Sefer Yoel, Chapter 4. "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem..." And then we read the next verse as well: "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there concerning My people and My heritage, Israel, whom they scattered among the nations, and they divided My land."
To what era does this prophecy refer? One should mention Ibn Ezra, who maintains an interpretation that he follows throughout the entire chapter. It is worth noting even though we will not follow his approach, but rather that of the other commentators whose perspective is different. Ibn Ezra writes that because of this verse, many thought the prophecy refers to the future, for it says, "For behold, in those days," leading people to think it speaks of the End of Days. Perhaps so, says Ibn Ezra, but Rabbi Moshe said that we find the fear of Hashem fell upon all the kingdoms around Jerusalem in the days of Jehoshaphat. This means it speaks entirely of the era of the Kings. They brought him gifts, and behold, in his days the captives from the days of their forefathers returned. If so, that which is written, "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat," refers to the war in which the children of Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir allied - a massive army - while Jehoshaphat had 1,160,000 soldiers from Judah and Benjamin, and they all joined battle at the Valley of Berachah mentioned in Scripture, which is called the Valley of Jehoshaphat after King Jehoshaphat.
Thus Ibn Ezra explains the entire chapter as referring to the era of King Jehoshaphat. In contrast, the general consensus among the other commentators is that "For behold, in those days and at that time," "I will gather all the nations," and so forth, speak of the future - specifically, of the war of Gog and Magog, as we shall see further on. Here the Holy One, blessed be He, speaks of "when I restore the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem," meaning in the End of Days, when Hashem will redeem Judah and Jerusalem. Why, then, does He not mention the Ten Tribes? There is indeed a dispute among Chazal as to whether the Ten Tribes are destined to return or not, but according to those who hold that they will return - which is our accepted view - the reason the Ten Tribes are not mentioned here is because the tribe of Judah is paramount, as the Malbim explains, and therefore He mentions Judah. Radak explains that since Mashiach comes from the tribe of Judah, and here we are discussing the Redemption, He specifically mentions the tribe of Judah. He also mentions Jerusalem because Jerusalem is the capital city, the royal metropolis. Furthermore, He mentions Jerusalem because that is where the war of Gog and Magog will take place, and the nations will gather against Jerusalem. Since this is so, Scripture mentions Judah and mentions Jerusalem, and there is no reason to think that the remaining tribes and the rest of the cities of Israel will not be redeemed; rather, all will be redeemed.
"I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there concerning My people and My heritage, Israel, whom they scattered among the nations, and they divided My land." The Malbim explains that regarding "I will gather all the nations," the Holy One, blessed be He, will orchestrate events so that all the nations assemble in the Holy Land, parallel to the prophecy of Ezekiel, which speaks of the war of Gog and Magog. There, the Malbim explains, it is made clear that the descendants of Edom will be aroused to fight against the descendants of Ishmael - stage one, the first campaign. In the second campaign, the descendants of Ishmael will fight against the descendants of Edom, and then the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which is also called the Valley of Hamon-Gog, where the fallen will fall. And why is it called the Valley of Jehoshaphat? "And I will enter into judgment with them there" - the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will enter into judgment with them concerning My people and My heritage, for the evils the nations inflicted upon us throughout the generations. For even though the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed this upon us - and if so, why must the nations pay a penalty, given that Assyria is "the rod of My anger," an instrument Hashem used to strike us, and we deserved the punishment? - nevertheless, "they helped for evil," as it is written, "I was angry a little, and they helped for evil." This is one of the explanations for why the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts punishment from the nations even though they were emissaries of the Almighty. The reason is that they were exceedingly stringent in executing their mission; they carried it out with the utmost severity, far beyond what was required. And this is the meaning of "whom they scattered among the nations" - although it was decreed upon the Jewish people to be exiled among the nations, being thoroughly scattered was the cruelty of those kings to whose realms they were exiled, for those kings scattered them even further. Thus, when we arrived in Spain and found rest there, "they scattered among the nations" - they took them from there and dispersed them, causing them to be scattered among numerous countries, and so it was everywhere we went. While exile was decreed upon us, this extensive scattering among the nations was done by your own hands.
