00:00 Sefer Yechezkel chapter 31. "And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, that the word of Hashem came to me, saying." In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, we are speaking of the year of the destruction, which is the eleventh year of the exile of Yehoyachin and of the reign of Tzidkiyahu. "In the third month" means the third month. And here there is a message for Pharaoh. "Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: Whom are you like in your greatness?" The Holy One tells him: You shall say to Yechezkel, you shall say to Pharaoh. Hashem tells Yechezkel to tell Pharaoh a prophecy: Whom are you like in your greatness? He asks him: with the greatness you presume to take for yourself, to whom do you wish to compare yourself? Presumably to the very greatest. And who is the greatest? That is Assyria. The king of Assyria. Now he will tell him who the king of Assyria was and what he actually is, and afterward through this he will, as it were, refute Pharaoh's thoughts of loftiness and greatness.
"Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and forest shade, of high stature, and its top was among the thick boughs." He tells him: you wish to be compared to Assyria. He tells him: just as Assyria was enormous, was great, but its fall was likewise in accordance with that, he tells him: so too will your downfall be. Now he will describe in the coming verses the greatness of the king of Assyria, and he will describe this greatness through the parable of the cedar, which is mighty and vast as we will soon see. And here this whole parable actually comes to express a lesson about the mighty dominion he had, about the downfall of the king of Assyria, and so too will the conclusion be: you wish to be compared to him in your greatness, and just as he was great and vast and fell, so too will your downfall be. This was, this will be the line of our chapter. And let us see.
He tells him: "Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon." He compares him to a cedar. The cedar is the greatest tree of all the trees in Lebanon, it is also their symbol; on the flag of Lebanon there is a cedar, these are the cedars of Lebanon. When Shlomo needed to build the house, the Beit HaMikdash, a cedar of Lebanon, the cedar of Lebanon is a sign of a mighty tree, an enormous tree. And it is greater than all the trees of Lebanon, and it also has additional virtues over all the other cedars. Since the cedar of Lebanon, its branches were very beautiful. It was like forest shade, like a forest that casts great shade. It was full of many branches, like a forest tangled with its branches that casts abundant shade. It was of high stature, its top, and when we always speak of the top, the intention is the middle branch at the head of the tree, that is the top, it was "among the thick boughs." What does "among the thick boughs" mean? Around it were thick boughs, meaning there were plaited branches which beautify the top, making the top lovely and pleasant.
What is the actual lesson? The lesson is the splendor of the kingdom of the king of Assyria. First, he says he had camps, he had immense wealth, and this is the meaning of the shade: he shades and shelters all the nations around him. Furthermore, he is higher than everyone, which shows a kingdom that is higher than all the other kingdoms. Furthermore, the top of the cedar, the top is the king who stands there at the head of the mast, he is the top, and he is surrounded by thick boughs. That is to say, thick branches, which comes to say that there were important ministers around him. This is the expression of the thick boughs, important ministers who shelter and surround the king. This means that there were also kings and important people around him.
The Malbim says that it is written here "branches and forest shade." What is a forest (choresh)? A forest is a woodland where the trees are close to one another and tangled with one another, this is called a choresh. Why is it called a choresh? The Malbim says because whoever comes to a choresh can hide there. Because of the tangle of the trees he can hide. As it is written, "And David dwelt in the wood (choresh)." David fled, David hid. Therefore he says it is called a choresh because it is from the word cheresh (silence, concealment). The thing you wish to conceal, cheresh, quiet, hidden, so that they should not know, so they would hide in the choresh.
"The waters made it grow, the deep raised it up, its rivers ran round about its planting, and it sent out its channels to all the trees of the field." "The waters made it grow," he now describes the environmental conditions of this cedar. This cedar had an abundance of water through which it grew and reached these dimensions. And it also had not only water from above, it also had the blessing of the deep crouching beneath. "The deep raised it up," that is, the deep from below, and through having water both from above and from below it is raised up exceedingly. The waters that come out of the deep become many rivers, and all these rivers "ran round about its planting," meaning they went around the planting of the cedar in order to water it. And from there, note this, "and it sent out its channels to all the trees of the field." As it were, whatever remained of the cedar's water that came out here from the deep, the leftovers it gives to the rest, to the other trees of the field.
