Sefer Yirmiyahu, chapter 6. "Flee for safety, children of Binyamin, from the midst of Yerushalayim, and in Tekoa blow the shofar, and over Beit HaKerem raise a signal, for evil looms from the north and great ruin." "Flee for safety, children of Binyamin, from the midst of Yerushalayim." The Radak says that "flee for safety" here means "make flee," like "send and make your cattle flee to safety." What is the intent? That you should make the cattle flee from the fields to the houses. So "flee for safety, children of Binyamin, from the midst of Yerushalayim," you children of Binyamin who are in Yerushalayim, make everything you own flee from the midst of Yerushalayim, and all the more so from the other cities, for even Yerushalayim will be captured. So everything you have here, flee, make it flee from here, for whatever remains here will be captured. The Malbim says, but know that this is a manner of exaggeration, for it comes more to express the severity of what is about to happen than to give practical advice on how to escape it. The Radak says, since they have no place to which to flee, then what does "flee for safety" mean? Escape, but to where? As if to say, something terrible and dreadful is about to happen, so he says whoever can flee should flee, but there is nowhere, the borders are closed. True, I only want to say how terrible and dreadful the matter is about to be, not that I truly came to give practical advice. This is what the Radak explains here. As if to say, if you have somewhere to flee, flee, since even Yerushalayim will be captured, for Yerushalayim belonged to Yehuda and Binyamin. If so, why does he say "flee for safety, children of Binyamin"? Let him say "children of Yehuda and Binyamin," why does he turn to the children of Binyamin? The Radak says, like a person who mourns first for his relatives, for his pain over them is greater than his pain over others. For Yirmiyahu was from Anatot, from Anatot which is in the land of Binyamin. These people are his relatives, they are his family, and therefore he says: to you I turn first, you my friends, children of Binyamin, flee for safety, children of Binyamin. And this is what is written, "for even your brothers and your father's house, even they have betrayed you," even they betrayed you, those from your family, those from the children of Binyamin, even they did not walk in the right path.
And he says to them, "and in Tekoa blow the shofar." What is "and in Tekoa blow the shofar"? Tekoa is the name of a place. "And Yoav sent to Tekoa," there was a wise woman there, yes, Tekoa is the name of a place. And the prophet here expresses himself in a poetic manner, a play on words. "And in Tekoa blow the shofar." In the place of Tekoa, blow the shofar. Like another poetic expression found in Nach, "Ekron will be uprooted (te'aker)," "with the jawbone of a donkey (chamor), heaps upon heaps (chamor chamoratayim)." Again, you want a play on words, so he uses language that is poetic. So he says blow the shofar in order to make the people flee, since there are enemies coming here to besiege the city.
"And over Beit HaKerem raise a signal, for evil looms from the north and great ruin." "Over Beit HaKerem raise a signal," what is Beit HaKerem? Beit HaKerem, the Malbim explains that this is the name of a place. Whereas the Radak explains that Beit HaKerem is the tower they would build in the vineyard, they would make a tall tower and from this tower they would watch over the vineyard, therefore it is called Beit HaKerem, the house that is in the vineyard. And from it they would guard all the vineyards, as it is written, "and he built a tower within it." So he says there raise a signal. What is "raise a signal"? According to the Radak, like "they light beacons," the intent is to raise a fire so that people will understand that a trouble has happened here, there is a disaster here. This is "raise a signal" so that people will flee, just as he opened with "flee for safety, children of Binyamin, from the midst of Yerushalayim," make yourselves flee, so raise a signal in order to inform. The Malbim explains that "raise a signal" is from the language of a banner and flag. It is the same idea, yes, that the intent is to make the people flee, but "masat" (signal) is from the language of "for it is lifted up," the intent being something elevated and raised. Raise a sign of a banner and flag in order to make the people flee. For the evil already looms from the north. What is "from the north"? North is Bavel, and everyone already sees this evil, it already looms, one can look out, one can already see that it is approaching. And therefore you have no choice but to make the people flee from Yerushalayim.
