Hashem answered and said to His people: Behold, I am sending you the grain, the wine, and the oil, and you shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. The Malbim notes an additional point: there is a difference between Hashem having mercy on us for His Name's sake and Him having mercy because we are worthy. If Hashem had done this solely for His great Name while the people themselves were unworthy, it would have said: "Behold, I am giving you the grain." It does not say "giving"; it says: "and He said to His people: Behold, I am sending you the grain." What is the difference between giving and sending? If someone calls and says, "I am giving you such-and-such," versus "I am sending you such-and-such" - what is the difference? "Sending" implies sending what is already owed to you; all the sender did was arrange delivery. "Giving," by contrast, is a gift: "I am giving to you" means something granted freely. Here, it is not a gift; Hashem is sending what belongs to you anyway, something you have earned. If Hashem were acting only for His Name's sake while we were unworthy, it would say, "Behold, I am giving you the grain." But here, because we are truly worthy - since Hashem brings salvation on our account because we repented - it says: "Behold, I am sending you the grain." It is yours by virtue of your deeds. It is only that until now the grain was withheld because your deeds were corrupted; now that you have bettered your ways, "I am sending you what is rightfully yours."
Thirdly, the Malbim explains: if Hashem had acted solely for His great Name, the miracles He performed would have been contained within the natural order - meaning everything would appear to occur naturally. But when He acts because we are worthy and deserving, the Holy One, blessed be He, guides us through heavenly providence that transcends nature. The Malbim observes that this, too, is reflected in the verse here. If the Holy One, blessed be He, had dealt with us only through nature, Hashem would have provided only grain, which grows naturally - when you sow it, grain sprouts quickly. But He would not have given wine and oil right away. Why? When you sow grain, it grows almost immediately. By contrast, when you cultivate grapes and olives for wine and oil, it takes a long time for a grapevine or olive tree to grow. The trees, after all, had been decimated by the locusts, as we explained. For them to yield fruit immediately is beyond the realm of nature; it can happen only miraculously. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them: "Behold, I am sending you the grain, the wine, and the oil" - wine and oil as well. How can there be wine and oil so soon? Miraculously, supernaturally. And why? Because, as stated, I did this for your sake - not merely so that My Name would not be desecrated, but because you are worthy in your own right.
Fourthly, the Malbim explains: if Hashem had acted only for His great Name so that it would not be desecrated, He would have provided sparingly. For even a modest provision prevents His Name from being desecrated; one might say there is no grand sanctification of Hashem's Name, but there is also no desecration. In contrast, here the Holy One, blessed be He, promises: "I am sending you the grain, the wine, and the oil, and you shall be satisfied therewith." It will come in such abundance that you will reach complete satiety. That means an immense quantity. And an immense quantity, as noted, is given because you truly deserve it. Were it only so His Name would not be desecrated, He could have given just a little - the main thing being to prevent desecration. Here you see that it was done because we repented.
Fifthly, the Malbim explains: if the Holy One, blessed be He, had acted only for His Name, He would not have shown regard for the honor of the nation. What would He care about? The honor of His Name, that it not be desecrated, but not the honor of the people. But here, when the Holy One, blessed be He, acts on account of their merits, He tells them: I will also have regard for your honor - "and I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations." Why? Because your honor is also precious in My eyes, since you are worthy and possess merits. In contrast, if it were solely for His great Name, the people's honor would be of lesser concern; the main focus would be that the honor of Hashem's Name not be profaned, since the Holy One, blessed be He, would not be acting for our honor, but only for His own. From the fact that Hashem is concerned for their honor as well, here is the fifth proof and sign that Hashem is saying: I will act for your sake because you have repented.