Furthermore: "And they divided My land." They held onto them as if they belonged to them, as if the Jewish people were the chattel of the gentile, and "they divided My land" as if they had purchased the land, as if it belonged to them to partition. Indeed, we already saw this with the Balfour Declaration and subsequent partitions of the Land: they divided it, deciding this portion would go to the Jews and that portion to the Arabs - "they divided My land." Because they viewed Israel as their slaves, and whatever a slave acquires is acquired by his master, they came and took control of the Holy Land, believing themselves to be its owners. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I never gave it to them, and therefore, I shall enter into judgment with them over this. "And they cast lots for My people, and gave a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink." "And they cast lots for My people" - they regarded their very bodies as monetary property; they captured Jews and considered them personal assets, casting lots among themselves over who would win this person as a slave or that woman as a maidservant. They were so degraded in their eyes that "they gave a boy for a harlot" - meaning that when a gentile went to a harlot, he would give her a Jewish boy as her fee. The child became an object of no value, used merely as currency. "And sold a girl for wine" - when he wanted to drink wine, having captured a girl, he gave her away as payment for the wine he drank. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Do they not deserve to be judged for this? Do they not deserve My retribution?
"And also, what are you to Me, Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you repaying Me recompense? And if you recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense upon your head." "And also, what are you to Me, Tyre and Sidon" - the nations into whose hands I delivered Israel were Assyria and Babylonia, and they too will be judged because they exceeded all bounds. But you, Tyre and Sidon and all the regions of Philistia, were never handed Israel from the outset. I delivered them only to Babylonia and Assyria, and they will be punished because they acted excessively; but you, Tyre, Sidon, and the regions of Philistia, were never given dominion over them, so there is an immediate claim against you. Who told you to mistreat them? Hashem says to them: "Are you repaying Me recompense?" Did I do you any wrong that you are repaying Me evil for good? What evil did I ever do to you that you repay Me by taking My children and enslaving them? The Malbim explains that there is a difference between gomel gemul (dispensing recompense) and meshalem gemul (repaying recompense). One who "repays recompense" (meshalem gemul) experienced harm from his fellow, and out of hatred repays him in kind, evil for evil - that is paying recompense: "For what you did to me, I pay you back." But "dispensing recompense" (gomel gemul), when used without the word "repaying," means that even if you did me no harm, I hate you and do you harm out of malice; I dispense evil to you. Thus, Scripture says: "Are you repaying Me recompense? And if you recompense Me..." We notice an apparent repetition. He says to them: First, "Are you repaying Me recompense?" Is this payment? Payment is for something I did to you - did I do you any harm that you are paying Me back? And if you claim there is no repayment here, but sheer unprovoked malice (gemul) - someone who simply wants to harm another without prior provocation - the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "And if you dispense recompense to Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense upon your head." If you do this out of pure spite and not in repayment for anything I did to you, Hashem tells them: I will return your recompense upon your head swiftly; I will not wait until the final Judgment Day at the end of the campaign as I will with the other nations, but will exact punishment from you immediately. This is why Hashem says, "I will return your recompense upon your head," and the retribution was immediate, as we see that already in the days of Alexander of Macedon, Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia were destroyed and turned into everlasting desolation. They received their retribution promptly: "Swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense upon your head," because you inflicted harm upon Me when I did you no evil. The Malbim adds that in the Holy Tongue, gemul denotes someone harming another out of anger or deep-seated hatred even without prior provocation - he is termed gomel ra'ah. One who "repays recompense" (meshalem gemul) always acts in proportion to an action: "He did this to me, so I pay him back in kind." But there is also the phrase meishiv gemul ("returning recompense"). What is the difference? To "return recompense" is like repaying recompense - you harmed me, so I bring harm back upon you - but "returning" means precisely the same measure you dealt. When one "repays," one might pay in a different currency: for example, Pharaoh drowned Jewish children in the river, and Hashem could have judged him by fire. But when Scripture says meishiv gemul, it means he drowned our children in the Nile, so Hashem drowned him in the Red Sea. "Returning recompense" is strictly measure for measure, in the exact same manner - returning the very same thing. This is also what we say in Eichah, "He will return to them recompense," meaning that the Holy One, blessed be He, will exact punishment from them in the exact measure they inflicted upon us, making it evident that this is their retribution for harming us.