By contrast, the Malbim explains that "flee for safety" means "gather," yes? And the explanation is the same as that of the Radak, except that the Radak explains that the intent is: make your cattle and everything you have flee from Yerushalayim, whereas the Malbim explains that the intent is: you yourselves flee from Yerushalayim. And it is the same idea, that at that time they actually thought to go take refuge in Yerushalayim, to be saved from the enemies, for Yerushalayim was surrounded by a wall. The prophet says to them: flee, do not think that Yerushalayim will be a refuge for you, rather know that Yerushalayim is about to fall. So therefore "make flee" in the language of the Radak, or "gather from Yerushalayim" in the language of the Malbim, this is "flee for safety." The idea is the same idea, Yerushalayim will not be a shelter for you, whoever is there will die and fall by the sword, so whoever can flee should flee, and better one hour earlier.
"The comely and delicate one I have likened, the daughter of Zion." "The comely and delicate one I have likened," the word "damiti" here has two explanations. One explanation is Rashi and also the father of the Radak, who says "damiti" is from the language of "I have destroyed." "The peaceful dwellings are destroyed (nadamu)," "Ashkelon is destroyed," from the language of cutting off, like "my people are destroyed." To cut off, to destroy, this is "damiti." "The comely and delicate one I have likened, the daughter of Zion." The daughter of Zion will be destroyed, this is essentially what is said here. By contrast, the Malbim explains that "damiti" here is from the language of likeness. The language of comparison and parable. "The comely and delicate one I have likened, the daughter of Zion." I have likened the daughter of Zion as if she were comely and delicate. What is "comely and delicate"? What is really the redundancy? The Malbim explains that "naveh" (comely) is from the language of pasture, like "the pasture of the flock," it is from the language of a dwelling, an abode of shepherds and flock, a place where there is the possibility to graze the flock in terms of the good appearance found there. And from the side of the person himself, those who dwell in it, she was like a delicate woman. The meaning is there are two descriptions here. There is a description of the place in which she dwells and there is a description of herself. The place in which she dwells, he says this thing is a comely dwelling, a place that is a fine dwelling place, a place that is praiseworthy and glorious. And "delicate" is the people who dwell there, who are delicate people, who are refined people.
"To her shepherds and their flocks will come, they pitch tents against her all around, each one grazes his portion." The Malbim says, corresponding to how he likened her to a shepherds' pasture, he says that since here the place is a place of good appearance, then to here the nations will come and graze their flocks. "And they pitch against her all around," each one will graze in his surroundings, yes, in his place, from his surroundings. What does he really mean? This is a parable in which he describes how at first they destroyed the surroundings of Yerushalayim. And this is what he says, "each one grazes his portion all around." At first it was the surroundings of Yerushalayim. After they finished grazing, as if they ate all the grass and pasture, and this is really an expression of the fact that they completed their war around the surroundings of Yerushalayim, then they came to Yerushalayim itself. And then he describes the inhabitants of Yerushalayim as the delicate one, this delicate woman who sits and hides in her house at noon because of the heat. And this is what he says in the next verse:
"Prepare war against her, arise and let us go up at noon. Woe to us, for the day has turned, for the shadows of evening are stretched out." He describes, as it were, the daughter of Yerushalayim as a delicate woman who is in her siesta, her noon rest. She hides in her house at noon because of the heat, as it is written, "where you make them rest at noon," for the flocks would graze and lie down there at noon, whoever wishes can hear this on our disc on Shir HaShirim. And then she would take the midday sleep, and also at night she would lie on her bed. And the enemies, when they saw, wanted to come and conquer them, they would say "prepare war against her," until now we were only in the surroundings, now against her, against Yerushalayim itself. "Arise and let us go up at noon," for if she is sleeping at noon then this is wonderful, there is an opportunity now, she will not leave the house because it is hot outside, so this is an opportunity to conquer them without effort. This is the parable here, that because they were so delicate they were not worried at all. And then consequently the enemies say come, this is an opportunity now to conquer them. But while the enemies are organizing for the conquest of Yerushalayim, they say to one another "woe to us, for the day has turned." That is to say, the day has already turned, noon has already passed, we are already before sunset, and now this delicate one will go outside. Why? "For the shadows of evening are stretched out," she already has shade to take refuge under, she does not need to go in and hide in the house from the sun, she can already go outside because there is shade. And then the enemies say if she goes outside we will have a problem conquering them. And therefore the enemy says "for the day has turned, woe to us, for the shadows of evening are stretched out," and through this it will be harder for us to conquer them. Rashi explains that this "woe to us, for the day has turned, for the shadows of evening are stretched out" is said, Rashi says that toward evening they set the fire, the fire in the Beit HaMikdash. That is to say, when was the Beit HaMikdash burned? On the tenth of Av, that is to say, the ninth of Av toward evening, meaning it burned all of the tenth. But on the ninth of Av toward evening. About this he says "prepare war against her, arise and let us go up at noon," and then the people say "woe to us, for the day has turned, for the shadows of evening are stretched out," for then, when the shadows of evening are stretched out, the fire was kindled, the fire was kindled in the Beit HaMikdash.
