Sefer Yechezkel, chapter 36. "And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of Hashem." After we see that the prophet speaks words of retribution against Har Se'ir, now he speaks words of consolation to the mountains of Israel. "So says Hashem Elohim: Because the enemy said about you, Aha, and the eternal high places have become our inheritance." The Malbim says: we have seen above that Yechezkel prophesied about the nations surrounding Eretz Yisrael, those neighboring Eretz Yisrael, and he prophesied retribution upon them, he prophesied destruction upon them. And the reason was that they rejoiced over the downfall of Yerushalayim. We saw that there was a prophecy about Tzor, about Bnei Ammon, about Moav, about Edom, about the Pelishtim, about Tzidon, and to each and every one the prophet devoted a prophecy and a statement regarding their downfall corresponding to how they rejoiced or even actively helped in the fall of Israel. And to each one he announced his punishment, what his punishment would be and what trouble would come upon him. And each one had a separate punishment since they were not equal in their sins; the sin of each of them was different.
So regarding Tzor we saw, "Because Tzor said about Yerushalayim, Aha, the gates of the peoples are broken, it has turned to me, I shall be filled now that she is destroyed." We saw that Israel, Eretz Yisrael, was the merchant of the peoples. And Tzor too was the merchant of the peoples. Therefore they said: all those who until now traded here in Israel, for Israel is essentially a kind of central bolt connecting continents, those who traded here in Israel will now come to me. So you rejoiced over the downfall of Israel, since you said, now the gates of the peoples are broken, Israel who is a gateway to the peoples through whom everyone passes, now it has turned to me, I shall be filled now that she is destroyed, I will be filled from her ruin. From her being destroyed I will have my fill, the prosperity and the commerce will now pass to me. We saw above a prophecy in which the prophet reproves them about this matter and says that their trouble will be that all of Tzor will sink, and we already spoke about how it in fact sank and water covered it afterward.
And this is what he says here, "Because the enemy said about you, Aha, and the eternal high places have become our inheritance." The enemy rejoiced, said Aha, how wonderful that Israel is falling. And the eternal high places, what is meant by eternal high places (bamot olam)? The matter is that Israel is like a bamah, a high place where everyone comes to trade, the elevated commerce of the whole world, everyone goes there for merchandise; now it has become our inheritance, we will inherit it. Therefore so says Hashem about them, we saw there is a punishment upon them, he says this is what is written, "Therefore prophesy and say: So says Hashem Elohim: Because, precisely because they desolated and swallowed you up from all around, so that you became a possession for the remnant of the nations, and you came up on the lips of tongues and the evil talk of people."
The Malbim here explains the principle of the whole chapter, and we will now begin to see it regarding Tzor and afterward we will see it regarding the rest as well. Essentially here, when the prophet says "So says Hashem Elohim," he says "so says" concerning each and every one, but he does not bring, concerning each and every one, what the statement actually was. And this repeats itself several times, and the Malbim says: the statement of Hashem is not found until the sixth time. Says the Malbim: and there is no example of it in Scripture. We have not seen anything similar, where the prophet says many times "So says Hashem" and does not tell us what Hashem said, only afterward at the end does he say what Hashem said. And the Malbim says: it is a very lofty wonder, and none of the commentators pay attention. He says no one contemplates this matter, no one asks this question, how can it be that five times "So says Hashem" appears here yet the statement itself does not appear; none of the commentators pay attention.
Therefore the Malbim says that all that is written here "So says" refers back to what we spoke about above. And concerning each and every one, when you find "So says," says the Malbim, he said it when? Above, in the prophecies of the earlier chapters. So here, when we speak for example about the downfall of Tzor, that they said Aha and the eternal high places have become our inheritance, this statement that was said above "So says Hashem" means Hashem already said above the punishment in a special prophecy. So do not look for where here Hashem said it, because every "So says Hashem" that appears here means "So says Hashem" there. This is the meaning of the words. Therefore he mentions here as a kind of reminder that concerning each and every one of them it was already said; this is the "So says." Therefore there is no reason to look for the statement to appear here.
