Chapter 12 of Zecharya opens a new stage in the book. Until now, the prophecies dealt with what was destined to occur during the Second Temple era. From here to the end of the book, the prophet prophesies about the End of Days and the War of Gog and Magog: how the Holy One, Blessed is He, will rectify the world under the Kingdom of the Almighty and bring mankind to its ultimate perfection. We will study the chapter primarily according to the Malbim, alongside a second interpretative approach from Rashi and the Targum, for throughout the entire chapter the question of the role of "Yehudah" in the story of the war will repeatedly arise.
מַשָּׂא דְבַר־יְהֹוָה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה נֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם וְיֹסֵד אָרֶץ וְיֹצֵר רוּחַ־אָדָם בְּקִרְבּוֹ׃ - The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel, says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens, establishes the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
The prophet introduces this prophecy by stating that it is the word of Hashem, attributing three descriptions to the Holy One, Blessed is He: stretching out the heavens, establishing the earth, and forming the spirit of man within him. The Malbim asks: What is the connection between forming the spirit of man within him and stretching out the heavens and establishing the earth? He explains that the spirit of man within his body is itself the bond and connection between heaven and earth. The body originates from the earth, dust from the ground, while the spirit comes from heaven, from the celestial realms. Thus, man was created as a microcosm (olam katan) in the image of the macrocosm (olam hagadol).
The early sages wrote that man is a microcosm, meaning he is patterned after the greater universe, only in miniature. Just as the macrocosm encompasses heaven and earth, a spiritual dimension and a physical dimension, so too does man: the body is physical and the soul is spiritual, and everything is contained within him. Because man is composed of everything that exists in the world, both physical and spiritual, he possesses dominion and the power of influence over everything in the world. As taught at length in Sha'arei Kedushah, man is the only creation that incorporates all worlds within himself, and the reason for this is so that through this power he might exert influence throughout all worlds.
Because of this, man has a role in creation, and all his days he advances toward perfection to bring his purpose to fruition. And the Holy One, Blessed is He, devises means so that no outcast remains banished from Him, guiding mankind toward its perfection - and this is precisely the theme our chapter will explore.
Rashi, on the other hand, explains that the verse comes to conclude the matter the prophet began regarding the retribution of those who consumed Israel, namely Babylon, as Rashi explains based on Targum Yonatan. Now, he comes to conclude the retribution of the other nations, speaking of the nations that will come to conquer the Land of Israel and the downfall they will suffer.
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שָׂם אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם סַף־רַעַל לְכׇל־הָעַמִּים סָבִיב וְגַם עַל־יְהוּדָה יִהְיֶה בַמָּצוֹר עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃ - Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of poison to all the surrounding peoples, and Judah as well shall be in the siege against Jerusalem.
The subject of Gog and Magog appears in two main places: in Yechezkel (chapters 32, 37, 38) and here at the end of the Book of Zecharya. The Malbim explains that in the End of Days, the army of Gog and Magog, which consists of the nations of Edom, will come to seize Jerusalem from the Ishmaelites. That is to say, those ruling here at that time will be the Ishmaelites, and the nations of Europe, and perhaps America included among them, will come to fight against them. What will actually happen is that the war will unfold in such a way that they will kill one another, and Hashem will wage war against both sides for all the evils they inflicted upon the Jewish people: for destroying the Temple and for afflicting Israel during their exile. The Holy One, Blessed is He, will execute judgments against both the Edomites and the Ishmaelites by causing them to fight against each other.
"A cup of poison" (saf ra'al) - a chalice of venom. All the nations will drink from it and be plunged into intoxication and bewilderment. In simple terms: Jerusalem will bring about their ruin. The nations will come and fight here over Jerusalem, but it will become their downfall, and instead of conquering it, they will slaughter one another.