What is the lesson here? That in fact the king of Assyria had immense abundance from all the world, everyone was subordinate under him, and this is the parable of the water, of the rain from above and of the deep from below. The deep from below refers to his own wealth, of his own country. The rain from above refers to everything that all the other nations around poured upon him. He received abundance from them, being in fact the first. All the nations, who are the trees of the field around, take only from the essence. The essence means what is distilled, what remains dripping onto them too, but the main abundance he receives. And all this was to show the immense might of the king of Assyria.
Rashi brings a teaching of Chazal. Chazal say: from where did he merit greatness? Because he abstained from the counsel of the generation of the Dispersion. It is written, "Out of that land went forth Assyria." When all the nations of the world became one clique to come with counsel to rebel against Him, may He be blessed, then his top, as it were, stood on its own, appearing distinct and not entangling itself with them. Assyria saw that they wished to rebel, "out of that land went forth Assyria." Ah, you separated from those rebelling against Hashem, therefore he merits such a top, therefore he merits such might, such greatness. "The waters made it grow, the deep raised it up," he says Assyria had another virtue, that it heeded the voice of Yonah ben Amitai. Yonah ben Amitai who descended into the deep, as it says in Sefer Yonah that he reached the depths of the deep, the fish that brought him inside into the deep. Yonah who came to rebuke them, they accepted his rebuke. The king of Assyria donned sackcloth, they repented, the people of Nineveh turned back from the violence that was in their hands. This too was a point of merit for it. So this is "the deep raised it up." The one who was saved from the deep raised it up, Yonah who was in the deep raised them up and brought them back in repentance and they accepted his words. This too was a virtue on account of which it now merited this greatness.
"Therefore its stature was higher than all the trees of the field, and its boughs multiplied, and its branches lengthened from the abundant waters when it sent them out." "Therefore its stature was higher than all the trees of the field," since it received the main abundance as we explained, the rain from above, the deep from below, therefore its stature was higher, it developed more than all of them. "And its boughs multiplied." What are its boughs (sar'apotav)? The Malbim explains that its boughs are the branches, the intention is the large branches that carry the thin branches. There is the trunk, from the trunk emerge large branches and from them emerge small branches. In the cedar this is especially very noticeable. The cedar is like the fir of the Christians, yes? Which means one tree tall, straight from bottom to top, from it emerge branches to all sides, and from these branches emerge branches in a very very orderly form, like a triangle, like the symbol of Lebanon, yes? Like the cedar symbol of Lebanon. A tree that is built in a very very orderly form. So when we speak of its boughs we speak of the large branches emerging from the central trunk, and from them emerge the thinner branches.
In a fruit tree these branches are the ones that carry the fruit and they multiply greatly. And these branches are at the head of the tree, or the branches that grow like a crown and rise upward, therefore he says "and its boughs multiplied and its branches lengthened," yes? This is like the crown that is up above. "Its branches" (pe'arotav) is written with an aleph, only the aleph is silent, therefore we do not read po'arotav but rather porotav, yes? The aleph is not noticeable in pronunciation. And it gives crown-like splendor to the tree, therefore it is called porotav, from the word pe'er (glory), it gives beauty and adornment to the tree. And these branches would lengthen and bend and would adorn the tree, and this is what is written, "and its boughs multiplied and its branches lengthened." And we will soon see how much these branches that lengthened, lengthened beyond nature and the usual. About this he says "from the abundant waters when it sent them out." The spreading was through the abundant waters, through this it lengthened and shot forth by the power of the abundant waters.