Let us begin to look. "Therefore prophesy and say: So says Hashem Elohim: Because, precisely because they desolated and swallowed you up from all around." He says: Bnei Ammon, now he moves to speak about them, they took from the inheritance of Bnei Yisrael, they settled in the place where Israel dwelt. As we saw, "Why did their king inherit Gad," we saw that they dwelt in the place of Israel. And likewise we saw in Amos, "for their ripping open the pregnant women of Gilad in order to enlarge their border." The mountains in Gilad they ripped open in order to enlarge their border, in order to receive part of the place where Israel had dwelt in Gilad. So we see that Bnei Ammon took and plundered part of Eretz Yisrael. "Because, precisely because they desolated and swallowed you up," they made you a desolation (shamot), from the language of desolation, through "and swallowed you up." What is "and swallowed you up"? The Malbim explains that this is like a person who draws breath into himself; so too anyone who craves to swallow up something, says the Malbim, is called "swallowing." Even today we express ourselves with this phrase, this person has many aspirations (she'ifot), right? At any rate, so he says they swallowed you up, to take your border. Why? Because they wanted "so that you became a possession for the remnant of the nations." They wanted to inherit you for the remnant of the nations. He says: consider, therefore also Yishmael sent to kill Gedalyahu ben Achikam, Yishmael ben Netanyah who sent to kill Gedalyahu ben Achikam, he was sent to kill so that Eretz Yisrael would remain desolate, so that the land would be theirs for an inheritance. And through whom was this done? As we saw, it was through Bnei Ammon.
He says, and besides this too, "and you came up on the lips of tongues and the evil talk of people." Besides this too, "I have heard the reproach of Moav and the revilings of Bnei Ammon." He says you were not content with this, you also had evil talk of people, and you came up on the lips of tongues, you reviled Israel, reviled their faith, reviled their holiness. And therefore we saw above in chapter 25 that he prophesied about them. "Therefore prophesy and say: So says Hashem Elohim," this is the prophecy that was said back then, "So says Hashem Elohim" about their retribution corresponding to this matter. The Malbim explains what is written "on the lips of tongues and the evil talk of people," he says this is like what is written "all the nations and the tongues." They would speak about them the disgrace of all the tongues and peoples. The Malbim explains that since the peoples have a division on the side of tongues, each people speaks in a different tongue, and there is also among them a division on the side of conduct, the customs by which each nation behaves in a different way, and each tongue and each people speak evil against Israel, therefore he mentions here both things.
"Therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of Hashem Elohim: So says Hashem Elohim to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys, and to the desolate ruins and to the abandoned cities that became a spoil and a mockery to the remnant of the nations that are all around." Therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of Hashem Elohim. Says the Malbim: here he moves to speak about Moav. Moav did not take from Israel's border, Moav did not take vengeance on Israel, but they mocked them. Israel was, before Moav, an object of mockery and scorn, and this is what is written "that became a spoil and a mockery to the remnant of the nations." And therefore we saw above in chapter 25 that concerning them too there is a prophecy of retribution, and this is the "So says Hashem Elohim" against those Bnei Moav and against what they said back then.
Now he speaks here "and to the desolate ruins and to the abandoned cities." Says the Malbim: what is the difference between abandoned and desolate? Says the Malbim: the meaning is to the desolate ruins and to the abandoned cities, to cities that were destroyed and remained a desolation. For it is possible that there is a ruin that is not a desolation. Why? Because they make an effort; a city was destroyed, but they make an effort to rebuild it anew. And there are cities that indeed were not destroyed but were a desolation. That is, the city is abandoned. And then the city, though not destroyed, is desolate. Therefore here he says that both things will be here, the cities that were destroyed and also remained a desolation. For we spoke in the past that when a city was destroyed, in the past they would make an effort to build on that same spot, since all the infrastructure already exists, so they would make an effort to rebuild it in the same place where the city had been. Another reason was that it is not like today; today a house that is destroyed, you have to spend money to clear away the rubble. But in their time it was exactly the opposite, a destroyed house has a great advantage, for what does destroyed mean? The stones fell. The stones that fell are whole stones, we are not talking about blocks where the block breaks and there is nothing to do with it, you cannot take broken blocks and build them anew. But by contrast, with stones that are whole stones, such stones are like a supply, you take them and build with them again anew, and moreover, instead of going to quarry new stones, which require quarrying and hauling and bringing, which is complicated and involved, here he has the stones of the destroyed house, he simply puts them back in their place. So therefore in their time, when a certain place was destroyed they would rebuild it anew. Therefore there also had to be a special ban placed on Yericho that it not be rebuilt, and therefore Chiel Beit HaEli had an interest in going to build Yericho, since this matter, as we said, was profitable, since one does not need to spend great expenses in order to build the city. So here he says the cities will not only be destroyed, destroyed and often rebuilt anew, he says no, they will also remain a desolation.