"Arise and let us go up by night and destroy her palaces." So the enemies say, we wanted at noon, when she is on her bed, that is, it is hot outside, she closes herself in her house and then we can conquer her easily. And they saw that the shadows of evening are stretched out, woe to us for the day has turned, so the enemies say to one another "woe to us, for the day has turned," we can no longer, because she is already now leaving her house. And therefore they say, if so, the more fitting time is "arise and let us go up by night." For then at night this delicate one whom we mentioned in verse 2, "the comely and delicate one," sleeps on her bed and then again it will be easy for us to conquer them. What is really the meaning of the whole story here? The Malbim says the meaning is that the people of Yerushalayim did not stand against the enemy at all, rather at these times when the enemy arrived they were soft and delicate and did not want to leave the house. It is cold outside, unpleasant, it is hot outside, unpleasant outside, they were, as it were, so soft and delicate that they were not prepared to come and fight against the enemy and to stand and fight for their lives. No, rather like a soft and delicate woman who sleeps on her bed while the enemy, as it were, simply walks in and takes Yerushalayim.
"For thus said Hashem Tzevaot: cut down trees and pour a siege ramp against Yerushalayim; she is the city that is to be visited, all oppression is in her midst." "Cut down trees" (kirtu etza), first of all, here already the commentators say that "etza" does not have a mappik hei. And if "etza" does not have a mappik hei that means it is not "her tree." Her tree would be "etza" with a mappik hei. And if "etza" here does not have a mappik hei, rather it is like the form of "daga." "Daga" means many fish. So "cut down etza" means many trees. This is the intent, not "her tree" but "etza" like "daga," that is, cut down the many trees that belong to her. The Malbim explains that even though according to the Torah it is written that when one wages war against a city, "you shall not destroy her trees by wielding an axe against them" and you shall not use the fruit trees of the city in order to pour a siege ramp, as we will explain shortly what this exactly is, "for from it you shall eat," for from the trees you are supposed to eat, "for is the tree of the field a man that it should come before you in a siege?" And we already explained once that really the question is: is the tree of the field a man that it should come before you, are you fighting against trees? So why should you destroy her trees? Here he says the opposite. Always the warning is not to destroy her trees, here Hashem says on the contrary, thus said Hashem Tzevaot, cut down trees, cut down the trees that are there, and on the contrary pour a siege ramp there against Yerushalayim. What is the meaning of this? "She is the city that is to be visited." The visitation is upon the entire city, that it should be completely destroyed. Why? Because oppression is in her midst. Oppression is in her midst, as it is written, "for a stone from the wall will cry out, woe to him who builds a city with blood." And since it is so, then the whole of her must be destroyed. What is this siege ramp? There are two explanations of this. One explanation the Radak explains, cut down trees to make from them a battering ram (dayek) and to pour a siege ramp against Yerushalayim. A dayek was a hurling device with which they would hurl stones, and "to pour a siege ramp" is the stones which they would hurl with the dayek. The intent is this device with which they would, whether dayek or however you wish, with which they would hurl the stones, this is called "pouring a siege ramp," the intent being to hurl stones at Yerushalayim, to throw stones at Yerushalayim in order to break down her walls and towers. The more accepted view is what Targum Yonatan explains, and the Radak also brings this as an additional explanation, and according to this explanation the Malbim also explains, that when they wanted to conquer a city they needed to get into the city, but its walls are high. So what would they do? They would pour a siege ramp. They would take earth and trees and fill diagonally until essentially there was formed for us, from the wall downward, an incline. And then the soldiers could climb up on the ramp and there was formed a kind of ascent up to the wall above. And they needed trees for this too, because if not, if you put earth, all the earth would scatter. So they would also arrange trees so that it would hold the earth, a kind of casting, so that it would hold the earth so it would not scatter. And this is what he says, "cut down trees and pour a siege ramp against Yerushalayim," in order to make a kind of such path, a kind of ramp that would begin from below up to the wall, so that through this the soldiers could run up on the ramp and from there enter into the city. It was very difficult to do such a thing, because those who were on the wall would harass them. They would pour boiling oil on them, they would throw stones at them, they would shoot arrows at them, and they have the advantage of height, for he is at the top of the wall and you are below trying to bring earth and trying to bring trees in order to approach the wall, so they would throw stones and catapult-stones at them from the wall, and therefore it was very difficult to build this siege ramp. But after the ramp is built, then the city is already open before you to be conquered, since through this you have already climbed the wall and then they lower themselves on ropes and enter into the city, open the gates from within, yes, and then the whole army can enter, the city is open before it.