The Malbim says that the branches, as we explained, are at the head of the tree, they are of the category of the crown. The birds would usually not be found beneath the branches but beneath the boughs, the branches that are in the middle. Beneath them usually the birds would be. And here he wishes to say that the branches lengthened so much that they themselves, the upper ones, they themselves sheltered over the birds. Meaning, they are the ones that gave life to the creatures below.
"In its boughs all the birds of the sky made their nests, and under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth, and in its shade dwelt all the many nations." "In its boughs all the birds of the sky made their nests." The Malbim says the bird does not make a nest in the branches that are at the head of the tree as we explained, but rather it does this in a lower place, in the boughs, the branches that are in the middle of the tree. The beasts give birth in a place where the shade is closer to the tree, which is under the branches, which is close to the tree. The Malbim says the boughs would spread out from the tree far away. What is the lesson here? The beasts are actually the mighty kings who are mighty like beasts, for the beast is in fact much stronger than the bird. He wishes to say, they came to take shelter in its shade. That is to say, what might this cedar had, that the great, strong, mighty beasts come to take shelter in its shade, they found refuge in its branches. The intention is in the wealth and honor of its kingdom, they, as it were, needed his influence, this shows his greatness.
The birds come to represent the weaker nations, but these are nations that are engaged in commerce, just as the birds migrate and pass from place to place, they are engaged in commerce and ships, the birds pass over rivers and seas and migrate from place to place. So too the dwellers of the islands who sail like the bird for commerce, they would bring their goods there, until there they found a nest. "In its boughs all the birds of the sky made their nests." They found there their nest, their place, their rest, the place where they could trade. And it follows that even the merchants there had everything. So then both the mighty kings, they too took shelter in its shade, and the merchants too, they too needed it, because they too came, "in its boughs all the birds of the sky made their nests." And note that when we speak of the birds of the sky, who are in fact the weaker ones, these are merchants, then this is "in its boughs," this is as we said the boughs, these are the lower branches. In contrast, the beasts, which we said are the strong kings, about them he says "under its branches they gave birth." They are under its branches, which means under the high branches which are the crown, they are the more powerful, they are the ones close to the king, this is close to the top of the tree. Only, according to nature, the higher branches, how would the beasts take shelter in their shade? Therefore the Malbim explained above that the branches lengthened, to the point that the upper part which is the part of the top of the tree lengthened so much that beneath it below the beasts also took shelter. Which comes to tell you that the beasts drew close, as it were, to the king in order to take shelter in the shade of his kingdom. And this is what he says, "and in its shade dwelt all the many nations."
"And it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its boughs, for its root was by abundant waters." Even though when a tree grows more and puts out shoots, meaning branches that dangle and lengthen, when they are branches that go out and exceed their bounds, this harms the beauty of the tree. And therefore what they would usually do is cut them off. Beyond that, many times what would happen to the shoots was that they would dry up, and then they would weigh down the tree, they constitute a burden to the tree, and therefore what they would do is cut them off. This is very common, for example, with the vine. When they want the vine to give its fruit properly, then the tendrils that lengthen they would cut off, and through this the vine can give its strength to its fruit instead of giving its strength to the tendrils and the lengthening shoots. He says here on the contrary, it became more beautiful in the length of its shoots. "And it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its boughs." When its shoots lengthened and grew it added to its beauty, even so he tells you the tree also grew, and the reason was because "its root was by abundant waters." For its roots, as we explained earlier, drew from abundant waters, and consequently this created a situation where the tree only continued to grow and add, and there was no state of drying up as a result of its shoots lengthening, they did not dry up but rather continued and grew for beauty.
