Chapter 26 of Yeshayahu is a song of faith and trust, and in its second part it turns into a prayer and an argument that the prophet lays before the Holy One, blessed be He: Why does the wicked person prosper, and when will the true salvation arrive? The present lesson deals with this section, from verse 10 through the end of the chapter, examining the commentaries of the Malbim, the Radak, and Rashi, culminating in the prophecy of the resurrection of the dead and the retribution visited upon the nations.
Why Does the Wicked Prosper? - Two Arguments
יֻחַן רָשָׁע בַּל לָמַד צֶדֶק, בְּאֶרֶץ נְכֹחוֹת יְעַוֵּל, וּבַל יִרְאֶה גֵּאוּת יְהֹוָה. - Should the wicked be shown favor, he does not learn righteousness; in a land of uprightness he acts corruptly, and he will not see the majesty of Hashem.
The prophet asks: Why does the wicked person receive favor and pardon? Why does he prosper? After all, for two reasons he ought to be punished immediately. The first reason: if the wicked person does not receive punishment fitting his wickedness, he continues to add more wickedness. Had he received an immediate slap, he would have stopped; but once he sees that his path succeeds, he adds wickedness upon wickedness. This is what is meant by "Should the wicked be shown favor, he does not learn righteousness" - by granting him favor and clemency, he does not learn to act righteously, and he continues in his corrupt ways.
The second reason: through his success, others watch, learn from him, and turn wicked like him. This is "in a land of uprightness he acts corruptly" - in a land where people previously walked before Hashem, a land conducted with fear of Heaven, the wicked person comes along and corrupts others, causing them to say: Behold, the wicked man commits evil and prospers, so I will do the same. Thus, he causes the multitude to sin. "And he will not see the majesty of Hashem" - Master of the Universe, why do You not show him the majesty of Hashem and Your power, exacting punishment from him to demonstrate that there is a Judge in the earth who repays the wicked according to their evil?
The Familiar Answer: Free Will - And Yet "Let Them Behold and Be Ashamed"
יְהֹוָה רָמָה יָדְךָ בַּל יֶחֱזָיוּן, יֶחֱזוּ וְיֵבֹשׁוּ קִנְאַת עָם, אַף אֵשׁ צָרֶיךָ תֹאכְלֵם. - Hashem, Your hand was raised high, yet they would not behold; let them behold and be ashamed at Your zeal for the people; indeed, let the fire reserved for Your foes consume them.
The prophet says: I know there is an answer to my question. Had the Holy One, blessed be He, punished the wicked immediately and given the righteous their reward immediately, the world would not be divided into the wicked and the righteous, but into the wise and the foolish. For only a fool would commit a wicked act knowing that punishment would arrive instantly, and only a fool, seeing such immense immediate reward, would fail to do Hashem's will. The world would turn into a world of robots: if, immediately upon performing a mitzvah, the bank manager were to call and inform you that ten thousand dollars had been deposited into your account, everyone would pursue mitzvos like drunkards. And if someone turned on a light on Shabbat and his hand were immediately paralyzed for a week - who would be foolish enough to turn it on? And so it would be with every mitzvah and every sin.
Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not mete out immediate reward and punishment, or in the words of early sages: so that there may be room for free choice. The Holy One, blessed be He, created a state of concealment, wherein one who does good does not receive his reward immediately, and one who does evil is not immediately punished. A person can deny the faith and provoke Hashem, yet see that seemingly nothing happened, and that the same fate seemingly befalls the righteous and the wicked - and here lies the true test: even though you see the wicked prospering and defying Hashem's word, and even though you see the righteous suffering and afflicted all the more, you cling to Hashem's will. The Holy One, blessed be He, desires that you serve Him out of faith rather than expediency; for if you serve out of expediency, you are merely chasing reward.