The Malbim notes that in the Holy Tongue, there is a distinction in the word for satiety (שביעה) between when it takes the direct object "et" (את) and when it takes the preposition "mi-" (מ-, "from"). Satiety is usually paired with "mi-", as in "that you may be satisfied from the breast of her consolations" (ושבעתם משוד תנחומיה). In contrast, when the word is followed by "et", it denotes reaching such complete satiety that one needs nothing more. Sometimes a person is full, yet he can still eat the afikoman on a full stomach. And sometimes a person is so completely full that he cannot swallow another bite. What is the difference? When written with "mi-", it indicates an incomplete satiety. When followed by "et", it indicates total satiety. That is why it says here: "and you shall be satisfied therewith" (ושבעתם אותו) - a satisfaction after which no more eating is possible. "Lest you be sated with it" (פן תשבענו) means you will be satisfied with it fully, not merely from it, but saturated by it.
"And vomit it" (ויקאתו) - anything beyond that would only induce vomiting; one simply cannot continue to be filled any further. But when one says, "you will be satisfied from...", notice how logical that is: it means your satisfaction will not be total, but only from part of it, an incomplete satisfaction. To be satisfied "et" is complete satisfaction. "And the northerner I will remove far from you, and I will drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard toward the eastern sea and his rear toward the western sea; and his stench will rise, and his foul odor will ascend, for he has done great things."
"And the northerner I will remove far from you." Who is this "northerner" hidden here? In fact, there are several interpretations, and we will examine them all. Radak, and similarly Ibn Ezra, explain that "the northerner" refers to the locust swarm. The entire passage here speaks of the impending locust plague - what it will consume, what will remain - so the passage continues with the theme it opened with: the locusts. "And the northerner" - the locust is called "the northerner" because it arrives from the north, carried by a northern wind.
"And I will drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard toward the eastern sea" - meaning, I will banish him to a parched and desolate wilderness where he will have nothing to eat. Naturally, when he has nothing to eat, he will perish. And through his death, "his stench will rise, and his foul odor will ascend." "His vanguard toward the eastern sea" - what is the eastern sea? It refers to the sea to the east of the Land of Israel: either the Kinneret or the Dead Sea. This is in contrast to the western sea, which is the Mediterranean. Thus, "his vanguard toward the eastern sea and his rear toward the western sea" refers to the Mediterranean, known as the Great Sea, which lies to the west of the Land of Israel.
That is to say, do you realize how vast this swarm of locusts was? It was of such magnitude that its front faced the Kinneret while its rear stretched to the Mediterranean! You must understand that this locust swarm covered the entire Land of Israel, front to back, showing just how immense a multitude it was. This is what Radak explains: it was so vast that it stretched from the eastern sea to the western sea. Then, when Hashem hurls it into a parched and desolate place, "his stench will rise, and his foul odor will ascend." Radak notes that this repeats the idea in different words - "his stench" and "his foul odor" - but we will see the Malbim's explanation of this duplication.
Radak offers another explanation: our Sages of blessed memory interpreted this verse as referring to the Messianic era. Radak cites Chazal: "'And the northerner I will remove far from you' - this refers to the evil inclination, which is hidden (tzafun) in man's heart." What is "the northerner"? I will remove from them the company of the northerner, meaning banishing the evil inclination concealed within the human heart. And this inclination: "and I will drive him into a parched and desolate land" - a place uninhabited by people, where he will have no one to incite. "His vanguard toward the eastern sea" - this evil inclination was destructive, for notice that he directed his face toward the eastern sea. What is the eastern sea? He cast his eyes upon the First Temple. Why is it called "kadmoni" (eastern/former)? Because it was the earlier Temple. This evil inclination destroyed our Temple. "And his rear toward the western sea" - this inclination also directed his end toward the Second Temple, as it says: "Greater shall be the glory of this latter house than the first." That is, there is a "latter" house, which is the Second Temple.
