Sefer Yeshayahu chapter 38. In those days Chizkiyahu fell mortally ill, and Yeshayahu ben Amotz the prophet came to him and said to him: Thus says Hashem, set your house in order, for you shall die and not live. And Chizkiyahu turned his face to the wall and prayed to Hashem. After Chizkiyahu prays, the Holy One tells him: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, behold I will add fifteen years to your days.
The Gemara in Masechet Berachot, before we open the matter. Berachot daf 10. In those days Chizkiyahu fell mortally ill, and Yeshayahu ben Amotz came to him, and so on. What is the meaning of "you shall die and not live"? It is simple and obvious that a person who dies generally does not live. So what is "you shall die and not live"? What is the meaning of the doubling? You shall die in this world and not live in the world to come. Both this world and the world to come.
The Gemara asks: he said to him, what is all this for? Over what, over what sin? Chizkiyahu was a righteous king. He said to him: because you did not engage in being fruitful and multiplying. Chizkiyahu says to him: what, and did I refrain from marrying and engaging in being fruitful and multiplying for no reason? It is because I saw through ruach hakodesh that unworthy sons would come from me. Who came from him? Menasheh and Ravshakeh, correct? Ravshakeh perished while still young, such people must be eliminated while they are still small, but what can be done, Menasheh apparently the root was bad, he managed to survive; this is how it is brought that in their smallness he cast them to the ground. And he says such sons who will anger the Creator of the world, it is better not to bring them into the world at all.
He said to him: what have you to do with the hidden matters of the Merciful One? Why do you make heavenly calculations? What you are commanded, you should do. You are commanded regarding being fruitful and multiplying, so engage in being fruitful and multiplying. Ah, but what will come from me? And what is pleasing before the Holy One, He will do. What He will bring forth from you, that is His account.
By the way, did Chizkiyahu have ruach hakodesh? Without any doubt, for we see that he knew who would come from him. So how is it that he did not know that Menasheh would repent? They say that the level of teshuvah is higher than the level of ruach hakodesh, and this cannot be attained through ruach hakodesh. Because of the great height of the level of teshuvah, this he could not, it was not possible for him to attain it through ruach hakodesh. Good, the Gemara says, and by the way for the same reason Korach too said: I am certain of victory. Why? Because Shmuel will come from me. So I am certain of victory, but your sons will repent, and teshuvah cannot be attained through ruach hakodesh. This he could not attain. That they would repent, Korach could not attain through ruach hakodesh, therefore he did not understand that it would be his sons who would survive and they who would repent, this he could not see.
He said to him: now give me your daughter, perhaps my merit and your merit will cause worthy sons to come from me. He said to him: the decree has already been decreed upon you. He says to him: I did not come to make deals, to close deals, I came to inform, and the message is: you shall die and not live. I came to inform you of a decree, so do not think there is any benefit now in all sorts of attempts to nullify it.
He said to him: ben Amotz, finish your prophecy and leave. This is the tradition I have from my father's father's house: even if a sharp sword rests upon a person's neck, let him not withhold himself from mercy. This is the tradition I have from David HaMelech, that even if a person has a sharp sword resting upon his neck. What does "resting upon his neck" mean? It means that all that is now needed is a little force to cut his neck. Even so, the situation is still in the balance. Even so, he can still ask for mercy, let him not withhold himself from mercy. It was also stated: Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Elazar, both of whom said: even if a sharp sword rests upon a person's neck, let him not withhold himself from mercy.
