Introduction
In this section of the sixth chapter, we examine the conclusion of the praise that the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows upon the Congregation of Israel: the reckoning of the nations that descended from Noah and Abraham, the uniqueness of the Congregation of Israel above them all, the nations' praise of her, the Holy One, blessed be He, descending to the "nut orchard" to observe the deeds of Israel during the Second Temple era, and finally the confession of the Congregation of Israel over having corrupted her ways and brought upon herself the yoke of the nations. We will follow the order of the pesukim with Rashi's commentary.
Sixty Queens and Eighty Concubines - The Count of the Nations
שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר׃ - Sixty are the queens, and eighty the concubines, and maidens without number.
What is this count of sixty? Rashi explains: Abraham and his direct descendants. The sons of Keturah - sixteen; Ishmael and his sons - thirteen; Isaac and his sons - three; the sons of Jacob - twelve; the sons of Esau - sixteen, as enumerated in Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles). This totals sixty. And if you say, subtract Timna from them because she is a woman, which leaves you short of the tally - Abraham himself is included in the count. You subtract Timna and add Abraham, and you are back to a complete tally of sixty.
"And eighty concubines" - from Noah and his sons until Abraham. All the generations of those who came out of the Ark total eighty. And just as queens, who are royal wives, are superior in stature to concubines, so too were Abraham and his descendants esteemed, great, and preeminent above all. Notice the division: the sixty queens are the descendants of Abraham, while the eighty concubines are the descendants of Noah. And which holds higher status? Queens are greater than concubines, and so Abraham's descendants are superior in stature to the descendants of Noah.
Rashi continues and brings proof of Abraham's greatness: Hagar was a princess, the daughter of kings - yet to whom did she go to become a handmaid? To Abraham. A king's daughter becomes a maidservant in his home, and there is no greater proof of his stature than this, that a king was willing for his daughter to be a handmaid to Abraham. In contrast, Timna was a daughter of rulers, yet what did she become? Not a queen, but a concubine to Esau - a lowly status. Furthermore: "to Emek Shaveh" - they all agreed unanimously and crowned Abraham over them, saying, "You are a prince of God in our midst."
In connection with this, it is worth noting: pottery shards and archaeological findings discovered in Haran contain the name Abraham numerous times; there is documentation that a prominent individual with this name lived there. Descriptions of commercial sales customs of that era have also been found, exactly as the Torah depicts in the sale of Me'arat HaMachpelah: one party would offer to buy, and the other would protest, "Nonsense, take it for free!" But when the buyer insisted on paying, the seller would charge an exorbitant price. All of this took place in full view of the townspeople to ensure that the transaction was public and official.
"And maidens without number" - these all divided into many families. Those very descendants dispersed and split into countless families without number.
One is My Dove, My Perfect One - The Uniqueness of the Congregation of Israel
אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּהּ בָּרָה הִיא לְיוֹלַדְתָּהּ רָאוּהָ בָנוֹת וַיְאַשְּׁרוּהָ מְלָכוֹת וּפִילַגְשִׁים וַיְהַלְלוּהָ׃ - One is she, My dove, My perfect one; she is the only one of her mother, pure to the one who bore her. Maidens saw her and acclaimed her; queens and concubines, and they praised her.
Rashi explains: Out of all of them, there is only one chosen by Me as a pure dove, who is wholehearted with her mate. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: There is only one whose heart is whole with Me. And Chazal expounded on "My dove, My perfect one (tamati)" - te'omati, as if she were a twin to Me.
"She is unique to her mother" - Rashi explains: to her gathering, to the place where she gathers, namely the synagogues and study halls (batei midrash). But at first glance, this is puzzling: enter a study hall and you hear shouting and disputes - what kind of "unique" or unified one is here? To this Rashi says: there are many disputes in study halls, but what is their aim? Their hearts are all directed toward understanding the Torah accurately and in its truth.