The Malbim explains that in fact when a king is a weak king, if his kingdom continues to expand, then this creates for him even more weakness. Why? Because when a kingdom continues to spread you need resources in order to sustain such a kingdom. You need resources in order to succeed, for example, to send your forces to all sorts of places of conflict in the world and still manage to survive. Look at what is happening today, for example, with Iran. Iran sends its proxies to every place in the world where there are conflicts, since it wants to gain control everywhere. But what does this cause? That the people in Iran have nothing to eat. That is to say, if your kingdom is not sufficiently powerful when you try to expand, this harms you, since it comes at the expense of the people at home. So when you want to give them food it turns out that you spent all the money on weapons, spent it on intervention in conflicts that are outside your territory, and consequently this causes the kingdom itself not to survive. Beyond that, when you send many forces out, you become more exposed to internal rebellion. Because when the king has an army inside, then the army guards the kingdom, but when the entire army is outside, then it may very well be that suddenly they will stage a coup here within the kingdom and you do not have enough army to seize the kingdom by force, since your army is off somewhere in all sorts of battles it is waging in all sorts of places in the world. Through this you are weakened within your country at home. But here he says it was not so. He, out of the greatness of his strength and might, even though he spread far, still within his country he had great and mighty power, so that you should not think this comes at the expense of that. Since his kingdom was so mighty and powerful, so that in fact the going out abroad did not detract from and did not harm his capabilities at home to rule also within his country and not to fear rebellion.
"The cedars in the garden of God did not overshadow it; the cypresses were not like its boughs, and the plane trees were not like its branches. No tree in the garden of God was like it in its beauty." It was so great that even the cedars in the garden of God, what are the cedars in the garden of God? The Malbim explains the intention is the cedars that Hashem planted from the six days of Creation, they too did not overshadow it. What does "did not overshadow it" (lo amamuhu) mean? The Malbim says the word amamuhu has two derivations. It is derived both from the expression "am" (people) and it is derived from the expression "amam" (to dim). And both interpretations, the Malbim says, we can interpret here. "The cedars did not overshadow it" means they were not with it. That is, they were not of the same magnitude. Its might is so great that the cedars were not with it in the garden of God. Even the cedars in the garden of God, the cedars that Hashem created in the six days of Creation, did not reach its might, did not reach its power. So "did not overshadow it" means they were not with it. And this also relates to the term "am," for "am" indicates a gathering of people, yes? As it were, the cedars in the garden of God were not with it as one people. They were not, they were not partnered with it, they were not of the same series, it is on a higher level than they. This is the meaning of "did not overshadow it," they were not as one people together with it.
Cypresses, the Malbim says that the soft boughs it had were larger than the cypress. The cypress is a strong tree, second to the cedar. And he says, know that the soft branches of the cedar are stronger than the strong branches of the cypress. This is what he wishes to say, "the cypresses were not like its boughs." Its boughs, which are the softer branches, he tells you they were stronger than the cypresses, for the cypress is second to the cedar. And not only that it was not like it, but "were not like" means it did not even resemble, did not even come close to the magnitude of the might of its branches. "And the plane trees were not like its branches." The plane trees, which grow with a very wonderful beauty, were not like its branches. Even though they resembled it, here it does not write "were not like" (in the sense of not resembling), but they were not exactly like them. So the plane trees, which grow with beauty, were still not as beautiful as the beauty of the top of the cedar tree. And he adds and says "no tree in the garden of God," even the trees that Hashem planted in Gan Eden, every tree pleasant to look at, which were most beautiful, they were not like it in its beauty, its beauty was a level above all of them.
What is the actual lesson? He wishes to say there was no king as mighty and strong as it from the six days of Creation. And therefore when he wishes to go back, he goes back to Gan Eden, which is the creation of the six days of Creation. He tells you from the days of Creation there was no king as mighty as it. That both its boughs and also its branches, being the ministers, also the mighty ones, also the wealthy ones, all surpassed all the kings of the earth in greatness, in wealth, in importance, in dominion. There was not one who reached their greatness. Not only now, not only in this generation, he tells you also from ancient generations, also from the previous kings of the earth about whom they would describe and tell stories, and it is known that especially in the developed imagination that existed when they would describe the might of kings, their power, he says no description reached the reality of the might of the king of Assyria. All of them did not even resemble it.
