Sefer Yirmiyahu, chapter 51. "So says Hashem: Behold, I am arousing against Bavel and against the inhabitants of Lev Kamai a destroying wind." Our chapter, like the previous one, deals with the ruin and downfall of Bavel. "Behold, I am arousing against Bavel and against the inhabitants of Lev Kamai." What is Lev Kamai? Rashi says these are the Kasdim (Chaldeans). The Gemara says that Lev Kamai is "Kasdim" in the Atbash cipher. It is interesting that we see Bavel referred to through Atbash. We find another such expression where Bavel is mentioned in Atbash, and presumably there is some explanation for this within the understanding of the matter. She is called Sheshach, and Sheshach too is Bavel in Atbash. We really need to understand why specifically with regard to Bavel we see the use of Atbash. It could be that this was customary then, and therefore specifically with regard to her we see this phenomenon.
"So says Hashem: Behold, I am arousing against Bavel and against the inhabitants of Lev Kamai," meaning against the inhabitants who are the Kasdim, "a destroying wind." I am arousing against them the spirit of the king of Persia and Media, who, as we explained, will come at the end of the era of Belshatzar's reign and destroy Bavel. This is the destroying wind. Nevertheless, whenever one wants to see the interpretation according to the plain meaning of Scripture, one must look in the translations. Therefore, when Rashi always wants to bring support, he cites "and its Targum," and Onkelos translated, since the Targum generally follows the plain meaning of Scripture without the addition of derashot, but rather the understanding of the plain sense of the words. Here too, when we seek to understand Lev Kamai as meaning Kasdim, that sounds more like a derash. What is the plain meaning of the verse? Targum Yonatan says: "Behold, I bring against Bavel and against the inhabitants of the land of the Kasdim murderous nations whose hearts are haughty." Murderous nations whose hearts are elevated. "Whose hearts are elevated" means their hearts are high, "and fair in their stature, their spirit is destructive," a wind that will come to destroy. It emerges that according to Targum Yonatan's explanation, Lev Kamai refers to people with a high heart. That is the meaning of Lev Kamai: arrogant ones, people whose hearts are elevated. This is Lev Kamai, from the expression of the heart "rising," that their heart rises up and is elevated. But as I said, the other commentators explain that it means Kasdim in Atbash.
The Malbim explains what "a destroying wind" means. The Malbim says that sometimes, when a king comes to take spoils, there are things in which he finds no interest, so he will not take them. But when a king comes to destroy, then he destroys everything. This is essentially the prophecy stated here, that he will have a destroying spirit to destroy, so that no remnant remains. Nothing will be left; he will destroy everything. "And I will send strangers against Bavel who will scatter her and empty out her land, for they were against her all around on the day of evil." "And I will send strangers against Bavel who will scatter her" is a play on words. Strangers will come, meaning people from a foreign place, and "scatter her." "Scatter her" means either they will surround her like a wreath (zar), that is one interpretation, so the Malbim explains. But Rashi explains that "scatter her" means they will shatter her; that is, they will disperse her, from the expression "to scatter (winnow)," like "so one winnows and the wind assists him." This is the expression of winnowing, and this is also the expression "they were not pressed out nor bound up." "Pressed out" (zoru) because they had a way of spreading medicinal substances over the wound; this is also the source of the expression "mazor." Mazor means a cure, since they would spread substances over the wound. So here "scatter her" means that they will disperse her. "And they will empty out her land." "And they will empty out" - Rashi says this means they will empty her land. "For they were against her all around on the day of evil." The Malbim explained that "scatter her" means they will surround her like a wreath, and this too draws support from the end of the verse: "for they were against her all around on the day of evil." What does this mean?
The Rambam writes that when one lays siege to a city, one should not surround the city from all four sides, but rather leave the enemy some route of escape. The reason, says the Rambam, is that when the enemy sees that he has a way to escape, he will not fight to his last drop of blood. But when the enemy sees that he has nothing to lose, then he will fight as one truly should, and then there is a chance that he might even overcome you, and even if he does not overcome you and you succeed in prevailing over him, in any case he will cause you many casualties. Therefore, whenever one lays siege to a city, one must give some opening for escape. And this, we once spoke about, we devoted an entire talk to it, that this is not only about laying siege to a city, but one should take it as a rule for all of life: always to leave, even when you have a confrontation with someone, some opening for escape. Do not close in on a person from all sides, since this can very often only cause harm. But here it says: look, "they were against her all around on the day of evil." They were all around; there was not even a possibility to flee through a fourth side, since the enemies who besieged Bavel were against her all around on that day, and consequently it is a "day of evil," meaning that evil will inevitably come upon them.