And this is a fundamental principle. When I express my personal opinion and you express your personal opinion, there is a dispute between us, and we are two, not one. But when I tell you that this is the straightforward meaning in the Rashba, and you tell me no, this is the meaning in the Rashba - we are one, because the aim of both of us is to understand what the Rashba is saying. I say this is what the Torah says and you say this is what the Torah says - we are one, because our aim is to know what the Torah says. But one who does not come to understand what is written in the Torah, what the Rishonim say, what the Shulchan Aruch rules, and what the wording of the Gemara is, but rather comes to voice his own opinion and what he thinks - with him there is truly a dispute, and we are many.
And the sefer Zos LeYaakov explains by way of allusion that the concept of "mother" alludes to the Oral Torah (Torah Sheba'al Peh), which is called a mother. As the Vilna Gaon explains: "Hear, my son, the discipline of your father" - this refers to the Written Torah; "and do not forsake the teaching of your mother" - this refers to the Oral Torah. Why is it called a mother? Because a mother bestows influence upon her offspring; likewise, through his study, the Torah scholar creates influence across all the upper realms, and what he determines down here is ruled above - like a mother who nurtures and influences. According to this, "She is unique to her mother" specifically addresses the disputes within the Oral Torah, for in the Written Torah there is no argument over what is written; all the disputes reside in the Oral Torah. Therefore Rashi specifically linked this to the debates in the batei midrash. And since their entire goal is to understand the Torah according to its truth - "it concludes in love" (es vahev besufa) - ultimately there is love, because the aim is not to promote what I think, but to strive to understand what is written, and when common ground is reached, all is love.
"She is pure to the one who bore her" - this is an additional virtue of the Jewish people: Yaakov saw his lineage whole and without defect (mitaso sheleima), and he gave thanks and praised the Omnipresent, as it says, "And Israel bowed at the head of the bed." Unlike Avraham and unlike Yitzchak, whose lineages were not complete - Avraham left Yishmael, and even though he repented at the end of his days, we still see to this day who Yishmael is; and Yitzchak left Eisav. But Yaakov's lineage was complete, and all his offspring were pure and pristine, without defect.
"Maidens saw her and praised her" - Rashi says: they saw Israel in its greatness. The "maidens" are the nations, who see the Jewish people in their greatness and praise them. And what is their praise? That is the following verse, "Who is this that looks forth." Rashi connects the verses together: with what did they praise her and with what did they acclaim her? In the words of the subsequent verse.
Who is this that looks forth like the dawn
מִי־זֹאת הַנִּשְׁקָפָה כְּמוֹ־שָׁחַר יָפָה כַלְּבָנָה בָּרָה כַּחַמָּה אֲיֻמָּה כַּנִּדְגָּלוֹת׃ - "Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, awesome as bannered hosts?"
"Who is this that looks forth upon us" - any gaze directed from a high place toward a low place is called hashkafah (looking down/overlooking), as in the term "vayashkef" (and he looked down). The nations praise us, noting that we are exalted and high while they are lowly and low. This also explains the name mashkof (lintel): some interpret it from the root of striking, because the door knocks and strikes against it, while others interpret it from the root of overlooking, because the lintel is at the top, looking down from above.
Rashi adds: so too the Beis HaMikdash is higher than all lands. There are two explanations for this. One is by way of homiletic interpretation (derash): Eretz Yisrael is higher than all lands in terms of its spiritual stature; it is certainly elevated and supreme above them all. The second is even in a topographical sense. But at first glance, how can that be, when Mount Everest is higher? Rather, that determination is arbitrary: everything depends on the reference point by which one measures, and we are accustomed to measuring relative to sea level. But one could establish a different measure: whatever is closer to the ceiling is higher. And in the world, where is the ceiling? Directly facing Jerusalem, for the earthly Jerusalem is aligned with the heavenly Jerusalem. If so, when measuring relative to the ceiling, the earthly Jerusalem is surely the closest, Eretz Yisrael follows it, and all other lands, as the globe slopes away, are lower. Therefore, entering the Land is called aliyah (ascent) and departing from it is yeridah (descent) - whether from the perspective of derash or from the literal sense.
"Looking forth like the dawn" - Rashi explains: it shines and brightens little by little, and so it was with Israel during the Second Temple period. At first there was Zerubbabel, governor of Judah and not a king (a pechah is a governor, not a monarch), and they were subjugated to Persia and Greece; later, the Hasmonean dynasty defeated them and became kings. The dawn brightens bit by bit, and so is the redemption of Israel: step by step, gradually.