"I made it beautiful in the abundance of its boughs, and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it." "I made it beautiful in the abundance of its boughs." Through the boughs, which are the branches that are high and raised, the intention is from the language of raising up, lifting high, it was most beautiful, it was distinct and visible from afar, so that the trees of Eden could see it, as it were the trees of Eden envied it. Over its virtue, over its boughs that reached high, reached far. And this in fact, as it were, comes to say, all those rulers of the previous generations envied it. The rulers of previous generations would see it and would envy its virtue. And about them he, as it were, calls them "those in the garden of God." Meaning, they are already up above and they are, as it were, praying, the Malbim says, for its downfall. Why? Because they are in the garden of God, but it is outside the garden. The Malbim explains, as it were its root, its foliage, is in the place of impurity. That is, it is far from holiness. So the holy patriarchs and the righteous, they pray against it, and the upper ministers stand against it to bring it down. That such greatness does not befit a wicked king like it. Therefore the strength of those who are in the garden of God, they are the ones who will bring it down.
"Therefore thus says Hashem God: Because you were high in stature, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height." Hashem here, as it were, accepts that same envy and that same prayer of the trees of Eden, of the holy patriarchs, of the righteous who ask why such kingdom and such greatness befits the king of Assyria. "Because you were high in stature," as it is written, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria." That is to say, it was not merely that he had greatness, he had greatness which he recognized and took pride in. So "because you were high in stature," you even took pride in your greatness. So first, high in stature, this is the strength and might. Furthermore, "and it set its top among the thick boughs," that its king surpassed all the other kings. And by virtue of this "its heart was lifted up in its height." It thought that its strength was from itself, it forgot that everything it received it received from Hashem.
"And I gave it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with it; for its wickedness I have driven it out." "And I gave it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations." Therefore He delivered it into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. For Nebuchadnezzar was the mighty one of the nations, the nations regarded him like a god. And he shall deal with it according to its wickedness. The Holy One says: I will give it, according to its arrogance and greatness I will bring it low. And since we have already seen, the Malbim says, such a prophecy that Yeshayahu prophesied against it, "Behold, the Lord, Hashem of Hosts, will lop the bough with terror, and the high of stature shall be hewn down, and the lofty shall be brought low." Yeshayahu already prophesied about the king of Assyria, about Sancheriv, who was the king of Assyria, that he would fall. And how did he compare him? He compared him to the cedar of Lebanon. And he said that the mighty cedar of Lebanon would fall, compared him to a mighty cedar, and then through this it was cut down by Hashem. The Holy One cut it down and brought it down. And through the Mighty One, which is the angel of Hashem. The Malbim says: so its kingdom still existed. And now that I have already driven it out, I did not give it into the hand of the mighty one, the intention is the angels of Hashem, I will deliver it into the hand of the nations. After its virtue has already declined, the Holy One says: I will deliver it into the hand of a king, that the king, so to speak, will cut it off finally. And then he shall deal with it according to its wickedness. He too is wicked like it, and through the wicked He will exact punishment from the wicked. This is what he says, "and I gave it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations," I will deliver it into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, for Nebuchadnezzar was regarded among the nations as a god, was regarded as very powerful, and then "he shall surely deal with it; for its wickedness I have driven it out." He shall deal with it and not Hashem, says the Holy One, I gave it the first blow and he will finish it off, for this reason "for its wickedness I have driven it out."
"And strangers, the ruthless of the nations, cut it down and abandoned it; upon the mountains and in all the valleys its boughs fell, and its branches were broken in all the ravines of the land, and all the peoples of the earth went down from its shade and abandoned it." Now he will describe, after all the greatness and might, come see the downfall. "And strangers cut it down." "And strangers cut it down," these are the Chaldeans, who are the ruthless of the nations, and the strangers with whom they cut it down, they abandoned it. "Abandoned it" means they left it. The long boughs fall upon the mountains. What are the long boughs? These are its forces, its regiments, they will fall in war, in the mountains. And the branches will fall into the ravines. Who are the branches? These are the wealthy, those who are together with it, they will scatter in the ravines, meaning they will be exiled. And the peoples of the earth, those who took shelter in its shade, they will go down from its shade and abandon it. They will see there is no one under whom to take shelter, since this cedar, as we said, is destined to be cut down and to fall, then consequently they too will abandon it.
