The chapter before us is a direct continuation of the end of the previous chapter. There, the prophet described Sancheirev's camp as a vast, thick forest that the Holy One, blessed be He, was destined to cut down and sever its boughs. In contrast to that felled forest, the prophet now shows us an entirely different kind of growth: a single, small and humble shoot that will emerge from the stem of Yishai and will itself become a great forest. This is what the prophet said elsewhere: "In days to come, Yaakov shall take root; Yisrael shall blossom and bud."
וְיָצָא חֹטֶר מִגֵּזַע יִשָׁי וְנֵצֶר מִשָּׁרָשָׁיו יִפְרֶה׃ - And a shoot shall come forth from the stem of Yishai, and a sprout shall flourish from his roots.
At first glance, the context implies that this prophecy speaks of Chizkiyahu, in whose days Sancheirev fell. Yet the descriptions here - "And the spirit of Hashem shall rest upon him," "and his delight shall be in the fear of Hashem," "he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes" - are depictions of Melech HaMashiach. The Malbim asks: after all, this part of the prophecy was not fulfilled in the days of Chizkiyahu at all. We did not see Mashiach arrive in his days. Everything prophesied up to this point was indeed fulfilled, whereas "And a shoot shall come forth from the stem of Yishai" - that the kingdom of the House of David would arise and return to rule - did not come to pass then. Therefore, says the Malbim, the truth testifies for itself and needs no other witnesses: this is a prophecy for the end of days.
Rashi sought to explain the continuation of the verses differently: the core of the prophecy was spoken regarding the Ten Tribes who were exiled in the days of Chizkiyahu and did not return, remaining in Chalach, Chavor, and by the river of Gozan. After describing the downfall of Sancheirev, the prophet comes and says: and if you ask what will become of the lost and dispersed who were exiled to the lands of Sancheirev - the vision is yet for an appointed time. "And a shoot shall come forth from the stem of Yishai" is a future prophecy regarding their fate. Thus, according to Rashi, there are two distinct prophecies here: one regarding the salvation of Chizkiyahu, and a second regarding the Ten Tribes, in which the prophet informs them to wait, that their condition will yet change - but in a very distant future, a future for which we are still waiting.
The Malbim offers a slightly different explanation. Know, says the Malbim, that from the time of the first exile, the exile of Sancheirev's days, the time fit for redemption began. From that hour, the Jewish people were already capable of being redeemed, and from then on we see the prophets begin to prophesy that the Holy One, blessed be He, will gather the dispersed from the four corners of the earth. Even the redemption of the Second Temple era was only a partial redemption: how many returned here? Fewer than fifty thousand people - roughly forty thousand, plus about seven thousand servants. A very partial redemption. That is to say, we are still in the state of awaiting the redemption, and from when? From the era of King Chizkiyahu, when the Ten Tribes were exiled. Ever since that period, we have been waiting.
And this redemption has two possible times: there is the aspect of "if they merit" (zachu) and the aspect of "in its appointed time" (be'itah). This is what the Gemara states: if they merit - "I will hasten it"; if they do not merit - "in its time." The set deadline that we will not exceed under any circumstance is called "in its time," while in contrast there is "if they merit": if we refine our actions, the redemption will be advanced and arrive before its time. Therefore, the prophet comes and says: behold a wonder of wonders, in that era the Jewish people were capable of redemption. And had we merited and refined ourselves - as the Midrash says: the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to make Chizkiyahu the Mashiach and Sancheirev Gog and Magog, but sin intervened.
It turns out that the prophecy "And a shoot shall come forth from the stem of Yishai" does not speak merely of something destined to happen thousands of years later, but of an opportunity that opened up right then before us. At that very hour, a shoot could have come forth from the stem of Yishai and a sprout flourished from his roots, with Chizkiyahu fulfilling the role of Mashiach and bringing the complete redemption. Therefore, the prophecy was juxtaposed with the downfall of Sancheirev, to tell you: immediately following Sancheirev's downfall, a golden opportunity presented itself, and had we merited it, we would have already attained the redemption.