"Inasmuch as you have taken My silver and My gold, and brought My goodly treasures into your temples." Scripture details the other evils they committed against Israel, saying to them: "You have taken My silver and My gold" - I never handed their wealth over to you as their property was delivered to Nebuchadnezzar; you took it entirely on your own initiative. "And brought My goodly treasures into your temples" - the finest and most precious items you took into your temples. "And the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem you sold to the sons of the Greeks, in order to distance them from their border." You sold the children of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks at the time of the destruction to remove them far from their border. This was even worse than seizing the money: money was taken for personal gain, and boys were enslaved for financial profit, which one might somewhat understand as acting out of self-interest. But selling them to a distant land yielded no tangible benefit - it was done purely out of malice and hatred: you sold them to the Greeks specifically "in order to distance them from their border." Therefore Hashem tells them, as seen in the previous verse: "I will return your recompense upon your head," an exact measure-for-measure retribution. "Behold, I am rousing them from the place where you sold them, and I will return your recompense upon your head." "Behold, I am rousing them from the place" - when the Greeks came and destroyed Tyre and Sidon, they took the children of Tyre and Sidon, those very people who had sold us to Greece, and carried them off to the land of Greece. Who was already living in Greece from ancient times? The Jews, since the Tyrians and Sidonians had previously sold them to Greece! So the Jews were already residing in Greece, and to whom were the Tyrians and Sidonians now sold? To the Jews living in Greece! This fulfills: "Behold, I am rousing them from the place where you sold them, and I will return your recompense upon your head." Those Jews who purchased the Tyrians and Sidonians in Greece then sold them to the Sabeans, a distant nation - measure for measure: you acted to remove them far from their border, and now they will sell you to Sheba, far from your border. Thus they were punished through the very Jews whom they had sold to Greece; those Jews in Greece bought them and sold them to Sheba. "And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation, for Hashem has spoken." This is what has just been explained: Hashem says I will sell your sons and daughters into the hand of the children of Judah who are in Greece, and they will sell them to the Sabeans - meaning the kingdom of Sheba - to a distant nation, just as you sold them to Greece, which was a distant nation. Radak notes that the word li-Sheva'im is vocalized with a chirik under the alef and a quiescent yod. However, examining our text shows the reading is li-Sheva'yim, with a quiescent alef and a vocalized yod with a chirik. Indeed, the work Kuntres Masoret Shaul notes that there is a scribal error in the printed Radak, for elsewhere in his work Michlol, Radak writes according to our standard masoretic text, with the alef quiescent and the yod bearing the chirik.
"Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war! Arouse the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up." Now Scripture returns to the earlier topic: that the Holy One, blessed be He, will gather all the nations to the Valley of Jehoshaphat to enter into judgment with them. There was a parenthesis addressing the people of Tyre, and now that discussion concludes, returning to the nations whom Hashem brought against us and who are being punished for having exceeded the bounds in their cruelty - Babylonia, Edom, and Ishmael. Now Scripture reiterates their punishment. Here it states that a proclamation will go out among the nations to prepare for war, meaning the nations will be stirred to battle. The Malbim notes: "I have already explained in Ezekiel, chapters 32, 38, and 39" - which may be explored further in the study of Ezekiel, alongside the prophecy in Zechariah where the war of Gog and Magog is described in greater detail - that in the future the nations will be aroused to conquer the Land. The descendants of Edom will come here and inflict heavy slaughter upon the Egyptians (who adhere to the Ishmaelite faith). Then the Ishmaelites will rise to take vengeance on Edom, wreaking tremendous slaughter upon them. Afterward, the Edomites will return a second time to battle Ishmael and slay them. Thus, there is a three-stage campaign, or three distinct campaigns: in the first, Edom strikes Ishmael; in the second, Ishmael strikes Edom; and in the third, Edom exacts retribution from Ishmael. These are the three phases of the war of Gog and Magog in the End of Days. Regarding the first campaign, Scripture says: "Arouse the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up" - those skilled in military tactics, seasoned warriors. Note, however, that in the second campaign mighty men are no longer mentioned, because the seasoned warriors will have already perished in the first campaign. Therefore, in the second campaign there are no mighty men, as seen in the next verse: "Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, 'I am a hero.'" "Beat your plowshares into swords" means that all the swordsmen have already been killed and swords are no longer available. What will they do? They will take the plowshare and hammer it out, sharpening it so that it can serve as a sword, and the farmers themselves will go out to fight. Their warfare will be waged with agricultural implements: plowshares and pruning hooks (which, as Radak explains, are tools used to trim vine branches), forging them into spears. Then "let the weak say, 'I am a hero'" - since the mighty warriors will have died in the first campaign, only the weak will remain, armed with improvised weapons, yet boasting, "I am a hero." Radak points out that in the era of peace following the war, Scripture prophesies the exact opposite: "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." Here they turn plowshares into swords and pruning hooks into weapons, whereas in the future, when Hashem swallows up death forever, the reverse will occur: swords will be turned into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. One might also reflect on this in light of our own times - not to assert definitively that this is the war of Gog, but our era vividly reflects this dynamic: the era of knife attacks and terror carried out with improvised weapons, pipe bombs, and the like, where there is no sophisticated arsenal, but rather crude, improvised implements used to kill and murder.
