At the end of the first chapter, we saw the harsh rebuke concerning the offering of blemished sacrifices - blind, lame, and sick. Chapter 2 opens with a direct appeal to the Kohanim themselves: it is not only those who bring them who are guilty, but primarily those who were supposed to stand at the gate and prevent it. From here, the prophet continues to describe the covenant of the Kehunah in both of its aspects - what the Holy One, blessed be He, gives and what He demands - and how the Kohanim of that generation corrupted this covenant.
וְעַתָּה אֲלֵיכֶם הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת הַכֹּהֲנִים׃ - "And now, to you is this commandment, O Kohanim."
Radak explains: The Kohanim were the ones who received the corrupted sacrifice from the hands of those bringing it. It was incumbent upon you to stop them, to teach them that such an offering is unfitting to offer before Hashem, just as the Torah forbade. "This commandment" is the duty placed upon you - to warn and prevent the people from bringing blemished offerings.
The Malbim adds that there is a command here for the future: from now on, I command you to oversee this and warn the people. Take heed from this point forward - to admonish them.
אִם־לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ וְאִם־לֹא תָשִׂימוּ עַל־לֵב לָתֵת כָּבוֹד לִשְׁמִי אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי בָכֶם אֶת־הַמְּאֵרָה וְאָרוֹתִי אֶת־בִּרְכוֹתֵיכֶם וְגַם אָרוֹתִיהָ כִּי אֵינְכֶם שָׂמִים עַל־לֵב׃ - "If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart to give honor to My Name, said Hashem, Master of Legions, then I will send the curse among you, and I will curse your blessings; indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not take it to heart."
"If you will not listen" - this pertains to the warning that I am warning you. "And if you will not lay it to heart" - this pertains to independent reflection, the illumination of intellect. You ought to apply your intellect and realize that it is proper to honor Hashem appropriately, and not to bring before Him the blind, the sick, and the lame. Intellect itself dictates that honor be given to Hashem, may He be blessed. And if you do not even take this to heart - "then I will send the curse among you."
What is "the curse"? In the previous chapter, it was said: "Cursed be the deceiver who has in his flock a male" yet brings a blemished sacrifice anyway. That same curse is the curse that will be sent upon you. And what is "and I will curse your blessings"? You, the Kohanim, bless the nation with Birkat Kohanim (the Priestly Blessing) following the offering of the sacrifice, as it is said, "And they shall place My Name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them" - through you, the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses the people. But now, when you remove Heaven's Name from Israel and desecrate His Name, I will turn your blessing into a curse. And not only in the future: "indeed, I have already cursed them" - I have already done so in practice; since you do not take it to heart, I have already turned your blessings into curses.
הִנְנִי גֹעֵר לָכֶם אֶת־הַזֶּרַע וְזֵרִיתִי פֶרֶשׁ עַל־פְּנֵיכֶם פֶּרֶשׁ חַגֵּיכֶם וְנָשָׂא אֶתְכֶם אֵלָיו׃ - "Behold, I will rebuke the seed for your sake, and spread dung upon your faces, the dung of your festival sacrifices; and you shall be carried away to it."
Chaggai and Zechariah promised the people that from the time they began rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash and offering sacrifices, blessing would rest upon the seed they sowed: even though you do not see blessing now, once you begin the sacred service you will see the land yield its produce. Now Hashem tells them: since you do not keep the charge of the sacrifices properly and instead bring the lame and sick, "Behold, I will rebuke the seed for your sake" - I will rebuke the seed so that it does not grow for a blessing.
"And I will spread dung upon your faces" - these offerings are invalid, and what remains of them? In and of itself, the sacrifice is unfit to ascend before Hashem, and all that is left of it is the dung, the refuse, and the ashes. This, Hashem says, I will scatter upon your faces. And likewise the dung of the offerings you sacrifice on the festivals - "the dung of your festival sacrifices." "And one shall take you away with it" - the Malbim explains that *nasa* (taking away/carrying) is an expression of burning, as in "and David and his men carried them off [burned them]" and "the beacon fire began to rise." That is: the fire will burn and consume you as well, and you will become like the dung and ashes that are burned.