Rashi analyzes the exact wording: *saf* is a vessel, as in "in the blood that is in the basin" (ba-dam asher ba-saf). And *ra'al* does not mean a lethal potion in the conventional sense, but rather stupor, a paralysis of the heart and limbs when they are stripped of strength, like a person wrapped tightly in a cloak. It is an expression of wrapping or veiling, related to *re'alah* (veil) - "the tiaras and the veils" (ha-atarot ve-ha-re'alot), "Median women go out veiled" (Mediyot yotz'ot re'ulot), "the cypresses were shrouded" (ha-beroshim hor'alu). A veil wraps around the face, and similarly, the *ra'al* here is a paralysis that envelopes the heart and limbs, depriving them of all vitality and mobility. The Holy One, Blessed is He, will immobilize them so completely that they will be unable to do anything.
Now, in the verse, Yehudah is mentioned on its own: "and also upon Yehudah will it be in the siege against Yerushalayim." The phrasing is difficult: if the siege will also be against Yehudah, it should have said, "and also upon Yehudah will be the siege in Yerushalayim." Furthermore, why distinguish Yehudah from Yerushalayim - are not the inhabitants of Yerushalayim Yehudah? Here begin the two parallel paths that will accompany us throughout the entire chapter.
The Malbim explains: Before they lay siege to Yerushalayim, they will lay siege to Yehudah. The territory of Yehudah is very vast beyond Yerushalayim itself, and initially they will besiege it. The Radak adds that their ultimate objective will be to reach Yerushalayim, for they will say: The moment we conquer Yerushalayim, the rest of the land will easily fall under our control. Therefore, their goal will be Yerushalayim, but first they will advance through Yehudah, inflicting many severe troubles upon the Jewish people residing in Yehudah outside of Yerushalayim.
Rashi explains differently: "And also upon Yehudah" means that the nations will force Yehudah to join them in the siege against Yerushalayim. They will compel the men of Yehudah to march shoulder to shoulder with them to besiege Yerushalayim against their will, resulting in Yehudah fighting against their own brethren. That is to say: in addition to the nations, Yehudah will also be added to besiege Yerushalayim, with the House of David inside while the gentile nations besiege them from without, with the men of Yehudah forced to be among them. Rashi also cites this from Targum Yonatan.
וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא אָשִׂים אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶבֶן מַעֲמָסָה לְכׇל־הָעַמִּים כׇּל־עֹמְסֶיהָ שָׂרוֹט יִשָּׂרֵטוּ וְנֶאֶסְפוּ עָלֶיהָ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day that I will make Yerushalayim a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all who lift it shall surely be severely lacerated, and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered against it.
Standing against the nations that come to besiege Yerushalayim will be those already here, the Ishmaelites, who will hold Yerushalayim at that time. They will wish, as it were, to bear Yerushalayim upon their shoulders, meaning to retain it under their control. This is a metaphorical expression, for this is not a literal burden carried upon the shoulder, but a parable: this burden is heavy, like a burdensome stone that a person carries on his shoulder, which lacerates the shoulder from its sheer weight and sharpness. "All who lift it shall surely be severely lacerated" - whoever tries to carry Yerushalayim, namely the Ishmaelites, will lacerate his own flesh like someone bearing a burden too heavy to bear.
And what is the cause? "And all the nations of the earth shall be gathered against it" - since the armies of Gog and Magog will all gather to conquer it from the Ishmaelites who are bearing it upon their shoulders, this will be a severe wound to the Ishmaelites. The harm inflicted upon them as a result of their desire to hold onto Yerushalayim with all their might will be immense, at the hands of the forces of Gog who come to wage war against them.
Note the precision of the language: He refers to the Ishmaelites as amim ("peoples") - "a burdensome stone for all the peoples" - while those who gather against them are called goyim ("nations") - "and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered against it." The Malbim teaches that the term am is always superior to goy: an am is an established, organized nation with governance and order, whereas a goy is a mixed horde and assembly of nations. Therefore, those who first gather against them will be of a lower, unorganized order, and then the kings of the Ishmaelites, who qualify as an am, will fight against them.