However, the prophet adds that there are conditions to this. As we already recall the principle of the Malbim, there is no superfluous expression in prophetic language, and here there is an apparent redundancy: "And a shoot shall come forth from the stem of Yishai" and "a sprout shall flourish from his roots." What is the difference between a shoot that emerges from the stem and a sprout that emerges from the roots?
The Malbim explains: the trunk (geza) is what grows above ground, close to the earth; the root (shoresh) is what lies beneath the ground. Now, what is the difference between a shoot (choter) and a sprout (netzer)? When a tree is cut down but its trunk remains, it can sprout again from the trunk, putting forth a choter - a sturdy bough emerging from the trunk itself, which sometimes thickens and carries on the trunk. But if the tree was uprooted entirely, leaving only roots buried in the earth from which new growth begins, a frail branch emerges, just as if you had planted a tree anew, like a seed placed in the soil from which a slender sapling begins to grow.
The two parables express two possible outcomes for the Jewish people. The prophet tells them: it will be one of two paths. At that time, the trunk had not yet been uprooted - Chizkiyahu was a king from the Davidic dynasty, and even though the kingdom was severed and divided, and he reigned over only two tribes, the stump of the trunk still remained. Therefore, if you are worthy, the ultimate redemption will take place immediately, and then "a shoot shall come forth from the stem of Yishai" - you will merit a strong branch that will continue the monarchy. But if you miss the opportunity, exile will ultimately come, passing through years and millennia, and then "a sprout shall blossom from his roots": the trunk will be uprooted and only the roots will remain, for the roots of the Davidic dynasty will never be cut off, and we await Mashiach ben David. Yet from the root, only a sprout will emerge - a kingdom that will begin in weakness.
And the wording is remarkably precise: choter is related to chatoteret (a hump or protrusion), something firm and robust. Netzer is a delicate twig that must be guarded (lintzor) and protected - one sets a stake beside it, wraps it, and builds a fence around it so it will not be trampled. In effect, the prophet is telling them: seize the opportunity! Right now there is still the possibility of a shoot emerging from the stem of Yishai; for if not, afterward there will only be a tender sprout blossoming from the roots.
וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ יְהֹוָה, רוּחַ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה, רוּחַ עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה, רוּחַ דַּעַת וְיִרְאַת יְהֹוָה׃ - And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
Here the prophet describes the exceptional qualities of King Mashiach, and the Malbim explains that he will be perfected in three categories of perfection.
1. Perfections pertaining to the intellective soul - "wisdom and understanding" (chochmah and binah). What is the difference between chochmah and binah? Chochmah is what a person receives from others, from his teachers; binah is what he grasps on his own - after receiving the fundamentals, he contemplates the matter, deduces one thing from another, blossoms in Torah, and increases in knowledge. Therefore, it is specifically regarding chochmah that the verse says "shall rest upon him," since chochmah can only be acquired by receiving from others, whereas binah is what he deduces through his own contemplation.
2. Perfections pertaining to his human faculties - "counsel and might" (eitzah and gevurah). "Counsel" encompasses the perfection of the imaginative faculty, which is the faculty of thought: being able to foresee what will happen as a result of a certain action, weighing all facets and possibilities, and offering sound counsel; this requires a very powerful faculty of imagination. "Might" stems from the perfection of the motive faculty, an inner awakening of fortitude. For true might does not necessarily depend on physical strength: a person may not be particularly strong physically yet possess true valor, having inner resilience and courage; while conversely, a large, powerful brute may have no real courage at all - he sees a cockroach and flees. The two qualities do not depend on one another.
3. Perfections pertaining to the holy soul within him - "knowledge and fear of the Lord" (da'at and yir'at Hashem). Because of his exalted soul and his spiritual perfection, he will possess "a spirit of knowledge" - fully comprehending the reality of Hashem, His providence, and His ways of governance, just as the prophets comprehended; along with "fear of the Lord." And the Malbim notes: knowledge without fear is nothing, and fear without knowledge is nothing. Knowledge without fear is worthless, for what will you do with that knowledge, and how will it benefit you? When there is fear of God, you direct that knowledge toward the service of Hashem. And conversely: if there is fear without knowledge, you may be full of fear - but of whom? You lack the understanding to know Whom to fear. One must possess knowledge of Hashem and join with it the fear of Hashem. All three of these perfections will reside in Mashiach through a sublime spiritual power, something supernatural that does not exist in man by nature.