Here the Malbim notes something fascinating. We see that the sacrifices themselves are called *chaggim*: "nor shall the fat of My festival sacrifice remain until morning," and here, "the dung of your festival offerings." The question is, which came first: is the sacrifice called a *chag* because it is offered on a festival, or were the festivals called *chaggim* after the sacrifice known as a *chag*? The simple assumption would be that a festival is an occasion called a *chag*, and the sacrifice is named after it. But the Malbim says the reverse: the sacrifices are called *chag*, and from them the name *chag* was borrowed for the festivals - since sacrifices are offered on the festivals, the festivals were also named *chaggim*.
This seems perplexing at first glance, for the straightforward understanding is that *chag* derives from the root of drawing a circle with a compass (*mechugah*), just as *shanah* (year) derives from repetition and return - a *chag* means that we cycle around like a compass and return to the same point, like someone completing a circuit and arriving back at the original place. Yet the Malbim implies that fundamentally it is the name of the sacrifice. We must therefore understand the root and source for calling the sacrifice itself a *chag*, such that the Yamim Tovim on which these offerings are brought were only called *chaggim* after it.
There is a well-known passage in the Zohar in Parashat Yitro (p. 88b), familiar to anyone who recites the Zohar on Shabbat before the meal. The Zohar states: "Come and see: on all other appointed times and festivals, a person must rejoice and gladden the poor." If one rejoices alone and does not give to the poor, his punishment is severe, for he rejoiced by himself and shared no joy with others. And of him it is said in Malachi: "And I will spread dung upon your faces, the dung of your festivals." How dreadfully severe: when a person celebrates in isolation and does not include the poor, the Holy One, blessed be He, says that his festival is like dung thrown in his face - as if to say, it finds no favor before Me.
Yet look and consider the stature of Shabbat, how much greater and more holy it is. The Zohar continues: if one rejoices on Shabbat and does not bring others to his table, "he is not punished as on other times and festivals, for it is written: 'the dung of your festivals' - it says 'your festivals,' and not 'the dung of your Sabbaths.'" Eating on Shabbat is always pleasing and acceptable before Hashem. Consider also the verse in Yeshayahu chapter 1: "Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hates" - it does not say "your Sabbaths." Shabbat is always acceptable before Him. But regarding the festivals, if we do not act properly, do not invite the poor to our table, and do not distribute charity to the needy prior to the Yom Tov as is customary, the Holy One, blessed be He, proclaims: "Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hates," and "the dung of your festivals" - it is, as it were, flung back in one's face like dung. Truly fearful.
וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי שִׁלַּחְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם אֵת הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת לִהְיוֹת בְּרִיתִי אֶת־לֵוִי אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת׃ - "And you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant might be with Levi, said the Lord of Hosts."
The Malbim explains: know that My sending this commandment to you is no novelty, for you have been bound by it all along. And why do I place this responsibility upon you? Because I have a covenant with the tribe of Levi. It was on this very condition that I sealed the covenant of the priesthood with the Levites - that they keep My charge, as elaborated in the very next verse.
בְּרִיתִי הָיְתָה אִתּוֹ הַחַיִּים וְהַשָּׁלוֹם וָאֶתְּנֵם־לוֹ מוֹרָא וַיִּירָאֵנִי וּמִפְּנֵי שְׁמִי נִחַת הוּא׃ - "My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him for fear, and he feared Me, and was humbled before My Name."
Radak explains that "My covenant was with him" refers to the head of the priestly tribe, Aharon the holy one of Hashem, and also to Pinchas, who was zealous for his God. Regarding Pinchas, it is said: "Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace" - this is the "peace"; and it is said: "And it shall be to him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood" - and he was indeed blessed with extraordinary longevity, living for more than three hundred years, and this is "life."
This is a fascinating point. It is doubtful whether there is anyone else in Nevi'im, after the era of Moshe Rabbeinu, about whom there is explicit documentation of having lived for more than three hundred years - not just in the words of Chazal, but documented explicitly in the text of Tanach itself. The Radak notes: even according to the view that Pinchas is not Eliyahu, one does not need to rely on the words of Chazal to prove his longevity, for we find him in the episode of the Concubine of Giv'ah (Pilegesh b'Giv'ah), where it says, "And Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon the Kohen, stood before it in those days." If you count the years until that time, you arrive at three hundred years. A wondrous thing - documentation of a person living more than three hundred years. That is, unless one wishes to suggest that this was a different Pinchas, which is rather novel, since the verse explicitly mentions three generations - "the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon the Kohen" - implying the original Aharon, the original Elazar, and the original Pinchas. In any event, we learn that long life and peace were granted to him.