"Upon its ruin all the birds of the sky will dwell, and upon its branches were all the beasts of the field." "Upon its ruin all the birds of the sky will dwell," the intention is that the birds and the beasts will not nest, they will not give birth there, that is, there will not be a place of dwelling, but rather it will be a place where, excuse me, there will not be a place where they nest but they will only dwell upon its ruin. That is to say, there is a situation where you dwell beneath its branches, that was in the past. But there is a situation where it has already fallen, so where do they dwell? They dwell, so to speak, on its ruins, on what remains, they will dwell upon its ruin. Through its downfall they will dwell. That is to say, the islands, the merchants will pass through there to other places. And the lofty ones, who are these? The ministers, the peoples and their kings, they will divide its land among themselves. And all this will be to show the magnitude of its downfall, the one under whose shade all took shelter in the past, everyone now will merely pass over it and divide its land, and no one will regard it at all as fit for kingship and dominion.
And what is the purpose? "So that none of the trees by the waters should be exalted in their stature, nor set their top among the thick boughs, nor any that drink water stand up in their height; for they are all given over to death, to the lower earth, in the midst of the children of men, with those who go down to the pit." What is the message here from this matter? Here there is a warning to the kings of Egypt and Assyria. As we saw, "because you were high in stature," and from whom did he give him a parable? You, Pharaoh, were high in stature, like whom do you wish to be compared? To the king of Assyria, come see its downfall. As we opened at the beginning of the chapter. So through this all the trees by the waters will be warned that they should not be exalted in their stature. That they should not take pride, that they should not behave in this conduct that brought down the king of Assyria. They should know that the water, the abundance, comes from Hashem, Hashem brings low and also raises up. And also raises up, and in their times, as we saw, this was always the problem of anyone who received a little greatness and dominion, he began to think he was a god. This happened to Pharaoh, as we saw in the rebuke earlier, "the great crocodile lying in the midst of his rivers," this happened also to Chiram, as we saw that he went and built himself the mighty structure with the seven stories upon the sea and wished to make himself a god, and so on. Every king who received a little dominion and might already thought himself a god. The Holy One says here there is a message, "so that none of the trees by the waters should be exalted in their stature," so that these kings should not be exalted in their stature, all the trees by the waters, since they see that they are trees dwelling by the waters and they have, as we said, abundant supply, know that from these waters of abundance their source is from Hashem. Hashem brings low and also raises up. And corresponding to what he said, "and it set its top among the thick boughs," which we saw means it is very high, he says "nor set their top among the thick boughs." They should not do like it and set their top, which means we said the king who is up above among the thick boughs, these are the ministers who are around him, that he should not exalt himself above everyone. That is to say, the kings should not exalt themselves over other kings, should not exalt themselves over them, that is to say they should also not humiliate them. Since their way was that the king would rule over another nation, would humiliate them, would demand tribute from them, would take them as slaves, in fact would do with them whatever came to his mind. And then in this reality there is another reason that the king feels loftiness and feels powerful and feels above everyone. Corresponding to what we saw earlier, "its heart was lifted up in its height," he says about this "nor any that drink water stand up in their height." The intention is: nor should their gods stand up, yes? Their kings, those who made themselves gods, those who made themselves into idols, should not stand up in their height. That is to say, all that drink water, those who receive the abundance, should not think they are children of gods. This is what he says, "nor any that drink water stand up in their height." You merely receive the water and abundance from Hashem, so what makes you feel like a god? Do you feel that the abundance originates from you? You received the abundance from Him, may He be blessed. "For they are all given over to death, to the lower earth." He says, are you a god, as we saw earlier that he argued to Chiram? If you are a god, tell the one who comes to kill you: do not harm me, I am a god. We saw that he mocked him. Do not kill me, I am a god. You are a god? You are a god, why do you fear death? A god is eternal. And this is what he says here, "they are all given over to death." The Malbim says that among the conditions of divinity is being eternal. Are you eternal? Behold, see that they are all in the end given over to death, to the lower earth. He says: and not only that, a god also dwells in the upper world. He is high above the high, whereas you, where will you be brought down? To the lower earth. You are lower than everyone. Given over to death and also to the lower earth, not to a high and lofty place, not to heaven, not above the stars, but to the lower earth, "in the midst of the children of men, with those who go down to the pit." In the midst of the children of men, not among the gods you imagined yourself to be, but in the midst of the children of men, to them, with those who go down to the pit, the intention is people who in the end reach the grave, go down to the pit.
