00:00 Sefer Yeshayahu, Chapter 15. The oracle concerning Moav. "In the night that Ar of Moav is despoiled, it is undone; in the night that Kir of Moav is despoiled, it is undone." The oracle, meaning the vision itself, the prophecy that the navi Yeshayahu will now speak concerning Moav, is a prophecy that comes to express the downfall, the crisis that Moav will undergo. Now he will express before us the enormous breakdown that will come, the weakening of hands, the defeat that will follow when Ashur comes and conquers Moav. This will come upon them because of how Moav distressed the people of Yisrael; their punishment will be their own personal defeat. And what did they do to distress us, this too we will see further on.
The oracle concerning Moav. He comes to describe, as it were, that they took and despoiled from her two great cities, Ar and Kir. Ar and Kir are cities that appear elsewhere in Tanach as well. And still they did not feel it. Afterward they conquered from them additional major places, Nevo and Meidva, which stand in the center of the country, so that it was already impossible not to feel it, this was not a border town. And even then, though they did feel it, they had already begun to sense it, yet do not think they went out to fight; rather they went out to weep. This shows the depth of the weakness that Moav would be in. Only after they conquered from them a large part of the country, and destroyed Cheshbon and Elaleh, which were the finest cities of Moav, did they rouse themselves to war, but by then it was already too late. This is essentially the idea that will be expressed in the coming pesukim, the pesukim near at hand, and we will begin to explain.
He says: "In the night that Ar is despoiled." The meaning is that on the night that Ar was despoiled, this city was in fact the first that they would conquer from Moav; it is the border town of the country of Moav, situated on the frontier. What happened to Moav? "It is undone." "Undone" (nidma) means it was silent, still, doing nothing at all. Also "in the night that Kir is despoiled," that is, after they despoiled and took from them another city that was fortified and surrounded by a wall, also on the border of Moav, still Moav paid it no heed, but only "was undone," was silent, quiet, unresponsive. The Radak explains "nidma" as an expression of being cut off, as in "nidmu," for we see that this expression appears in other places.
"He is gone up to Bayis and to Divon, to the high places, to weep; over Nevo and over Meidva Moav wails; on all their heads is baldness, every beard is cut off." Moav went up to Bayis, to the houses, and Divon, which is a city in Moav, also went up to the high places. "High places" means elevated locations. But do not think they went up there so that they could aim their arrows better, so that they could fight. He says: do not think that at all. They did not come to fight at all. Then why did Moav go up to Bayis and Divon to the high places? To weep! Over Nevo and over Meidva. They went out in order to weep over the fact that Nevo and Meidva were conquered. And over this Moav wails; they felt what a great trouble they were in. And instead of going out to fight, as is the way of men of valor, they went up to weep like people in despair, like broken people.
And not only did they weep privately, which already shows the crisis, but he tells you: "On all their heads is baldness." Like a person who mourns. Over whom does one mourn? Over something that cannot be brought back, over the dead. He says, they mourn like someone who has already utterly despaired of success, like something for which there is no cure. This is "on all their heads is baldness"; they would make baldness for the dead, and in the enormity of their trouble they shaved their heads to show "we have no salvation from the conquest with which Ashur conquers us." And also, he tells you, not only that, but "every beard is cut off." The beard was a more honored thing among them, and they would not tear out the hairs of the beard unless they reached a state of total despair. This is a further stage: not only "on all their heads is baldness," but also "every beard is cut off," meaning they cut their beards, tore out the hairs of their beards to express by this the greatness of their despair. Some read "every beard is hewn off" (geduah), and it is essentially the same. If we say "geruah" from the root meaning to diminish, and if we say "geduah" from the root meaning to hew, the principle is the same, that they tore out the hairs of their beards.
"In its streets they gird on sackcloth; on its rooftops and in its open squares everyone wails, melting down in weeping." Do not think that the weeping was in the inner rooms; rather he tells you that even in the streets people went out to weep, the passersby girded on sackcloth. And also on its rooftops, which is an exposed place, an elevated place. And also in its open squares, the squares being the place of the marketplace, a place where many gather. He says even there everyone wails. That is to say, when the situation is not good we weep, but where? In the rooms. When the situation is a complete crisis, then they are no longer ashamed to weep in the streets, since everyone understands the greatness of the breakdown; this shows a further decline, that everyone already went out to the streets and wept, went out to the streets and girded on sackcloth, they do not hide their mourning, meaning this is a terrible crisis.
And the wailing was so great that everyone wails, melting down in weeping. The meaning is everyone, without exception, will be sinking down and broken from the abundance of weeping. "Melting down" (yored), the Malbim explains, is like "I moan in my complaint," like what is written "and I will go down upon the mountains," which the daughter of Yiftach requested of her father, meaning I will go and humble myself out of the depth of depression and grief, to weep over my youth, when Yiftach took his daughter and distanced her. So here too, "yored" does not mean merely a simple descent, but a descent that expresses humiliation, that expresses depression, melting down in weeping. And all of this did not bring them to rouse in themselves the drive for war, for self defense, to attack the enemy; rather what is their weapon? Their tears.
