Introduction: When the Judges Refuse to Listen
Chapter 6 of Micah opens with a legal dispute that the Holy One, Blessed be He, conducts with His people. The Malbim explains that the verses here are a direct continuation of what we saw in Chapter 3: "Hear now, O heads of the house of Jacob" - there, the Holy One, Blessed be He, turned to the leaders of the people and said to them, as it were: You shall serve as judges; I wish to bring a claim against Israel before you, and you shall decide who is in the right. "Is it not for you to know justice?" - you are the ones who know the law, so sit and render judgment. But they refused to listen. And once the judges refused to preside over the case, the Holy One, Blessed be He, chose other judges: the mountains and the hills.
Verse 1: Arise, Contend with the Mountains
שִׁמְעוּ נָא אֵת אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֹמֵר, קוּם רִיב אֶת הֶהָרִים וְתִשְׁמַעְנָה הַגְּבָעוֹת קוֹלֶךָ׃ - Hear now what the Lord says: Arise, contend before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
The Malbim notes precisely: "Contend et the mountains" (riv et he-harim) means "contend to the mountains", similar to "and he shall be shown to the priest" (ve-nir'ah et ha-kohen), where et means el (to). The Holy One, Blessed be He, is not disputing with the mountains, but rather presenting the words of His grievance and dispute before them. Hashem turns to the prophet: Arise and lay out My claims before the mountains, "and let the hills hear your voice" - even though the heads of the house of Jacob refuse to listen, the hills at least will hear the prophet's voice.
What is the difference between mountains and hills? Mountains are high, while hills are the smaller elevations around them. Therefore, the main dispute is presented before the towering mountains, whereas the smaller hills are not an active party to the argument, but merely listeners: "and let the hills hear your voice."
Rashi, on the other hand, cites the words of Chazal: "Arise, contend before the mountains" - these are the Patriarchs; "and let the hills hear your voice" - these are the Matriarchs. Thus, this dispute is conducted before the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish people.
Verse 2: Dispute and Debate
שִׁמְעוּ הָרִים אֶת רִיב יְהֹוָה וְהָאֵתָנִים מֹסְדֵי אָרֶץ, כִּי רִיב לַיהֹוָה עִם עַמּוֹ וְעִם יִשְׂרָאֵל יִתְוַכָּח׃ - Hear, O mountains, the Lord's dispute, and you strong foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a dispute with His people, and with Israel He will contend.
The Malbim explains: "The mountains" are the mountains, and "the strong ones" (ha-eitanim) are the mighty mountains - not just any mountains, but powerful, lofty peaks. "The foundations of the earth" - these are mountains that did not form over the course of time, but have stood since the six days of Creation, from the time the earth emerged from the deep, serving as the earth's very foundations. Before them Hashem says: I have a grievance against My people for how they sinned against Me, and I come to show that I am justified in My dispute.
And what is the difference between a "dispute" (riv) and a "debate" (viku'ach)? The Malbim explains: A debate is conducted calmly, through proofs and evidence. "Come now, let us reason together" (lechu na ve-nivechachah) comes from the root of proof, rational and intellectual arguments. Therefore: "and with Israel He will contend [yitvakach]" - the name Israel denotes the great and spiritual individuals of the nation, and with them the debate is conducted through evidence and proofs. By contrast, "people" (am) always denotes the lower tier - much like when we describe someone today as "common" or of the masses. Regarding them it says, "for the Lord has a dispute with His people" - not by way of reasoned debate and proof, but in the manner of an indictment and sharp grievances leveled against them.
Verse 3: My People, What Have I Done to You?
עַמִּי מֶה עָשִׂיתִי לְךָ וּמָה הֶלְאֵתִיךָ, עֲנֵה בִי׃ - "My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Testify against Me."
Rashi explains: "What have I done to you" - set your heart to recognize how much good I have done for you. "And how have I wearied you" - did I demand burdensome service of you? "Testify against Me" - testify against Me, as in the verse, "You shall not bear false witness against your fellow."
The Radak explains conversely: "What have I done to you" - what harm have I done to you that causes you to distance yourself from Me? "And how have I wearied you" - which commandment did I command you that has left you weary and exhausted from fulfilling? Testify against Me.
The Malbim essentially encompasses both explanations: The debate is described here, and the Holy One, blessed be He, argues - what evil have I done to you? On the contrary, remember the good deeds I have done for you. And regarding "how have I wearied you," he adds: in return for the kindnesses I did for you, you are obligated in My service and in gratitude. "For they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt" - I brought you out on this condition, that you would be My servants and not servants to servants. If so, there would have been room to demand even strenuous labor from you, since I redeemed you from the house of bondage, and no labor was harder than the labor there. Yet even so, I did not do that - "how have I wearied you," I did not demand burdensome labor of you, but rather relatively light things.