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה אַכֶּה כׇל־סוּס בַּתִּמָּהוֹן וְרֹכְבוֹ בַּשִּׁגָּעוֹן וְעַל־בֵּית יְהוּדָה אֶפְקַח אֶת־עֵינַי וְכֹל סוּס הָעַמִּים אַכֶּה בַּעִוָּרוֹן׃ - On that day, says Hashem, I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness, and upon the House of Yehudah I will open My eyes, while every horse of the peoples I will strike with blindness.
Everything here is from Hashem. The Holy One, blessed be He, will instigate war between the nations that have come to besiege Yerushalayim, and they will strike down one another. Concerning the lower nations coming up to conquer Yerushalayim, Hashem says: "I will strike every horse with panic." They ride on horses, and a horse that lacks focus becomes the downfall of its rider: sometimes it throws its rider backward, sometimes it gallops in the wrong direction, and sometimes it stands bewildered and refuses to charge. Not only that, but Hashem will also strike the rider with madness: just as an insane person acts on imagination rather than sound reason, so too their entire gathering to wage war over Yerushalayim and against the Ishmaelites who control it will be devoid of reason and lacking any coherent purpose.
And once again, the "House of Yehudah" is mentioned here, and once again we see the two paths. According to the Malbim, this refers to the House of Yehudah who are at that time still in the exile of Edom. At that time, not all of Israel will be in Yerushalayim; some will still be dispersed in the exile of Edom, and Hashem says: I will open My eyes upon them so that they do not perish there. For the people of Edom are coming to wage war over Yerushalayim, and this could easily bring great harm upon the exiles dwelling among them.
As is well known, whenever there were wars against Israel here - in 1948, in the Six-Day War, and in the Yom Kippur War - the Jews living among the nations, in the Arab lands, in Persia, in Iraq, always suffered. They served as targets for arrows and catapult stones, an outlet for the masses to take revenge. Although the rulers always tried to present some semblance of protecting the Jews as their subjects and having responsibility toward them, we all know of the pogroms, persecutions, and murders, extending to the complete dispossession of all their property. Whatever the case may be, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will protect them. This is the promise, "And upon the House of Judah I will open My eyes" - protection for the Jews exiled among the nations of Edom.
The end of the verse seems puzzling: "And every horse of the peoples I will strike with blindness" - but hasn't it already been said, "I will strike every horse with bewilderment and its rider with madness"? The Malbim explains that here the verse returns to "the peoples", who are the descendants of Yishmael, those who currently hold Jerusalem. At first, the verse spoke of those coming to conquer, the descendants of Edom, and now it refers to the horse of the descendants of Yishmael who rule over Jerusalem: I will strike them with blindness until they cannot see whom they are fighting against, and they will kill one another. This is the chaos that will prevail here: a war between the descendants of Edom and the descendants of Yishmael, and even among themselves, while the Jewish people will not take part in it.
What will be the situation of Israel? As discussed in the study of Sefer Yechezkel, we have two prophecies that appear contradictory: on the one hand, the war does not affect us at all and we will not be harmed; on the other hand, it is stated, "the houses will be plundered and the women ravished... and half of the city will go out into exile" - harsh expressions. The answer is that two tracks lie before us, and they depend on the spiritual state of Israel. If the Jewish people are on a high level, whatever occurs will happen solely among the nations and will not touch us. But if they are on a low level, what happens will, Heaven forbid, harm the Jewish people as well.
We find a similar duality regarding two forms of redemption: "and behold, with the clouds of heaven" on the one hand, and "humble and riding upon a donkey" on the other. Chazal already differentiated between "if they merit" (zachu) and "if they do not merit" (lo zachu). "Merit" here does not mean winning a lottery, but rather stems from purification (hizdakechut). If they are purified and worthy, Mashiach will come from heaven, "and behold, with the clouds of heaven"; but if they do not merit, he will come, Heaven forbid, on the lower level, and then harm may befall the Jewish people as well.
Rashi, following his approach, explains that the mention of the House of Judah here refers to the fact that they will be brought against their will by the nations of Edom to fight against Jerusalem. Regarding this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says, "And upon the House of Judah I will open My eyes": do not think that I will judge them as part of the Edomites, by no means. Since I know they came against their will, I will open My eyes upon them to protect them from the plague. There will be a distinct differentiation on My part between the nations who came to fight against Jerusalem and Judah who were brought against their will.