The Malbim dwells on this: what is the difference between "in its streets" (chutzotav) and "in its open squares" (rechovoteha)? The Malbim says, in lashon hakodesh "chutz" is the area behind the houses. There is the house, and each person once had a courtyard, and this was called "chutz." And besides that there is the "rechov," which is what today is in front of the house, the place where the multitude is found, the marketplace, a place that is wide, where people gather. And this is what he says: see, it is written "our flocks bring forth thousands in our chutzot." Where are our flocks found? Behind the house, in our chutzot. "There is no breach and no going forth and no outcry in our rechovot." The meaning is in the rechovot, which are the large places. For usually an outcry tends to be in the rechovot. Or as it is written "to cut off the infant from the chutz, the young men from the rechovot." The infant, one does not send a one year old child into the rechov, but rather where? The chutz, behind the house, to the courtyard. But the young men from the rechovot, the young men already go out to the rechov.
Pasuk 4. "And Cheshbon cries out, and Elaleh; their voice is heard as far as Yahatz; therefore the armed men of Moav shout aloud; his soul trembles within him." After both Cheshbon and Elaleh began to cry out, because the enemy reached them too, and they were indeed the glory and majesty of Moav, the Malbim says, the cities in which Moav took pride, like the central cities. And they had such a great cry that their voice was heard as far as Yahatz. The destruction reached as far as Yahatz, which was also conquered. Only then "the armed men of Moav shout aloud." Those who arm themselves for war, the armed men of Moav shout aloud, a sound of alarm to call the multitude to come and fight. But he says this is already too little and too late. "His soul trembles within him." The meaning is that this was a shout of breaking over their souls, as if their souls prophesied to them that they would have breakdown and ruin. "Yariu" here is from the expression "you shall break them with a rod of iron"; they would have a defeat; this is already no longer at the stage where fighting is still possible.
"My heart cries out for Moav; her fugitives flee to Tzoar, to Eglat Shelishiyah; for by the ascent of Luchit with weeping they go up; for on the road to Choronayim they raise up a cry of destruction." "My heart cries out for Moav." The Malbim explains that the seer, the navi, often had the way of speaking by way of parable and metaphor. And here he comes, as it were, to express by parable and metaphor: as if my heart sees the outcome of the matter, and my heart now comes forth with proposals and recommendations for Moav. And what does my heart say? I warn you, do not go out to fight! I see the armed men of Moav, people arming themselves for battle, but my heart cries out for Moav, from my innermost being my heart has a message for Moav. And the message says: do not go out to fight, you will not succeed in battle. What is the counsel? "For her fugitives flee to Tzoar, to Eglat Shelishiyah." I recommend to those who flee from Moav, who are they? "Eglat Shelishiyah." "Eglat" is from the expression "circle" (maagal). "Shelishiyah" are the warriors. Like "and captains over all of it." "Shelishim" are men of battle. Like "the captain on whose hand the king leaned." "Eglat" is from the expression of the circle of battle. Who was in the circle? Not some golem, no? Shaul was lying in the circle! Do you not remember? When David came and took the flask of water, and there was a spear stuck near his head, who was lying in the circle? Shaul. What was this circle? When they would go out to battle they would make a circle, and this circle was meant, each one to have his head facing outward, to ensure that they could not penetrate inward. This was called the circle of the warriors. So they are "eglat shelishiyah." "Eglat shelishiyah" means the circle of the captains and the mighty men. Not only will they not fight, but "her fugitives flee to Tzoar." They will escape and flee as far as Tzoar. Who? The "eglat shelishiyah," those who were in the circle and were meant to be the captains, meant to be the warriors. For when they fight I inform them that "by the ascent of Luchit," meaning a mountain named Ascent of Luchit, "with weeping they go up on it." The mighty man who flees from the war, the one who escapes and is saved from the war, their mighty man, when he ascends the mountain will go up weeping as he goes. That is to say, there is destined to be a defeat, there is destined to be a rout. Why? Because "on the road to Choronayim they raise up a cry of destruction." The road to Choronayim was the valley before the mountain, where the battlefield was. He says that there they will raise up a cry of destruction. The meaning is that they will awaken with a cry of destruction, they will fall before their enemies. And then what will happen is that the mighty men, what will their might be? That they will flee in weeping. The mighty men go up the ascent of Luchit weeping. So my heart prophesies to them such a defeat, and therefore I say: it is a shame, O Moav, for you to go out to battle at all, this is a battle in which you will come out losers. And therefore I recommend that you not go and give up your lives for something from which nothing will come.