The Malbim related that someone once asked him: "How can you say there will be a Third Temple? The verse says 'the latter house' - and the latter house was the Second Temple, which implies there is no subsequent house!" The Malbim replied: "Only someone who does not understand the Holy Tongue could ask such a question. For anyone who understands Hebrew is familiar with another verse: 'And he put Leah and her children last (acharonim), and Rachel and Joseph last (acharonim).' What do you see? There is an 'after' and another 'after' following it. So too here: 'the latter house' can be followed by another subsequent house. There is no contradiction or difficulty at all." This was mentioned merely in passing. At any rate, "and his rear toward the western sea" refers to the Second Temple - the "latter" house temporarily - which was also destroyed by the evil inclination. It is regarding this that we speak: "And the northerner I will remove far from you" - the evil inclination hidden in man's heart, which caused such ruin and destruction and slew the Torah scholars within it.
"And his stench will rise, and his foul odor will ascend" - why does his stench rise? Because he leaves the nations of the world alone and incites against the Jewish people. So his stench rises; in short, his conduct smells foul. It calls to mind the UN, UNESCO - "his stench will rise." Are there no troubles in the world besides Israel? As if we cause all the problems! The evil inclination, too, does not bother with the other nations. The UN is merely an offshoot of the yetzer hara; they occupy themselves only with Israel. "For he has done great things" - what does this mean? Abaye said: he incites against Torah scholars more than anyone else. Whom does the evil inclination target most? Torah scholars. Thus, he has truly "done great things."
So we have two interpretations: the first is the locust swarm, and the second is the evil inclination. A third interpretation is that of Targum Yonatan, cited by Rashi. Rashi explains that Targum Yonatan interprets this as referring to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria who is to march against you - Hashem says of him: "the northerner," since he comes from the north ("out of the north evil shall break forth"). "The northerner," the king of Assyria, "I will remove far from you" - I will disperse him partly to the east and partly to the west so that he will not harm you.
The Malbim continues his approach, having explained earlier that the Holy One, blessed be He, told them: salvation will come on account of your merits, not solely for My Name's sake. The Malbim notes that if salvation were solely for His Name, the Holy One, blessed be He, would not have removed the locusts entirely - the Malbim following the view that the literal meaning refers to locusts. Why? Because if the matter were only for My Name's sake, you would still need this whip brandished over you. So for My Name's sake I might move it aside slightly, but I would not cast it into the sea or banish it into a parched and desolate wilderness. But since the whip was removed from you because you repented, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: since that is so, I will banish the locust completely from you into a parched and desolate land, because you have returned in teshuvah, and there is no longer a need for this whip hovering over you.
The Malbim adds another point: if this were solely for His Name's sake, the Holy One, blessed be He, would have dispatched the locusts against the nations to avenge His Name, which had been desecrated among the gentiles, and also so that Israel would take rebuke, as it is written: "I have cut off nations, their towers are desolate... I said: Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction." When Hashem strikes the nations, it is so that we take moral rebuke. But now, as we explained, since Hashem is acting for our sake, there is no need to strike the nations to instruct us, for we have already awakened on our own. Therefore, Hashem sends it into a parched and desolate land. The verse depicts it as having spread across the entire land from sea to sea, from west to east; when the decree was annulled, it was split in two. The Malbim explains: one part, which stood in the east - called "his vanguard" - He swept into the eastern sea, and "his rear," the other part, Hashem carried into the western sea.
"And his stench will rise" - the Malbim explains that after the locusts depart from the land, there remains stench and foul odor. What is the difference between them? "Foul odor" (צחנה), says the Malbim, is caused by the larvae and eggs left behind; the eggs rot and give off a foul odor. "Stench" (בואש) comes from the carcasses of the locusts themselves, as vast numbers die and the land putrefies, bringing pestilence and diseases and polluting the air. Here, He promises them that both the stench and the foul odor will be removed. Why? "For he has done great things." Why "done great things"? Because he has already fulfilled his mission completely, in a vast and absolute manner; he has already wrought great devastation. Furthermore, He wished to convey that the locust had already accomplished much, for what was its purpose? To arouse them to repentance. It has done great things: you have indeed awakened to repentance and returned to Hashem, so there is no need to add further afflictions.