"Testify against Me" - and receive a reward
In the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah, Parashat Emor, 27) we find an extensive explanation. Rav Acha said: "Testify against Me" - and receive reward, and do not "testify against your fellow" and face reckoning for it in the Future to Come. In other words, bearing witness concerning the Holy One, blessed be He, brings reward; bearing false witness against your fellow brings punishment.
Three places where the Holy One, blessed be He, came to dispute
Rav Shmuel bar Nachman said: In three places the Holy One, blessed be He, came to dispute with Israel, and the nations of the world rejoiced and said: Can these people possibly argue with their Creator? Now He will eradicate them from the world. Three times the Holy One, blessed be He, came with an argument and a claim, and the nations gloated over our misfortune - let us see how it ended.
The first place: When He said to them, "Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord." Once the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that the nations of the world were rejoicing, He turned it to their favor and said: "Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." A parable for this: A father comes to rebuke his son and shout at him, when suddenly he notices the teacher - that very teacher who always argues with him and insists the child is problematic - standing nearby and watching closely. Immediately, he begins stroking the child's head and telling him how sweet he is. The child asks, "Did you have something to say?" The father answers, "The teacher is here; I will not speak in front of him, lest he say, 'Do you see your little darling?'" Exactly so here: The Holy One, blessed be He, came to rebuke, saw that the nations were rejoicing, and changed course: "Though your sins be as red as scarlet, they shall be white as snow" - everything will be purified. At that moment, the nations of the world were astonished and said: Is this a response, and is this a rebuke? "He came only to enjoy Himself with His children" - He came only to dote on His children.
The second place: When He said to them, "Hear, O mountains, the grievance of the Lord," the nations of the world rejoiced and said: How can these people dispute with their Creator? Now He will eradicate them from the world. Once He saw that the nations were rejoicing, He turned it to their favor. What is said immediately afterward? "My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Testify against Me," and further on, "My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised" - the Holy One, blessed be He, specifically reminds them of how He saved them from Balak and Bil'am. The nations of the world were astonished and said: Is this a response and is this a rebuke, one after the other? He came only to dote on His children.
The third place: When He said to them, "The Lord also has a dispute with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways," the nations of the world rejoiced and said: Now He will eradicate them from the world. Once He saw that the nations were rejoicing, He immediately turned it to their favor, as it is said, "In the womb he took his brother by the heel" - this is the only sin mentioned, what Jacob did in his mother's womb.
And on this, the Midrash brings a wonderful parable. Rabbi Yudan bar Rabbi Shimon said: A parable of a widow who went to complain about her son before the judge, because the son was causing her grief. When she saw the judge sitting and sentencing with fire, pitch, and lashes - sentencing this one to boiling pitch, this one to lashes, and that one to fire - she said: If I tell this judge my son's misdeeds, he will kill him at once! This was not my plan; I came so he would straighten the boy out, not throw him into boiling pitch. She waited until he finished. When he finished, he said to her: What did your son do wrong to you? She said: My lord, when he was in my womb he kicked me. He said to her: And has he done anything to you now? She replied: No. He told her: Go your way, there is no offense in this matter at all. Exactly so: The Holy One, blessed be He, saw that the nations of the world were rejoicing, and immediately turned matters to their favor - what sin do they have? "In the womb he took his brother by the heel." Immediately, the nations of the world were astonished and said: Is this a response and is this a rebuke, one after the other? He came only to dote on His children. These are three examples where the Holy One, blessed be He, seemingly came to speak harshly, but seeing that the nations were relishing it, He softened His words.
"And How Have I Wearied You?" - The Three Emissaries
Rabbi Berechiah said: A parable of a king who sent three emissaries to a province, and the people of the province stood before them and served them with awe, fear, trembling, and dread. So said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Israel: I sent you three emissaries - Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. Did they eat from you? Did they drink from you? Did they burden you in any way? I sent you leaders - did they take anything of yours, did they demand gifts from you? What is more, through their merit you were sustained: the manna through the merit of Moshe, the well through the merit of Miriam, and the clouds of glory through the merit of Aharon. Leaders who not only took nothing from you, but bestowed life upon you.
Rabbi Yitzchak said: A parable of a king who sent his royal edict (prozdagma) to a province. What did the residents do? They stood on their feet, bared their heads, and read it in awe, fear, trembling, and dread. Trumpets blared, everyone stood and listened to the messenger read the king's decree. So said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Israel: This Torah, which is My royal edict - I did not burden you or tell you to read it standing on your feet with bared heads, but rather "when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you rise." Even the minimal respect expected when reading a king's letter I did not demand of you - even while lying down, read My letter, Keriat Shema. And how have I wearied you?
Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Simon said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I delivered ten animals to you, three in your domain and seven not in your domain. Three in your domain - an ox, a sheep, and a goat, which are readily available to every person in their courtyard. And seven not in your domain - the hart, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep, which one must chase through the forests and hunt. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I did not burden you, nor did I tell you to climb mountains and toil in the fields to bring an offering before Me from those not in your domain. Did I ask you for a gazelle as an offering, that you should go hunting for every unintentional sin? Rather, from what is in your domain, from what grows at your trough - an ox, a sheep, or a goat. If so, how have I wearied you? Are My commandments heavy and exhausting?
Misgeret HaSha'ar: For Whom Are You Picking Up the Diamonds?
This chapter is read as a haftarah, and more commentaries are found on the haftarot - just as commentators tend to expound at length on the scripture read each Shabbat. Misgeret HaSha'ar explains regarding "My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you?": Anything a person is required to do, if he understands the logic behind it, it is much easier for him to do; but when he does not understand, it is difficult for him. This is why the Torah does not permit a person to impose backbreaking labor (avodat parech) upon his worker or even his Hebrew servant, such as telling him: "Build this wall here, and then tear it down - and ask no questions." The employer claims: "I am paying by the hour; it is better for him to build and demolish than to sit idle." The Gemara says: It is forbidden. Why? Because purposeless work is backbreaking labor, it is punishment. But when a person performs an action and understands its purpose, it is easy for him to do, and he does it with joy.
A parable of a man who told his servant to count money all night, or to bend down all night and pick up diamonds. If he thinks the task is being done for the master's sake - everything is heavy on him, his back aches, and why did he burden him so much, and why specifically now and not tomorrow? But if he says to himself: "My master is a man of great kindness, he would not trouble me like this for nothing; it is very likely that everything I am counting and picking up right now - he wants to give to me!" How will he look then? No back pain and no complaints: "Are there more sacks? Is there another place to pick up? I came today full of energy!" Everything depends on whom you are picking it up for - your sack is very heavy to me, but my own sack I carry with joy.
And this is the claim: "My people, what have I done to you" - how many good things have I done for you, "and how have I wearied you" - why do you perform the mitzvot sluggishly? At least think: perhaps this is for my own good. Perhaps all this effort - waking up early, putting on tefillin and praying, sitting and toiling in Torah, abstaining from fleeting pleasures and desires - perhaps something comes out of it for me. The mere possibility should be enough to awaken enthusiasm. Yet we know with certainty that it is for our benefit! And if we know this - why do we tire? Why do we not realize that no one is breaking our backs by having us collect diamonds, but rather we are gathering diamonds for ourselves? It must be done with joy and gladness.
Pasuk 4: For I Brought You Up from the Land of Egypt
כִּי הֶעֱלִתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וּמִבֵּית עֲבָדִים פְּדִיתִיךָ, וָאֶשְׁלַח לְפָנֶיךָ אֶת מֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם׃ - For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, and I sent Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam before you.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Even though I did such great good for you and took you out of Egypt, I did not burden you with difficult matters, heavy labor, or massive sacrifices. Moreover, I brought you Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. And as Targum Yonatan phrases it: Moshe "to teach the tradition of laws" - to teach you the Torah, Aharon "to atone for the people" - to atone for your sins, and Miriam "to instruct the women" - to teach the women.
The Radak explains: The favors I did for you - that I brought you up from Egypt, where you suffered from hard labor, and I redeemed you from the house of slaves. According to the simple meaning (peshat), "the house of slaves" is the land of Egypt, where you were enslaved. But he brings another wonderful explanation: Mitzrayim was among the descendants of Cham (Mitzrayim, Put, and Canaan), and regarding the descendants of Cham the curse was stated, "A slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers" - which was pronounced upon Canaan, because Cham himself could not be cursed since he had already been blessed by God, so he cursed his offspring. It turns out that the Egyptians themselves were slaves, and you were in their house - a slave of slaves. And this is the greatest degradation of all. Being a slave to a master is still tolerable, for a master has a certain decorum and dignity, and he maintains his self-respect even in his treatment of you. But when you are in the hands of a slave - as we say in Tachanun, "Slaves have ruled over us, there is none to deliver us from their hand" - a slave has no decorum, no basic decency, and no boundaries; he is base, and therefore will treat you with even greater baseness and do the most despicable things. "A slave when he reigns" - when a true king reigns, there is a certain standard he upholds, but when a slave reigns, he knows no restraint. From this, from servitude to slaves, I brought you out. "And I sent before you" - even before you left Egypt, I sent you the messengers who proclaimed the redemption, for through the proclamation itself you already received respite from the hard labor.