וַהֲרִיחוֹ בְּיִרְאַת יְהֹוָה, וְלֹא לְמַרְאֵה עֵינָיו יִשְׁפּוֹט, וְלֹא לְמִשְׁמַע אָזְנָיו יוֹכִיחַ׃ - And he shall be inspired with the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears.
The Malbim explains that vaharicho derives from the root ruach (spirit): through fear of Hashem, Mashiach will attain a level of spirituality where material faculties are, as it were, stripped away. He will not hear or see in the way ordinary people hear and see with physical faculties; rather, all his actions will operate through the power of his intellective soul. An ordinary person sees with eyes of flesh and hears with ears of flesh, and physical sensory organs are limited: once a wall stands in the way, one can no longer see what is behind it. But with spiritual vision, one can know from one end of the world to the other. This was the light of Adam HaRishon, with which he could see from one end of the world to the other - for what do walls and physical boundaries matter to it? It was purely spiritual vision. Mashiach will possess a spiritual power, like that of an angel, in contrast to Egypt, of whom it is said, "Now the Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh, and not spirit" - possessing nothing more than limited physical power.
And by virtue of this - "he shall not judge by what his eyes see, nor decide by what his ears hear." "Judgment" (mishpat) relates to interpersonal matters, rescuing the oppressed from the oppressor. Every ordinary judge decides according to what his eyes see, for "a judge has only what his eyes see," and therefore he is also liable to err: if people mislead him, he may render a perverted judgment. But Mashiach will not judge by what his eyes see; rather, he will perceive the truth through the spiritual reality of matters.
"Nor decide by what his ears hear": reproof (tochechah) occurs when one seeks to admonish a person for his misdeeds and inappropriate behavior. In the ordinary course of the world, someone comes to a rabbi or a Gadol HaDor and says to him: "Honored Rav, it is fitting that the Rav speak about such-and-such an issue; there is a matter here that must be protested." For the Torah leader does not dwell in the quagmire himself; he does not personally know what is going on there. Therefore, people must come and inform him that there is a certain problem and a major pitfall, and then the Gedolei Yisrael issue a directive - for example, to purchase a kosher phone. But Mashiach will not need people to come and report to him in order to offer reproof; rather, he will possess a spiritual hearing, and through it he will admonish. Why is this significant? Because even a sage can be misled: if a situation is presented to him as severe when in truth it is not, he might rebuke over something that did not warrant rebuke. But when Mashiach reproves the generation for distortions and corruptions, it will not be based on the hearing of his ears or on what someone tells him; rather, he will know the true troubles and problems of the generation, and based on that, he will reprove with fairness.
Radak explains va-haricho as derived from literal scent (rei'ach). Smell is the subtlest of the senses: with just a slight sensation, a person already detects it, without needing to feel or touch the object, smelling it even from afar. As the verse states, "as a strand of tow is snapped when it scents fire" - merely smelling the fire, it is already burned. So too, "his scenting shall be in the fear of Hashem": with minimal perception, he will sense people, both good and evil, and distinguish between them - virtually smelling them and immediately knowing who fears Heaven and who does not. By virtue of this, he will even judge them without lengthy interrogations and cross-examinations. As soon as they approach him, he will smell where the foulness lies and where a good scent wafts, discerning who is upright and honest and who is attempting to lie and deceive.
Radak further cites in the name of his father that va-haricho relates to his speech. How does scent relate to speech? Because we find the expression "the breath (ru'ach) of his mouth," showing that speech is characterized by breath, for when a person speaks, he expels breath. Thus, "his scenting shall be in the fear of Hashem" means that his speech will always be imbued with the fear of Hashem: everything he utters and all his concerns will be centered on closeness to Hashem, the fear of Hashem, and spiritual matters. Mashiach will be such a holy and spiritual individual that all his words will pertain strictly to spiritual pursuits.