The Malbim notes that while Chazal's exposition of this verse as referring to the evil inclination might seem entirely detached from the literal verses and the context - after all, what does the evil inclination have to do with this? Are these verses from Mishlei, homiletical verses? These verses describe a physical reality, so how does the evil inclination enter here? In truth, we often find Chazal expounding verses homiletically, seemingly taking them out of context. But the Malbim explains that here, the teaching is deeply tethered to the text and to the actual events. Chazal mean to say: reflect upon this - "it is not the serpent that kills, but sin that kills." What caused the locusts to come here in the first place? It was the evil inclination! The evil inclination is bound to this matter with strong ropes. If the locusts came, why did they come? Because we corrupted our ways. It turns out that the evil inclination brought the locusts. And by removing "the northerner" - who, Chazal say, caused all the trouble? The evil inclination hidden in man's heart, enticing him to sin - the consequence, namely the locusts, is also removed. Thus, the verse interpreted as referring to the evil inclination does not deviate from the literal meaning; the literal sense speaks of the locusts, while the homiletical sense addresses the underlying cause. What caused the locusts to arrive? The evil inclination. The evil inclination wrought havoc and distanced you from Hashem, so the locusts came. Remove the evil inclination, and the locusts will naturally be banished as well.
"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for Hashem has done great things." "Fear not, O land" - the Malbim explains that the term "land" (אדמה) denotes any ground, not specifically a grain field, including orchards and trees. When Scripture speaks of a "field" (שדה), it usually refers to a grain field, but "land" is more comprehensive. Here, the prophet tells them: if the salvation had been solely for His great Name, as we saw earlier, the fruit trees would not have recovered immediately, since by natural means it takes time for them to produce fruit. But we explained earlier that the wine and oil will return as well, because this occurred because we repented, making us worthy of supernatural miracles. Therefore, he tells them: "Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for Hashem has done great things." Be glad and rejoice! The Malbim explains: what is the difference between rejoicing (לגיל) and being glad (לשמוח)? "Simchah" is standard, continuous joy. "Gilah" refers to joy sparked by a newly introduced cause. A person does not remain statically in a state of gilah; there is no mitzvah to always be in gilah, for what causes gilah? Some unexpected, surprising event that brings extraordinary joy. Thus, simchah is the steady state, while gilah is extraordinary, transcending the routine, something that occurred beyond expectation. Therefore, the phrase here is "be glad and rejoice" - there will be gilah because something wonderful and unimaginable has been renewed, something no one anticipated: that wine and oil would flourish immediately just like grain, when wine and oil normally take years. Regarding this, he says: "Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for Hashem has done great things." Hashem performed a supernatural, miraculous act here, causing the trees to blossom as well. Notice the sequence: "be glad and rejoice" - after experiencing the extraordinary gilah that transcends nature, they settle back into the enduring state of simchah. Simchah is ongoing, whereas gilah is an extraordinary burst of wonder.
"Fear not, O beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have sprung up, for the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded their strength." "Fear not, O beasts of the field" - if salvation were only for His Name's sake, the Holy One, blessed be He, would have restored vegetation only in inhabited settlements, not in the wilderness. Why? Because the sole objective would have been to prevent His Name from being desecrated, so why perform a gratuitous favor by making vegetation grow in the wilderness? But now that it was done for Israel's sake, the verse says: "for the pastures of the wilderness have sprung up." Even the pastures of the desert will yield their greenery. Why? As we explained, this is supernatural. Above nature, even the fruit trees immediately began to produce. This was a complete, all-encompassing salvation from every angle: what grows in inhabited areas and what grows in the desert, wild flora and cultivated trees alike. Because the salvation stems from our merits, it operates above nature. Thus, both the beasts of the field and the desert pastures flourish and sprout. For see: "the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded their strength." Even though naturally it should have taken them a long time to begin producing, they yielded their produce immediately. All the more so, then, can you understand that miraculous, supernatural events are unfolding here.
