Introduction: Iyov Demands the Right to Speak
In this section of the chapter, Iyov turns to his companions and says to them: Everything you have spoken until now was not uttered out of complete freedom, but out of awe of God's majesty and fear of punishment. These are not genuine arguments that you truly believe ought to be said. If so - as I already said earlier - it would have been better for you to remain silent. From here on, Iyov proceeds to claim for himself the right to speak, and to set forth his arguments before Heaven.
"Keep silent from me, and I will speak" - One Who Has Nothing to Lose
הַחֲרִישׁוּ מִמֶּנִּי וַאֲדַבְּרָה־אָנִי וְיַעֲבֹר עָלַי מָה׃ - Keep silent from me, that I may speak, and let come upon me what will.
You, Iyov says, are under no obligation to speak. If deep inside you know that truth is on my side, yet you do not want to vindicate me - at least be quiet. Do not justify me, but do not speak ill either. I understand that you are afraid, overcome by awe of God's majesty and dread of punishment; one who is afraid need only stay silent, and he will not be punished.
But as for me, Iyov says, what do I have left to fear? What else can be done to me? "And let come upon me what will" - what else could happen to me that has not already occurred? After all, Iyov did not believe in techiyas hameisim (the resurrection of the dead), nor did he believe in reward and punishment after death, or in the survival of the soul, as we have seen explicitly above and will see further ahead. Therefore he argues: What more can He do to me - torment me further? The Satan afflicted Iyov with sufferings such that just one ounce more, and he would have died. And we have seen that the Satan's challenge was no less difficult than Iyov's, for Hashem told him: "Break the barrel, but preserve its wine." In other words, I have reached the absolute peak of suffering. If so, what else could hold me back from speaking? You have something to fear - so be silent, no one forced you to speak; but I have something to say, so hold your peace and hear my words.
"Why should I take my flesh in my teeth" - No Point in Biting One's Lips
עַל־מָה אֶשָּׂא בְשָׂרִי בְשִׁנָּי וְנַפְשִׁי אָשִׂים בְּכַפִּי׃ - Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand?
When a person has something to say and suppresses his words, he grinds his teeth and forcibly seals his lips. Regarding this Iyov says: "Why should I take my flesh in my teeth" - what reason do I have to force my mouth shut and not express what is in my heart?
"And put my life in my hand" - the expression "he put his life in his hand" appears many times in Tanach, meaning that a person risked his life. When someone holds an object loosely in the palm of his hand, a slight blow causes it to fall; similarly, this is said of someone in such dire peril that his life rests, as it were, openly in his palm, and a single slight blow will make it vanish. Says Iyov: In any case my life is in my hand; in any case I stand at the threshold of the gates of death at every single moment. If so, do I stand to lose anything if I speak? Will I end up in any greater danger than where I already am? If my silence does not lessen my suffering, it is far better to speak.
"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" - The Threat of Death Is No Threat
הֵן יִקְטְלֵנִי לוֹ אֲיַחֵל אַךְ־דְּרָכַי אֶל־פָּנָיו אוֹכִיחַ׃ - Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; nevertheless I will argue my ways to His face.
Sometimes a person asks questions about the Creator of the world: Why does Hashem do this, and who says this is proper? He has all kinds of difficulties. People tell him: Be careful, do not ask too many questions, lest the Holy One, blessed be He, summon you to give you answers. It is better that you say, "We do not understand," and leave it at that.
To this Iyov replies: What will you tell me - that Hashem will summon me? I long for that very moment! After all, throughout his suffering Iyov lamented: Why does Hashem still keep me alive? Let Him take me! Why did I not perish as I came forth from the womb? And he cursed the day of his birth. If so, one cannot threaten him with death. "Kill me" - that would be the greatest kindness You could do for me, and he had already pleaded for this several times. "Though He slay me" - if the Holy One, blessed be He, kills me, "yet I will yearn for Him" - for this time I yearn, this is what I anticipate. "Yet I will argue my ways before Him" - but I wish to prove before Him that I am righteous in my judgment, and that I am not receiving punishment because of any evil deed I have done.
"This Too Shall Be My Salvation" - There Is No Flattery Before Hashem
גַּם־הוּא־לִי לִישׁוּעָה כִּי־לֹא לְפָנָיו חָנֵף יָבוֹא׃ - This too shall be my salvation, for no flatterer may come before Him.