"Let the archer not draw his bow, and let him not rise up in his armor; do not spare her young men, destroy her entire army." What is "let the archer not draw his bow"? Rashi explains that this is an abbreviated verse. As if Hashem says: to the one to whom I say "let the archer draw," there let him draw his bow. This is "let the archer not draw his bow." However, there is a version the Malbim brings, that the reading was "upon the archer let him draw his bow." And so, it seems, is also implied from the Targum, which translated "upon." And then it emerges that here it is speaking about the Bavlim. When the enemy comes against them, then "upon the archer let the enemy draw his bow" - upon the one who draws the bow. This means the Bavlim did not even wage war in return. They did not draw their bow against the enemy who besieged them. So it is as if it is written "let the archer not draw his bow, and let him not rise up in his armor" - and he did not put on his armor, "his armor" meaning the garment and armor, which is the iron garment against the arrows. "Do not spare her young men, destroy her entire army."
But the interpretation according to how it is vocalized for us, "let the archer not draw his bow," is as Rashi explains, and so too says the Radak: to the archer, that he should draw his bow against whom? "Let him not rise up in his armor." According to the Radak, the meaning is that the first part is a command to the conquering enemy, and then Hashem turns to him and says to him that the archer should draw his bow against whom? "Let him not rise up in his armor." Meaning against the Bavlim who will come with shields to defend themselves - draw your bow against them. Rashi explains that "let him not rise up in his armor" - Rashi says "yit'al" is from the expression of healing, "te'alah." "Yit'al" is from the expression of healing. We see that "te'alah" in the Holy Tongue means healing. So if so, he says "let him not rise up (be healed) in his armor" - he will have no healing through his armor. Healing meaning protection and rescue. The armor will not protect him, since ultimately the enemies will conquer him. The Malbim explains "let him not rise up in his armor" - meaning against the one who elevates himself in his armor. That is, whoever feels that he is important because he has a shield, so that supposedly no arrow will strike him, so he says: let the archer draw his bow against those who elevate themselves and think and take pride that their garment, which is the armor garment, the iron garment, is what will protect them. So too explains the Radak, that it means against the one who elevates himself and takes pride in his armor. And afterward, "do not spare," not the young men and the warriors, and destroy her entire army, even those who are unarmed. Before, he spoke about those who come with weapons; now he says her entire army, even those without weapons.
"And the slain will fall in the land of the Kasdim, and the pierced in her streets." "And the slain will fall in the land of the Kasdim" - the slain are the dead. "And the pierced" - "pierced" refers to the thrusting of a sword or spear into a person's body. This is the matter of "pierced," and likewise "all who are found will be pierced." But listen to how the Targum translates it; it translates precisely, only for us today it has taken on a new meaning. "And the slain will fall in the land of the Kasdim, and explosives (metaenin) in her markets." Throughout the 2000s, some explosive device blew up in some market in Baghdad. So Targum Yonatan says "and explosives in her markets." There are explosives in their markets. This is not the intent of Targum Yonatan, since he speaks of "pierced" being "metaenin," yes, but I said that today we can understand here an additional meaning to what is destined to be there in Bavel. But even according to the plain meaning of the verse, "the pierced in her streets," these people who are killed by explosions in the streets of Bavel, every day or two some car bombs blow up there, 50 dead, 40 dead, and they already stop writing about it because it is no longer news. So in any case, today even Syria is no longer news. Unless something happens there, I don't know, that they wiped out a hospital or something, then it is no longer so interesting. You understand, it no longer captures the world's headlines. So he says: look, there in the land of the Kasdim there will be slain and pierced in her streets. So although the prophecy, as we discussed above, was delivered concerning their generation, but a prophecy needed for the generations was written down. So this prophecy also comes to express a reality that we see today in the land of the Kasdim: pierced in her streets.