"Hasten [ushu] and come, all you nations round about, and gather yourselves together; there bring down Your mighty ones, Hashem." "Hasten and come, all you nations" - all the remaining nations will go to fight a third time, now referring to Edom against Ishmael. In the first campaign Edom struck Ishmael, in the second Ishmael struck Edom, and in the third Edom once again exacts retribution from Ishmael. Therefore it says, "Hasten and come, all you nations round about, and gather yourselves together" - they will come to fight against them. Notice that here there will be no strength whatsoever: "There bring down [hanachat] Your mighty ones, Hashem." Hanachat is related to lowering or descending - to bring low, degraded; there will be no true warriors at all, but rather all will be brought low: "Bring down Your mighty ones, Hashem." What does the word ushu mean? The Malbim writes that it has no companion (ein lo rea). It is an important principle when studying Tanakh that to determine the meaning of an obscure word, ancient commentators looked for other occurrences across Scripture, just as one would use a concordance or digital search tools today. When seeking the meaning of an unfamiliar term, one searches for another instance in the biblical text. For example, if the word av were unfamiliar, seeing the verse av he'anan immediately reveals that av is related to a cloud. A logical deduction is made from a passage where the meaning is clear. However, when a word is a hapax legomenon - marked in the Masorah as leit or leika, meaning it appears nowhere else in Tanakh, even in conjugated forms - how can its meaning be deciphered? In such cases, one must deduce the meaning from context, or associate the word, even distantly, with similar roots. This verse provides an instructive example of how commentators grapple with such a term. First, looking at the immediate context: "Ushu and come" implies an action associated with coming. What connects with coming? Since it addresses "all you nations round about, gather yourselves," the context clearly indicates gathering. Therefore, both the Malbim and Radak explain that ushu means "gather yourselves": "Assemble and come, all you nations round about." But why use the term ushu? The Malbim suggests it derives from ash (a moth) - a gathering of frail, feeble people is termed ushu, for a moth is fragile, like an ant; thus Scripture uses ushu rather than standard verbs like yikabtzu or he'asefu. Radak, on the other hand, connects it to the constellation Ash in "Ash, Kesil, and Kimah" - clusters of stars. Thus ushu u'vo'u means gather together, just as stars cluster in a constellation. Rashi presents a different approach, citing Menachem that ushu is synonymous with chushu ("hasten"). How does ushu become chushu? Through the well-known grammatical principle of phonetic interchange between consonants of the same articulation group. The Hebrew alphabet has five phonetic groups: dalet-tet-lamed-nun-tav (linguals), bet-vav-mem-peh (labials), gimmel-yod-kaf-kuf (palatals), alef-heh-chet-ayin (gutturals), and zayin-samech-resh-tzadi-shin (dentals). Letters within the same phonetic family can interchange. If the guttural letter ayin is exchanged with the guttural chet, ushu becomes chushu ("hasten"). Yet Targum Yonatan - which for Rashi is always authoritative - translates it as yitkanshun ("gather yourselves"), agreeing with Radak and the Malbim. Rashi himself derives this sense of gathering from eshet barzel, a consolidated bar or ingot of iron, representing matter gathered and compacted into one mass. Thus we find three distinct explanations: one linking it to ash (a frail moth), one to the constellation Ash, and a third to eshet (a forged lump of iron) - a fascinating illustration of how commentators decipher rare biblical words.