There is a tremendous question here from Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz. He asks: where do we hear that a person who did not engage in being fruitful and multiplying, "you shall die in this world and not live in the world to come"? Where do we hear such a thing? A person who did not engage in being fruitful and multiplying lost a mitzvah in the Torah. There is a positive commandment in the Torah, be fruitful and multiply, but there is no lashes for it, no karet for it, no obligation of death for it, nothing for it. And there is no greater obligation of the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiplying upon a king than upon any other person. Be fruitful and multiply was said to every person, and there are opinions that say even to non-Jews. So if so, how is it possible, asks Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, to obligate with death only a person who did not fulfill a positive commandment; for this they obligate him with death in this world and in the world to come? Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz says, there is indeed an approach in the holy Arizal, the holy Arizal says that one who did not engage in being fruitful and multiplying, says the holy Arizal, has as it were fixed nothing, he will have to return, as it were, that same gilgul he was in completely reset. It is as if he did not begin anything. But we must know this was said only about one who is here, a soul that is here for the first time in this world. That is, one who never engaged in being fruitful and multiplying. But if in one of his gilgulim he engaged in being fruitful and multiplying, and we are here hundreds of times already in this world, then without any doubt every person has already several times in the past fulfilled the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiplying, so in any case this was not said about him. But Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz explains and says that in truth the claim against Chizkiyahu was not for the fact that he did not engage in being fruitful and multiplying, but for the reasoning he gave for his words. He asked him: why do you not engage in being fruitful and multiplying? He told him: because I saw through ruach hakodesh that wicked sons would come from me. That is, what is the meaning of a servant? I do the command of Hashem and the will of Hashem because that is what Hashem said. I have no personal calculations. A servant does not make calculations; he is sent on an errand, he does not say wait, is it worthwhile to carry out the boss's errand or not worthwhile? The master indeed commanded, but I think there is another direction. Who asked you to think at all? As a servant you must do what you were told. And here, with this, the servant threw off the yoke of his master from upon him. The moment the servant begins to make calculations of worthwhile or not worthwhile, then there is the Creator of the world, He thinks it is worthwhile, but with all due respect to the Creator of the world, I have another opinion with me. What kind of servant is this? He threw off the yoke of his master from upon him. And this was the claim against him, and therefore let us note that He is precise with him and says to him: what have you to do with the hidden matters of the Merciful One? This is the main rebuke. The rebuke is: why do you make heavenly calculations? Why do you make heavenly calculations? Hashem said, you are commanded. Why do you begin to calculate whether what Hashem said pays off this time or does not pay off? For the sake of the Master of the world it is better not to. What is this, you seek to do favors for the Holy One? What the Holy One said is the best thing for you and for what Hashem commanded. But to come and make calculations, in this you threw off the yoke of your Master from upon you. And therefore for this there was the command of you shall die in this world and not live in the world to come, because in this you threw off the yoke of servitude from your neck.
Says Rashi: in those days, three days before the downfall of Sancheriv. This whole story was three days before the downfall of Sancheriv. When he prays, it was on the day of Sancheriv's downfall. It was already the third day and it was on the day of Sancheriv's downfall, and it was the first day of Yom Tov of Pesach.
The Malbim explains, and this is essentially an explanation we explained also in Sefer Melachim in the chapter, in Melachim Bet chapter 20. Whoever wishes can hear it there; the Malbim there, the explanation there is actually taken from what is written here. There are parts that are more explained, there are parts that are more explained in our pesukim, but the story here and there more or less repeats itself. In general the whole story of Chizkiyahu and the war of Sancheriv and their killing by the angel of Hashem, the whole story repeats itself here and there. It repeats itself also in Divrei HaYamim, more or less the whole matter. With, as I said, additions here and there, the words of Torah are poor in one place and rich in another. The Malbim explains: a person has three enemies. A person's enemies are three. And he begins from the most external to the most internal. The most external enemy is the enemy who comes upon him from outside. The enemy who comes to besiege the city, the enemy who comes to fight against him, another person who comes and goes out against him. This is the external enemy. The enemy closer to him is the forces of the body and its compositions. That is, there is within a person an inner war. What does this mean? It means that one of the parts in his body, the heart, the liver, the lungs, the brain activity, weakens, and through this it is his internal enemy that consumes the body from within. The illness that a person has. The third enemy is the more internal enemy, this is the enemy of the bad traits, the bad character qualities, the bad desires that are in his heart. This is the most internal enemy.