"A spoil and a mockery." Says the Malbim: what is the difference between a spoil (baz) and mockery (la'ag)? One despises (baz) something because the thing is lowly in a person's eyes, so he despises it. As it is written that Michal despised David in her heart when she saw him leaping and dancing. By contrast, a person mocks something when he sees that someone does improper acts, so he mocks him. It emerges then that these are two different expressions, and here he says they were both a spoil and a mockery to the remnant of the nations that are around.
"Therefore so says Hashem Elohim: Surely in the fire of My zeal I have spoken against the remnant of the nations and against all of Edom, who gave My land to themselves for a possession with wholehearted joy, with contempt of soul, in order that its open land be for spoil." Therefore so says Hashem Elohim, says the Malbim: this "So says" is already a "So says" against Edom and Pelishtim. They took vengeance on Israel, as we discussed above, through the hatred they had against Israel. They were interested that Eretz Yisrael remain desolate, not in order to take it, but so that it remain desolate. And as we explained above that they had an interest in demonstrating that the land was desolate because Israel had abandoned the way of Hashem. About them Hashem says, I have spoken in the fire of My zeal, Hashem says I will take vengeance on them through zeal. And this is what he speaks about the remnant of the nations, "I have spoken against the remnant of the nations." Why against the remnant of the nations? Says the Malbim: because Pelishtim, we already saw, were struck by Pharaoh, only a remnant of them remained. Edom, we saw, gave My land to themselves for a possession with wholehearted joy, through rejoicing over the downfall of Israel, and with contempt of soul; we saw at the end of the previous chapter that Hakadosh Baruch Hu said they would be punished for their joy. "So says Hashem: As you rejoiced over the whole land, I will make you a desolation; as you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you; you shall be a desolation, Har Se'ir." So then we see that what is called a first installment they already received. Therefore he says here "against the remnant of the nations," this is regarding Pelishtim, "and against all of Edom." He says against all of Edom, that they gave My land to themselves for a possession with wholehearted joy, for they rejoiced over Israel's downfall, so all of Edom will be handed over, as we saw at the end of the previous chapter. Now they did not want to inherit the land in order to build it, but "in order that its open land be for spoil." What is "in order that its open land"? A migrash is an empty space. They wanted this place to remain like an open field, that it be an empty space before the city, a place with no house in it, no fields in it, no vineyards in it. They wanted Eretz Yisrael to remain like an empty open field, so that it would be a spoil and disgrace, and as we explained that by seeing the place as an empty open field they say, behold this is Israel, since they sinned, since they abandoned their God, Hashem abandoned them and chose us the Christians; so they had an interest also in leaving the place as an empty place so that it would be a reminder of sin, that there would be spoil and disgrace in it. Therefore he prophesied retribution upon them. How? About Pelishtim we saw above and about Edom in chapter 35. And this is what he says here, therefore so says Hashem Elohim about what we saw above against Edom and Pelishtim.
"Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys: So says Hashem Elohim: Behold, in My zeal and in My wrath I have spoken, because you have borne the humiliation of the nations." Therefore so says Hashem Elohim, he says: there is here a prophecy, besides this, about a few more nations who likewise did not act by way of vengeance and did not inherit the land, but only disgraced Israel over its destruction. And now he speaks about them, nations like Mitzrayim, like Tzidon. About them too there is retribution, and we saw this above in the chapters, chapter 28, chapter 29. About this he says, behold in My zeal and in My wrath I have spoken retribution upon them, the retributions we saw above. He says "because," why? Because you have borne the humiliation of the nations. The meaning is: you shamed Israel, the humiliation of the nations, you shamed them among the nations, among the peoples, and therefore about this Hashem says, I will punish you, and this is the prophecy that was delivered above.