"As a well keeps its waters fresh, so she keeps her evil fresh; violence and robbery are heard in her, before Me continually, sickness and wound." First of all, a side note, "as a well keeps its waters fresh," the Minchat Shai says this is half of the Scripture in verses. "So I found in two handwritten Scriptures. Half of the book in verses." Fine. "As a well keeps its waters fresh." "As it keeps fresh" means, says the Malbim, this evil that came upon Yerushalayim is not an external evil, rather it is an evil that she did to herself. And we already spoke once about the fact that there are two kinds of punishments. There is the punishment of: if you do this then I will punish you, and there is the punishment of: if you do this, you will be harmed. That is to say, in both cases you will have trouble, only that in the first case, for example, I say to a child if you do such and such you will receive a punishment from me. And I can also say to him, on the other hand, if you jump into the road you will be punished, you will be run over. What is the difference? In the first case the punishment is not intrinsic, rather it depends on me. In the second case it is an intrinsic punishment, you brought it upon yourself, you jumped into the road, you were harmed. You put your hand in the fire, you got burned. It is not "if you put it in I will punish you," when you put your hand in the fire it burns. The Malbim says, thus the prophet says to them here, the evil that came upon Yerushalayim is not external, it is not "if you do this then the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring upon you," no, rather it is an evil that you brought upon yourselves, that your own deeds themselves generate for you. And to this he brings a parable, "as a well keeps its waters fresh." Like living waters that the well brings forth, and this well is not water that comes to it from another place, rather it comes from its source, it is water that springs from that same place. It does not come from some underground rivers, rather she herself brings it forth, a private spring that brings the water into the well. "So she keeps her evil fresh." So too the evil and the trouble that came upon her she keeps fresh, it comes from her source, from her this evil was born. What is the cause? "Violence and robbery are heard in her before Me continually." For the Holy One, blessed be He, says, even though I am present and My Divine Presence is present in Yerushalayim, with all this it does not prevent the men of violence and robbery from doing so continually before Me, even though I am, as it were, present here, they have no problem doing this even, as it were, before My face, in the place of the Divine Presence. "Violence and robbery are heard in her before Me continually." And therefore he says "she keeps sickness and wound fresh." The Malbim explains "so she keeps her evil fresh," the "keeps fresh" refers both to the beginning and to the continuation. "So she keeps her evil fresh, violence and robbery are heard in her before Me continually," therefore "she keeps sickness and wound fresh." The meaning is, the violence and the robbery they kept fresh, as we said, like a well that springs from its source, from their source springs sickness and wound, as Chazal say, "it is not the snake that kills but the sin that kills." The meaning is, your corrupt deeds, the violence and the robbery, this is the spring, this is the source of the sickness and the wound that came afterward. Since it is so, you have none to blame but yourselves. The Malbim explains that what is written "bir," "bir" is from the language of "be'er" (well) and not from the language of "bor" (pit), since a pit is a place to which the water gathers, whereas here when we speak we are speaking of a place that springs water. A place that springs water is a well and not a pit.