וְאָמְרוּ אַלֻּפֵי יְהוּדָה בְּלִבָּם אַמְצָה לִי יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם בַּיהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם׃ - And the leaders of Judah shall say in their heart: The inhabitants of Jerusalem are strength to me through Hashem of Hosts, their God.
The Malbim explains that at that time Mashiach ben Yosef will arise, and the people of Judah will take courage. According to his approach, the people of Judah do not come to fight against Jerusalem; rather, the nations will first attack Judah and only afterward seek to advance upon Jerusalem. Chazal state that Gog is destined to come against the Land of Israel three times: regarding the first time, it is said that Hashem will strike every horse with blindness, and regarding the last two times, it is taught that the people of Judah will gain strength. The leaders of Judah will say in their hearts that the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who are righteous and on a lofty spiritual level, will protect them through their prayers and their righteousness. This is the meaning of "The inhabitants of Jerusalem are strength to me" - in their righteousness they will give us courage and strength, by virtue of their trust in Hashem of Hosts, their God, and their merits will protect us.
Rashi, in his characteristic approach, explains that the people of Judah are mentioned here in connection with having been brought against their will to fight against Jerusalem. They say to themselves: The inhabitants of Jerusalem know that we are here against our will, and therefore, on the contrary, they will exert themselves in prayer on our behalf so that Hashem will save us. Normally, a combatant prays that the entire enemy army will be delivered into his hands and thoroughly subdued. Here, however, because their brothers, the men of Judah, are among the enemy army, the inhabitants of Jerusalem will pray that the men of Judah will be spared and only the enemy army will fall before them. This is the meaning of "The inhabitants of Jerusalem are strength to me" - they will make an earnest effort to pray that we be preserved and not fall by the sword.
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָשִׂים אֶת־אַלֻּפֵי יְהוּדָה כְּכִיּוֹר אֵשׁ בְּעֵצִים וּכְלַפִּיד אֵשׁ בְּעָמִיר וְאָכְלוּ עַל־יָמִין וְעַל־שְׂמֹאול אֶת־כׇּל־הָעַמִּים סָבִיב וְיָשְׁבָה יְרוּשָׁלִַם עוֹד תַּחְתֶּיהָ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם׃ - On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a pan of fire among wood and like a torch of fire among sheaves, and they will consume all the surrounding peoples on the right and on the left, and Jerusalem will dwell securely once again in her place, in Jerusalem.
The Malbim explains that there will be internal war among them, and there are two parables here. "A brazier" (kiyor) is not a basin like the lavers of the Beit HaMikdash, but rather like a hearth (kirah), the place where fire is kindled. The Holy One, blessed be He, will bring the army of Gog and Magog to the Land of Israel so that they will be burned there, just as one brings wood to the hearth where one bakes and cooks: the wood is brought to the fire. So too, Hashem will bring the men of Gog to the hearth, to the place where they will be burned.
In contrast, "and like a torch of fire in a sheaf": one takes the torch and throws it into the place where the straw is. One does not bring the straw to the torch, but rather the torch to the straw. Unlike the wood, which is brought to the fire in the hearth, here it is the reverse. And so the Ishmaelites will be burned in their place: they will not move from their place, since they are already here, and Hashem will cast a torch upon them to burn them where they stand. This is the meaning of "and they shall devour on the right and on the left", from both sides: both from those coming to conquer, who are the descendants of Edom, and from those already present here, who are the descendants of Ishmael.
"And Jerusalem shall abide yet in her place in Jerusalem" - this time, they will not reach Jerusalem at all to besiege it. We noted that Gog will come three times, and at first he will not reach Jerusalem, but only Judah. Only on the third occasion will he succeed in actually reaching Jerusalem, as we will see in chapter 13: "and the city shall be captured." And so the Malbim explains in Yechezkel chapter 39, that only on the third occasion will Gog and Magog succeed in reaching Jerusalem. And of the first times it is said that Jerusalem will abide in her place, undisturbed, without Gog succeeding in penetrating it.