Iyov says: Inevitably, by clarifying the truth before Him, this will lead to my salvation. I am confident that Hashem will not punish me for this, as "no flatterer may come before Him" - Hashem has no interest in flattery, but in truth, integrity, and justice. And in this, I have an advantage over you: You supposedly come to justify Hashem, but you flatter Him. Hashem prefers that one come and speak the truth before Him, so long as there are justice, integrity, and truth. And if I speak the truth, salvation will yet come to me from this, as Hashem will deliver me from the distress I am in.
The Yerushalmi: "Iyov Served the Omnipresent Only Out of Love"
The Gemara in Masechet Sotah in the Talmud Yerushalmi states: On that very day, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hurkanus expounded - Iyov served the Omnipresent only out of love, as it says, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him [literally: yearn for Him]." The Yerushalmi does not interpret this in the manner of the Malbim, which is the path we are following in this study; the Malbim explains that Iyov was expecting to die. But the Yerushalmi interprets: "Though He slay me" - even if Hashem brings upon me the greatest calamity, I am still full of hope and yearning toward Him, entirely longing for Hashem, blessed be He. This is a tremendous, elevated level, where a person says: Even if Hashem brings upon me the harshest afflictions, I remain attached to Him. From here you learn that Iyov served Hashem out of love.
The Gemara continues: The matter is still balanced - do I yearn for Him or do I not yearn for Him? For here there is a keri and a ketiv: it is written lo with an alef (meaning "not"), yet read lo with a vav (meaning "for Him"). Thus, it could be read, "for Him do I yearn" - I yearn for Him, or it could be read, "I do not yearn" - I do not yearn for Him. Scripture therefore teaches, "Until I perish, I will not let go of my integrity" - even until my death I will not cast aside my wholeness, love, and closeness to the Creator of the world. From here you learn that he acted out of love. Rabbi Yehoshua said: Who will remove the dust from your eyes, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, for all your days you expounded that Iyov served the Omnipresent only out of fear - and from where did Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai learn this? From an explicit verse: "a wholehearted and upright man, God-fearing and shunning evil." Yet now comes your disciple's disciple, Yehoshua ben Hurkanus, and teaches that he acted out of love.
"Hear Diligently My Speech" - To Listen and Scrutinize
שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ מִלָּתִי וְאַחֲוָתִי בְּאׇזְנֵיכֶם׃ - Hear diligently my speech, and let my declaration be in your ears.
Iyov says to them: Listen to the words I am speaking, and to that which I declare and make known in your ears. That is, not only the substance of the matter, but also what is between the lines. In other words: Scrutinize my words carefully. Sometimes a person hears the general point but does not examine it closely; therefore Iyov asks that they both listen to the statements and scrutinize the precise words.
"Behold Now, I Have Ordered My Cause" - Two Reasons to Remain Silent, and Neither Applies
הִנֵּה־נָא עָרַכְתִּי מִשְׁפָּט יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־אֲנִי אֶצְדָּק׃ - Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I shall be vindicated.
Iyov says: It would only make sense for me to remain silent and not argue to prove my innocence under one of two circumstances. The first - that I have not yet arranged my arguments, finding it difficult to assemble the proofs and evidence, and things are not yet organized in my mind. The second - that even if my claims are well ordered and I know exactly what to argue and how, a person sometimes avoids going to court altogether because he is certain he will not receive justice there; that is, he doubts whether he will be vindicated in his judgment.
Iyov comes and says: Neither condition applies to me. "Behold now, I have prepared my case" - everything is set out before me, and I have arguments arranged point by point. "I know that I shall be vindicated" - and I also know with complete certainty that I will be proven right. Consequently, since I have both just claims and the certainty that I will prevail in judgment, I have no reason at all to remain silent.
מִי־הוּא יָרִיב עִמָּדִי כִּי־עַתָּה אַחֲרִישׁ וְאֶגְוָע׃ - Who is it that can dispute with me? For then I would be silent and perish.
Who could possibly come and contend with me, saying: Even though you have just arguments, and even though you know you will be vindicated - be silent, accept the punishment, and die as one suspected of wickedness? Who would dare claim this when everything is on my side: both well-ordered arguments and the clear conviction that I am righteous and will be vindicated in judgment? Who could silence me? Therefore, Iyov says, in such a situation I must certainly state my claims and speak what is on my heart, and that is why I argue and present my case before Hashem.