"And children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in Hashem your God, for He has given you the teacher of righteousness, and He has brought down for you the rain, the early rain and the late rain, in the first." Children of Zion: your joy will not be over temporary things - localized, fleeting success. Rather, you will rejoice "in Hashem your God," for the Holy One, blessed be He, has been reconciled to you. After you went astray and the locusts struck, you repented, and the Holy One, blessed be He, welcomed you back; that will be the primary source of joy. "Be glad and rejoice" - not in material prosperity, which is temporary, but "in Hashem your God," for we are no longer estranged from the Master of the Universe. Furthermore, you will also rejoice that He sent you the locusts and that you endured famine. How can one rejoice over famine and locusts? Because you will come to realize that this was precisely what saved you. To what may this be compared? To a person who had to catch a flight, but broke his leg and could not make it, and then the plane crashed. He thanks Hashem that his leg was broken, for had it not been broken, his entire body would have been shattered. In Hashem's mercy, the broken leg was his salvation. So too here: you will rejoice in Hashem your God because the Holy One, blessed be He, sent us the locusts and famine, which compelled us to return to Him. Thus, you will rejoice that "He has given you the teacher of righteousness." Who is this "teacher of righteousness"? Rashi explains: these are your prophets, who teach you to return to Hashem in order to vindicate you, to plead your merit. But the Malbim explains otherwise: the "teacher of righteousness" is the locust plague itself! Who was our teacher here? A teacher who dealt harsh blows, yet was the very instructor who brought us back to Hashem, teaching and guiding us to perform righteousness in the commandments between man and God. Who was that? The locust swarm. Therefore, you will rejoice in Hashem your God, Who gave you the locusts - the teacher that taught you righteousness and brought you to teshuvah. In the end, we even rejoice over the afflictions. And because you learned righteousness and amended your ways, "He has brought down for you the rain, the early rain and the late rain, in the first" - He will bring down rain, both the early rain and the late rain, in the first month, and the famine will be lifted from you. What does "in the first" mean? It means in the month of Nisan. As Chazal state, and as Radak cites here: both the early rain (yoreh) and the late rain (malkosh) fell in Nisan that year. Think of it: both the early rain, the first rain of the season, and the late rain, the final rain, fell together in that single month! Chazal recount that most of Adar had passed that year without any rain falling; the first rainfall came on the first of Nisan.
The prophet said to them: "Go out and sow!" Imagine: on the first of Nisan, which is well past the sowing season! Chazal state that if Kislev arrives and no rain has fallen, the community fasts two series of fasts on Monday, Thursday, and Monday (Behab), followed by seven additional fasts. If rain still does not fall after that, the community ceases fasting; only individuals fast until Nisan. Once Nisan arrives and passes, any subsequent rainfall is considered a sign of a curse. Yet here, the prophet tells them: "Go out and sow; rain has fallen." They said to him: "If someone has only a kav of wheat or barley, should he eat it and live, or sow it and die?" If a person has only a tiny amount left, a single kav of wheat or barley, is it better that he eat it and survive, or sow it and starve? For if you sow it, who knows if it will sprout? And even if it does, when will it grow? It will take months, and in those months we will starve to death! Does what you are telling us make sense, O prophet? He replied: "Even so, go out and sow." A miracle occurred for them, and grain that was hidden in ant holes, crevices, and walls was miraculously discovered. That is, grain was uncovered so they had immediate food to eat. They went out and sowed on the second, third, and fourth of Nisan, and the second rainfall descended on the fifth of Nisan. On the first of Nisan rain fell for the first time; they sowed, and on the fifth of Nisan rain fell a second time. And they brought the Omer offering on the sixteenth of Nisan! By the sixteenth of Nisan there was already new harvest ready - just imagine! The first rain fell only on the first of Nisan, meaning the Omer offering, usually brought from grain that takes six months to grow, was brought from grain that grew in just eleven days! In eleven days their crop matured. Regarding that generation it was said: "Those who sow in tears" - for they said, what point is there in sowing when we have nothing to eat? - "shall reap with songs of joy" - in the end they reaped with jubilation. This is why the prophet tells us here: "Children of Zion, be glad and rejoice." The Malbim explains that they had fasted until Nisan, and now rain arrived in Nisan - rain that served as both early rain and late rain "in the first." It was rain for the trees, and early and late rain for the grain. The Malbim explains that the season for trees is Pesach time, yet even though the normal rainy season had passed, see how much blessing was contained in this rainfall.