"For Israel is not widowed, nor Yehuda, from his God, from Hashem of Hosts, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel." This is the source of the expression "Israel is not widowed." "For Israel is not widowed" - the Radak says he is not like the widowed woman whose husband has died and who is then abandoned by him, with no one to protect her. Not so is the people of Israel. The people of Israel, their husband, that is, the people of Israel who are called the beloved, they are Knesset Yisrael, their husband, the Holy One blessed be He, is living and enduring. And if He has placed her in exile, do not think that they have supposedly been widowed from the Holy One blessed be He, but rather Hashem will return and remember them. "Though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel." The land of the Kasdim is full of guilt and sin before the Holy One of Israel, meaning from what they did to harm the Holy One of Israel. The Malbim explains that this will be only a little of what they did to harm us. First, Israel is not widowed from his God; the Holy One blessed be He will fight their fight. Second, says the Malbim, the land of the Kasdim is full of guilt from what they sinned against the Holy One of Israel, and he explains that "the Holy One of Israel" means the sanctity of the Mikdash. And especially in Bavel, Belshatzar was killed; it was on the very night that he brought out the vessels of the Mikdash. So if so, there is here a land full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel, from the disgrace of what you brought out from the Mikdash of Israel.
"Flee from the midst of Bavel and let each man save his life; do not be cut off in her iniquity, for it is a time of vengeance for Hashem, He is repaying her recompense." Rashi explains that the address here is to the people of Israel. After Bavel has been struck, then you, the people of Israel, go out from the exile. So "flee from the midst of Bavel and let each man save his life." By contrast, the Malbim, and so too holds the Radak, say that here the address is to people of other nations who were in Bavel, or merchants who were in Bavel. Concerning them he says: if you do not want to be swept away in the iniquity of the city, then flee. You do not want the evil that will befall Bavel to seize you - flee from there. Therefore he tells them: "Flee from the midst of Bavel and let each man save his life; do not be cut off in her iniquity." "Do not be cut off" means do not be destroyed in her iniquity. "For it is a time of vengeance for Hashem." This time is vengeance for Hashem, and on the other hand, "He is repaying her recompense." Recompense means according to their deeds; according to what they did and how they caused harm, so too will they receive.
"Bavel was a golden cup in Hashem's hand, making all the earth drunk; the nations drank of her wine, therefore the nations went mad." "A golden cup" - the Radak explains that "golden cup" comes to express the wine. It is an expression like when people are accustomed to describe something excellent, they say "gold." How is this ice cream? Gold. When you want to describe something as excellent - how is this young man? Gold. When you want to describe something as excellent, you say gold. Says the Radak, this too is what is written here: "Bavel was a golden cup in Hashem's hand." The cup - we are not speaking about the cup itself but about the wine within it. The wine within it is pure, fine wine, gold. Likewise you will see that they also compare oil to gold. That is, they pour "the gold" over them. The same you will see also with the wind, the strong wind they call "from the north gold comes," where the intent is really to the northern wind. What did you learn? That an excellent thing is compared to gold. He tells you: look, in Hashem's hand the king of Bavel was a messenger to destroy the nations. That is, he carried out here his mission and went and destroyed the nations and scattered kingdoms, as we saw explicitly written: "take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and give it to drink to all the nations." And so it says: "behold, the nations drank of her wine." So Bavel until now was in the aspect of a golden cup. It means a cup that contains golden wine, this wine that fulfilled its role and purpose. And what is its role? "Making all the earth drunk." "Making all the earth drunk" is what we explained, that essentially from this wine all the nations drank. The nations who deserved that judgment be exacted from them, the Holy One blessed be He, through Bavel, made them all drink. And about this he says "they went mad." What is "the nations went mad"? They went crazy, from the expression of madness and folly. It means He shook the kingdoms. This is "they went mad."
