapes, that one begins plowing. So it was in the days of Iyov: the sower sowed, and the crops grew at his hands immediately. A wondrous marvel - a blessing that rested upon him in an abundance far beyond any familiar or ordinary abundance.
"And Sheba fell upon them and took them" - and the young men, those who guarded the cattle, they struck down with the edge of the sword. "And I alone have escaped to tell you" - I alone remained of all the young men, to come and tell you. And Sheba is the name of a kingdom, like the Queen of Sheba who came to King Shlomo to learn of his wisdom.
The Malbim explains, based on the words of the Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim: every evil that befalls a person belongs to one of three categories. Note that the Malbim will also divide each category into subcategories.
The first category of evil - evil arising from the nature of physical existence and corruption: a person struck by lightning, someone falling into a sinkhole that opened up in the ground, an earthquake, a hurricane. Nature contains destructive forces. The second category of evil - evil brought about by human beings: someone causes him harm, wars, robbers, bandits, murderers. The third category of evil - a person harming himself: someone who eats unhealthy food, does not lead a wholesome lifestyle, or is steeped in various desires that damage and corrupt him. This, by the way, is the most common form of evil: smoking, excessive meat, cholesterol, and all sorts of things through which a person inflicts harm upon himself.
Here, explains the Malbim, the Satan brought two types of afflictions upon Iyov, but not the third. First, "the Sabeans attacked" - this belongs to the category of evil brought about by human beings. Afterward, in verse 16, "A fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the young men and consumed them" - this is an affliction caused by the elements, a natural calamity: lightning, fire, an earthquake, and the like. But the third category, in which a person harms himself, did not befall Iyov - for Iyov would never bring harm upon himself. After all, God testified about him that he was one who "turned away from evil" - he kept far away from anything harmful and bad, and steered clear of illicit desires.
The Malbim continues to explain that each of these two categories contains two sub-categories. Within evil brought about by human beings: there are those who harm out of a lust for money - one wants your money and is willing even to kill for it; and there are those who harm out of honor, conquest, and dominion - a country going to war to conquer. Sometimes it is for money, like Iraq invading Kuwait for its resources, and sometimes it is for honor: "They did this and that to us, and we will take vengeance." If Syria seeks to wage war against us, it is not to acquire resources, but for Arab honor, which was left wounded from all the stinging defeats of past wars.
Similarly, evils brought about by the elements - that is, occurrences in nature - are divided into two. There is an event that is an utter anomaly, completely unnatural - such as fire falling from heaven. We have seen lightning, but fire falling from heaven is not a natural occurrence. And there are natural events, such as a strong wind that strikes from time to time; when a hurricane hits, one does not say it is unnatural, for we know that storms occur at certain intervals. Thus, natural calamities are also divided into the more natural and the less natural, just as damages caused by human beings are divided into two - damage caused by lust for money and damage caused by lust for honor and power. This introduction is necessary in order to understand how Iyov experienced a taste of every category of suffering, for the Holy One, Blessed Is He, brought every kind of affliction upon him, as will be explained later.
The Midrash in Batei Midrashot further states regarding "the Sabeans attacked and took them": Come and see how much the Holy One, Blessed Is He, shortened the distance for Iyov's calamity - for the distance from Sheba to the village of Karinos, which was Iyov's village, was a three-year journey, yet as soon as they sinned - "the Sabeans attacked and took them." That is, the moment the loss was meant to occur, the Holy One, Blessed Is He, brought them there instantly, an event that naturally should have taken three years.
Regarding "And I alone have escaped to tell you," the Yalkut Shimoni states: Wherever the word rak ("only") is used, it serves as an exclusion or diminution. Seemingly, it would have been enough to say, "And I alone have escaped"; what is the purpose of "only"? Rather, even this "I alone" was diminished - he, too, returned broken and battered. Even the "I alone" was not fully intact.
Furthermore, Rav Yudan said regarding "alone to tell you": He, too, as soon as he delivered his report, died immediately. The moment he finished his sentence - he collapsed and died. Not only was he broken and battered, but he too perished. All this illustrates just how immense Iyov's calamity was. For a person might say: at least the messengers who arrived survived, so he still had a company of servants left. The Midrash tells you: no, even the messenger who arrived collapsed and died. And from where do we derive this? From the precise wording, "And I alone have escaped to tell you" - why was it necessary to emphasize "to tell you"? After all, he worked for Iyov, so of course he came to tell Iyov! Rather, life remained in him only for the purpose of the telling itself; his entire escape lasted only for the duration of "telling you."
The Satan does not dispute Iyov's actions, but rather his motives: "Does Iyov fear God for nothing?" - perhaps all his fear stems from the hedge with which You protected him from harm and from the blessing with which You blessed the work of his hands; if so, this is not service of God for its own sake, but merely one desire overcoming another. Therefore, he proposes the test: "Stretch forth Your hand," and the Holy One, Blessed Is He, grants him power over Iyov's wealth alone - because the order of trials corresponds to human perception: wealth, then children, and finally bodily suffering, which is the most agonizing of all. Scripture informs us in advance that all of Iyov's suffering is a trial, emphasizing that the calamity struck specifically on a day when his children were pure and pristine, so that we would not attribute it to sin. The afflictions themselves encompassed every category of evil - at the hands of human beings and from the elements - whereas the third category of evil, where a person harms himself, could not apply to Iyov, who "turned away from evil." Our Sages teach how total and crushing the calamity was: the reports came in rapid succession, one after another, and the messengers themselves returned broken and battered, dying immediately after delivering their words.