Introduction: A Continuous Flow of Consolation
Chapter 62 in Yeshayahu continues the words of consolation from the previous chapter. It is important to remember: the chapter divisions are not a Jewish division but a Christian one. Therefore, do not be surprised to see that this chapter is a direct continuation of the preceding one - it is a single sequence, and the chapter arrangers merely made an arbitrary decision to cut here. Often they even had a specific agenda in doing so, for wherever a passage implied something disparaging toward Israel, they would deliberately cut right there, so that the disparagement would linger without the ensuing salvation and consolation being heard.
In the previous chapter, we spoke of two things that will occur: First, that the Holy One, blessed be He, will reveal the righteousness of Israel, making it clear to the entire world that we served the God of truth, and that all the arrows and slanders we endured from the nations because we refused to cling to their futile beliefs - "their fathers bequeathed falsehood to their children," whereas we clung to the God of truth. And second - the salvation: that the Holy One, blessed be He, will save us from the persecutions of the nations. These two themes are the key to our entire chapter.
Pasuk 1: I Will Not Hold My Peace and I Will Not Rest
לְמַעַן צִיּוֹן לֹא אֶחֱשֶׁה וּלְמַעַן יְרוּשָׁלִַם לֹא אֶשְׁקוֹט עַד יֵצֵא כַנֹּגַהּ צִדְקָהּ וִישׁוּעָתָהּ כְּלַפִּיד יִבְעָר. - For the sake of Zion I will not hold My peace, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation burns like a torch.
Rashi explains: For the sake of Zion I will act, and I will not hold My peace over what was done to her; I will not remain silent over the afflictions inflicted upon the people of Israel, and I will not rest - there will be no peace - until her righteousness shines forth like brightness. The Radak explains that these are the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who says: Zion upon which My Name is called. In his view, Zion and Jerusalem are one and the same, and "I will rest" and "I will hold My peace" are one and the same, representing a repetition of the idea in different words. However, we are well-versed in the approach of the Malbim, that there is no such thing as "a repetition of the idea in different words," and every duplication contains distinct meanings: there is a specific meaning to "I will not hold My peace" (echesheh) and a meaning to "I will not rest" (eshkot), a meaning to "Zion" and a meaning to "Jerusalem."
What is Zion? The Malbim explains: Zion expresses the righteousness of Israel, for in Zion - the site of the Temple in Jerusalem - sat the Sanhedrin. When it is said that Israel's righteousness will be revealed in Zion, it means it will become clear to all that true justice resides there: not in the Supreme Court, but in Zion, the seat of the Sanhedrin; there are the judgments of truth, there is the place of holiness and purity. Jerusalem, on the other hand, is the place where we settle, "greater Jerusalem," the city as a whole; and when speaking of returning from exile, one speaks of returning to Jerusalem, to return and settle it.
This is also the distinction in the verse, "Don your strength, Zion; don your garments of splendor, Jerusalem": Zion represents inner strength, spiritual attainments, the place of the Temple and the seat of the Sanhedrin, the place of divine service; while Jerusalem represents the garments of splendor, physical success - livelihood, economic abundance, and prosperity.
In order to prove that the Torah of Israel is true and that Israel was right in clinging to the Holy One, blessed be He, one must debate and demonstrate. A debate here is not in today's colloquial sense of a quarrel, but in the sense of offering proof (hocha'ah), as in "Come let us reason together" (venovachah) - two parties confronting each other, each seeking to prove his righteousness. Regarding this it is said, "For the sake of Zion I will not hold My peace" - I will not remain silent from debating and proving the truth of the Torah, just as the Chaver does in Sefer HaKuzari. But to take Israel out of exile, remaining vocal is not enough; that requires concrete action. Therefore, "and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest": I will not sit idle doing nothing, but I will hasten to redeem them.
The Malbim emphasizes that echesheh and eshkot are by no means synonymous. Echesheh belongs to verbs of silence - hacheshu ("be silent"), as in the words of Elisha to the disciples of the prophets who came and said to him that your master is being taken from over you today, and he replied: "I too know; be silent" (hacheshu), meaning hold your peace. On the other hand, eshkot is not related to silence, but to rest and stillness: the sea is calm (shaket) - its waves are not churning; "and the land was at rest (vatishkot) for forty years" does not mean that there was absolute silence, but that it was free from turmoil. Thus, sheket denotes rest, whereas chashiyah denotes refraining from speech. Therefore: for the sake of Zion, to prove that our faith is the true faith, I will not hold My peace - I will speak and prove; and for the sake of Jerusalem, to redeem them with a physical redemption and return them to their dwelling places, I will not rest - I will not remain complacent on My lees, but will act and redeem them.