Two Small Requests Before the Trial
אַךְ־שְׁתַּיִם אַל־תַּעַשׂ עִמָּדִי אָז מִפָּנֶיךָ לֹא אֶסָּתֵר׃ - Only two things do not do to me, then I will not hide myself from Your presence.
Iyov says: Master of the Universe, before I present my arguments, I have one small request - do not inflict two evils upon me, and then "I will not hide myself from Your presence"; I will be able to stand and plead my case before You face to face, without needing to hide.
כַּפְּךָ מֵעָלַי הַרְחַק וְאֵמָתְךָ אַל־תְּבַעֲתַנִּי׃ - Withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not Your dread terrify me.
The first request: "Withdraw Your hand far from me" - that at least during our debate, the afflictions You strike me with will cease; at least while the case is being heard and I present my arguments, remove Your hand from me. And the second request: "and let not Your dread terrify me" - even if You do not strike me, the mere experience of standing before an exalted, supreme King casts such an overwhelming dread upon me that my arguments become buried and swallowed up, leaving me unable to open my mouth. I therefore ask that You remove Your terror, so that I may state my arguments and my words will not be silenced.
"Then Call, and I Will Answer" - Ready for Any Order of Proceedings
וּקְרָא וְאָנֹכִי אֶעֱנֶה אוֹ־אֲדַבֵּר וַהֲשִׁיבֵנִי׃ - Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and reply to me.
If You call and enumerate my iniquities and my sins - "and I will answer," I will respond to them and provide an explanation for them, and justify myself with what I have to say. And like two litigants in court, where one presents a claim and the other responds, Iyov says: I am prepared for either possibility. Either You open and argue against me and I will answer, or if You do not wish to - "I will speak and You answer me," I will state my arguments and You, Master of the Universe, will answer me. I am ready either way.
כַּמָּה לִי עֲוֺנוֹת וְחַטָּאוֹת פִּשְׁעִי וְחַטָּאתִי הֹדִיעֵנִי׃ - How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin.
And what will You call out? You afflict me and wish to accuse me, to say that I am wicked and deserve this - if so, please: "Call, and I will answer." Enumerate for me how many iniquities and sins I have, what transgressions I committed. This is Iyov's plea throughout the entire debate: Master of the Universe, for what are You judging me? What did I do? And if You do not wish to inform me of the quantity - "make me know my transgression and my sin," at least make their nature known to me. For I contend: not only did I not commit many sins - "how many are my iniquities and sins?" I have none - but I did not even commit a few transgressions and sins. And if You have a claim against me, assert it and declare it; I ask to come and debate before You, Master of the Universe.
"And Count Me as an Enemy to You" - Iyov or Oyev
לָמָּה־פָנֶיךָ תַסְתִּיר וְתַחְשְׁבֵנִי לְאוֹיֵב לָךְ׃ - Why do You hide Your face, and count me as an enemy to You?
Iyov says: But You, Master of the Universe, do the opposite. Not only do You not wish to stand before me and debate with me, and You do not reveal Yourself to me so that we can argue face-to-face, but You even hide Your face; and not only that, but You count me as an enemy to You and treat me as one treats an enemy.
And this is the argument we saw in the Gemara: Iyov said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, perhaps You confused Iyov with an oyev (enemy)? As if a mistake occurred on High, and instead of "Iyov" it was recorded as "oyev," and that is why You treat me as an enemy. And to this, we saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, answered him: How many hairs are on a person's head, and each one draws nourishment from its own follicle, and if one follicle were switched with another, God forbid, a person's eyesight would be dimmed. "Then Hashem answered Iyov out of the whirlwind (se'arah)" - He said to him: Between a whirlwind (se'arah) and a hair (se'arah) I do not confuse, and you think I would confuse between Iyov and oyev? And where was Iyov's claim stated? Here: "and count me as an enemy to You."
The Driven Leaf and the Dry Stubble
הֶעָלֶה נִדָּף תַּעֲרוֹץ וְאֶת־קַשׁ יָבֵשׁ תִּרְדֹּף׃ - Will You break a driven leaf, and pursue dry stubble?
כִּי־תִכְתֹּב עָלַי מְרֹרוֹת וְתוֹרִישֵׁנִי עֲוֺנוֹת נְעוּרָי׃ - For You write bitter things against me, and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
Here too, the parallel clauses of the verse correspond to one another: "Will You break a driven leaf" corresponds to "For You write bitter things against me," while "and pursue dry stubble" corresponds to "and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth."