And why the repetition, "yet in her place in Jerusalem"? Does she have another place to sit? You might be surprised to learn that she does. According to what we learned in Yechezkel chapter 48, in the future to come Jerusalem will be relocated forty-five mil to the south of its present location, and the city will be there, whereas the place where Jerusalem sits today will be designated solely for the Kohanim and the Beit HaMikdash. Therefore, the prophet states: during the war of Gog, this will not yet be the case; rather, "and Jerusalem shall abide yet in her place" - where? "In Jerusalem", in its original location. The change in location will occur only after all the wars conclude; only then will Jerusalem expand southward and abide in its place, distinct from its current location.
וְהוֹשִׁעַ יְהֹוָה אֶת־אׇהֳלֵי יְהוּדָה בָּרִאשֹׁנָה לְמַעַן לֹא־תִגְדַּל תִּפְאֶרֶת בֵּית־דָּוִיד וְתִפְאֶרֶת יֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם עַל־יְהוּדָה׃ - And Hashem shall save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not magnify itself against Judah.
Judah is mentioned once again, and once again there are two explanations. The Malbim explains: the first time Gog comes, he will not succeed in reaching Jerusalem, but only the mountains of Judah, and there he will seek to harm the inhabitants of the region of Judah. The Holy One, blessed be He, will then save them in a miraculous manner. And what is the purpose of this? Later, when Gog and Magog come against Jerusalem for the final time and reach the city itself, the Holy One, blessed be He, will miraculously rescue the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of David, and through this their glory will be great - but their glory will not magnify itself over the people of Judah. For the people of Judah will say to them: "What are you boasting about? Hashem performed miracles for us as well, and even earlier, during the very first campaign!" Thus, there will be no arrogance or boasting by the people of Jerusalem regarding their special miracles in comparison to the rest of the people of Judah, since Hashem already saved the people of Judah beforehand.
Rashi explains according to his approach, that Judah refers to those brought against their will with the men of Edom to fight against Jerusalem. "And Hashem shall save the tents of Judah first" - even before the inhabitants of Jerusalem go forth from the city, salvation will come to the people of Judah, allowing them to return to their homes and tents. That is, even before the enemy enters Jerusalem, the Holy One, blessed be He, will make a separation, and those of Judah who were coerced into coming will be set apart and returned to their tents. Only afterward will salvation come to the inhabitants of the city, concerning which it is stated: "And Hashem will go forth and fight against those nations, as on the day He fought on the day of battle." And all this is "so that the glory of the house of David shall not magnify itself" - so that the people of Jerusalem will not say to Judah: "You were saved only in our merit; Hashem separated you merely so that we would not be harmed." Rather, the people of Judah will say: "See that Hashem saved us and separated us from the army of Edom even before we reached Jerusalem; the miracle was performed for our sake."
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יָגֵן יְהֹוָה בְּעַד יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְהָיָה הַנִּכְשָׁל בָּהֶם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כְּדָוִיד וּבֵית דָּוִיד כֵּאלֹהִים כְּמַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה לִפְנֵיהֶם׃ - On that day Hashem shall defend the inhabitant of Jerusalem; and he that stumbles among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like divine beings, like the angel of Hashem before them.
In the first war of Gog, Hashem will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the enemies will not be able to reach there at all; for only on the final occasion will they reach Jerusalem, whereas initially they will come only to Judah and will not succeed in penetrating the city.
"And he that stumbles among them on that day shall be like David" - the people of Jerusalem at that time will all be righteous, and if there should be found among them someone who stumbles, it will be a person who stumbles and immediately repents. And who is the person who stumbled, confessed, and repented immediately? King David. As soon as Natan the prophet came to him, he said, "I have sinned." So too, the one who stumbles on that day will immediately do teshuvah like David, and through this teshuvah Hashem will remit his sin, just as occurred with David.