"And the threshing floors shall be full of grain, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil." "And the threshing floors shall be full of grain" - the threshing floors were filled with produce; Hashem's blessing was entirely supernatural. "And the vats shall overflow with wine and oil." What does "overflow" (והשיקו) mean? Rashi explains that it denotes sound, like clinking glasses - when glasses touch, a clinking sound is heard. Similarly, when the stream flows down from the winepress where the grapes were trodden into the vat (the pit before the press), a splashing sound is produced; thus, "the vats shall sound with wine and oil." Radak explains that "והשיקו" means overflowing. Where do we find that "hashakah" means overflowing? Radak notes that it is like "and they flooded," akin to "and Hashem flooded the waters of the Red Sea over them." It means the vats will be so full that the wine and oil overflow their rims. In the words of Chazal, this is a very familiar concept: we have the halachic procedure of hashakah by which a liquid can be purified in a mikveh. For instance, when impure water is in a vessel, we submerge the vessel into the mikveh water, creating hashakah ("kissing" or contact). Hashakah means the water in the vessel connects and overflows with the water of the mikveh. One does not need to immerse it a meter deep; it suffices for the surface of the waters to touch, which is called hashakah. As the Mishnah states: "If festival water became defiled, one performs hashakah and then sanctifies it, and it is pure." That is, one submerges it until the mikveh water overflows it, thereby purifying it. This is called hashakah. Hashakah works only with water because water nullifies into the mikveh water, and through this it is purified. Anyone who wishes may study this in the audio series on Seder Taharot, where we discuss this in several places. At any rate, what do you understand from here? That "and the vats shall overflow" means the abundance of wine will overflow to the top; that is the meaning of hashakah here. And the Malbim explains that it derives from "mashkeh" (drink) - "and the vats will be filled with drink: wine and oil." That is the meaning of "והשיקו" here.
"And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, My great army which I sent among you." Hashem says: "And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten." The locust did not come for only one year; it came over several years, which is why it says "years" in the plural. Radak cites Targum Yonatan, who explains that this verse is actually a prophecy for the Messianic era, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will compensate us for the bitter years we have endured. However, most commentators explain the verse according to its plain sense, referring to the abundant bounty we are now witnessing: the threshing floors filled with grain, the vats overflowing with wine, rejoicing in Hashem, the early and late rains. Concerning all this, He promises: corresponding to what you endured, I assure you that you will now enjoy years of abundance. The Malbim offers a parable: a mortal king besieged a country, and afterward the inhabitants defeated the invading king. The law dictates that he must compensate the country he tried to conquer for everything his armies destroyed during the siege: "While you were here, you laid waste and ruined; you must pay for it." We frequently see that even today, when one country acts aggressively against another, the court in The Hague demands reparations from the aggressor for the damage it caused. There are also legal mechanisms where nations involved in terrorism are sued and their funds are seized to pay for the damages they inflicted. So too here, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: now that you have "defeated" Me through your repentance, by returning in teshuvah out of love, My armies - the locusts - consumed your land and caused damage, and I must compensate you for what My armies destroyed. The Malbim notes a textual nuance: "which the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, and the palmerworm." The Malbim asks: earlier, in chapter 1, the palmerworm (gazam) was listed first, whereas here the palmerworm is listed last! Why the difference? The Malbim explains: when He brought the various species of locusts upon them, justice demanded that they be punished. Their deeds were evil, so afflictions had to be brought corresponding to their wickedness. Therefore, the palmerworm came justly for their evil deeds; it was the first. Later, when they began to repent, Hashem says: now I must repay them. What does it mean to repay them? To restore what I took from them, as it were, and damaged. Notice: after the palmerworm struck, they repented. The palmerworm was first, and after it they repented. It turns out that the palmerworm was received strictly according to justice. The other species of locusts struck after they had already begun to repent, so those damages were, in a sense, undeserved. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: for what the locust, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar consumed, I must compensate you first. In the end He also compensates them for what the palmerworm consumed, but that is listed last. That is, because the palmerworm was also present alongside the other species - even though its main onslaught was at the beginning - He compensates them for it as well. But strictly speaking, you were not entitled to compensation for the palmerworm, because it was fully warranted; only after the palmerworm did you repent. Thus, the palmerworm came in strict truth.
"And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the Name of Hashem your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be ashamed." "And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied" - meaning that one eats a little and it is blessed in his stomach, in a wondrous and miraculous manner, above nature. Regarding this, he says: "and praise the Name of Hashem your God." Why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, associated His Name specifically with us, performing supernatural miracles for us. This is reflected in "the Name of Hashem your God." As the Malbim always explains, when the name "Hashem" appears alone, it refers to Him as the God of the entire universe; but when it says "Hashem your God," it refers to Him as our unique God in individual providence, something not granted to the rest of the world. So too here, the Malbim explains: we will praise the Name of Hashem your God for having directed His special providence toward us, performing a miracle above nature. "And My people shall never be ashamed." The Malbim notes: earlier it said, "and I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations." What is the difference between reproach (חרפה) and shame (בושה)? The Malbim maintains a consistent distinction throughout his commentary: reproach is when others revile someone; it comes from outside. Shame, notice even in our everyday speech, is internal: one says, "I felt ashamed of myself," but one would not say, "I reproached myself" - rather, "they reproached me." Reproach is inflicted by others, but shame is self-directed. Here, the Malbim explains that they will not be ashamed of their evil deeds. Why? Because through teshuvah motivated by love, intentional sins are transformed into merits! Once you have repented out of love, those deeds are no longer remembered as sins for which you merely received forgiveness; on the contrary, they become merits! Everything that was previously a sin is now accounted a merit. It becomes an honor for us, so we will feel no shame over it. The Malbim adds another point: there is also an allusion here to what is explained in the laws of fast days. If a community begins fasting and rain falls, the halachah is that they do not complete the fast; rather, they first eat and then recite Hallel, as recorded in the Gemara in Taanit. The reason is that true praise and Hallel can be recited only from a state of satiety; when a person is hungry, he cannot offer wholehearted praise. Therefore, if they are answered in the middle of a fast, they eat, return to the synagogue, and recite Hallel. Here, the verse depicts the Holy One, blessed be He, answering them and bestowing abundance in the midst of their fast. Notice what you will do first: "And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied." What will you do second? "And praise the Name of Hashem your God" - afterward you will go to the synagogues and recite Hallel, for Hallel is recited only in a state of satiety. Furthermore, notice it says: "and praise the Name of Hashem your God" - not simply "Hashem your God," but "the Name of Hashem your God." The Malbim asks: what is the difference between "Hashem your God" and "the Name of Hashem your God"? The Malbim explains: "Hashem your God" refers to Hashem Himself. "The Name of Hashem your God" refers to His renown, His fame spreading throughout the earth. Thus, "and praise the Name of Hashem your God" means you will praise Hashem Himself, and you will also praise the Name of Hashem your God for the renown His Name has received throughout the world because of the miracles He performed for us.