Verse 12: "Let the nations arouse themselves and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations round about. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, tread, for the winepress is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great." "Let the nations arouse themselves and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat." Here Scripture allegorically depicts the three wars mentioned earlier. In the first phase, they are compared to standing grain that has not yet been harvested; until now, everyone lived tranquilly on their land, like standing stalks. Hashem now commands the reapers, as it were: "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe" - go and harvest this grain; their measure of guilt is full, and the time has come to exact retribution from the nations. In the second phase: "Come, tread, for the winepress is full." Here He compares them to grapes that have already been harvested. They have already undergone one war and have been cut down, but they now lie in the winepress. The winepress is the pit where grapes are gathered to be trodden. Hashem says: The time for treading has arrived; having been harvested, the time has come to punish them further. In the third phase: "The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great." Here He compares them to grapes that have already been trodden, but the juice must still be drawn off. Grapes were trodden in an upper pit, and the juice flowed down into a lower pit, separating the wine from the skins and seeds. This is the third stage: having endured two wars, they have been trodden, and now: "The vats overflow" - draw the wine into the vat, "for their wickedness is great." Because their wickedness was immense, the command is to crush and trample them, reminiscent of the verse: "I have trodden the winepress alone... and I trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath." What does heishiku hayekavim mean? The Malbim explains that it derives from mashkeh (liquid), meaning they were filled to overflowing with drink. Others explain that as wine cascades from the upper treading pit to the lower collecting vat, it makes a splashing sound (shikshuk). A further explanation connects hashakah to the ritual kissing or connecting of waters used to purify liquids in utensils. All of these nuances enrich the imagery of overflowing judgment.
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of Hashem is near in the valley of decision." "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision [Emek HaCharutz]" - vast multitudes will assemble in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Why? Because they will be in the valley of decision. The Valley of Jehoshaphat is named after judgment (mishpat), for the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring the nations to judgment there, deciding who is innocent and who is guilty, and who harmed Israel. Then the place will be called the Valley of Decision (Emek HaCharutz). Why Charutz? The Malbim offers one explanation: because the verdict is decisive and sealed (necharatz) that they are condemned to destruction. Therefore, the day of Hashem is near to consume them in the valley of decision once the verdict is finalized. Hence the repetition: for the day of Hashem is near, because once their sentence is sealed in the valley of decision, their punishment follows immediately. That is one explanation, which Radak also mentions. Radak cites an additional explanation: it is called the Valley of Charutz because there Hashem will lacerate and sever the nations, rendering them incised and cut to pieces, as charutz connotes something deeply grooved or lacerated. Scripture thus expresses their physical punishment by calling the site the Valley of Charutz, where Hashem will cut them down, or where He seals their final judgment, as the Malbim explained.
"The sun and the moon have grown dark, and the stars have withdrawn their shining." "The sun and the moon have grown dark" - the Malbim explains that through this, the celestial influences of the heavenly bodies will be nullified. The Malbim frequently maintains that when Hashem performs an open miracle, He suspends the natural celestial order governed by the constellations, leading the world through supernatural providence. The expression for this is "the sun and the moon have grown dark, and the stars have withdrawn their shining." This does not necessarily mean physical darkness, although some commentators interpret it literally as a day of thick darkness; rather, as the Malbim explains, once the standard astrological influences of the sun and moon no longer govern the world because providence has superseded the laws of nature, they are described as having darkened. Conceptually, their influence over the governance of creation ceases.