The two halves of the verse run in parallel: "For the sake of Zion I will not hold My peace - until her righteousness goes forth like brightness"; "and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest - and her salvation burns like a torch." Here the Malbim notes an additional distinction: why is righteousness compared to brightness (nogah) and salvation to a torch (lapid)? Nogah is light that has no independent source of its own but receives from another - like the moon, whose luminous glow derives from the sun. A torch, by contrast, is self-generating light, a burning and illuminating fire. The allusion is this: by having the torch of salvation burn, such that the nations witness the salvation of Israel and see how the Holy One, blessed be He, illuminates the night for them like day - through this very sight they will recognize our righteousness. When you see a nation succeed, that success itself leads you to believe in its Torah and faith: for surely something in their belief, in the God in Whom they believe, is what saves them. It turns out that the torch - the salvation - is what casts light upon the righteousness, and suddenly our righteousness begins to shine like brightness, and it becomes recognizable to all that our Torah is a Torah of truth.
Pasuk 2: Nations and Kings, and a New Name
וְרָאוּ גוֹיִם צִדְקֵךְ וְכָל מְלָכִים כְּבוֹדֵךְ וְקֹרָא לָךְ שֵׁם חָדָשׁ אֲשֶׁר פִּי ה' יִקֳּבֶנּוּ. - "And nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of Hashem shall designate."
The Malbim explains that this verse parallels the preceding one: corresponding to "until her righteousness goes forth like brightness," it is said, "And nations shall see your righteousness"; and corresponding to "and her salvation burns like a torch," it is said, "and all kings your glory." Why are "nations" mentioned with righteousness and "kings" with glory? Because "nations" refers to the peoples on their basic, simple level, whereas "kings" refers to the prominent, the ministers, and the great. The righteousness and truth of Hashem's Torah will be recognized even by the simplest and least discerning among the nations, and certainly by the kings who possess intellect and wisdom. However, the glory - the exalted stature of Israel following the salvation - will be recognized by the kings, who will see that your glory surpasses their own; and even more so by the common people, each of whom will honor Israel more than his own gentile king.
"And you shall be called by a new name" - these are the names we will see shortly: "Cheftzi-Vah" ("My delight is in her"), "Derushah" ("Sought out"). "Which the mouth of Hashem shall designate [yikvenu]" - related to "who were designated [nikvu] by name," meaning that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will Himself determine and explain the name, and He will also reveal its reason: "Cheftzi-Vah - for Hashem delights in you." The name will express your true essence, because it is the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who confers it.
Verse 3: A Crown of Splendor and a Royal Turban
וְהָיִית עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת בְּיַד ה' וּצְנִיף מְלוּכָה בְּכַף אֱלֹהָיִךְ. - "And you shall be a crown of splendor in the hand of Hashem, and a royal turban in the palm of your God."
There are three distinctions to understand here: between a crown of splendor (ateret tiferet) and a royal turban (tzenif meluchah), between "hand" (yad) and "palm" (kaf), and between "Hashem" and "your God" (Elohayich). A crown of splendor is an adornment of honor with which any person may be crowned, not necessarily kings - as in "Grandchildren are the crown of elders," "The crown of the wise is their wealth," and "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband." A royal turban, by contrast, is a headdress reserved exclusively for a king, not possessed by just anyone. "Hand" refers to the entire hand, a general expression; "palm" refers specifically to the palm of the hand, a particular expression. "Hashem" represents the Holy One, Blessed be He, in His governance of the entire universe; "your God" signifies the individual providence with which He watches over us personally, without the inclusion of the other nations.
The Malbim explains: The Holy One, Blessed be He, conducts the world through two modes of governance - natural governance and miraculous, providential governance that transcends nature, both functioning according to your needs and your deeds. Corresponding to natural governance, it says: "And you shall be a crown of splendor in the hand of Hashem": "crown" - a general adornment worn by all; "in the hand" - the general hand, an overarching governance that applies equally to all nations; "Hashem" - from the aspect of His rule over the entire world. And corresponding to miraculous governance, it says: "and a royal turban in the palm of your God": "royal turban" - something reserved exclusively for a king, individual providence whereby the Holy One, Blessed be He, reigns and rules over us; "in the palm" - holding us in the palm of His hand specifically, not merely through general governance; "your God" - your own God, Who watches over you uniquely.
Verse 4: Neither Forsaken nor Desolate
לֹא יֵאָמֵר לָךְ עוֹד עֲזוּבָה וּלְאַרְצֵךְ לֹא יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שְׁמָמָה כִּי לָךְ יִקָּרֵא חֶפְצִי בָהּ וּלְאַרְצֵךְ בְּעוּלָה כִּי חָפֵץ ה' בָּךְ וְאַרְצֵךְ תִּבָּעֵל. - "It shall no longer be said to you, 'Forsaken,' nor shall it any longer be said to your land, 'Desolate'; but you shall be called Cheftzi-Vah ['My delight is in her'], and your land Be'ulah ['Espoused'], for Hashem delights in you, and your land shall be espoused."
The Radak clarifies the metaphor: An inhabited land is called "espoused" (be'ulah), as it has masters and inhabitants, like a woman who has a husband (ba'al); while an uninhabited land is called a "widow," like a woman without a husband - "The city that was full of people has become like a widow," for there was no one left to inhabit it.