"Be corrected, Yerushalayim, lest My soul be dislodged from you, lest I make you a desolation, a land not inhabited." "Be corrected, Yerushalayim" means accept correction. "Lest My soul be dislodged from you," lest I distance Myself, lest the Divine Presence distance itself from you. "Teka" (dislodged), says the Malbim, is from the root "yaka," which comes to express removing something from its place. "And the hollow of Yaakov's thigh was dislodged," the meaning is the hollow of his thigh was removed from its place. So "lest My soul be dislodged from you," lest My Divine Presence depart and distance itself from you, for as we said "violence and robbery are heard in her before Me continually," as we saw in the previous verse. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says through this "I will make you a desolation." That is to say, we already explained that "by the light of Your face You gave us the Torah of life, love of kindness, righteousness, mercy, blessing, and peace," everything is by the light of the face of the supreme King. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, hides His face, then consequently all the harms and all the troubles and all the hiding of the face and all the darkness and all that we, to our sorrow, suffer, come. So the Holy One, blessed be He, says the moment My soul is dislodged from you, consequently I will make you a desolation. Consequently the Land of Israel will be a desolation. And not only will it be a desolation, but it will also be like a land not inhabited. What is the meaning of this? There is a place that was an inhabited place, at a certain stage it was destroyed, it became a desolation. There are many ghost cities in the world. Cities that were once inhabited and at a certain stage settlement ceased from them for all kinds of reasons. In this reality you can still see much of what was there before, there is infrastructure, there are all kinds of things that can still be seen of what was there in the past. By contrast, a land not inhabited is a land that is completely desolate, there is nothing in it. There is no infrastructure, there are no pits, that is, no wells, there is, there is nothing. So he says I will make you a desolation, and not only that but you will be like a land not inhabited, like a place that was never inhabited, and through this, as it were, the magnitude of the destruction that will be in the place will be recognized.
"Thus said Hashem Tzevaot: they shall glean thoroughly, like a vine, the remnant of Israel; pass your hand back like a grape-gatherer over the tendrils." "Thus said Hashem Tzevaot: they shall glean thoroughly, like a vine, the remnant of Israel." The Malbim says, at first they will glean the remnant of Israel like one gleans the vine. The vine, after they harvested the grapes, they left gleanings. There are the gleanings, the gleanings are the few grapes that remained, that usually the poor would come and gather the individual grapes and the gleanings. About this he says, at first "they shall glean thoroughly, like a vine, the remnant of Israel." Even what remains after they harvested from the vine, afterward the gleanings too, even these they will take. What does this come to hint? That after only a small remnant remains in her, they will take away the gleanings too from there. Nevuchadnetzar will return in order to exile also those who remain. And after this, "pass your hand back like a grape-gatherer over the tendrils." Pass your hand back over the grapes that are placed in the baskets that have already been harvested, and then as if you are harvesting them a second time. What does this mean? After everyone was already in exile, he will exile them yet a second time. So it was, when they went out to Egypt after the destruction, the enemy overtook them there and exiled them also from there. This is what he says, they are already in the baskets and then as if he harvested them again. In the baskets means already harvested. In the baskets means already picked from the vine. He says no, rather here "pass your hand back," he will pass his hand back like a grape-gatherer over what? Over the tendrils. The tendrils are already harvested, nevertheless as if he harvests them anew. That is to say, they went into the first exile and from there he exiled them a second time to Bavel and to Chalach and Chavor, the river Gozan, and to the other places. Rashi explains that here we are speaking of the exile that happened here. For at first, the one who exiled Yehoyakim, he then made Yechonia king. After this Nevuchadnetzar returned after three months and exiled him, and at the end of 12 years, 11 years, he returned and exiled Tzidkiyahu. So that is to say that you saw here "they shall glean thoroughly, like a vine, the remnant of Israel," even the gleanings that remained here he returned to take them too, even them he did not leave but took with him.