"Therefore so says Hashem Elohim: I have raised My hand, surely the nations that are around you, they themselves shall bear their humiliation." So says Hashem Elohim, I have raised My hand, this is a verdict that has an oath in it, meaning a verdict that will not be annulled. All the nations shall bear their humiliation, and in the end Nevuchadnetzar came and destroyed them all.
By contrast, "And you, mountains of Israel, you shall give forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, for they are near to come." You, mountains of Israel, by contrast, it is the opposite. Give forth your branches, you shall give forth branches, and the branches will give fruit, and do not worry, ah, it will give fruit and branches and then the nations will eat it. He says: no, no, this is for My people Israel, for they are near to come. Israel is already near to arrive. In the days of Koresh they already began to return to Eretz Yisrael. And why does he say this to them? Because this land, says the Malbim, is a supervised land. When Israel is not upon it, it holds back its fruits, and when Israel returns to it, it once again gives its fruits. And this is an explicit Gemara, a very wondrous Gemara whose fulfillment we see before our eyes. The Gemara in Sanhedrin 98a: Rabbi Abba said, there is no more revealed end (ketz) than this, as it says, there is no end more revealed than what is written "And you, mountains of Israel, you shall give forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people, for they are near to come." There is no more revealed end than this. Rashi says: when Eretz Yisrael gives its fruit generously, then the end will draw near, and there is no more revealed end than this. Throughout two thousand years of exile Eretz Yisrael was destroyed and desolate. Travelers who came here to the land and saw the land here, speaking of well-known people like Mark Twain and others, who arrived here to the land, describe that they see a desolate land, a destroyed land; one describes that he traveled many miles and did not see even a single tree. Many kilometers. The land is desolate; he says it seems an ancient curse lies upon it, so writes a gentile. How can it be? A place that is the center of the Fertile Crescent and they cannot settle it, they cannot, it is all swamps and malaria and what not. And Israel arrived here to the land and behold the land suddenly begins to give its fruit. An enormous wonder. They tell you, you mountains of Israel shall give forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, for they are near to come, there is no more revealed end than this. When you see Eretz Yisrael giving its fruits, it is a sign that we are already knocking at the door of the redemption.
"For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown." Says the Malbim: at first the providence will take effect, "and you shall be tilled and sown," that first of all the soil will not be desolate. In the next stage, "And I will multiply upon you man, all the house of Israel, all of it, and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins shall be built." In the next stage he says, I will multiply upon you man, all the house of Israel, all of it. About what period is he speaking here? Now the Malbim speaks about a period that he knew, he speaks about the period of Koresh. But we, who are in a later period, a period that the Malbim did not merit to see, we can speak about our times. Let us speak about what the Malbim says. Says the Malbim: those who returned in the days of Koresh and in the days of Artachshasta, through their returning, through this at first "you shall be tilled and sown," and afterward there was the settlement, they came here and settled here. And afterward too "and the ruins shall be built," as we saw, the desolate ruins, to the abandoned cities, all were rebuilt anew. And so too it was here, the pioneers at first drained the swamps and began to grow crops; this was in the first stage. And only afterward they established Israel and so on. And in the next stage the immigration waves of '48, of the 1950s, arrived here, immigration waves that came afterward. And this is exactly as he writes here, at first "and you shall be tilled and sown," in the next stage "and I will multiply upon you man, all the house of Israel." In the next stage the people who arrive here will increase. So we have not yet reached all the house of Israel, since unfortunately most of Israel is still in exile, but we are in stages, and the redemption, as the Gemara says, is like the dawn, little by little, the redemption comes bit by bit and we are already within the process. And the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins shall be built, the cities that until now were destroyed begin to be settled, in places that were destroyed things are being built.