Chizkiyahu, says the Malbim, two of the external enemies gathered upon him. On one side Sancheriv, this is the most external enemy, the enemy who is another, an enemy who comes from outside to destroy and annihilate him. And three days before that, the internal enemy also came upon him, which is the illness of the body. Chizkiyahu is ill, reaching a state where ben Amotz tells him: you shall die and not live. And now, in order to fight against the two external enemies, one must fight against the more internal enemy, which is, as we said, the character qualities, the desires, all the more internal matters. And by a person conquering the internal enemy, improving his deeds, his soul, his intellect, through this the two external enemies too will submit before him. Both the illness of the body, which is the more external enemy, and the illness of the more external enemy, which is the enemy from outside who comes to destroy and fight against Chizkiyahu and against all of Israel. And therefore Chizkiyahu understands what he must do; he must intensify the inner war against the enemy, and thus he will succeed against the two external enemies.
And therefore, and Chizkiyahu turned his face to the wall and prayed to Hashem. In its plain sense, his face to the wall means to the wall. The purpose was so that the members of the household would not disturb him, so that he would not have disruptions; when you are facing the wall you have no disruptions. And consequently you can also pray more from the depths of the heart. And this is the derashah of Chazal, what is the meaning of "from the wall"? Chazal say: from the walls of his heart. From the walls of his heart means an inner and true cry.
And he said: please Hashem, remember now that I walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and I did what is good in Your eyes. And Chizkiyahu wept a great weeping. "Please," from the language of request. And he prays and says: please Hashem, remember now that I walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and a further thing, I did what is good in Your eyes. The Malbim explains: perfection has three conditions. To attain perfection three conditions are needed. First, perfection of contemplation, the products of the intellect. Meaning that a person should have complete faith in Hashem, that a person's views should be straight, that he should not have crookedness in his thought and in faith in Hashem, that he should believe in Hashem with complete faith. This is the first faith, this is the first perfection. The second perfection is the perfection of action. But not just any action, rather a complete action. What does complete action mean? When a person performs an action he can do it for many calculations. I give charity. Why? Because everyone gave, it is uncomfortable for me, so I too give. Why? Because to see him poor and wretched while I live well, this creates in me pangs of conscience, I silence my conscience, I gave to him, now I am a bit more at ease. There can be many reasons why I gave charity and yet I have not reached the perfection of the mitzvah, because I did not truly give charity because Hashem commanded. The perfection of the action is to do it because Hashem said. And even if I gave charity because I know that for charity there is perfect reward in heaven, and I know that charity saves from death and grants long life, still it is not perfect. Because you still did it out of self-interest. So just as we said there is perfection in contemplation, meaning in faith, in a person's traits, that he should not believe in vain things, so too there is perfection in action, that he should do the action with the aim of giving satisfaction to his Creator. Without any other inclinations, without any other interests, without any other intentions. The third thing is the perfection of the execution. The perfection of the execution means that nothing should hold him back from bringing the action into actuality. That is, there are hindrances, there are all sorts of obstacles, the forces of the body by themselves do not tend to allow a person to fulfill the mitzvot of Hashem, a person has heaviness, has materiality, has an inclination toward desires. To take and perform the action as it is, as it should be from its beginning to its end, this is the perfection of the execution. So there is the perfection, as we said, of the action, that is in his intention, to perform the action purely with the intention for the sake of Heaven, and the third thing is to complete the action. You began it, complete it, perform a perfect action from the beginning to the end.
And the word of Hashem came to Yeshayahu, saying: go and say to Chizkiyahu, thus says Hashem the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, behold I will add fifteen years to your days. Says the Malbim: two things gathered here on account of which Hashem saved him. One, on account of merit. There are here the merits he mentioned: that I walked before You in truth, with a whole heart, I did what is good in Your eyes. The merits he mentioned aroused his merits on high, and this is what Hashem says to him: I have heard your prayer. Your prayer in which you aroused your merits, that I heard. The second thing, I have seen your tears. He acted with his tears to arouse the mercy of Heaven upon him, for the gates of tears are not locked. So they ask: if the gates of tears are not locked, why are gates needed at all? For the gates of tears are not locked, a place that is not locked does not need a gate either. So they say this is for crocodile tears. There are people who weep false tears, these are onion tears. These are not true tears, so for this gates are needed. But for one who weeps true tears, the gates of tears are not locked.