This is "Hashem, Your hand was raised high, yet they would not behold" - You elevated Your hand so that they would not clearly perceive Your providence, ensuring there would be concealment of the Divine face and allowing man free choice to do good or evil. But I say: "Let them behold and be ashamed" - on the contrary, Master of the Universe, it is better that they see and be put to shame, for their measure of guilt is already full, and they deserve their punishment for two reasons. First, "zeal for the people" - it is fitting that You display zeal for what they have done to Your people: they oppressed, harassed, butchered, murdered, and slaughtered them. Second, "indeed, let the fire reserved for Your foes consume them" - the fire they ignited themselves should rightly consume them; their sins have multiplied so greatly that the fire they generated will be what destroys them. The Malbim explains that "af" (אַף) here means "also," introducing an additional argument; he also brings another explanation that "af" denotes anger: they provoked Him exceedingly, and smoke rose in His nostrils from their many sins, so it is fitting that this wrath consume them.
"Establish Peace for Us" - We Have Already Paid Our Dues
יְהֹוָה תִּשְׁפֹּת שָׁלוֹם לָנוּ, כִּי גַּם כָּל מַעֲשֵׂינוּ פָּעַלְתָּ לָּנוּ. - Hashem, You will establish peace for us, for all our deeds You have accomplished for us.
After arguing that the measure of the wicked is full and they deserve punishment, the prophet makes the counter-claim on behalf of the Jewish people. "Tishpot" (תִּשְׁפֹּת) with the letter tav, like "put on the pot, put it on" (שְׁפֹת הַסִּיר שְׁפֹת), means to place something and attach it to another, like setting a pot firmly upon the stove. That is to say: Master of the Universe, from now on it is fitting that You establish only peace for us, giving us in accordance with justice and fairness what we are due - and that is only good. And should You say, "Yet you too have sinned?" To this the verse responds, "for all our works You have also performed for us" - for all the bad deeds we committed You have already repaid us; we have already received our punishment. This itself reinforces the previous argument: when our measure was full, You exacted payment from us immediately. If so, now that the measure of the nations is more than full, it is fitting that You exact payment from them as well; and since we have already paid our debt, we should now receive reward.
"Other lords besides You have ruled over us" - Yet we remained attached to You
יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּעָלוּנוּ אֲדֹנִים זוּלָתֶךָ, לְבַד בְּךָ נַזְכִּיר שְׁמֶךָ. - Hashem our God, other lords besides You have ruled over us, but through You alone will we mention Your Name.
The Malbim explains that there is a distinction between ownership (ba'alut) and lordship (adnut). Ownership denotes property rights over the physical substance of an object, as in "the owner of the ox shall be clear," and it can apply even to something purely physical, material, and lowly. Lordship denotes majesty and superiority, which is why the Holy One, blessed be He, is also called "the Master" (HaAdon). Here, the nations, who are in the status of lords, treated us as if we were their chattel, as if we were their ox. "Besides You" (zulatecha) - meaning that they sought to force us to deny faith in Your oneness. Yet we did not heed them: "through You alone will we mention Your Name" - You alone did we hold as God, Your Name alone did we mention, never mentioning the names of foreign gods nor clinging to those owners. If so, it is only fitting that You bestow good upon us in return for the devotion of remaining attached to You.
"The dead shall not live?" - Phrased as a question
מֵתִים בַּל יִחְיוּ, רְפָאִים בַּל יָקֻמוּ, לָכֵן פָּקַדְתָּ וַתַּשְׁמִידֵם וַתְּאַבֵּד כָּל זֵכֶר לָמוֹ. - The dead shall not live? The shades shall not rise? Is it for this that You visited and destroyed them, and made all memory of them perish?
The verse is spoken as an incredulous question: Is it because we sanctified Your Name and mentioned only You that the dead should not live? Is this the reward due to us for remaining faithful to You despite all trials and tribulations? "The shades shall not rise?" - The Malbim explains in several places that the distinction is that a "dead person" (met) refers to the time of death, whereas "shades" (refa'im) refers to those who already lie in the grave. "Is it for this that You visited and destroyed them?" - Is it because they clung to faith in You that You punished, destroyed, and wiped out all memory of them, causing them and all they had to perish? After all, they died for the sanctification of Your Name and sacrificed their lives for Your oneness, so it is fitting that You resurrect them!