"And I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase and be fruitful, and I will settle you as in your former times, and I will do better for you than at your beginnings, and you shall know that I am Hashem." The Malbim says: I will multiply upon you man and beast, those who return from the exile will be fruitful and multiply there. And through this "I will settle you as in your former times." Just as at first the land was fully settled, so too it was at the time of the Second Temple, in the days of the Chashmonaim and in the days of Hordos the land was settled. And if we take this to our times, then certainly the entire land is settled, even more than it was at the time of the Second Temple. At the time of the Second Temple not all the land was settled, there were large parts that were not settled. Today too there are parts that are not settled, but today the land is settled much more than it was at the time of the Second Temple. At the time of the Second Temple, for example, the Golan was not part of Eretz Yisrael, right? And therefore today too the Golan is not considered part of Eretz Yisrael from a halachic standpoint. So too the part of Eilat, of the Aravah, is also not considered part of Eretz Yisrael from a halachic standpoint, and therefore when they want to grow crops in the Shemitah year they grow them there. So in practice Eretz Yisrael in its origin is certainly much larger, I am not even speaking of "from the Euphrates to the Tigris," I am already speaking about Eretz Yisrael of the first conquest. So since this is so, says the Malbim, one cannot explain what is written "and I will do better for you than at your beginnings" as speaking about the Second Temple. Therefore he says this certainly speaks about the future to come, that then He will do better for us than it was at first, when we came out of Mitzrayim and entered the land. And then "you shall know that I am Hashem," you will recognize the providence and the capability of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
The Malbim here notes an interesting precision. Says the Malbim: everywhere we see that the expression is being fruitful and multiplying. Everywhere we see that it is written "be fruitful and multiply." And only here, says the Malbim, notice that it is written "increase and be fruitful." Why here does he write it in reverse order? The Malbim explains: everywhere we speak of being fruitful and multiplying, since through being fruitful, through this one multiplies. At first one is fruitful, he begets a child, and begets another child, and after that they beget more children, and more children and more children, and thus they multiply. The multiplying is a result of the fruitfulness, through there being fruitfulness afterward in the end there is multiplication. But by contrast here he speaks about the redemption, and indeed in the redemption he says it will begin in reverse, since in the redemption first of all many will come here, so "and they shall increase." And afterward they will beget children, so "and be fruitful." Do you hear what a wonderful precision this is? He says therefore here it appears "increase and be fruitful." First they will increase here when they arrive here to the land, and afterward they will be fruitful and beget sons, and through this the people dwelling in Eretz Yisrael will multiply here.
"And I will cause man to walk upon you, My people Israel, and they shall possess you, and you shall be to them an inheritance, and you shall no longer bereave them of children." The Malbim explains, for the future, "and I will cause man to walk upon you." What does "I will cause to walk" mean? At the Second Temple they returned on their own, and also not all of them returned, says the Malbim. But then Hashem says I will lead them. They will not come on their own, but rather "I will cause man to walk upon you," I will bring Israel here. And then they will be "My people Israel," they will already be My people, I will have complete providence over them. And then through this "and they shall possess you, and you shall be to them an inheritance." The meaning is: the inheritance is an inheritance that is an eternal possession, an inheritance that remains forever, that the land will no longer exile Israel from upon it. This is what is written "and you shall no longer bereave them of children," there will no longer be a reality of one bereaved and barren, right? "The children of your bereavement," so Israel is called, that the land as it were bereaves them, the land as it were loses them when they are exiled from upon it. And now, after this reality comes to be, that Hashem will bring Israel to their land, you shall no longer bereave them.
"So says Hashem Elohim: Because they say to you, You are a devourer of men, and you have been one who bereaves your nations of children." Rashi brings: So says Hashem, because they say to you, you are a devourer of men, this land is accustomed to destroying its inhabitants. This land is a land that devours men. The Emorim were consumed in it, the Jews were consumed in it. For those who were here were the Emori, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu exiled them from before us. So the Emorim were consumed in it. And afterward Israel came here, and Israel too was exiled from it. So the peoples would say this is a land that devours men, this land bereaves everyone who comes to dwell there. A land that devours men are you, and you have been one who bereaves your nations, you bereave the peoples who dwell within you. The Malbim explains: Israel who is in exile, they say to you, you are a devourer of men, meaning those who dwell in you during the time of exile, when a minority of people dwell in the land, the land will devour them. And as is known, in the time when there was no settlement here in the land, then, as we all know, there was typhus, there were diseases, there was plague, there were swamps, there was a land that devours men. So those few who dwell there, the land devours them with plague and diseases and famine. As is known, there were immigration waves, this is a wondrous thing, there were waves that arrived here in the 1920s, and they tried to begin settling the land, and saw how difficult it is, those who arrived at Chadera and elsewhere, they bought lands here, and in the end returned back to Europe, and then the Nazi oppressor arose, may Hashem save us, and destroyed them. We see that it was not simple to come and settle here, beyond all the trials that were here with the Yishmaelim around and the persecutions and the fedayeen and what not. So they say this place, those few people who dwell in the land during the exile, the land devours them with plague and diseases and famine. And you are a land that has been one who bereaves your nations of children. The meaning is: when Israel was still upon it, meaning when most of Israel was in the land, the land bereaved them. For indeed they were exiled from the land in the First Temple, they were exiled in the Second Temple, twice, this is already considered like a chazakah, so that the third time we, as it were, no longer take a risk. So this land is one who bereaves your nations of children, all the nations, meaning peoples who dwelt in it were exiled from it.