The Metzudat David, by contrast, explains that "golden cup" does not speak about the mission that Bavel carried out until now in striking the nations by the command of Hashem, but rather he explains that Bavel until now was like a cup of wine, pure and clear as gold. That is, he describes her state before Hashem exacted judgment from her. Until now Bavel was considered something special, pure and clear as gold; no one could harm them, they were considered a supreme kingdom, and she was making all the earth drunk, destroying the nations like a drunkard. It means she had the strength and the might to nullify all the kingdoms. And not only that, since this entire matter was so until now, since now the Holy One blessed be He will come and exact judgment from that golden cup. The Malbim, by contrast, explains that the "gold" does not refer back to the wine as the Radak and Metzudat David say, but rather the gold here is the cup. And this is also the more likely reading grammatically. "Bavel was a golden cup in Hashem's hand" - it speaks about a cup that is made of gold. This is the plain sense and the understanding, seemingly, according to the plain meaning of the verses. And he says: so Bavel until now was like a cup of gold - and note, he follows the Radak's line in one aspect here, that the gold means they fulfilled the command of Hashem. They carried out the command of Hashem, as the Radak explained that it refers back to the fine wine, meaning it fulfilled Hashem's will. So too here, Bavel carried out the command of Hashem. Now, we have not come to praise them, for certainly they did not do this of their own will; they did not do it in order to fulfill Hashem's will. The Holy One blessed be He used them as a rod. "Woe, Ashur, the rod of My anger." So he tells you: as a rod, they worked excellently. It was a golden cup, or golden wine, or the golden cup, but in any case they fulfilled their role. And they were in the aspect of the rod of the anger of the Holy One blessed be He, who were making drunk, from the expression of drunkenness, all the earth, as was Hashem's will then, to exact judgment from the nations.
But behold, suddenly Bavel has fallen and been shattered. "Wail over her, take balm for her pain, perhaps she will be healed." Suddenly Bavel has fallen. He tells you: know that the downfall of Bavel is sudden. Hashem, as we said, Bavel is a golden cup in Hashem's hand. The cup, as it were, Hashem holds the cup. In one moment Hashem releases His grip, and consequently suddenly Bavel has fallen. Through this her fall, or her shattering, is sudden. "Wail over her." At first all the nations wailed. The Malbim explains that "wail" is from the expression of wailing. The intent is that at first they still valued her, they took shelter in her shade, all the nations took shelter in her shade. Now he tells them: "take balm for her pain, perhaps she will be healed." "Wail over her, take balm for her pain, perhaps she will be healed." "Wail" because the nations took shelter in her shade, so consequently the downfall of Bavel created a downfall among them as well. This is like a reality in which we see some superpower falling, and then all the nations around it are harmed. They are invested there, they expect support from it, and so on. So too, the other nations took shelter in her shade, and when they saw her downfall, they wept and wailed - "wail over her." And not only that, but "take balm" - they would take balm; balm means kinds of remedies, in order to heal Bavel, "perhaps she will be healed." And through this we can continue to take shelter in her shade. Do not get confused: there were nations who suffered greatly from Bavel, and there were also nations who took shelter in her shade. What we spoke about earlier, about the nations who went mad, those are the nations who suffered from Bavel and were then like drunkards, as we saw, in the wake of Bavel's wars, in the wake of the damage Bavel caused. What he speaks about here is the nations who did take shelter in her shade, who are seeking remedies for Bavel in order to extricate her from the situation into which she fell.
"We tried to heal Bavel, but she was not healed. Abandon her and let us go, each to his own land, for her judgment has reached to the heavens and risen up to the skies." "We tried to heal Bavel, but she was not healed." After he tells the nations to seek healing for Bavel, then the nations, as it were, say to one another: we tried to heal Bavel, what shall we do? We tried to find her remedies, and she was not healed. What shall we do, for we have no cure, we have no way to help her. And since this is so, this causes even those who are in the aspect of helpers of Bavel, those who, as we said, had benefit from Bavel and wanted to assist her, they too abandoned her. And this is the continuation: "abandon her and let us go, each to his own land." Since there is no point in dealing with her healing, let us abandon her; let each one go, each man to his own land.