The Malbim explains that the covenant had two sides. On My part - "life and peace": I promised him life and peace, as in, "Behold, I give him My covenant of peace," and "that they guard your charge, and they shall not die," and "you shall not profane the sacred things of the Children of Israel, and you shall not die." And on his part - "and I gave them to him for fear, and he feared Me": what was required of Aharon and his descendants was to fear Hashem.
And what is the meaning of "and he was awed before My Name" (*umipenei Shemi nichat hu*)? *Nichat* is also an expression of dread, as in *vehayetah chitat* - an expression of fear. What is the difference between the two? The Malbim explains: first, *yirah* (awe) is greater than *chitat* (dread). Second, *yirah* also encompasses *yirat haromemut* (awe of the Divine exaltedness), whereas *chitat* denotes the fear of being crushed or broken, as in "made without fear (*chat*)" - without breaking. One who casts his dread (*chitato*) terrifies others because he might bring about ruin, destruction, and harm. Thus, *chitat* is the fear of punishment (*yirat ha'onesh*). If so, Hashem says: I grant life and peace, and on your part both things are required - "and he feared Me" (*vayira'eni*) with *yirat haromemut* before Hashem's greatness, and also "he was awed before My Name" (*umipenei Shemi nichat hu*) with fear of punishment. Both are necessary.
תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת הָיְתָה בְּפִיהוּ וְעַוְלָה לֹא־נִמְצָא בִשְׂפָתָיו בְּשָׁלוֹם וּבְמִישׁוֹר הָלַךְ אִתִּי וְרַבִּים הֵשִׁיב מֵעָוֺן׃ - The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips; in peace and uprightness he walked with Me, and he turned many away from iniquity.
Through the fear of Hashem that he establishes in his heart, he guards Hashem's words - both in matters of Torah and in practical conduct. Regarding the study of Torah itself: "The Torah of truth was in his mouth" - the Torah he learned for himself was a Torah of truth, which the Malbim explains means according to the wisdom received from Sinai. "And iniquity was not found on his lips" - in what he taught and instructed to others as well, he ruled in accordance with Halachah. Not only what he internalized for himself, but also what he articulated with his lips to teach others was entirely in accordance with the truth.
Here the Malbim reiterates a fundamental principle that is often seen in the study of Sefer Mishlei: the difference between "mouth" (*peh*) and "lips" (*sefataiym*). The lip is external, while the mouth indicates interiority. The lip is what a person expresses outward to teach others; the mouth is internal, the realm of *chochmah* (wisdom). And the lip hints at matters of *da'at* (knowledge).
The explanation is as follows: *chochmah* is something a person cannot attain on his own, but only through what is received from his teachers. For example, all matters of morality fall under the category of *chochmah*, because human intellect alone cannot determine what is truly moral and what is not. Notice how to this day, the nations of the world debate in countless cases whether a certain act is moral or not - one concludes that animals may not be killed for medical cures, while another deduces that one may even inflict pain on them for this purpose, each with his own "morality." What is true morality? Only what we received from Moshe at Sinai. This is the definition of *chochmah*, and it is alluded to by the "mouth" - things that come through tradition and remain internalized, not what one generates outwardly from his own mind.
In contrast, the "lip" alludes to what a person derives through his own intellect - things that reason can grasp and comprehend, accepted through the senses or as first principles. Five plus five equals ten - this is *da'at*, not *chochmah*. One does not need to receive this from a prophet or from Moshe Rabbeinu; human reason dictates it. For elementary, self-evident concepts, or things proven by empirical observation, human intellect (*da'at*) suffices to know them with complete clarity. And because they are distinct, clear, and indisputable, they can readily be conveyed to others - which is why they are associated with the lip.