The Malbim explains that there is a difference between whether we say adam (man) or whether we say goy (nation). Adam characterizes individuals. By contrast, when we speak of goy it means a gathering of people, it means a multitude of people. About this he says, so says Hashem Elohim, because they say to you, you are a devourer of men, this speaks about the individuals who were here during the time when most of Israel was in exile. And afterward when it says "one who bereaves your nations of children," this already speaks about the time when most of Israel dwelt here. Therefore the Malbim divided the time into two periods.
"Therefore you shall no longer devour men, and you shall no longer bereave your nations of children, says Hashem Elohim." Therefore he says, you shall no longer devour men, the meaning is Hakadosh Baruch Hu will remove from this land all death and all sickness and all trouble, you shall no longer devour men, even individual people. And also when the entire people of Israel comes here, "you shall no longer bereave your nations," you shall no longer bereave, the meaning is Israel will not die and be exiled, there will not be another exile. It is written "you shall no longer cause to stumble," but the reading (keri) is "you shall no longer bereave."
"And I will no longer make you hear the humiliation of the nations, and the reproach of the peoples you shall no longer bear, and you shall no longer cause your nations to stumble, says Hashem Elohim." And I will no longer make you hear the humiliation of the nations, and the reproach of the peoples you shall no longer bear. Notice that there are two things here. He speaks here, first, about nations (goyim), and afterward about peoples (amim). Another thing: he speaks at first about humiliation and afterward about reproach. And this we will now want to understand. The Malbim has a rule that everywhere it is written goyim as opposed to amim, the goyim means the lowliest of the nations. And when it is written amim the meaning is the organized peoples, who have a kingdom and government and so on. If we wanted perhaps to divide it according to our concepts today, then we would say that amim are, for example, the peoples of Europe, America. And by contrast goyim are all sorts of tribes, these are called goyim, they have no organized government, this is called goyim. So they are considered lowlier. And I will no longer make you hear the humiliation of the nations, these are the lowly nations who dwelt in Eretz Yisrael, they would humiliate the people dwelling in it, they would shame them, and it would hear its humiliation. What did they say? That whoever dwells here, the settlement of Eretz Yisrael is bad, this land is a land that bereaves, this land is a poor land. The peoples by contrast, notice, these are the more important nations who have a king, they did not dwell there. And therefore concerning them it is written that it bore reproach from them, this is from afar. And the reproach of the peoples you shall no longer bear. The goyim are among us, they dwelt here in the land, therefore "I will no longer make you hear," they would make us hear here words of reviling, therefore he says the humiliation of the nations you shall not hear. The reproach of the peoples, they did not dwell here, therefore "you shall no longer bear," the meaning is they would bear the matter from afar in order to tell us words of reproach. So the reproach of the peoples you shall no longer bear. Now let us note, there is a difference between humiliation and reproach. Says the Malbim: the expression reproach is always harsher than humiliation. Since it is quite possible that a person humiliates someone over nothing, but it is not possible that one reproaches someone over nothing, so says the Malbim. Whenever an expression of reproach comes, it is with a cause. But humiliation can be without a cause, meaning without reason and untrue, humiliation, so to speak, that has nothing on which to base itself. So it emerges then that reproach is more severe. So with the goyim, since they are more inferior, there was only humiliation. But with the amim who are considered peoples with organized governments and a king, then with them it was already reproach, they would reproach us, and these reproaches were harsher. And they said that Hashem's curse rests upon the land because of the sins of Israel. And this is what is written here, "and you shall no longer cause your nations to stumble, says Hashem Elohim." Its meaning: those who dwell in it you shall no longer cause to stumble in sin, for all will be righteous as we will see further on.