And this is what the Malbim says: after the soul was healed and the more internal enemy was removed, which is what we explained, calculations against the Master of the world, why it is more worthwhile not to bring children into the world, he did teshuvah for this, undertook to fix the matter, Yeshayahu gave him his daughter as a wife so that he would merit and beget and fulfill the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiplying. Ah, you fought against the internal enemy, which we said is the corrupted views, which is the nullification of servitude to the Master of the world, I too have an opinion, I too can express my opinion against the command of Hashem. You fought against this, you fixed it, consequently you defeat the two external enemies. So the victory over the external enemy that is a bit more internal, which is the illness of the body, you succeeded in defeating it, the Holy One promises him healing. And the second thing, you will be able to defeat the more external enemy which is even easier, and I will deliver you from the hand of the king of Ashur and this city, and I will shield this city. I will save you from the hand of the king of Ashur who is now besieging this city, and I will shield this city, meaning I will protect the city, that it will have salvation in a miraculous way, in a way of providence.
The Malbim explains, what is written, and I will shield this city, this is stated in Sefer Melachim: for My sake and for the sake of David My servant. What is the meaning? What, so without this that generation would not have been saved? So he explains to him. That generation would have been saved, but the way in which it was saved was a miraculous, supernatural way. The angel of Hashem comes and strikes the camp of Ashur. The Holy One could have given strength, might and valor to Chizkiyahu, so that the few would defeat the many, they would go out, fight, kill them. In a natural way. Why did Hashem make such a miracle, an angel, as we spoke in the previous shiur, opened their ears, they heard the song of the chayot, through this their souls departed; could it not have been done in a more natural way? He says: this, the Holy One, this is for My sake and for the sake of David My servant. The salvation itself, you are worthy of it and the nation is worthy of it, because indeed Chizkiyahu was a righteous king. But to do it in such a wondrous way, says the Holy One, this is for My sake and for the sake of David My servant. So that My name would be sanctified in the world, for through the disgraces and blasphemies of Ravshakeh and his companions, there was a desecration of the name of Hashem in the world. Hashem saw a need to sanctify His name in the world, and also for the sake of David My servant, this is the city of David, on account of the merit of David HaMelech.
Regarding the fifteen years, we must know there is a dispute among Chazal whether the Holy One adds to a person's years, or whether those years that were taken from him were returned to him. This is a dispute in the Gemara, whether Hashem adds to a person's years or whether there is no concept of addition, what was allotted is what the person will receive. Ah, but it is written here "adds"? "Adds" means returns. What was taken is what will be returned. So there are two opinions among Chazal; we presumably prefer to rule that the Holy One adds to a person's years, but however it may be, Hashem knows what the reality is.
And this is the sign for you from Hashem, that Hashem will do the thing that He spoke. This is the sign for you, the sign that you will be healed and that another fifteen years will be added to you. Sefer Melachim Bet chapter 20, there it is brought that he asked explicitly. He requested and said: what, what sign will you give me? And then he said to him: what do you want? That the shadow should go forward ten degrees or return ten degrees? And Chizkiyahu says to him: it is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten degrees, no, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Yeshayahu called to Hashem and He brought back the shadow by the degrees that it had descended on the degrees of Achaz, backward ten degrees. This is how it appears in Sefer Melachim. Let us read in ours. Behold I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees which descended on the degrees of Achaz by the sun, backward ten degrees, and the sun returned ten degrees by the degrees that it had descended. And this is the sign for you from Hashem.