וְשָׁפַט בְּצֶדֶק דַּלִּים וְהוֹכִיחַ בְּמִישׁוֹר לְעַנְוֵי־אָרֶץ, וְהִכָּה־אֶרֶץ בְּשֵׁבֶט פִּיו וּבְרוּחַ שְׂפָתָיו יָמִית רָשָׁע׃ - But he shall judge the destitute with righteousness, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth; and he shall strike the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Malbim explains that this verse serves as a direct parallel continuation of the previous verse. There it stated, "he shall not judge by what his eyes see," and here comes the continuation: "he shall judge the destitute with righteousness" - justice itself will serve, as it were, as the plumb line with which he assesses judgment. He does not need to arrive at justice through external evidence and investigation; rather, justice is inherently in his grasp, and through it he will judge the destitute, without being misled by litigating parties attempting to deceive him. And parallel to "nor decide by what his ears hear," it says: "and decide with equity for the humble of the earth." Equity (mishor), which is uprightness itself, will be the plumb line in his hand, and with it he will reprove the humble, who are receptive to rebuke. Why specifically the humble? Because who accepts rebuke? Only a humble person. An arrogant person rejects reproof - "Who are you to lecture me?" - but one who is humble accepts correction. Therefore, "and decide with equity for the humble of the earth": those who are ready to accept reproof are the humble.
Radak explains differently: "and decide with equity for the humble of the earth" means that he will reprove the powerful with equity on behalf of the humble of the earth, so that they do not rob them. "The humble of the earth" refers to the lowly and downtrodden, who are typically trampled by the wealthy, and Mashiach will reprove those who oppress them with fairness. In this reading, "for the humble of the earth" (le'anvei aretz) means "on behalf of the humble of the earth" (ba'avur anvei aretz).
"And he shall strike the land with the rod of his mouth": if a land or nation is found that does not accept his words, he will strike it - yet he will have no need for armies, wars, or fighter jets; rather, he will strike it with the rod of his mouth, through a curse he pronounces upon them, and that will suffice. He does not need a wooden staff to strike with, but rather the rod of the mouth, and with the staff of his mouth he will smite an entire land and nation. "And with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked": if there is an individual wicked person, rather than an entire nation or kingdom, who rebels against him, there he will not even need to utter a curse; the mere breath issuing from his lips will be enough to put him to death.
Malbim notes a precise distinction: mouth (peh) and lips (sefatayim) are two different things. "Mouth" represents the entire mouth, whereas the lips are merely the external part. In normal human speech, after a person finishes speaking, a slight breath or exhalation escapes from his lips. To strike an entire land, he requires the full mouth - "the rod of his mouth," which is actual articulated speech. But to slay an individual wicked person, which is comparatively minor for him, the mere residual breath issuing from his lips at the conclusion of speech suffices, and he does not even need to articulate words.
Radak explains "He will judge the poor with righteousness" based on the way of the world to show deference to the prominent: when a person of stature comes before a judge, or when it is a prominent, high-profile case that makes an impression, it is treated with great respect; but when an impoverished person comes for judgment, there is no desire to deal with him, and they rush to conclude the proceedings. But Mashiach will not be like this - "He will judge the poor with righteousness"; he will specifically judge the destitute, and this will be his greatness: to concern himself with the judgment of the poor, those who usually have no one to take up their cause. Likewise, "and decide with equity for the humble of the earth," meaning that he will even rebuke those who mistreat the humble of the earth.
In this context, it is worth recalling a court case that once caused a stir throughout the entire Torah world: the dispute concerning the Romm Publishing House (the Widow and Brothers Romm). There was a monumental battle at the time regarding the printing rights to the Shas, between the Widow and Brothers Romm and others who laid claim against them. Who did not write on this matter? The Responsa of Rabbi Akiva Eiger and all the leading Torah figures of Israel addressed it, and the subject appears extensively in their responsa literature. Rabbi Yisrael Salanter was deeply pained by this. He said: See, why is everyone talking about this case? Because here millions are at stake, immense rights. Yet the Torah established that the law of a perutah is like the law of a hundred; if so, a minor dispute between two individuals over a chicken egg or five shekels is as precious before Hashem according to Torah law as that monumental case that all the Torah luminaries addressed. They should attend to every small case just as diligently. In the way of the world, priority is given to the grand case and honor is shown to the prominent, but Mashiach - "He will judge the poor with righteousness."