"You added to the nation" - And what came of it?
יָסַפְתָּ לַגּוֹי יְהֹוָה, יָסַפְתָּ לַגּוֹי נִכְבָּדְתָּ, רִחַקְתָּ כָּל קַצְוֵי אָרֶץ. - You added to the nation, Hashem, You added to the nation, were You honored? You removed all the ends of the earth far away.
See the contrast between Israel and the nations: You added goodness upon goodness for the idolater, and not only that, but again "You added to the nation," yet more favor and more greatness. But were You "honored" by this? Did he give You honor, show You gratitude, or appreciate what You gave him? On the contrary, "You distanced all the ends of the earth" - it caused a tremendous desecration of Hashem's Name, for all the ends of the earth deduced that one who defies Hashem and torments the Jewish people prospers, and that the Holy One, blessed be He, grants him greatness. As a result, they continue all the more to deny You and to worship idols and foreign gods.
"In distress they sought You" - In great trouble and small hardship alike
יְהֹוָה בַּצַּר פְּקָדוּךָ, צָקוּן לַחַשׁ מוּסָרְךָ לָמוֹ. - Hashem, in distress they sought You; they poured out a whisper of prayer when Your chastisement was upon them.
But that was not the case with the people of Israel. Not only when You showered goodness upon them did they remember You, but even when distress struck them, they "sought You" ("pakaducha") - they did not look for other addresses; they knew that You are the address, and they did not attribute the trouble to chance, but knew it was from You. And not only in great distress, when Hashem's hand is revealed and it is clear that the matter is from Him, blessed be He, but even in minor distress: "they poured out a quiet prayer, Your chastisement upon them" ("tzakun lachash musarcha lamo").
The Malbim explains that tzakun is from the language of metzuka (distress). He establishes a principle regarding the difference between tzarah and tzukah: tzarah is external, denoting something pressing from the outside, whereas tzukah is internal, emotional anguish - depression, inner sadness, anguish of the soul. Likewise, the Malbim distinguishes between a whisper (lachash) and a secret (sod): a secret can be revealed aloud, but a whisper is always mouth-to-ear. The message: that inner distress is like a revelation in a whisper, as if the Holy One, blessed be He, is whispering words of rebuke into your ear so that you mend your ways. And they felt this - even when inner anguish (tzakun) struck, they recognized it as "the whisper of Your discipline." Unlike the nations, to whom You added good and they not only failed to recognize You but rebelled even more; we, by contrast, not only showed gratitude, but even when distress struck, we knew it was from You, and even when it was a slight inner anguish, we understood there was a whisper of rebuke here, urging us to set ourselves on the upright path.
Like a Pregnant Woman - The Radak's Explanation in the Name of His Father
כְּמוֹ הָרָה תַּקְרִיב לָלֶדֶת תָּחִיל תִּזְעַק בַּחֲבָלֶיהָ, כֵּן הָיִינוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה. - Like a pregnant woman about to give birth who writhes and screams in her labor pains, so were we before You, Hashem.
Like an expectant mother nearing childbirth, who cries out - tachil is related to trembling and writhing - and screams in her birth pangs, so were we before You. You brought great labor pains upon us, immense troubles and suffering. And this great suffering hinted that the time of redemption was near, for when a laboring woman's contractions grow more frequent and intense, it is a sign that birth is at hand. We thought: great troubles have arrived, redemption is already coming. Yet we endured all the troubles, and salvation has still not arrived.
Here the Radak brings an explanation in the name of his father. As a rule, whenever you see an explanation in the Radak cited from "my master, my father," know that he offers sweet treats, gems of insight. The Radak's father explains that this verse connects to what was stated earlier: "they poured out a quiet prayer, Your chastisement upon them." However much You strike and chastise them, not only do they not distance themselves from You, but their love for You actually increases. The parable: A pregnant woman - who caused her this pregnancy? Her husband. Seemingly, she should now curse and berate him: "It is because of you that I am suffering!" And yet, though she "writhes and screams in her labor pains," she adds love upon his love. So it is with us: You brought troubles upon us, and we sought You; nevertheless, we did not, God forbid, come to feel alienation or hatred, but said: "This is from You, Master of the Universe," and we add further love to our love.