"And let us go, each to his own land, for her judgment has reached to the heavens." Her downfall reaches to the heavens. What does this mean? The intent is that even the arrangements of the stars and constellations - and they were expert in astrology - even the arrangements of the stars indicate her downfall. And a further matter: "and risen up to the skies." What is "risen up to the skies"? The skies (shechakim) are higher than the heavens. They are more exalted and lofty than the heavens. And consequently, when we speak about the arrangements of the stars, we speak about lower influences. When we speak about the skies, we already speak about Providence. We speak about the supreme spiritual force that descends and influences downward. So he says: both from the aspect of the arrangement, "her judgment has reached to the heavens," and also "risen up to the skies," meaning we see that there is here Providence from Hashem to bring down Bavel. And if so, consequently, in such a situation we have nothing more to do with her healing - she was not healed, abandon her and let us go, each to his own land. It is very interesting, because here too history repeats itself, and the coalition that tried to rehabilitate Bavel and help Bavel, and then saw afterward how Iraq and all the factions there fell by the sword each man against his fellow, and there is no chance to establish peace there, certainly not in a democratic way as in the delusions of all the European and Western people who think that with the Arabs too one can conduct affairs and manage in a democratic way. They do not understand that the Arabs understand only one thing, and that is might and power. So everyone who tried to do such a thing came to see that he suffered a defeat. And so too it was here: "we tried to heal Bavel, but she was not healed." They thought: come, let us take a country in the Middle East, advance it, make this country a country of tourism, a country that brings in money, that it should be good for the residents, and... suddenly it turns out, sir, that their mind works differently from your mind. The mind of an Ishmaelite is not the mind of a European, and you have to start, as they say today, to change the disc and understand that with them one does not broadcast in the same way; with them one broadcasts in a different way. And then you understand that in fact there is here a decree from on high: "her judgment has reached to the heavens and risen up to the skies." "O plundered daughter of Bavel, fortunate is the one who repays you" - we see this being realized in our generations.
"Hashem has brought forth our vindication; come and let us recount in Zion the deed of Hashem our God." The people of Israel will say: Hashem has brought forth our vindication; behold, now Hashem has brought to light our judgment and fought our fight. Come and let us recount in Zion the deed of Hashem our God. Certainly they are speaking there about that generation, since, as we explained, they are speaking about Belshatzar who fell, and through this came the downfall of Bavel, so already then Hashem brought forth our vindication - come and let us recount in Zion. Why "recount in Zion"? Because afterward we received permission to go up and build the House of Hashem, and then this thing was the catalyst to go and build the Second Temple. Consequently, come and let us recount in Zion the deed of Hashem our God, how much Hashem had pity and mercy on us and struck Bavel a mortal blow, and now Hashem placed us in the hand of Daryavesh and Koresh, who were kings of kindness toward us.
"Sharpen the arrows, fill the shields; Hashem has aroused the spirit of the kings of Media, for His plan against Bavel is to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of Hashem, the vengeance for His Temple." Let us punctuate the verse more correctly: "for it is the vengeance of Hashem, the vengeance for His Temple." We must punctuate this way, since there is a zakef above "it is," and therefore this indicates that here is a pause. Not "for it is the vengeance of Hashem, the vengeance for His Temple" as one phrase, but rather "the vengeance of Hashem" and "the vengeance for His Temple." And let us explain. "Sharpen (haviru) the arrows" - "haviru" means from the expression "a clear (bright) arrow," the intent being to polish and clarify and burnish and prepare the arrows, in short. As Targum Yonatan says: "sharpen," meaning sharpen the arrows. He says this against the enemies who come to fight against her. He tells them: prepare the arrows. "Fill the shields" - fill the shields as well. What are the shields? There is a dispute about this. Rashi says these are the arrow quivers. They are called the shields. By contrast, the Radak explains that they are the shields (magen). "Fill the shields" means gather the shields, like "the shields of the warriors," meaning the shields of the warriors who were ready for battle, so prepare with them. This is the meaning of the shields. By contrast, the Malbim makes a kind of compromise and says: the shields (shelatim), in my opinion, are a kind of shield and buckler that also had places to set the arrows in. So both things are true. It is a shield, and this shield had a place where one could insert the arrow. And this, then, says the Malbim, is the difference between shelatim and magenim (shields). Since magenim were without a place for arrows, and the shelatim had a place for arrows. So he tells them: "sharpen the arrows, fill the shields," prepare the arrows and the shields for the battle.