"Thus says Hashem God: On the day it went down to Sheol, I caused mourning, I covered the deep over it and restrained its rivers, and the abundant waters were held back, and I made Lebanon dark over it, and all the trees of the field languished over it." Thus says Hashem. Hashem says on the day it went down to Sheol, on the day when it went down to Sheol, which was, as we said, Nebuchadnezzar conquering in the first year of his reign, and from then he begins to conquer many nations and he had success in his wars, all of them he succeeded in conquering. Until finally he conquered Egypt too and destroyed it, this was the conclusion of his wars. So he describes now that on the day when he destroyed Assyria, then it was decreed by Hashem that he would destroy all the kingdoms of the earth. As we said, Assyria he conquered first, and Egypt last. In the beginning all were subordinate under the kingdom of Assyria, so in order to gain dominion he understood he needed to strike at the head, at the kingdom that rules over everyone. So in the beginning he fought against Assyria. And then he describes that on the day it went down to Sheol, "I caused mourning, I covered the deep over it." So the deep, as it were, became mourning. Just as a mourner does not go out, just as a mourner covers his head, wrapped like mourners, they would wrap their heads, so too, as it were, the deep, Hashem covered its face, like the mourner who is covered, Hashem covered the face of the deep so that it would not come out to water the trees. This is what he says, "I caused mourning, I covered the deep over it." That the deep would be covered, for we saw that the deep was an expression for the water that comes from below to give abundance to the kingdom. Here "I covered the deep," they will no longer water the trees, and through this "and I restrained its rivers." For we saw that the rivers that went out from there would go around its plantings. From there it would reach all the trees of the field, meaning all the peoples who took shelter in its shade, the abundance would go out from it, and they, we said, would receive the distillation, whatever leftovers remained, the peoples around it would receive. He says, and then "I restrained its rivers, and the abundant waters were held back." Through this the waters that went out from it and provided for its surroundings were held back, "were held back" means they were prevented. The Malbim says, what is the difference between to hold back (likhlo) and to cease, to prevent, to withhold? What is, what is the difference between them? The Malbim explains that to hold back (likhlo) is by force. And this is also connected to the expression kele (prison), yes? For a person enters prison by force. The rains that come down from the mountains flow with immense force, abundant waters, they flow into the streams and from this rivers form. Now in order to prevent this you need immense might against nature. And the rain was held back from heaven, the intention is someone needs to hold it back, so to speak by a forceful action to stop it. This is always "to hold back," to hold back is a forceful intervention, an intervention with might in order to prevent the matter. This is what he says here too, "and the abundant waters were held back." Hashem will perform a special act to hold back the waters so that they will not come out and provide for it, yes? Corresponding to what we saw, "and it sent out its channels to all the trees of the field," here the abundance went out from it to the kingdoms, now Hashem stopped the abundance. The deep was covered, the deep, as it were, hides its face and does not provide it abundance, and consequently it has nothing from which to provide to all the other trees of the field. And consequently through this "I made Lebanon dark over it." All of Lebanon became dark, from the abundance of the burning heat, there is no water there, Hashem held back the waters, so Lebanon in its immense heat, yes? As it is written that the Holy One darkened the sun. Meaning the sun comes out and burns. Why is this called "to darken" (likdor)? Because "to darken" means to make a hole, as it were the sun burns and perforates. This is the meaning of "I made Lebanon dark over it," Lebanon became dark from the abundance of burning heat, because the waters have now been stopped. "And all the trees of the field languished over it." From the abundance of thirst, like a person who faints. So the trees of the field, as it were, fainted. That is to say, the abundance that flowed from it to all the other nations was cut off, and this brought them to a state where all the nations that took shelter in its shade had no one to protect them from the one who came against them, and this was, as we said, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And then through this they reached a state of fainting, reached a state such that they were unable to sustain themselves.