From this emerges a magnificent insight: specifically in matters that depend on *da'at*, which a person reasons through logic and intellect, is there room for error or injustice (*avlah*) - because the analogies one draws may not be precise; one might compare one case to another and make a slight intellectual error. Therefore the verse says, "and iniquity was not found on his lips," rather than "in his mouth" - for in the mouth, which represents the *chochmah* received from the prophets and from Moshe Rabbeinu, error does not apply at all. We find matters in which even great leaders erred: Shaul, before going to strike Amalek, argued that for the sake of one dead person a heifer's neck is broken (*eglah arufah*), yet here he was commanded to kill men, women, and children? There was a misjudgment here, certainly according to his exalted stature - but it shows that things stemming from pure *chochmah* cannot easily be reasoned out, as they do not rely on standard intellectual proofs.
"In peace and uprightness he walked with Me" - this refers to practical conduct between man and God: he did not deviate from Hashem's commandments, nor did he stray from the straight path. "And he turned many away from iniquity" - this pertains to conduct between man and his fellow: by rebuking people and offering them moral guidance, he turned them back from sin and guided them toward repair.
כִּי־שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ־דַעַת וְתוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ כִּי מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה־צְבָאוֹת הוּא׃ - For the lips of a kohen should safeguard knowledge, and people seek Torah from his mouth, for he is a messenger of the Lord of Hosts.
Corresponding to what he taught the people - whether Torah or proper conduct - the prophet says: "For the lips of a kohen should safeguard knowledge." Once again, the lips are mentioned, referring to the teachings he imparted to others. As we noted, that which pertains to intellect and logical understanding (da'at) is easy to teach and transmit, because it is rational and every mind can grasp it. He taught the people matters he investigated through his intellect, which he knows with clear comprehension - and therefore, "the lips of a kohen should safeguard knowledge."
And corresponding to the traditions he received by transmission - matters of wisdom (chochmah) that lack intellectual proofs and cannot be demonstrated logically, but rather rest on "this is what we received" - these are attributed to the mouth: "and they shall seek Torah from his mouth." He received the written and oral Torah, and whoever wishes to receive it must seek Torah from his mouth. He cannot simply approach people and start teaching these matters unprompted, for they might not accept them, given that their intellect cannot independently grasp them. Rather, they must come and ask: Teach us what you received, and what Torah was handed down to you from Moshe Rabbeinu. "For he is a messenger of the Lord of Hosts" - he is an emissary of Hashem, and his mission is to teach Torah to the people. He must store the Torah within his heart, preserve the knowledge of the holy ones bestowed upon him, and pass it on to the people he is tasked with teaching.
In Midrash Vayikra Rabbah, parashah 3, our Sages interpreted all these verses as referring to Aharon: "'My covenant was with him, life and peace' - for he pursued peace in Israel. 'And I gave them to him for fear, and he feared Me' - for he accepted upon himself the words of the Torah with dread, awe, trembling, and sweat. 'What is meant by: and he was humbled before My Name?' They said: At the moment Moshe poured the anointing oil upon Aharon's head, Aharon recoiled and fell backward, crying: 'Woe is me, perhaps I committed sacrilege with the anointing oil - for it is holy, and I am being anointed with it!' The Divine Spirit answered him: 'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together... Like the dew of Chermon descending upon the mountains of Tzion' - just as dew is not subject to sacrilege, so too the anointing oil is not subject to sacrilege. 'Like fine oil upon the head, running down upon the beard' - that is Aharon."
The Midrash continues: "'The Torah of truth was in his mouth' - for he never declared the pure impure, nor the impure pure. 'And iniquity was not found on his lips' - for he did not forbid the permitted nor permit the forbidden. 'In peace and uprightness he walked with Me' - for he did not question the ways of the Omnipresent, just as Avraham Avinu did not question them. When Aharon's sons died, 'and Aharon was silent'; he did not question Hashem's ways, just as Avraham, when sent to bind his son, did not say: Yesterday You told me, 'For through Yitzchak shall your offspring be called,' and today You say to me, 'Offer him there for an elevation-offering?' He did not question. 'And he turned many away from iniquity' - for he brought wrongdoers back to Torah study, loving people and drawing them close to Torah, and concerning this it says, 'Sincerely have they loved you.' And finally: 'For the lips of a kohen should safeguard knowledge, and people seek Torah from his mouth, for he is a messenger of the Lord of Hosts.'"