In this verse it is mentioned, "and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked," and from here the sages of Israel derived an important proof. In the time of Shabbetai Tzvi - may the name of the wicked rot - whom the sefarim refer to as "Tzvi Shavur" (a broken deer), an allusion based on the broken deer mentioned in the Mishnah in Shabbat, this individual claimed to be the Mashiach. He was a great Kabbalist and performed various wonders, and everyone was misled by him. The majority of the Torah leaders of Israel, virtually all of them, followed after him, except for Rabbi Yaakov Sasportas and a few other individuals who took a stand against him and authored works against him, such as *Tzitzat Novel Tzvi*, to expose his falsehood. This is another example showing that even great people can err. Certainly, we do not suspect in every situation that a Torah leader might be mistaken, and we must proceed with the conviction that the Holy One, Blessed be He, guards the leaders of Israel from error, but in that specific instance, that was what occurred. And his end proved what he was from the beginning: ultimately he converted to Islam, and was even put to death by the king.
It is related that when his name spread across the world, the gedolei Yisrael sent emissaries to investigate who this man was and whether he was worthy of being Mashiach. The Chida recounts this regarding the Bach, the author of the *Bayit Chadash*, stating that he sent his son-in-law to examine him - though commentators have already pointed out that this is historically inaccurate, as the Bach passed away about fifteen years before Shabbetai Tzvi arose. In any case, it is recorded that it was the Taz, the author of the *Turei Zahav*, who sent his sons to scrutinize him. When the son appeared before him, he mentioned that in his home country of Poland there was a tyrannical, wicked ruler, and stated his name. Shabbetai Tzvi went out to the garden, plucked a blade of grass from the ground, and said that through this act he was uprooting the soul of that tyrannical nobleman from the world. When the son returned to Poland and recounted this to his father, it turned out that at the very hour Shabbetai Tzvi plucked the grass, that wicked nobleman in Poland died. The matter aroused immense amazement.
The author of the Turei Zahav said to him: There is nothing to be impressed by at all; he is certainly not Mashiach. For concerning Mashiach it is said, "and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked" - why would he need to perform a physical action? One who is truly the Mashiach slays the wicked with the breath of his lips, and does not need to perform physical actions in the natural world to cause his death. From this he proved that there was no substance to him, and that he was not the true Mashiach.
Others found proof in a different matter: it is related that one of the gedolei Yisrael went to see him, and saw him sleeping flat - some say on his back and some say on his stomach (*aperkedan*). According to Halachah, it is forbidden for a man to sleep flat on his back or on his stomach; rather, he must lie on his right or left side. When he saw this, he said: It is impossible for Mashiach to violate a ruling in the Shulchan Aruch; whoever transgresses a Halachah in the Shulchan Aruch is certainly not Mashiach. With that, he determined that he was not Mashiach. The Torah sages recognized other signs as well, yet despite this, many followed him and mistakenly thought he was the Mashiach. At all events, in our verse we see the true defining characteristic of Mashiach and his stature.
The chapter opens with fresh growth set against the felled forest of Sancheiriv. According to the Malbim, from the time of the first exile the proper period for redemption commenced, opening the opportunity of "if they merit, I will hasten it": had we merited, Chizkiyahu would have become Mashiach and Sancheiriv would have been Gog and Magog - but sin intervened. Therefore, there are two parables: "a shoot from the trunk" - a powerful and immediate monarchy if they merit, and "a twig from his roots" - a monarchy that is fragile at its inception, emerging after thousands of years of exile, for the roots of the House of David will never be severed. In the King Mashiach there will be three forms of perfection: wisdom and understanding from his intellectual soul, counsel and might from his human capacities, and knowledge and fear of Hashem from his holy soul - for knowledge without fear is nothing, and fear without knowledge is nothing. By virtue of his sublime spirituality, he will not judge by the sight of his eyes nor decide by the hearing of his ears; rather, righteousness and equity themselves will be the plumb line in his hand. He will specifically champion the poor, strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and slay the wicked with the breath of his lips - and from this the Turei Zahav proved that a true Mashiach has no need for physical actions and supernatural signs within nature.