"From the sound of its fall I made the nations quake, when I brought it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower earth." They too went down with it to Sheol. The intention is these choice ones, those who are of the category of the best of Lebanon, all that drink water, the intention is those who drank of the water, as we explained, that the water went out, as it were, from beneath the mighty cedar and from it all the peoples around it were watered, this is in fact a parable that the abundance was entirely from it, he says all of them together in the end, all those who hang on it, all that drink water, they too went down together with it to Sheol. Which in fact comes to say that they too went down with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword; and its arm that dwelt in its shade among the nations. Which comes to say that whoever relied on it fell together with it. Since you rely on it, then when it fell, the helper stumbled and the one helped fell. So consequently those who were helped by it, they too fell. That is to say, their lands too were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. And also the arm of Assyria, this is what he says, "and its arm that dwelt in its shade among the nations." The arm of Assyria, who is its arm? The Malbim explains that the intention is its helpers, those who dwelt in its shade among the nations, those who always aided it and dwelt in its shade, benefited from it and helped it, yes? So they too fell together with it.
"To whom are you thus likened in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says Hashem God." Now he concludes what he began to say to Pharaoh. For we saw that the whole prophecy began with a statement in which Yechezkel was sent in order to speak with Pharaoh. "Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: Whom are you like in your greatness?" Now he sums up the entire discourse. Whom are you like in your greatness? The king of Assyria. So this he tells him, "to whom are you thus likened in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden." He tells him: behold, this is Pharaoh and all his multitude, and all his multitude, says Hashem God. The Malbim explains, he tells him: to whom are you likened? If you come to be compared to Assyria, thus you wish to be like it in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden, you too feel great like the kings who died, yes? And they are, as it were, in Eden, no longer here in this world. He tells him: "yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower earth." In this too you will be like it. You too will go down with it to the lower earth, you will go down with Assyria to that place of the lower earth, there you will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised. All will recognize, they will say: this is Pharaoh. All will say: behold, we see, it is Pharaoh. All identify you. This is part of the disgrace. Since then when you go down to Gehinnom they will say: ah, behold, this is Pharaoh, he too thought himself great. He too valued himself far beyond his magnitude. And behold, now see, he too lies here among the uncircumcised. "Uncircumcised" is always an expression for the flawed, the defiled, this is the expression for the uncircumcised, for after all all the nations are uncircumcised, so what does "among the uncircumcised" mean? Rather, "uncircumcised" is always, as we said, an expression for a defiled thing, for a lowly thing. So all will recognize that here is Pharaoh, you and all your multitude, the intention is and all your armies, all of them will fall together with you there. And this is what he began to say, "whom are you like in your greatness," here he tells him: do you think that only in greatness you will be like the king of Assyria? He says no, if you come to be compared to the king of Assyria, know that it is from beginning to end. It is from the rise to the fall. Like it, like the king of Assyria, you will be with a great multitude in Sheol, you will be recorded, as it were, among them, this is Pharaoh and all his multitude, all will say: behold, this is Pharaoh and all his multitude, they too are here in Sheol together with the king of Assyria and together with all the kings who took pride and thought themselves divinities, whose end in the end was downfall and humiliation. So may Hashem do for us also in these days, amen and amen.