"And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Hashem your God and there is none else; and My people shall never be ashamed." "And you shall know" - the Malbim explains that earlier the verse said, "and praise the Name of Hashem." As we said, "the Name of Hashem" signifies renown from afar. Why? Because at present, we do not perceive Hashem directly, in the sense of the Shechinah dwelling permanently among us in a manifest, miraculous way. What do we praise? The renown of His Name through His general providence, not His direct essence. To give an analogy: you may sit inside a house without seeing the sun, yet the sunlight enters; you know the sun exists because its light penetrates indoors. In contrast, if you walk outside, you are exposed to the sun directly. So it is with the Holy One, blessed be He: we have not yet reached the state where the Shechinah dwells permanently in our midst, allowing us to enjoy the light of Hashem directly. How do we experience Him? Only through "the Name of Hashem" - through the renown emanating from Hashem as His Name becomes known in the world. We do not have that direct personal awareness of continuous abundance, the ten miracles of the Temple; we do not have that today. Thus, we are not exposed to the light itself, but only, as it were, to the radiance emanating from it. That is the level of "the Name of Hashem" - the Name made famous through general providence. But the prophet says: a day will come in the future when you will have clear knowledge; you will perceive these truths as vividly as a person perceives things with his physical senses: "And you shall know." Notice the word "knowledge" (ידיעה), for knowledge implies complete perception, clear recognition. I believe that Hashem exists, but I know that the table is here. The reality of Hashem is a matter of emunah, whereas a physical object is a matter of knowledge. Yet our mandate is to attain even in divine perception the level of "And you shall know that I am Hashem" - "and all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," as we will see later. At present we acknowledge it intellectually, but do not tangibly experience and feel it. We must aspire to "Know this day that Hashem is God" - to a state of knowledge, of lucid recognition. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: in the future it will be so. Then you will know "that I am in the midst of Israel" - meaning that I dwell continuously in your midst, walking among you, guiding you not through nature, but "I am Hashem your God and there is none else." When one looks through a physical lens, one sees the forces of nature through which Hashem acts, meaning there is still a veil between oneself and Hashem. But when one attains a higher level, one sees no natural forces at all. Like Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, who said: "He Who commanded the oil to burn can command the vinegar to burn." Someone might say: "Yes, but naturally speaking, you live in nature!" He replies: "I see Hashem; just as I see Godliness in oil, I see Godliness in vinegar." How does oil burn? You say according to nature, explaining it through molecules, combustible properties, and various scientific definitions. He says: "I do not see that; I see that Hashem told it to burn." That is what he sees, and for him it is clear knowledge; consequently, he does not see the medium of nature at all. We will reach the level where "you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Hashem your God and there is none else" - you will not perceive nature as an independent reality at all, but only the providence and hand of Hashem. For nature and the celestial order, says the Malbim, possess no independent power; everything will be guided through direct, miraculous providence without intermediaries. "And My people shall never be ashamed." But you already said earlier, "and My people shall never be ashamed"! Why does He conclude once again with "and I am Hashem your God and there is none else, and My people shall never be ashamed"? The Malbim explains: the first mention of "they shall not be ashamed" referred to their evil deeds, because Hashem will transform them for good through teshuvah motivated by love, turning intentional sins into merits so that we will feel no shame over our past misdeeds. Now He adds: "and My people shall never be ashamed" regarding the absence of the Shechinah. The sacred elements lacking in the Second Temple signified a diminishment of the Shechinah. That was a source of shame for us, for the Holy One, blessed be He, did not dwell among us as in days of old. Hashem promises: "My people shall never be ashamed" - I will be with you and My Shechinah will dwell among you, and you will suffer shame no longer, for you will see how I accompany you in every circumstance. When will this be? In the End of Days, with the coming of the future Redemption, as we will see in the next chapter.