The Radak brings in the name of his father that "haviru" is like "ha'aviru" (pass through). "Who would give me a wing (ever) like a dove" - "ever" means a wing. "Long of wing (ever)," meaning a long wing or a long feather. To what does this apply? Indeed, the Malbim too follows the same line, that it is interesting - "a wing like a dove" - but there are here two different explanations. According to the Radak's father, the intent is that they would take the arrow so that the arrow would fly straight and not change its flight; they would make for the arrow, at its end, attach feathers to it. Two feathers on each side - this is what gives the arrow its wider and thinner part, this results from those feathers that they would attach to the arrow, and this would ensure that the arrow would fly straight. He would say: put a feather on the arrows in order to straighten them. "To straighten them" means simply to straighten them in their flight. So this is the meaning of "pass through the arrows." Put "a wing like a dove" - meaning a feather - in order to straighten the arrows. The Malbim explains that "pass through the arrows" is not in the sense of putting at the end of the arrow a dove's wing, but rather the intent is that we are essentially telling the arrows to spread a wing. As if I am telling the arrows: you, the arrows, take up a wing and fly to the shields, to the places within which they would set the arrows, to the arrow quivers. As if he wants to hasten the preparation toward the battle of war, so here, as a metaphor, he speaks to the arrows and tells them: fly into the war vessels, into the shields, and fill them, the arrow quivers, in order to prepare for the battle. So certainly here, according to both, it speaks of "a wing like a dove"; the question is whether the intent is a command to the arrow to fly, or whether the intent is to attach to the arrow "a wing like a dove" so that it will fly straight in its flight.
"Hashem has aroused the spirit of the kings of Media, for His plan against Bavel is to destroy her." Hashem placed in their hearts the arousal to go out against Bavel, and why? "His plan is to destroy her." Since Hashem has a plan to destroy Bavel, therefore He aroused the spirit of the kings of Media. And this matter of the destruction, "the vengeance of Hashem," tells you: this is the vengeance of Hashem. This is from the aspect that Hashem takes vengeance here for His honor - the vengeance of Hashem for His Temple. There were here two things. One thing was here a disgrace, as it were, a desecration of Hashem's name in what they did to the people of Israel. Second, they also destroyed His Temple. So there is here the vengeance of Hashem, and there is here also the vengeance for His Temple. His name too is desecrated among the nations; when the Holy One blessed be He exacts judgment on the nations, then His name is sanctified, and when Hashem allows the nations to oppress Israel, then His name is desecrated. About this he tells you: now Hashem takes the vengeance of Hashem, and this vengeance is the vengeance for His Temple.
So the Malbim explains that all of this Hashem placed in the hearts of the kings of Media. And since this is so, they went out against Belshatzar king of Bavel. Now he brings here parenthetically that this is also how Daniel interpreted for Belshatzar. What appeared there, written on the wall - "Mene Mene Tekel u-Pharsin" - he interpreted for him that Hashem has numbered your kingdom and... it is divided. Says the Malbim: it is very possible that this reached their ears. It is very possible that this reached the ears of the kings of Media, and in the wake of this they arose and went out and decided to conquer Bavel now. For it is written: "on that night Belshatzar was killed." That very night he was killed. That is, it could very well be that they had some mole there who was with him at the feast, and he immediately hastened to inform them of this. And then, according to this, what do we gain? "For His plan against Bavel is to destroy her." It means Hashem informs them, the Media - "Hashem has aroused the spirit of the kings of Media." Hashem aroused their spirit. How? Well, I can explain simply: He placed it in their hearts. But according to what the Malbim now says, this is more than "He placed it in their hearts." He performed a sign and wonder on the wall in order to arouse them through it. And through this we also gain an explanation, for seemingly this entire matter of the writing there on the wall was superfluous. Since "on that night Belshatzar was killed." What is the practical difference now, that Belshatzar would see beforehand that Hashem divided your kingdom, when that very night he is already dead? That is, it is not some revelation that He will do something with him. So what, then, was the purpose? Well, it is true that we see several proofs from many sources - Rav Ovadia has an article on this that proves from many sources that the Holy One blessed be He has an interest that a gentile should recognize God even a moment before death. Even people who were drowning now in the Sea of Reeds, that a moment before they drowned they knew that this was from Hashem. Ah... I know, that officer whom you see with your eyes a moment before death - he saw, and then he died. And so on, and many more examples one can see, that there is interest and importance to the Holy One blessed be He that a person should reach the awareness even a moment before his death. So indeed here too I can say: this knowledge to Belshatzar, that he should at least have the knowledge, even though he is about to die. Even a moment before death there is importance in the very knowledge. But according to what we have now explained, according to how the Malbim explains, it is very wonderful. The knowledge here is not for him but rather the knowledge here is to arouse the spirit of the kings of Media. For according to his words, now, how did they become aroused? They heard of that miracle and wonder, of "Mene Mene Tekel u-Pharsin" written on the wall by a heavenly hand - ah, if so, they say: this now is an instruction for us to arise and conquer Bavel. And therefore in this you see how Hashem aroused the spirit of the kings of Media.