The Malbim explains: At present, Jerusalem is called "Forsaken," because individual providence is not felt within it, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not rest His Shechinah within it as in ancient times. True, the Shechinah never departs from the Western Wall, but that is only a minimal measure of life-force, the barest residual trace, a minute fraction - not the dwelling of the Shechinah that existed during the First Temple, when Israel was at its peak of stature and greatness. And the Land of Israel as a whole is called "Desolate," for it is indeed desolate of its inhabitants. Concerning both of these comes the good tidings: corresponding to the Shechinah that departed - "for you shall be called Cheftzi-Vah," Hashem will delight in her and return to dwell within her; and corresponding to the desolation from its inhabitants - "and your land shall be espoused," its original masters, the Jewish people, will return, and the land will be restored to its former state as a land that has its master.
Verse 5: Like a First Marriage, Not Like Remarrying a Divorcée
כִּי יִבְעַל בָּחוּר בְּתוּלָה יִבְעָלוּךְ בָּנָיִךְ וּמְשׂוֹשׂ חָתָן עַל כַּלָּה יָשִׂישׂ עָלַיִךְ אֱלֹהָיִךְ. - "For as a young man marries a maiden, so shall your children marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so shall your God rejoice over you."
The Radak explains: A young man and a maiden - a lad and a lass - are a pleasant and fitting match, the standard shidduch that comes together naturally. An old man and a maiden is not a natural match; if it occurs, it usually involves a great deal of money, intense pressure, or hardship on one side. Likewise, a young man and an older woman is not a natural match. As long as the Jewish people dwell in their Land, it falls under the category of "for as a young man marries a maiden" - the natural bond between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel. But when the nations dwell in it, it is not a natural match, and the Land does not receive its inhabitants properly. When Israel returns, it will be "grapes of the vine with grapes of the vine." "And as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride" - the great joy of the seven days of the chuppah, after which the mortgage and daily worries begin; yet here, this joy will be eternal.
The Malbim shows that this verse explains the preceding verse. Corresponding to "and your land shall be espoused," it says, "For as a young man marries a maiden, so shall your children marry you": Israel's return to its Land will not be like returning to a land where we once lived, abandoned, and now returns to blossom. To what can this be compared? To a man who divorced his wife, and later saw that the dating market was not waiting for him and there were no great finds out there, so he returned to her. Once, a matchmaker proposed a shidduch to a divorced man. The man said, "I am willing to hear, who is it?" The matchmaker said, "Your ex-wife." He replied, "Fine, I will look into it." After making inquiries, he decided to reconcile, and they remarried. The matchmaker asked him, "What did you think initially and what do you think now? If you returned to her, why did you divorce her in the first place?" He replied, "Look, for a second marriage she is fine; in a second marriage one must compromise, we are second-marriage people now." We all understand that this is not a great joy.
Therefore, the Malbim explains: when Israel returns to its Land, it will not be considered like a man remarrying a woman he was previously married to, but like someone coming to a land he has never been to before. For someone returning to a ruined place and restoring it is returning to a familiar place, devoid of wonder; but one who arrives at a brand-new place experiences genuine excitement. Bring a person back thirty years later to an apartment where he once lived, and tell him that five rooms will be added and everything will be renovated - it still lacks that special joy, because "we have been here before." The prophet says: this will not be the case. In its goodness, the Land will appear to us as though it was never desolate, like a brand-new match and an entirely fresh reality.
And corresponding to "for Hashem delights in you," it says: "and as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so shall your God rejoice over you." For we all recognize reality: when we quarrel with a friend after many years of friendship, even when we become friends again, it is never quite the same; people keep a certain distance - "I was hurt once, and I don't want to be hurt again." The prophet says: when the Holy One, blessed be He, returns to us, it will not be like someone remarrying his divorced wife whose love is incomplete, but rather "as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride," like one who was never previously married and was never angry with her in his life. This is why Scripture says that the Holy One, blessed be He, will forge a new covenant with them and the former troubles will not be remembered - a fresh start without the baggage of the past and without unpleasant memories.
In summary:
The chapter opens with the commitment of the Holy One, blessed be He, on two levels: "For Zion's sake I will not be silent" - I will not remain silent from proving in debate the righteousness of Israel's faith and Torah; "and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be still" - I will not rest until I redeem them with a physical redemption and return them to their Land. These two are intertwined: the torch of salvation is what will shine like brightness upon the righteousness, until nations and kings recognize our righteousness and our glory. Then we will be called by a new name from the mouth of Hashem; we will be a crown of beauty in the hand of Hashem in natural providence, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God in miraculous providence; it will no longer be said of us "Forsaken," nor of our land "Desolate," but "My Desire is in Her" and "Espoused." And the renewed bond will not be like someone remarrying his divorced wife, but like a first marriage of a young man and a maiden, and as the joy of a groom over a bride - so your God will rejoice over you.