"And the house of David shall be like divine beings" - Heaven forbid that we interpret this literally. Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Radak explain that the intention is like an angel of God: on the lofty level of an angel, in whom sin is utterly inconceivable and who possesses no evil inclination whatsoever. So too, the house of David will have no sin at all. As for the rest of the people, if they stumble, they will be like David and repent immediately; but the house of David will have no sin at all, for they will be like angels. "Like the angel of Hashem before them" - and Israel will honor them as though they were angels of Hashem, emissaries sent to guide them uprightly and lead them in a manner befitting His service, blessed be He.
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֲבַקֵּשׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶת־כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִם הַבָּאִים עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day that I shall seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
On that day, the Malbim explains, Mashiach ben Yosef will be killed in the war, which will trigger two outcomes. First - through this, Hashem will seek to destroy all the nations, for they will have sinned by killing Mashiach ben Yosef.
As is well known, and as discussed several times, the redemption is divided into two aspects: physical redemption and spiritual redemption. The physical redemption is accomplished through Mashiach ben Yosef, and the spiritual redemption through Mashiach ben David. This was likewise the case in the redemption of the Second Temple, where Ezra and Nechemyah led: Nechemyah represented more of the physical redemption, while Ezra represented the spiritual redemption, of whom it was said that he was worthy, like Moshe, to have the Torah given through him. And it is written that Mashiach ben Yosef is in danger of being killed, which is why we pray in the blessing of Boneh Yerushalayim, as noted in the siddurim, with the intention that Mashiach ben Yosef should not die at the hands of the wicked Armilos.
As is well known, the holy Ari told this matter to his disciples shortly before his passing. The Ari was in the aspect of Mashiach ben Yosef, and had they merited it, they would have been redeemed in that generation. He asked his disciples to pray that he would not die, but they did not merit it, and the Ari passed away at a young age, leaving us still awaiting the future redemption. At that future time, Mashiach ben Yosef - who represents the physical redemption - will be killed in battle, and consequently, the Holy One, blessed be He, will desire to destroy the nations who killed him.
Rashi cites midrashic expositions of our Sages regarding the wording "I shall seek." What does the expression "I shall seek" mean when applied to the Holy One, blessed be He? If Hashem wishes to destroy, He destroys; He has no need to seek. "To seek" implies searching, contemplating a way, and Hashem does not need to devise a way. Therefore, Rashi explains in one interpretation: I will scrutinize their iniquities. For "a king establishes the land through justice," and even when exacting retribution from the nations, it must be done according to the rules of justice - by Hashem scrutinizing their sins, seeking out iniquity and guilt that warrants this destruction.
Conversely, Rashi brings another exposition where our Sages interpret the matter specifically to their credit: I will search through their ledgers; if they possess any merit, I will spare them, and if not, I will destroy them. That is to say, "I shall seek" carries the sense of searching through records - if they have any merit whatsoever, I will spare them. In simple terms, even though they deserve death, the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, searches, delves, and seeks out whether there is any merit to save them from death.
וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל־בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל־הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַל־הַבְּכוֹר׃ - And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications, and they will look toward Me concerning him whom they pierced, and they will mourn over him as one mourns for an only child, and be in bitterness over him as one is in bitterness over a firstborn.
Through this spirit, they will seek Hashem with supplications and obtain grace and favor from Him. And why will they plead? Because they will see that the breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem, of whom we said, "In his shadow we shall live among the nations," has fallen in battle. The killing of Mashiach ben Yosef will drive them to supplication, repentance, and prayer.
"And they will look toward Me concerning him whom they pierced" - the Malbim explains that "whom they pierced" refers back to them, to the beholders themselves. This seems astonishing: did we pierce him? It was the nations who pierced him! Yet indeed, they will look and contemplate the death of Mashiach ben Yosef, realizing that his death occurred due to the sins of the generation; and if he died because of our sins, then it is as though we pierced him, and the accountability rests upon us. Then, "and they will look toward Me" - they will turn their gaze to Hashem in repentance to find salvation. For if until now they believed that the breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem, was the one from whom salvation would sprout, and now he is dead, they have no one else to turn to but the Holy One, blessed be He.