In their time, they used leaves for writing; papyrus too is a type of leaf used for writing - they would take papyrus reed leaves, weave them, and make a kind of paper from them upon which they wrote. And when they wanted to write good things, they would seek out an intact leaf; but when they wanted to write bad things or unimportant matters, they would write even on a scrap of a leaf, a fragment of a leaf. Iyov says: "Will You break a driven leaf" - Master of the Universe, do You consider me a driven leaf, a leaf unfit to have good things written upon it, and therefore "write bitter things against me"? For the afflictions that Hashem brings upon a person are like a writing He inscribes upon him: on my body You write and inscribe afflictions and suffering.
"And pursue dry stubble?" - As long as the grain is in its prime, everyone seeks the stalk and pursues it in order to thresh it and extract the grain. But once they have harvested and removed the wheat from the straw, what remains? Only dry stubble, and no one seeks it or pursues it. Iyov says: And will You pursue dry stubble? Do You continue to pursue me even now that I am dry stubble - old, sick, with nothing left in me - because You remember that once I held grain, that once I harbored sins? "And make me inherit the sins of my youth" - because of my past, because You remember the sins of my youth, You pursue me today, even though today I am nothing more than dry stubble without a stalk of grain and without harvest, with nothing left in me. Why, then, do You pursue me today for what took place back then?
"You put my feet in the stocks" - The Argument Concerning Free Will
וְתָשֵׂם בַּסַּד רַגְלַי וְתִשְׁמוֹר כׇּל־אׇרְחוֹתָי עַל־שׇׁרְשֵׁי רַגְלַי תִּתְחַקֶּה׃ - "You put my feet in the stocks, watch all my paths, and trace the soles of my feet."
What is a "sad" (stocks)? It is a wooden board with two circular openings that was clamped around a person's feet and locked, leaving him completely unable to move from his place. This was the practice in the Middle Ages in the town square: placing a person's head and hands in the pillory, where every passerby would spit upon him and humiliate him - the public pillory.
Iyov says: Master of the Universe, You have placed my feet in the stocks so that they cannot move, yet nevertheless "You watch all my paths" - my ways. But if You have placed my feet in stocks, can I possibly walk against Your will? Where can I go, except wherever the stocks are set? It turns out that my feet are channeled only according to where You lead me. If so, why do You watch and examine all my ways, and punish me, as it were, for walking on improper paths? According to what did I walk? According to the stocks You placed upon me! The underlying message is: if there is no free will, and all my actions are compelled, like someone whose feet are clamped in stocks, why am I held accountable for improper deeds? After all, my actions do not stem from me.
וְהוּא כְּרָקָב יִבְלֶה כְּבֶגֶד אֲכָלוֹ עָשׁ׃ - "Though he wears away like rot, like a garment consumed by a moth."
"You trace the roots of my feet" - if You trace the roots of my feet, to see from what source their actions emerge and where they originate, You will find: "Though he wears away like rot, like a garment consumed by a moth" - like something ruined and decayed. That is to say, my feet possess no power of their own; they are like something rotted, like a moth-eaten garment. In simple terms: where does the strength of my feet come from? From You. And if their strength comes from You, and I have no free choice, and You have placed my feet in stocks, why do You watch all my paths? Why do You scrutinize all my deeds, telling me, "Here you did not do well, and there you did not do well," and punishing me for improper deeds, when I am locked in stocks and act only in accordance with what You have decreed?
In summary:
In this chapter, Iyov claims for himself the right to speak: his companions have nothing to offer but fear, while he has nothing left to lose - his life hangs in the balance anyway, and death in his eyes is a mercy he longs for. He declares that his arguments are prepared and that he knows with certainty that he will be vindicated in judgment, asking for only two requests before the trial begins: that the afflictions be lifted from him and that the dread be removed, so that he may speak. From there, he turns to demand: Make my sins known to me, and why do You hide Your face and consider me an enemy? Why pursue a driven leaf and dry stubble for the sins of youth? And why hold me to account for my deeds, if my feet are bound in stocks and their strength comes from You? From here, and from the verses "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" and "Until I die I will not put away my integrity," Chazal deduced that Iyov served the Omnipresent purely out of love.