And there is great kindness in this. Imagine if the dawn burst into full light in a single instant - we would be blinded; a person struck by a sudden flash in the face could lose his sight. Therefore we give thanks morning and evening, "He rolls away light before darkness, and darkness before light": the Holy One, blessed be He, draws the curtain slowly until darkness arrives, not all at once. Imagine someone driving along, and suddenly, in a split second, it turns pitch black - a tremendous hazard! But when it darkens gradually, a person prepares himself. So too in the morning, the light arrives progressively. In the same way, the Jewish people during the Second Temple did not rise to their high stature in a single moment.
"Awesome as bannered hosts" - fearsome in her mighty warriors like the bannered legions of kings. Once we already had a monarchy, we inspired awe, and they feared and revered us because of our warriors, like the banners of royal armies and divisions bearing standards at their head. And with all this, the Holy One, blessed be He, praises the Congregation of Israel, from "You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah" onward - and this is the praise of Israel.
"I Went Down to the Walnut Garden"
אֶל־גִּנַּת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי לִרְאוֹת בְּאִבֵּי הַנָּחַל לִרְאוֹת הֲפָרְחָה הַגֶּפֶן הֵנֵצוּ הָרִמֹּנִים׃ - I went down into the walnut garden to see the fruits of the valley, to see whether the vine blossomed, and whether the pomegranates budded.
Rashi explains: This too is from the words of the Shechinah - it is not the bride speaking here, but the Holy One, blessed be He, continuing to speak: Behold, I have come to you, to this Second Temple. "To see the fruits of the valley (be'ibei hanachal)" - ibei is an expression of fruit and fresh growth, as in the phrase "cut down while still in its bloom (be'ibo)," at the time of bearing its fruit - to see what moisture of good deeds I will see in you. "To see whether the vine blossomed" - whether you will produce before Me Torah scholars, scribes, and teachers of Mishnah, a blossoming of Torah. "Whether the pomegranates budded" - those who fulfill mitzvos full of merits, for the pomegranate is always an expression of being "full of mitzvos like a pomegranate." The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I descend to the garden to see the condition of Israel, whether they are progressing spiritually.
And why are the Jewish people compared to a walnut? Just as with this walnut, you look at it and it appears entirely like wood, with nothing inside visible; yet crack it open - and you find it full of chambers upon chambers of edible food. All varieties of nuts - pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds - look like wood from the outside. In the walnut, about which the Sages spoke, the interior is divided into chambers like a brain, like storehouses of food. So too are the Jewish people: modest and humble in their deeds, with their scholars not making themselves conspicuous, nor boasting to proclaim their own praise - yet when you examine one, you find him full of wisdom.
And how vast this contrast is. Anyone who encounters people distant from mitzvah observance notices the difference. When a person distant from mitzvos meets someone of stature and dignity, he often feels compelled to list all his good deeds. During a twenty-minute taxi ride just the other day, a driver recounted all his merits: how much chesed he does, what he founded, what he built, what Judaica he owns at home and from which Zhitomir printing, that he puts on tefillin, and that his wife lights Shabbat candles. A God-fearing person, by contrast, never feels the need to announce to others, "You know, I finished Shas, and I learn this and that, and I donate this and that." If someone encounters a religious Jew who acts that way, he is surely projecting his own flaw. When someone once began telling Rav Shteinman about an accomplishment of his, the Rav asked him: "Why do that? Leave it for There. What do you want, to arrive with a ticket already punched?" A God-fearing person knows how to remain silent. This is the meaning of "they do not boast to proclaim their own praise," yet when you begin speaking with him, you discover a vessel full of wisdom. This is the walnut garden: on the outside it appears like wood, but inside it is full of fruit.