"And they will mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child" - initially they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son who passes away leaving no child in his place, which is an immense and heavy mourning. Afterward, when Mashiach ben David is revealed, they will grieve over him even more, "and be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn," for he was the firstborn and the first to bring deliverance, and only after him comes Mashiach ben David, who is the second stage of the redemption. The mourning over him will be an enduring mourning, for the firstborn is the choicest and finest, and is not quickly forgotten. Even when Mashiach ben David arrives, they will still remember Mashiach ben Yosef and grieve over his death, just as one grieves over the death of a firstborn.
Rashi explains "and they shall look to Me regarding those who were pierced" in accordance with the Targum: "And they shall plead before Me concerning those who were exiled" - they will request of Me to avenge against the nations for all the piercing they inflicted upon them throughout the years. According to Rashi, this is not speaking about the death of Mashiach ben Yosef; rather, since this refers to the era of redemption, the Jewish people will come and ask the Holy One, blessed be He, to take vengeance upon the nations: Hashem, God of vengeance, avenge all that they pierced and struck us without restraint throughout two thousand years of exile, for all those killed during their dispersion. And over that slaughter they will mourn as one mourns for an only child, and from that deep heartache they will ask the Holy One, blessed be He, to exact retribution from the nations for what they have done.
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִגְדַּל הַמִּסְפֵּד בִּירוּשָׁלִַם כְּמִסְפַּד הֲדַד־רִמּוֹן בְּבִקְעַת מְגִדּוֹן׃ - On that day the mourning shall be great in Yerushalayim, like the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
Ibn Ezra and Radak write that the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon was a well-known historical event in their times, though it has no mention elsewhere in Tanach. Indeed, searching through Tanach yields no other reference to this event. Even so, the prophet cites it because in their days it was widely known. Tanach is not a history textbook that records every event; it mentions only events that carry lasting significance for future generations. We would have known nothing of this event had the prophet not cited it as an example of a terrible lamentation from the past.
However, Chazal, as well as Targum Yonatan and the Gemara, interpret the verse in light of events that are familiar and recorded in Tanach. "Hadad-rimmon" refers to the mourning over Achav, who was killed by Ben-hadad; and Ben-hadad, as is known, worshipped an idol called Rimmon (Beit-rimmon). Thus, the meaning is: like the mourning over Achav, who was killed by Hadad, the worshipper of Rimmon. And "in the valley of Megiddon" is a different event: the mourning over Yoshiyahu, whom Pharaoh Necho killed in Megiddo.
Yoshiyahu was a righteous king, and Pharaoh Necho merely wished to pass through Eretz Yisrael to fight his enemies, taking a shortcut without any intention of attacking us. But Yoshiyahu confronted him, reasoning: "We are righteous, and when we are righteous, the Torah promises that 'no sword shall pass through your land' - how can I allow him to cross here?" So he went out to oppose him. In the end, "the breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem, was captured in their traps," because the generation was corrupt. Yoshiyahu did not realize that his generation was flawed; he assumed everyone was righteous like himself, while in secret the people still worshipped idols. As Chazal recount, he would dispatch inspectors to verify that no idols remained. They would enter a house, inspect it, find nothing, and leave. But the people had constructed their doors such that when the door opened against the wall, the idol was hidden, and when it closed, the idol on the inner face became visible. Thus, the moment the inspectors departed and the door swung shut, the idol was revealed once more.
Thus, the generation was not on a spiritual level where one could rely on the promise that "no sword shall pass through your land." Yoshiyahu, who was meant to be Mashiach, went out to battle Pharaoh when he should not have done so. He fell in that battle, pierced by so many arrows that his body was pierced like a sieve. Afterwards, they mourned him with an immense lamentation. The mourning over Yoshiyahu corresponded to mourning for an "only child," for he was a single, incomparable king. In contrast, regarding the mourning over Achav - though there were two kings then - he was considered, as it were, the "firstborn," having ruled over the ten tribes. Therefore, the prophet brings both examples to parallel the two phrases in the previous verse: "like the mourning for an only child" refers to Yoshiyahu, and "as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" refers to Achav, who held the primacy of the firstborn by reigning over ten tribes compared to the king of Yehudah who ruled over just two.