So first of all the Malbim wonders, what does it mean to say that it is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten degrees forward rather than ten degrees backward? What difference does it make? For if the shadow inclines, it means the sun inclined. The sun inclined, that means ten degrees; let us first explain what "degrees" are. "Maalot" are not temperatures. "Maalot" are steps. "Shir HaMaalot" means song of the steps. And why is it called "Shir HaMaalot"? Because the Levi'im would stand upon steps when they sang in the Beit HaMikdash. "Maalot" are steps. King Achaz had "maalot," had steps, and on these steps they used them as a clock. As the shadow, they would see the shadow, to which step it reached, they would know what time it was during the day. Now he speaks about these steps. Do you want the shadow to go forward or backward? Now when the shadow goes backward, it means that the sun inclines backward. When the shadow goes forward, it means that the sun continues and goes at a higher speed in its course. And he asks him: what do you prefer? So the Malbim asks: what is the difference? For when the sun goes, the shadow will incline forward, that is, the sun will go say ten hours all at once, suddenly you see the sun move half a day, three quarters of a day all at once in a few seconds, or the sun now will go back all at once in a few seconds. For the shadow inclining is due to the inclining of the sun, and in both it is the same thing for the Holy One. So although the Radak wanted to explain according to, according to its plain sense, that when the sun has movement, then the direction in which it goes is easier for the sun to continue. What is called the force of inertia. The force of persistence. The sun will go more easily in the same direction, even though now, so to speak, it changes gears, it travels fast, but in any case this is easier than it having to go back. That the sun, which has a fixed course, suddenly now begins to go back on the same course ten hours backward. Which is a thing that is as it were contrary to nature and to the way of the sun. The Malbim explains, brings some explanation of the Ralbag, that the Ralbag also had great difficulty in this, and the Ralbag wanted to explain that it was not the sun, as it were, that inclined, but the clouds that carry the light of the sun, that as it were one sees the rising of the sun through the clouds, and this is easier backward than forward. And he has difficulty with this explanation of the Ralbag, and in particular he says that the officials of Bavel sent to know the wonder that was done in the land, and according to the opinion of the Ralbag the wonder was in the clouds altogether, it was not in the heavens, and it was not at all a wonder done in the land. And therefore the Malbim explains an explanation of his own.
Says the Malbim, that the sun at that time had already inclined ten hours forward. That is, the day is twelve hours, say on an average day, twelve hours, especially since this was around Pesach, so we understand that it is a more or less average day, it is not mid-summer when the day is long, nor mid-winter when the day is short, so say on average twelve hours of day. The sun had already been shining for ten hours. That is, if we want to calculate by hours, say 6:00 is sunset, then it was already 4:00. There remained, the sun had already shone for ten hours, and there remained another two hours until sunset. Now, if he requests that the sun, I request that the shadow incline ten degrees forward. So if so, tell me, how much of the sun will we be able to see it incline forward? Only two hours, only two degrees. And if so, where would the miracle actually be discernible? Only in the shadow. That is, the sun, the disc of the sun I no longer see, because it has only two hours left until sunset, and the sun is already setting, but I see how the shadow still is ten degrees, in one small moment I see how it travels ten degrees. That is, the shadow will only incline, but the sun after two hours I no longer see it. And the miracle would be only in the shadow. About this Chizkiyahu says, he says: in this there is not much benefit, it is easy for the shadow. It is easier, as it were, to make the wonder in the shadow than to make the wonder in the sun. Because if the wonder will be in the sun, then now make the calculation, the time is now 4:00 in the afternoon, you see the sun returning backward and you see the disc of the sun. This is not a miracle in the shadow, that I only see the shadow, how it moves upon the wall. No, now I also see the sun, how it itself moves, and together with it also the shadow upon the wall. This is a far greater wonder. People see the sun suddenly travel, besides the fact that it is in the opposite direction as the Radak explained, but the very fact that they see the disc of the sun travel ten degrees backward, meaning ten hours in one moment going back, this is a far greater miracle and wonder. And therefore he requests specifically this wonder, and not the wonder that the sun would continue on and set in another two hours, what is called those two hours would be done quickly, and only in the shadow would we see the miracle and wonder, which then is not so discernible.