There are further Midrashic teachings on this: Just as when a walnut falls into the mud, what is inside does not become disgusting, so too Israel is exiled among the nations and endures many blows, yet their deeds do not become repulsive. In earlier times, it was customary to toss roasted grains and nuts at a chuppah, whereas they did not recommend tossing wheat, since it would be trampled and ruined, rendering it unusable; but nuts - even if they fall into the mud, they are not ruined. For this same reason, contemporary halachic authorities have instructed to throw at a bar mitzvah only candies wrapped in wrappers, not unwrapped items that fall and become soiled. So it is with the Jewish people: naturally, after so many afflictions, we should have abandoned our religion and chosen new gods, yet we cling to Hashem. Why is one led out to be executed? Because I circumcised my son. Why is one led out to be crucified? Because I performed kosher slaughter, because I kept Shabbat, because I observed the mitzvos. We give our lives, and like a walnut that remains unharmed - our deeds do not become sullied despite all the blows.
"I Knew Not" - The Confession of Knesses Yisrael
לֹא יָדַעְתִּי נַפְשִׁי שָׂמַתְנִי מַרְכְּבוֹת עַמִּי נָדִיב׃ - I knew not; my soul set me upon the chariots of a noble people.
Rashi explains: Knesses Yisrael laments - I did not know how to guard myself from sin, so that I might maintain my honor and greatness. I stumbled into baseless hatred and the discord that escalated among the Hasmonean kings, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, until one of them brought in the Roman Empire and received the crown from its hand, becoming its vassal. And from then on, "my soul set me to be chariots" - to mount upon me the dominion of the other nations.
Here, then, is a confession: Master of the Universe, after everything You bestowed upon me in the building of the Second Temple - and our entire chapter deals with the reconstruction under Ezra and Nechemiah - when You said that the vine blossomed, that there are Torah scholars, scribes, and teachers of Mishnah, people fulfilling mitzvos properly, and scholars compared to a walnut - I corrupted my ways, I did not know how to guard myself from sin, and I stumbled through baseless hatred.
And this is the terrible tragedy: betrayal from within, going out and inviting foreign powers into our midst. This fifth column remains with us to this day - those who defame our people before all sorts of international bodies in the United States, organizations hostile to Israel whose entire role is to criticize; and who supplies them with the materials and documentation? People from among our own ranks. This has already happened in our history: Hyrcanus and Aristobulus quarreled, and one went and brought the Roman Empire to rule here, in order to be crowned through an external power. Did the Romans come to crown him for his own sake? They came to rule over him, and in the end he became their servant.
"My soul set me" - Rashi explains: I myself appointed them over me, as it is written, "and you trained them to be captains and chiefs over you." "Ammi nadiv" - meaning *am nadiv* (a noble nation), where the final letter *yud* is an added poetic suffix, like the *yud* in *shocheni sneh* ("dweller of the bush"), *genuvati yom* ("stolen by day"), and *rabati am* ("great among nations"). That is, I brought a noble, governing nation here to be placed in authority over me. It is clear from Rashi that the word *nedivus* here carries the meaning of governance: "to mount upon me the *nedivus* of other nations" - the governance of other nations. Similarly, "the nobles of the nations gather (nedivei amim ne'esafu)" - the rulers of the nations gather. Unlike the conventional usage where *nadiv* means a generous donor, in the plain sense of Biblical Hebrew, *nedivim* are rulers. And that "noble nation," which ostensibly showed generosity and agreed to crown him, became the ruler and master, while we became its slaves.
In summary:
The conclusion of the chapter leads us from praise to rebuke. The Holy One, blessed be He, recounts the greatness of Avraham and his descendants over all the nations of the world, and singles out Knesses Yisrael from among them all - "One is my dove, my perfect one," unique in her study halls whose sole aim is to understand the Torah in its true depth, and pure to the mother who bore her, in that Yaakov's bed was complete. The nations themselves praise her: "Who is this that shines forth like the dawn," whose redemption comes gradually, like the morning light. And the Holy One, blessed be He, descends to the garden of nuts to inspect its fruits - humble Talmidei Chachamim who appear from the outside like rough wood, yet inside are filled with wisdom, and good deeds that do not become sullied even in the mire of exile. Yet after all this praise, Knesses Yisrael laments: I did not know to guard myself against sin; I stumbled into causeless hatred and discord, and with my own hands I placed upon myself the dominion of the nations. This is a warning that resonates with us to this day.