The Malbim explains: this is the first favor - "For I brought you up from the land of Egypt." Even though this occurred before the time appointed by the decree, for it had been decreed, "And they shall serve them and afflict them" for four hundred years, and I took you out after 210 (Redu) years - you were still in a house of bondage, which is why it is called a "house of bondage", since according to the decree you were still supposed to be a slave. Nevertheless, I redeemed you ahead of time. "And I sent before you Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam" - through whom you were sustained and provided for, and who showed you the good way, as Targum Yonatan explains.
Against Whom You Sinned
The sefer *Tzeva Rav Shalal* explains "My people, what have I done to you?" in another way: What have I done to you in proportion to how you sinned? That is to say, even when you went astray, how did I penalize you? For to measure the gravity of a sin, one examines who is disobeying and whose command is being disobeyed. If a great person disobeys someone lesser - it is not a major offense; a lesser person disobeying a greater person - it is more severe; and if that greater person is his father - it is even more severe; and if he is also his rebbe - more severe still; and if he is the leader of all of Israel - more severe; and if he is the Nasi of Israel, and if he is the king - most severe of all, for when a king waives his honor, his honor is not waived. And you - you sinned against the King of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He! You should have required an unprecedented atonement, and yet I did not penalize you as you deserved.
"And how have I wearied you?" - a person might say: But You suspended the mountain over us like a barrel; You demanded and coerced! The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: Was this for your harm? It was entirely for your own good. I brought you up from Egypt so that you would receive the Torah, and only when you refused was I compelled to coerce you. And what was this refusal, given that they had already said, "We will do and we will hear"? Rather, the rabbinic decrees (gezeirot d'Rabbanan) were not accepted willingly by Israel, because "Torah - I know what is written in it": the Torah is bounded, 613 mitzvot, with no additions and no changes; but rabbinic decrees have no predefined limit, and it is impossible to know in advance how many and of what nature they will be.
Indeed, anyone who examines what Shabbat is according to the Torah versus what Shabbat is according to rabbinic decrees will see that most things in which a person stumbles on Shabbat are d'Rabbanan. Without rabbinic prohibitions, there would be no muktzeh at all - it would be permitted to touch money, a camera, and a thousand and one things that are prohibited only because of muktzeh. Furthermore, many of the forbidden activities are merely a shevut or a rabbinic prohibition. For example: a person who left a room and turned off the light has transgressed a rabbinic prohibition. Yet "extinguishing" is listed among the thirty-nine Melachot! However, the Torah's Melachah of extinguishing is extinguishing in order to rekindle (or make charcoal), whereas here it is not for that purpose. Likewise, tearing not for the purpose of sewing, erasing not for the purpose of writing, demolishing not for the purpose of building, and all destructive acts (mekhalkelim) are exempt under Torah law, as well as a Melachah not needed for its own sake (melachah she'eina tzerichah legufah) - all these are prohibited only rabbinically. Thus, the rabbinic enactments are vast. And regarding this, Israel argued: Do we know how many rabbinic decrees they will enact in the future? Therefore, they required the coercion of the mountain over them like a barrel.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: Understand, then - I brought you up from the land of Egypt so that you would keep the mitzvot, and when you were not ready to accept them with an absolute commitment, I was compelled to coerce you. But in the ordinary course of things - how have I wearied you? Everything I do and give you is solely for your good. And as for the sins you committed - consider Whom you disobeyed, the King of kings, and I should have demanded immense rectifications that you cannot even fathom. Yet I did not ask that of you; instead, I told you: bring Me a sheep from the flock, raised at your stall, and that is sufficient.
In summary:
The chapter opens with a dispute that the Holy One, Blessed be He, conducts with His people before the mountains and hills, after the leaders of the people refused to serve as judges. A "dispute" (riv) with the general nation, and a debate with proof (vikuach) with the elevated level of Israel. And the core of the claim: "My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you?" - what harm have I done to you? On the contrary, how much good have I bestowed! And in what way did I burden you? I did not ask for sacrifices from the beasts of the forest, but rather from what is raised at your stall; I did not demand the reading of the Torah while standing and bareheaded, but rather "when you sit in your house and when you lie down"; and My messengers - Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam - took nothing from you, but rather gave you the manna, the well, and the Clouds of Glory. Furthermore, the Midrash taught us that even when the Holy One, Blessed be He, came with reproof, once He saw the nations of the world gloating over our misfortune, He turned the rebuke into praise and comfort, showing that He came only to take delight with His children. And from here is the practical lesson: all the toil of the mitzvot is not a burden we carry for others, but the gathering of diamonds for ourselves - and therefore it is worthy to perform them with gladness and joy.