וְאַתֶּם סַרְתֶּם מִן־הַדֶּרֶךְ הִכְשַׁלְתֶּם רַבִּים בַּתּוֹרָה שִׁחַתֶּם בְּרִית הַלֵּוִי אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת׃ - But you have departed from the way; you have caused many to stumble in the Torah; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, said the Lord of Hosts.
In contrast to the two qualities praised in Levi, you did the exact opposite. Regarding yourselves, "you have departed from the way." And regarding your relationship with the people - whom you were supposed to guide along the straight path and teach the laws of the Torah - "you have caused many to stumble in the Torah" and in the rulings you issued to them. Consequently, "you have corrupted the covenant of Levi": the covenant Hashem forged with Levi, you ruined and failed to uphold, for it was established upon these very two foundations.
וְגַם־אֲנִי נָתַתִּי אֶתְכֶם נִבְזִים וּשְׁפָלִים לְכׇל־הָעָם כְּפִי אֲשֶׁר אֵינְכֶם שֹׁמְרִים אֶת־דְּרָכַי וְנֹשְׂאִים פָּנִים בַּתּוֹרָה׃ - And I, too, have made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as you do not keep My ways and show partiality in the Torah.
Radak explains: Just as you treat Me with contempt, so too have I made you contemptible - measure for measure. And how does this express itself? You show partiality to the people. There are rabbis who do not want to rebuke the community; they will never speak about spiritual shortcomings, always insisting that the Jewish people are all righteous and wonderful. Yet there are real problems and issues that must be addressed, but the rabbi remains silent. Why? Because he does not want anyone to resent him for touching on a sensitive, personal issue. A "pet" rabbi, user-friendly, who never makes waves.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Why do you show them favoritism and refuse to rebuke them? So that they will love you. Therefore, I will make you despised and degraded in their eyes. As Chazal say: "Sanei deshikrei ahograyhu zeilai" - one who hires a false witness, that witness feels good because he is paid and spoken to respectfully, yet in his heart he despises the one who hired him. It is the exact same way here.
Thus, the Radak explains: measure for measure. You wanted to be respected in their eyes and have them honor you, so you refrained from telling them unpleasant truths - and as a result, you degraded what is holy. Therefore, you will be despised in their eyes, so that you are punished for what you have done.
"And showing favoritism in the Torah" - this means showing favoritism to the prominent. The Torah stated, "You shall not offer these to Hashem," yet when an important person brings a blemished offering, you show him favoritism: it feels awkward to turn him away and roll him down the steps of the Beit HaMikdash. You then offer a korban that was inherently unfit to be brought in the first place, presenting to Hashem something that Hashem forbade and disqualified, something loathsome in His eyes - merely to please the person who brought it.
The Malbim adds: In contrast to how the Levi was honored in the eyes of the people - "he is an angel of the Lord of Hosts," "they shall seek Torah from his mouth" - I have made you the exact opposite: despised and degraded in their eyes. In fact, you are already despised and degraded in their eyes, because you no longer hold your true status, the stature of a Kohen who guides the people on the straight path and serves Hashem - "you have turned from the way." And you show favoritism in the Torah, meaning you flatter the generation and do not rebuke them with the Torah, which is the meaning of "you have caused many to stumble in the Torah." And to the degree that you fell from the level of Levi and his holiness, so did you plummet down the slope of disgrace and humiliation.
The prophet turns to the Kohanim and places the responsibility squarely upon them: not only did you fail to prevent blemished offerings - you are complicit in the desecration of Hashem's Name. If you will not listen and will not take it to heart, the blessing in your mouth will turn into a curse, the seed will be halted, and the dung of the disqualified sacrifices will be scattered across your faces. From here, Hashem recalls the covenant of Levi in both of its aspects: on His part - life and peace; and on their part - awe of His majesty and fear of punishment, a Torah of truth in the mouth which is the received wisdom from Sinai, and clear knowledge on the lips with no iniquity, upright conduct between man and God, and turning many away from sin between man and his fellow. The Kohanim of that generation did the exact opposite: they strayed from the path themselves and caused many to stumble through their rulings, out of favoritism and the pursuit of favor. And measure for measure - one who degrades what is holy in order to endear himself to people will ultimately find that the people themselves despise him.