"To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they will hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of Hashem has become to them a reproach; they do not desire it." "To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they will hear?" He says, to whom shall I speak or to whom shall I give warning, that they will hear? The meaning is, there is speaking and there is warning. Whether I speak, "I speak" is in the manner of one who rebukes, in the manner of a person who comes to teach knowledge, whether I give warning, "I give warning" is a person who cautions with punishments, a person who threatens with catastrophes that will happen. And "warning" is from the language of admonition, like "go down, warn the people." I will warn them, I will threaten them with fear, punishments will be, there will be troubles, there will be disasters. "I speak" is from the side of the intellect, the speaking is from the side of something you understand intellectually. So I try to speak, the intent is to persuade in a rational, intellectual manner, it does not work. Perhaps by way of punishments, of "I give warning," like one who cautions with punishments and warnings, the prophet says will this help? Will they indeed listen to this? For their ear is uncircumcised. An uncircumcised ear means a stopped-up ear. "You made their heart insensitive (ha'arel)" means their heart is closed. A foreskin always expresses a blockage. And even when we speak of the foreskin of flesh, we speak that on the organ there is a foreskin, there is a blockage that is on it. So he says "their ears are dulled from hearing," their ears are as if stopped up, over which they made a coating, yes, this is called "their ears are dulled," smoothed over, to coat something, yes, like plaster. "Their ears are dulled from hearing," their ear is uncircumcised, so I have no one to speak to. Another matter, "behold, the word of Hashem has become to them a reproach." That is to say, when I come to tell them the prophecy of Hashem, it seems to them that I come to reproach them. For the things I say are the sins that they committed. And when I come and say you did such and such and such and such, and the prophet did not spare the rod of his tongue from them, as Hashem commanded him, then to the people it seemed that I come to reproach them, that is, you came to me to recall my sin. You come to me in order to recall my corrupt deeds, so your whole purpose is to come and find my reproach. For they know that they sinned in this. If I did not do something then say so, what do I care what you say. But if I know that I am truly guilty, then everything you say to me is a reproach to me, you reproach me, you shame me with these things. Even though really I did not come as one who comes to find your fault, I came with the word of Hashem in order to warn you so that evil should not befall you. With all this it seemed to them as if I have some personal grudge against them, as if I came to reproach them.
"And I am full of the wrath of Hashem, I am weary of holding it in. Pour it out upon the child in the street and upon the assembly of young men together, for even husband with wife will be caught, the elder with the one full of days." The Malbim says, they consider the word of Hashem a reproach, as if I come to reproach you personally. He says to them: you do not understand, I am full of the wrath of Hashem, I am weary of holding it in. The intent is, the things that I speak to you, which are the wrath of Hashem, which are rebuke, which are severe punishments that I tell you in my prophecy, I am full, he tells them this fills me, I have no strength to contain it. That is, like something that fills up and overflows, so too these things fill me and I must bring them out, for a prophet who suppresses his prophecy is liable for death. So "I am weary of holding it in," I cannot, I have no strength to contain these things. What shall I do? These things, how shall they come out of me? The Malbim says, to this Hashem answers him, "pour it out upon the child in the street." This is the answer of Hashem. This wrath, you shall pour it out upon the child in the street. Not only upon the child who are the young ones, but "upon the assembly of young men together," also upon the older young men. "Sod" (assembly) means a gathering of many young men, yes, like, as they join together in one counsel and one purpose, so the Radak explains. So he says also upon the older young men. And also "husband with wife." Also husband with wife will be caught. What is "husband with wife"? We spoke about the child and about the young men, so also "husband with wife," the father of the child and the young men, also their parents, also their mother and father will be caught. And also "the elder with the one full of days." The elder is their grandfather. "The one full of days" is even older. The Malbim explains "one full of days" is older than an elder, one whose "behold, my days are full," yes, and "an elder who has not filled his days," this is a person whose days to die have already been filled. So that is to say what will be here? We spoke about the father and mother, and this is what we said also "husband with wife." Also the elder, this is the grandfather, and "the one full of days" is also the great-grandfather. This is the father of the father of their father. That is, the rebuke really says that the catastrophe, the disaster that is about to be, will seize everyone, nothing will remain of the family, the whole family will be killed. So this thing, this wrath which I am full of, weary of holding in, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: bring this wrath out of you and tell them these things. So that in fact there is no room for strictness against me for saying these things, there is no personal matter of mine against you here, rather the wrath of Hashem is that which fills me and it is that which I received a command about, "pour it out upon the child in the street," this is what the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded me. So why do you consider the word of Hashem a reproach as if I come to reproach you personally?