"It Was as if We Gave Birth to Wind"
הָרִינוּ חַלְנוּ כְּמוֹ יָלַדְנוּ רוּחַ, יְשׁוּעֹת בַּל נַעֲשֶׂה אֶרֶץ, וּבַל יִפְּלוּ יֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל. - We were with child, we writhed in labor, as if we gave birth to wind; we have not wrought salvation in the land, nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
Chalnu is related to trembling and dread. The Malbim explains: What emerged from those immense birth pangs and that labor? Wind, or spirit (ruach). And what kind of spirit? A spirit of prophecy, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of hope. This, so to speak, is the child born of that pregnancy and longing for redemption. And what does that spirit say? "We have not wrought salvation in the land" - here in the material, physical earth, salvation will not materialize; in this material realm we have not yet been saved, and there is no room here for true salvation, nor can salvation rest upon the inhabitants of the world. Even so, there is no reason to despair, for salvation is destined to come, as we shall see in the next verse.
The Radak explains here too in the name of his father: When a woman gives birth, we know the agony is over and she has delivered. But a woman who begins to experience contractions prematurely endures harsh labor pains, and what comes of it? "It was as if we gave birth to wind" - nothing is born, for the time of delivery has not yet arrived. Furthermore, she finds no relief: a mother who has delivered rests, the baby has arrived, it is over; but this woman knows that childbirth still awaits her. The first trip to the hospital ends with her being sent home; the contractions were nothing more than pain and wind. This is the meaning of "we have not wrought salvation in the land" - we have no salvation here yet; "nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen" - the nations have not yet lost their stature. All the promises remain at the stage of having birthed wind, and we have not yet merited the birth that is followed by rest and the knowledge that the troubles are behind us and salvation has arrived.
"Your Dead Shall Live" - True Salvation in the World of Resurrection
יִחְיוּ מֵתֶיךָ נְבֵלָתִי יְקוּמוּן, הָקִיצוּ וְרַנְּנוּ שֹׁכְנֵי עָפָר, כִּי טַל אוֹרֹת טַלֶּךָ וָאָרֶץ רְפָאִים תַּפִּיל. - Your dead shall live, my corpses shall arise! Awake and sing for joy, you who dwell in the dust, for Your dew is like the dew of lights, and the earth shall cast out the shades.
According to the Malbim, this is a continuation of the words of that spirit which was born. The spirit says: Here in the physical world there is no place for salvation; this is not a true and enduring salvation - do not despair. In the world of the resurrection, in the eternal world, that is where salvations will arrive. For if you were given your reward here, you would be paid in mere pennies, and that is not true salvation. When will the destined salvations arrive? When "your dead shall live, my corpses shall arise."
And not only will the souls live, but "my corpses shall arise" - the body too will rise in the resurrection. The reason: in this world, the soul and the body suffered together, and therefore the future reward will be for soul and body together. And even one who already dwells in the dust, whose story seems over and whose hope seems lost - "Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust," your hope is not lost.
"For your dew is like the dew of herbs" - where does dew descend from? From the vapors that rise from the earth; moisture evaporates, rises heavenward, and then falls as dew. "Orot" means greens or herbs, as we find with the disciples of the prophet Elisha who went out to gather herbs (orot) and "death in the pot" occurred. There are greens for which dew alone is sufficient, such as truffles and mushrooms, where a little moisture causes a large mushroom to sprout in a single day; so too, the dead are destined to come to life by virtue of the dew. The Malbim explains that part of the moisture rising heavenward comes from the greenery on earth - everything that contains moisture releases moisture, including a person sweating, water, and plants - and when the sun beats down, that moisture falls back as dew to water the plants themselves.