"And Hashem will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will quake; but Hashem will be a shelter for His people, and a stronghold for the children of Israel." The Malbim points out: Scripture says, "Hashem will roar from Zion," whereas from Jerusalem it does not say He will roar, but that He will "utter His voice." What is the distinction between Zion and Jerusalem, and between roaring and uttering a voice? The Malbim explains that Zion typically denotes the Temple Mount, the site of the Beit HaMikdash. From Zion emerges the administration of judgment, where Hashem will judge the nations. A roar, the Malbim notes, is a mighty, booming sound - raising the voice with great power. Uttering a voice (yiten kolo), by contrast, signifies merely making a sound, the opposite of silence. Thus from Zion, the primary seat of the Shechinah, the Holy One, blessed be He, will roar, projecting His voice afar until His sovereignty is recognized worldwide. From the rest of Jerusalem, which does not possess the same supreme holiness as the Temple Mount, Hashem will not roar with such overwhelming force, yet He will still "utter His voice" - Divine providence will visibly govern Jerusalem. By the power of that roar, "the heavens and the earth will quake." Just as we explained regarding the darkening of the sun and moon, heaven and earth represent the natural order that channels physical sustenance to the world; when spiritual providence supersedes the natural order, the heavens and earth tremble, as physical mechanisms are suspended and all governance becomes directly spiritual. "And Hashem will be a shelter for His people, and a stronghold for the children of Israel." Inasmuch as they are "His people," He will be their shelter, shielding them from all harm. Inasmuch as they are "the children of Israel" - denoting their higher spiritual stature of noble authority (sararah) - He will be their stronghold (ma'oz). A shelter merely protects someone resting under it, but a stronghold imparts active strength and power. Thus, Hashem shelters the entire nation, and elevates them as the children of Israel by granting them strength and fortitude.
"And you shall know that I am Hashem your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain; and Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall no longer pass through her." "And you shall know that I am Hashem your God" - you will possess clear, tangible knowledge, far beyond faith alone, similar to what was written earlier: "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel." You will know that I dwell in Zion, My holy mountain, witnessing that My Shechinah rests there permanently. "And Jerusalem shall be holy" - the sanctity of Jerusalem will become manifest, "and strangers shall no longer pass through her," for the passing of strangers defiles her holiness. Moreover, Zion will possess an even greater sanctity, such that even Israelites will not enter it unnecessarily. Zion is the Temple Mount, the site of the Beit HaMikdash, where entry is strictly regulated even for Jews: one must be in a state of ritual purity, and even then, ordinary Israelites may enter only as far as the Ezrat Yisrael and no further. Thus Zion is uniquely sanctified and elevated above the rest of Jerusalem.
"And it shall come to pass on that day that the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the riverbeds of Judah shall run with water, and a spring shall go forth from the House of Hashem and water the Valley of Shittim." "And it shall come to pass on that day" - abundance will increase so tremendously that the mountains will drip sweet wine from the abundance of luscious fruits, the hills will flow with milk from the herds and flocks, and all the channels of Judah will flow with water. Where previously water was scarce - whether throughout the Land of Israel or specifically in Jerusalem, which lacks natural springs - not only will water flow in Judah, but a spring will issue from the House of Hashem. The House of Hashem will be the source from which a spring emerges and spreads outward until it reaches the Valley of Shittim. In the view of Rav Saadia Gaon, as cited by the Malbim, this refers to the Jordan River, which flows near Shittim. Rashi explains the verse literally. Ezekiel and Zechariah likewise prophesied about this spring, and the imagery of a spring issuing from the House of Hashem appears elsewhere in Tanakh as well. Some noted an allusion to this when, several years ago on the Temple Mount near the Al-Aqsa mosque, water began welling up from the ground uncontrollably, which people could neither stem nor seal, reminding observers of that spring destined to gush from Jerusalem and reach Shittim, flowing ankle-deep and swelling into a mighty torrent. That is the literal understanding. The Malbim adds an allegorical interpretation: since "out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem," and Torah and faith are likened to water, Scripture teaches that a vast outpouring of Torah knowledge will spread from this site to the entire world. Why mention Shittim? Shittim is known as the place where Israel fell into immorality with the daughters of Moab and served the idol of Baal Peor - a root source of sin for the House of Israel. Now, a spring will emerge from the Beit HaMikdash and the Holy of Holies to purify that primal sin, cleansing the impurity that began at the stream of Shittim, eradicating idolatry and immorality from the world. What kind of spring? A spiritual spring that purifies the entire world, for Torah goes forth from Zion, and Torah is likened to living water.
"Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done to the children of Judah, whose innocent blood they shed in their land." First, Ibn Ezra notes that the Egypt mentioned here is not ancient Egypt, for Sennacherib long ago scrambled the nations. Radak asks why Egypt and Edom are specifically singled out here, noting that his observation rings true to this very day: these two powers have dominated history for centuries and will continue to do so until the Redemption - namely, Ishmael and the Roman kingdom, which is Edom. This reality persists today, with the clash between Edom (Western civilization and Christendom, such as America and Russia) and Ishmael (the Arab and Muslim world). This corresponds to what Daniel envisioned regarding the fourth beast, which marks the culmination of the exile - a struggle between Edom and Ishmael, represented by the statue's feet of clay and iron. Scripture refers to Egypt because of its deep connection to Ishmael: Ishmael's mother Hagar was Egyptian, and his mother took him an Egyptian wife. Even though Egypt descended originally from Ham, Ishmael became intimately bound to Egypt, and to this day Egypt is aligned with Ishmael. Edom represents the Roman empire, which destroyed the Second Temple through the wicked Titus, spilled Jewish blood like water, and dispersed Israel among the nations. Scripture mentions only Judah because, as Radak explains, the Ten Tribes were exiled by the king of Assyria to Halah, Habor, and the river Gozan, and never fell under the dominion of Edom and Ishmael in this final exile. The Malbim adds that "Egypt" here encompasses all adherents of the Ishmaelite faith, not merely the specific nation of Egypt, for Babylonia and Assyria, which destroyed the First Temple, later adopted the faith of Ishmael. Today, Iraq (Babylonia) and Iran (Persia) are Muslim nations. Thus they are joined to the Ishmaelite fold. From there the first stage of the war of Gog begins: the descendants of Edom will strike Ishmael, leaving "Egypt as a desolation" in the first campaign. In the second campaign, the Ishmaelites will rise against Edom, rendering "Edom a desolate wilderness," paying them back for the destruction of the Second Temple by Titus. They will clash with one another, and Hashem will exact retribution from both: "Because of the violence done to the children of Judah, whose innocent blood they shed in their land."
"And Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation." "And Judah shall abide forever" - whereas Ephraim was originally separated from Judah and Jerusalem, in the future they will unite, and Judah will never again go into exile: "Judah shall abide forever," and Jerusalem will never again be destroyed: "from generation to generation." What is the difference between le'olam ("forever") and le-dor va-dor ("from generation to generation")? The Malbim explains, as he does in several places across Tanakh, that le'olam denotes indivisible eternity - timeless, continuous existence. Eternity cannot be divided into discrete components; it is beyond time. By contrast, "from generation to generation" describes an ongoing existence that operates within divided, generational increments, progressing from one era to the next. Therefore, Scripture states that Judah will abide le'olam, meaning its dwelling will remain continuous and immutable; whereas Jerusalem will flourish "from generation to generation," with each successive generation introducing new inhabitants and ascending to ever greater levels of splendor and glory.
"And though I cleanse them, their bloodshed I will not cleanse, and Hashem dwells in Zion." This verse concludes the Book of Joel. "And though I cleanse them, their bloodshed I will not cleanse" - what does this mean? Rashi explains that even if Hashem were to pardon the nations for their other sins and historical misdeeds, for the shed blood of the children of Judah He will not acquit them; they must pay the full price. When will this be? "And Hashem dwells in Zion" - when Hashem establishes His dwelling in Zion, He will not hold the nations guiltless for the blood of Judah they spilled. Radak explains that "I will cleanse" refers to monetary restitution: regarding the silver and gold they plundered, Hashem will hold them acquitted, because Israel will take wealth from them in return. But regarding the blood they spilled, Hashem will never acquit them with monetary compensation; only a life for a life, from them or their descendants. No amount of money can atone for the shed blood of Israel, and Hashem will not hold them blameless until He takes their lives in retribution. The Malbim offers another perspective: since the war of Gog and Magog involves only Edom and Ishmael, what of the other nations who were unaffiliated with either group, yet oppressed us and spilled our blood? Where will their punishment be exacted? Hashem declares: "And though I cleanse them, their bloodshed I will not cleanse" - Hashem says that afterward, He will judge and exact retribution for the shed blood that was not addressed during the war of Gog. Those nations not involved in the initial conflict will now be brought to justice. When will this occur? After Hashem dwells in Zion; He will then execute judgment upon all remaining bloodshed. May Hashem speedily reveal to us the eternal Redemption, Amen and Amen.