"And their houses will pass to others, fields and wives together, for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, says Hashem." "And their houses will pass to others," the Malbim says, it will not be like on other occasions when, if one of the family was taken captive, then the court appoints a steward over his houses and rents them out, some sort of guardian, and he is responsible to collect rent from people who entered the houses and rents them out, and the fields they give to relatives so that they may eat their fruits. There is some sort of organization of what to do with the property of a person who was taken captive. But he says here this will not be the reality, rather "their houses will pass to others." Others will take even the houses, also the fields, and even "wives together." Even the wives will no longer be agunot, for her husband disappeared, her husband went into captivity. He says no, they will not be agunot. Why? "For I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, says Hashem." The meaning is everyone will fall and, God spare us, die in a single moment, so that in fact there will be no discussion of whether the relatives will enter the field, who will now rent these places of the people who went into captivity, what will be with their wives? There will be no discussion at all because everyone will go in a single moment. And if so, he says to them, understand what a trouble and disaster are about to befall you.
"For from their smallest to their greatest, all are greedy for gain, and from prophet to priest, all deal falsely." Just as they all sinned, says the Radak, so too they will all be stricken. So do not wonder why I say that the trouble will be so great and so comprehensive, for truly everyone sinned. "From prophet to priest, all deal falsely." "From prophet," we are speaking of the false prophets, for God forbid we certainly do not speak of the true prophets, for about a true prophet one cannot say he deals falsely, for if he dealt falsely the Holy One, blessed be He, would not have entrusted him with prophecy. So about "prophet" we are certainly speaking of the false prophets. And Targum Yonatan says "and scribe," the intent is a scribe who admonishes the people. Regarding priests, then there truly are two explanations. There is one explanation that "priest" speaks of the priest of the Baal, or there is another explanation that speaks of the priests and Leviim, as we saw that the prophets prophesied falsely and the priests abandoned Me and so on, so we see that there was rebuke also with respect to the priests who were in the Beit HaMikdash, that they too betrayed their role.
For it. And since it is so, the Malbim says, the Holy One, blessed be He, says they have no merit through the great men among the people, for from their smallest to their greatest they are greedy for gain, there is no hope that they will accept rebuke from the prophets or Torah from the priests, since everyone, as we said, everyone was dishonest people, and therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, says with this there is no choice but to bring the trouble upon them.
"And they heal the fracture of My people superficially, saying peace, peace, when there is no peace." "And they heal the fracture of My people superficially," "al nekala" (superficially), Rashi explains it is easy for the false prophets to bring forth from their mouths and say peace will be for you. With this thing they heal with their speech the fracture that is destined to come upon them. A trouble is happening, so easily he says it will be fine, there will be peace, do not worry, and it will be fine, a new Middle East, and do not worry, everything will be fine. Do not believe all the prophecies, the apocalyptic prophecies of Yirmiyahu about disasters, about troubles, and these religious ones always like to frighten, no, no, do not be alarmed, do not be alarmed, it will be fine, it will be fine. They heal the fracture of My people, here there is a mortal illness, this mortal illness would require comprehensive surgery, there is a terrible fracture here, and instead of this they think that with words it will be healed. They heal it with a trivial thing, they say everything is fine, all is peace, there will be no problem at all.
The Malbim explains that what is written "and they heal the fracture of My people superficially," he says another explanation, that the "al" is from the language of healing, as it is written "the healing of a remedy (te'ala)," yes? So we see that "al" is from the language of healing. So "and they heal the fracture of My people al nekala," the intent is with a trivial medicine, with a meaningless medicine, a medicine that... that is to say there is some severe illness and he gives him Acamol. So "and they heal the fracture of My people superficially," "al" is a medicine, "the healing of a remedy," with a trivial medicine they think they can heal the fracture of My people and they tell them peace, peace, and truly there is no peace.
"Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to feel disgrace. Therefore they will fall among the fallen; at the time I visit them they will stumble, says Hashem." "Hovishu" (were they ashamed), Rashi explains the intent is they ought to be ashamed, thus he brings from the Targum, "aleihon lemivhat," this is the intent of "hovishu." "Hichalim," they ought to feel disgrace. But the Radak explains that this comes as an astonishment. Were they ashamed? For when they committed abominations do you think they were ashamed of it? Do you think they had some sort of discomfort? "Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?" When they committed abomination does it seem to you that they were ashamed of it? "Nor did they know how to feel disgrace." That is to say, they also had no disgrace over the wickedness of their deeds, even if someone shamed them they did not feel disgrace over the wickedness of their deeds. Sometimes when a person does something negative and someone rebukes him, at least he feels disgrace, at least he feels discomfort, fine. But if he is one, I know what, from the mafia, so what will shaming him do about some ugly thing he did, some improper behavior? In this is his glory, in all the terrible things he does. So "they did not know how to feel disgrace." Therefore he says "they will fall among the fallen," also the false prophets, also the priests of the Baal, when the rest of the fallen of the people of Israel fall, they too will fall among the fallen, "at the time I visit them they will stumble, says Hashem." When their visitation comes they will stumble, and when will this be? When the Temple and the city are destroyed, this will be the time when I visit their sin upon them, then both the prophets and the priests, whose role was to arouse the people, they too will stumble, they too will fall.
The Malbim explains that what is written here "hovishu," they themselves should be ashamed of the abomination and they themselves are supposed to repent. This is how it should have been. But what in practice? He tells you "no, they were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to feel disgrace." What is the difference between "ashamed" and "feel disgrace"? This we already explained several times in the past, the Malbim explained that shame is from oneself, and disgrace is from others. "I did not hide my face from disgraces (kelimot)," disgraces, someone disgraced me. By contrast, shame, I am ashamed of myself. This is shame, shame that a person knows I did a dishonest thing and he has shame. And this is what he says here, "hovishu," that is to say they should have been ashamed themselves of the abomination they did, but "they were not at all ashamed." You see that they themselves have no shame, he does not feel that he did something dishonest. Fine, what can you say? Perhaps at least when someone disgraces them it does work, they do take it into consideration. He says "nor did they know how to feel disgrace," that is to say he does not understand at all that this is disgrace. Sometimes there is a person whom you needle about some dishonest deed he did, and he still thinks it is a compliment. That is to say he does not understand the sting at all, he does not understand at all that the statement here comes to express some dishonest deed, he thinks that you are, as it were, impressed by what he did. So he says "they did not know how to feel disgrace," they did not know, he does not know at all that this is disgrace. So when you mention what he did in order to hint at his negative deed, he does not understand at all that it is a negative deed, he does not know at all that it is disgrace.
And therefore "they will fall among the fallen." What is "they will fall among the fallen"? The Malbim says, if two people are walking and one of them slipped, the person coming after him will be careful too so that he will not slip after him. If he slipped that means there is something slippery here. So when I walk after him I certainly am careful that I too will not fall. But if the second one is blind, then even if the first cause is removed, that is to say, the first one who slipped we cleared out of the way, he is no longer here, he tells you it will not help at all, since this blind one, or even if the cause producing the slip, for example there was oil here and we cleaned the oil and there is no longer a cause producing a slip, then even if we remove the cause producing the slip, he will nevertheless fall. Why? Because he will stumble on the first one who slipped. This is when he is blind. And if so, here he says, Creator, since these people do not heed rebuke, through seeing the fallen, they do not turn back and say this is a slippery path, this is a slope, here, come see, these slipped, they fell. If you heeded rebuke, what does the rebuke say? Did you see what happened to them? This will happen to you too. Then you would withdraw. But since they do not heed rebuke, they do not learn from this, and therefore what will be the result? They will fall through the fallen. The intent is the corpses of the fallen will become an obstacle for those who come after them, that they will fall through them. What does this really mean? That the prophets will be punished through them, in that the people fell through them. That is to say, you the prophet, the false prophet, you the priests who went and misled the people, the people fell. What happened as a result of this? You will stumble on their corpses and you too will fall. What is the idea of these things? The intent is that you brought about his fall, he will bring about your fall. As it is written, that his students should not be in Gehinnom while he is in Gan Eden. So you corrupted him, you caused him to sin, you will necessarily be together with him. So this is "they will fall among the fallen," that is, those who fell here, they will be an obstacle for you and they will bring you down too.