The analogy refers to our deeds: the good deeds we perform here are like the moisture rising from the earth, which then descends as dew. This is the aspect of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) explained many times: the good deeds we perform here arouse love Above, create a union in the upper realms, and draw down mayin dechurin (masculine waters), abundance to this world. But the starting point must always begin from here - from the dew rising from the herbs, which is "your dew." By the power of that dew of mitzvot and good deeds, the dead will arise, and through this "the earth will cast forth the shades" - that dew of herbs will fall upon those dead long buried in the earth, and from this they will arise, and from this the Redemption will begin.
All this, says the Malbim, is spoken by the spirit born in verse 18. That spirit, born out of all the tribulations - a spirit of prophecy, wisdom, understanding, and hope - declares: Know that this dire state will not last forever; rather, upon those dry bones the dew of revival will descend and bring them to life. And even though this is not occurring now, for "we have not wrought salvations in the earth" and physical reality is not a place for eternal, enduring salvation, know that an eternal salvation is destined to come, as written in Yechezkel, "Behold, I will open your graves." Do not despair of it; rather, anticipate and await it.
"Go, My People, Enter Your Chambers"
לֵךְ עַמִּי בֹּא בַחֲדָרֶיךָ וּסְגֹר דְּלָתְךָ בַּעֲדֶךָ, חֲבִי כִמְעַט רֶגַע עַד יַעֲבָר זָעַם. - Go, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide for a brief moment until the indignation has passed.
Rashi explains that here the Holy One, blessed be He, responds to the prophet: "Enter your chambers" - into the synagogues and study halls. This is the demand upon a person: come to the synagogue, come to the beit midrash. It can also be interpreted - and this is so fitting for the Ten Days of Repentance - examine your actions within the chambers of your heart. For often a person tells himself superficially: What is wrong? Baruch Hashem, everything with me is fine, I try and I do. But he is told: examine the chambers of your heart, and see how much you need to rectify.
And one can say that both interpretations complement each other. Why is a person certain he is fine? Because he does not learn. The Rambam once said to someone who did not want to recite the Vidui (confession), claiming he had not committed all those sins and asking how he could recite them: If you studied, you would know that every single day you transgress everything written in the Vidui, if not blatantly, then in subtle detail. A person who learns understands the magnitude of the demand upon him and realizes how lacking he is. We feel whole because we are convinced we do more than what is required; if we truly knew how much is demanded of us, we would realize how deficient we are. Therefore: enter the synagogues and study halls, and then you will be able to reflect upon the chambers of your heart and see how much you have yet to fulfill.
Along these lines, the statement of Chazal can be explained: "One who sees that suffering has come upon him should examine his deeds; if he examined and found nothing, he should attribute it to bittul Torah (neglect of Torah study)." And the question is well known: you said he should examine his deeds, and Torah study is included among deeds! If he examined and found nothing, it implies he checked his Torah study as well and found everything in order; if so, how can you say "he should attribute it to bittul Torah"? Is bittul Torah a separate matter? There is a simple explanation, that the exacting standard regarding bittul Torah is boundless, as in the words of Iyov. But according to what has been explained, the matter is illuminated wonderfully: "he should attribute it to bittul Torah" - he should not attribute the suffering to bittul Torah, for he already checked and found no bittul Torah, but rather he should attribute the very fact that he found nothing to bittul Torah! Had you learned a bit more, how many sins would you have found in yourself! And why did you not find any? Because you do not learn, and you do not realize the extent of the obligation and how much toil and effort rest upon a person's shoulders in this world.
It is told of the Brisker Rav that he was once walking the streets of Jerusalem with a prominent Torah scholar, immersed in Torah discussion. A man met them and asked: "Rebbe, what should we be doing now?" The Brisker Rav replied: "These are the Ten Days of Repentance; one must do teshuvah." The man said to him: "The Brisker Rav needs to do teshuvah?!" It is related that for half an hour afterward, the Brisker Rav could not calm down. He said: "Did you hear what people are saying? Is that even a question? I don't need to do teshuvah? How much I need to do teshuvah!" And he was exceptionally meticulous to the utmost degree in every matter. He said: "See how far we have declined; in Brisk no one would have asked such a question. Is there anyone who does not need to do teshuvah?" After all, it is written of Rav Saadia Gaon that he would do teshuvah every single day, because today he recognized the Creator on a higher level, and therefore the fact that yesterday he did not serve Him on this level was itself a deficiency requiring teshuvah. From this we can understand how immense the demand is upon a person.