The Malbim adds that there is an allusion here: for Achav, only the ten tribes mourned, and for Yoshiyahu, only the tribes of Yehudah and Binyamin mourned. But over the death of Mashiach, all twelve tribes will mourn together. Therefore, this mourning will be greater than both historical lamentations combined: over Achav only ten tribes wept, over Yoshiyahu only two, but here all twelve tribes will lament.
וְסָפְדָה הָאָרֶץ מִשְׁפָּחוֹת מִשְׁפָּחוֹת לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־דָּוִיד לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־נָתָן לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד׃ - And the land shall mourn, every family apart: the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Natan apart, and their wives apart.
מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־לֵוִי לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת הַשִּׁמְעִי לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד׃ - The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart.
The entire land will mourn, and each family will hold a eulogy of its own. "The family of the house of David" includes all of David's descendants. "The family of the house of Nathan" is also among the descendants of David, for Nathan was David's son; however, the Malbim explains that it will be distinguished and characterized as a distinct family in its own right, and therefore the verse refers to it as an independent family even though it is ostensibly included in the house of David. Likewise, the family of Levi and the family of Shimei will be prominent, well-known families in their own right, and each will mourn separately, with the women in each family mourning separately as well.
And why are the women separate? The Radak explains: as a matter of modesty (tzeniut). A further explanation is that since women lament and mourn more intensely than men, they gather separately to mourn according to their custom, as they prolong the eulogy and weep more.
From here there is an open rebuke to all who organize mixed events. Consider: even at a time of mourning - regarding which the Gemara states that the evil inclination (yetzer hara) does not hold sway - and even in the Future to Come, when there will no longer be an evil inclination at all, since it is written that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will slaughter the yetzer hara and it is said, "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain" - nevertheless, there will be separation. If so, today, when the yetzer hara dances among us, and all the more so at a time of celebration when everyone is dressed in fine attire, would one consider holding a mixed celebration? If people are so careful during a eulogy, how much more so at a joyous occasion where the yetzer hara dances.
כֹּל הַמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת הַנִּשְׁאָרוֹת מִשְׁפָּחֹת מִשְׁפָּחֹת לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד׃ - "All the remaining families, each family separately, and their women separately."
All the remaining families of the house of David as well as the other families, each will mourn separately and the women separately. Rashi asks: Why are the families of the Kehunah and royalty mentioned separately? Because they will desire that their crowns be restored to them, as we saw earlier in the book, "These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth." They will return and seek the royalty, the Kehunah, and the stature they once held, which is why the verse mentions that they mourn alone, as each seeks to return to its previous standing. And the final verse includes all the remaining families besides those explicitly mentioned - the house of David, Nathan, Levi, and Shimei - that they, too, will mourn, each family separately and their women separately.
Chapter 12 opens the prophecies of the End of Days. Hashem, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, is also the Former of the spirit of man within him, and therefore He guides man toward his ultimate perfection. Jerusalem will be a cup of reeling and a burdensome stone to the nations: Gog and Magog - the nations of Edom - will go up to seize Jerusalem from the hands of the Ishmaelites, and Hashem will strike the horse with confusion, the rider with madness, and the horses of the nations with blindness, until they slay one another. Judah will be saved first so that the glory of Jerusalem does not magnify itself over it, while according to Rashi, the men of Judah who were coerced into joining the enemy camp will be separated. The inhabitants of Jerusalem will be righteous; the stumbling among them will immediately repent and become like David, and the house of David will be like angels of Hashem. During the war, Mashiach ben Yosef will be killed, and Israel will realize that his death was due to the sins of the generation; they will pour out a spirit of grace and supplications, and they will lament for him with a mourning greater than any that has ever been - a mourning of all twelve tribes, each family separately and their women separately.