The Malbim explains that the main miracle and wonder here was not for Chizkiyahu himself, but the main miracle and wonder was for the ten tribes who were exiled. Because there is an opinion among Chazal that the ten tribes returned. And the Holy One wanted that those ten tribes who were exiled would not lose their faith in Hashem, and when they see that Hashem performs signs and wonders in the land, suddenly they see that the sun returns ten degrees backward, we see that the whole world heard of it. Afterward they came to make house visits to Chizkiyahu to glorify and exalt him, that Hashem made such a miracle for him. The sun returned backward. And we saw that Chizkiyahu was held accountable for the fact that he brought them into his palace and showed them his treasure houses, and the Holy One punished him for this. Part of the punishment, the Malbim explains, was for the fact that he appropriated the miracle to himself. When the miracle in fact was not intended for you. The miracle was intended mainly to strengthen the hearts of the exiles who were in the land of Ashur and those in the land of Mitzrayim and those in Chalach, in Chavor, at the river Gozan, those people who as it were had already despaired of the redemption, to strengthen their hearts that behold the Holy One still performs signs and wonders in the land. For the Holy One, for Chizkiyahu, could have made a local miracle. He could have made him a simple miracle, make him dew on the fleece, that is enough for him. Make him a miracle at home, that is enough for him. Why do you need to make him such a miracle that all who come into the world would know of it? The Malbim explains that the main miracle was intended for those ten tribes.
And the whole explanation that the Malbim explains is precise here in the language of the text. This is what he says: and this is the sign for you from Hashem that Hashem will do the thing that He spoke, behold I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees which descended on the degrees of Achaz by the sun, backward ten degrees, and the sun returned ten degrees by the degrees that it had descended. I will not suffice with bringing back the shadow, but I will bring back the disc of the sun itself, and then when I bring back the disc of the sun they will see the sun itself move ten degrees backward.
What is "which descended on the degrees of Achaz"? So they explain that when Achaz died, then it was still ten hours before sunset. And there was a concern that they would give him a royal funeral. With trumpets and volleys of fire, salutes of honor and... the Holy One did not want this great wicked one to merit such honor. What did He do? He caused the sun to set. After two hours of rising, immediately there was sunset. How many hours were missing from the day? Ten hours. Where did they receive them back? So that afterward astronomers would not have difficulties about how suddenly a day is missing from their calendar. Where did they receive it back? Now with Chizkiyahu. And this is what is written: behold I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees which descended on the degrees of Achaz. What then, the sun descended on the degrees of Achaz, meaning it set then at the time of Achaz's burial, now I bring it back, bring it back backward, you will receive another ten hours in the day. Where, by the way, did we see another situation in which they received a return of hours for hours that were in fact nullified? Where, over what was that return, over what was it? It is written about Yaakov, that when Yaakov arrived and encountered the place and lodged there for the sun had come, then it is written that the sun set. The sun set before its time. And he lodged there for the sun had come. So afterward it is written that the sun rose for him, at Penuel. So there that same rising was in order to return what the sun had then set before its time.
A writing of Chizkiyahu king of Yehudah, when he was ill and recovered from his illness. A writing of Chizkiyahu. Says the Targum Yonatan: a writing of thanksgiving over the miracle that was done for Chizkiyahu. Chizkiyahu wanted to give thanks, praise and laud the Creator for the miracle that Hashem did for him, and therefore a writing of Chizkiyahu. What does he do? He writes this thanksgiving so that it would be a memorial of the kindness that Hashem did with him in adding to his days. What is written, and he recovered from his illness, means and he was healed from his illness, as it is written "until their recovery." That you should not think "and he lived" means that he had already died, but rather it means he was healed, like the wound healed. "The wound healed" means the wound was cured. From here we learn that a person for whom a miracle was done, it is written in the holy books, it is good that he should record his matter in a book. A person for whom a miracle was done, write the book, write the miracle, write, write a letter in which you describe the miracle that was done for you. And why? So that from time to time a person will look at it and remember the kindness of Hashem upon him. For we tend to forget the miracles that Hashem did for us, the salvations that Hashem granted us, all sorts of things that Hashem bestowed upon us beyond the bounds of nature. And if a person records the matters and from time to time looks at them, this is the best mussar book. So too the Pele Yoetz recommends, that by a person recording the salvations that Hashem did for him, the kindness of Hashem upon him, through this a person will constantly give thanks to Hashem and praise the Creator for the miracles and wonders that He did with him. And the source for this is here with Chizkiyahu, a writing of Chizkiyahu king of Yehudah when he was ill and recovered from his illness. For the fact that he recovered from his illness, he sat and wrote a song of praise, laud and thanksgiving to Hashem.