"And shut your doors behind you" - Onkelos translates: perform good deeds that will protect you, "ovin tavin deyagnun alach." It is neither the shelter nor the mask that shuts you in; rather, good deeds are the door. Rabbi Tanchuma expounded: shut the doors of your mouth, so as not to question the Attribute of Justice. The Radak explains that this refers to the War of Gog and Magog, a time of distress - "Go, my people, enter your chambers," and do not question the Attribute of Justice. "Hide for a brief moment" - hide for a moment until the indignation has passed, and when the wrath subsides, I will exact proper retribution from the enemies.
"And the Earth Shall Disclose Her Blood"
כִּי הִנֵּה יְהֹוָה יֹצֵא מִמְּקוֹמוֹ לִפְקֹד עֲוֺן יֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ עָלָיו, וְגִלְּתָה הָאָרֶץ אֶת דָּמֶיהָ וְלֹא תְכַסֶּה עוֹד עַל הֲרוּגֶיהָ. - For behold, Hashem comes forth from His place to punish the iniquity of the inhabitant of the earth upon him; and the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
The Holy One, blessed be He, will go forth and hold the nations accountable for the iniquities of all the harm they have inflicted upon us. The Radak explains that this is similar to what is written regarding the war of Gog and Magog: "Then shall Hashem go forth, and fight against those nations." And for what? For all the blood of the Jewish people and in Jerusalem that they spilled, and for innocent blood - He will hold them accountable for all of it. The Radak adds: as long as the Holy One, blessed be He, has not avenged the blood, the blood is considered concealed; but once He avenges it, it is revealed. This is just as Iyov said: "O earth, cover not my blood." And here: the earth will no longer cover its slain - now the debt will be collected, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will exact retribution from the enemies as they deserve.
This is also like what is written in the prophecy of Yoel: "And I will hold their blood innocent that I have not held innocent" - the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I have pardoned everything, but the blood of those who gave their lives for My holiness I have not pardoned. Likewise we find: "Why is Your apparel red?" and "their lifeblood is dashed upon My garments," and Chazal teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, wears a garment stained with the blood of all those who sacrificed their lives for Kiddush Hashem. Therefore, no longer will the earth conceal their blood; rather, "and the earth shall disclose her blood," and then the Holy One, blessed be He, will settle the score with the nations and pour out His wrath upon them to avenge all that they did to the Jewish people.
The Malbim adds: "And shall no more cover her slain" is also stated in the future tense - meaning that whoever kills from this point onward will receive their punishment immediately, in his words: "The earth shall rise up against him to punish him at once." It will not be as it was until now, when the earth covered the blood, but rather the earth will take vengeance against him immediately and the Holy One, blessed be He, will exact punishment from him at once. May Hashem exact retribution from all the nations speedily, Amen and Amen.
In summary:
In this section of the chapter, the prophet asks why the wicked is shown favor ("Let favor be shown to the wicked"), and explains that the concealment of the Divine Face is intended to allow for free will and for service born of faith rather than self-interest; yet he nevertheless asks, "Let them behold and be ashamed," for their measure of sin is already full. He argues that the Jewish people have already paid their debt ("You also have wrought all our works for us"), that they remained clinging to Hashem under foreign masters, that they recognized the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, in both external distress and internal anguish, and that like an expectant woman, their love only deepened specifically out of the birth pangs. From this longing was born a spirit of prophecy and hope, teaching that true salvation lies not in the physical world but in the world of the Resurrection of the Dead, when the dew of lights - the dew of mitzvos and good deeds ascending from below - will revive those who dwell in the dust, both in body and in soul. And until then: "Come into your chambers" - into the synagogues and study halls, and into the chambers of the heart, with good deeds that provide protection and without questioning the Divine attribute of judgment, until the indignation passes, at which time Hashem will come forth from His place to punish the iniquity of the nations and avenge the blood of His people.