"For the waters of Nimrim will be desolations; for the grass is withered, the growth is finished, there is no greenery." The Malbim explains, the wealth of Moav, the property of Moav, came through commerce. Why? Because Moav had a port that was on the waters of Nimrim. Nimrim is the name of the place. Along this river the ships would bring merchandise to the country, and there was also export and import; they would import goods and also export goods. So the Malbim says, commerce, trade, works in two ways, until today. First, they sell what is surplus. For example, they gathered grain, so we have surplus grain, what do we do with it? They did not have much means of preservation, so they would export. Everything that was surplus they would export. Second, when there are things we do not have here in the country, types of produce we do not have here, they import that. So now he comes and says, the waters of Nimrim, this is the river that served them for export and import, this river will become "desolations." That is, it will be dry, parched, will be "desolations" from the expression of desolation. For there will be such a situation of heat, the rains will be held back, to the point that the grass withers, to the point that the growth is finished, to the point that there is no greenery.
The Malbim explains the difference between grass (chatzir), growth (deshe), and greenery (yerek). The Malbim says, chatzir includes all kinds of plants that grow on their own, and most of them are for animal feed. Chatzir has the way of growing without water, it grows in a dry place, but with all this it dries up before all the grasses. Deshe, the Malbim says, is all the clothing of the earth in various kinds of grasses. So Rashi explains in Bereishis on this matter, on what is mentioned there, "deshe, the greenery of deshe." There the deshe endures for a longer time, and it is in fact all the greenness there is upon the earth. Yerek is all the vegetables of their various kinds that retain moisture for a long time. All the vegetables of their kinds are full of water, so their moisture remains for a long time. And therefore he says: notice that here he goes in order. "The grass is withered," we said the grass is the lightest, first, the first to dry up. Afterward "the growth is finished," the deshe being the kinds of grasses that endure longer, it too is finished. And at the third stage "there is no greenery," even the vegetables that usually have more moisture and endure a longer time, they too did not remain.
"Therefore the surplus they made, and their store, they carry away over the brook of the willows." "Therefore," through the drying up of the river, and through the fact that the ships can no longer arrive to trade there with Moav, "therefore the surplus they made." The meaning is the things that grew in the country, the surplus. What did we say? What do we export? What is surplus for us, what grew too much and we have nothing to do with it. "Therefore the surplus they made," meaning what was made as surplus, what grew too much, this they would send by ships. "And their store" (pekudatam), "pekudatam" is from the expression "missing" (nifkad). What is "nifkad"? Lacking, correct? "He is missing from here," the meaning is he is lacking from here. And "pekudatam" is the import, for what did we say, what do we import? What we lack, what is not here in the country we import from elsewhere. So both the surplus that we were supposed to export, and the store, what was lacking that we were supposed to import, all of this we used the waters of Nimrim, this brook that dried up. But from now on "over the brook of the willows they carry them away." From now on they will carry it over the brook of Mitzrayim. For the king of Ashur conquered them and led them via the brook of Mitzrayim, for from there, via the brook of Mitzrayim, they would go from Moav to Ashur. And as if he comes and says to them, come and see, you were a country of merchants, import, export, your commerce will cease. And not only that, but all your property will go into captivity via the brook of the willows to the land of the enemy. For behold, in the place where you would do trade via your brook, the brook will serve the enemy to exile you and take all your money.
Rashi explains, "therefore the surplus they made," and he in fact also sheds light for us here on the reason there is such a harsh prophecy against Moav. Rashi says, "therefore the surplus they made" - because of the surplus they made, this calamity will come upon them. What, what did Moav do? That they were ingrates. For in several places Avraham stood by Lot: in his going out from Charan, and in his going to Mitzrayim, and in his merit Lot was sent out from the overthrow, and Avraham fought over him against Amrafel. Who saved Lot from Sedom? Who went to pursue when his brother's son was taken captive? He went out from Charan; Hashem did not command him to take Lot, and in any case he took Lot. All along the way Avraham Avinu helped Lot, their father. For we are speaking of Moav, and Moav is the grandson of Lot. And they should have repaid kindness to his descendants, but they taunted them. "Taunted," what does that mean? Afflicted, distressed. That the nations taunt Yisrael. What is this mitzvah and what reason is there in it? "Taunted" means distressed. And they distressed them. And when Sancheriv exiled the tribe of Reuven and the tribe of Gad, and Yisrael were weeping and lamenting, they would say to them: over what are you lamenting? Are you not going to the house of your father? Do you hear what cynicism? When the people of Yisrael were in exile, Sancheriv exiles Reuven and Gad, the people of Yisrael weep. Why do you need to weep? Where are they taking you? To Charan! A trip to Charan! You are returning, you are returning to your youth, you are going to your father's house, no big deal, what, what happened? What? Did not Avraham go out from Charan, did not Avraham your father come from beyond the river? And this is what is said, "I have heard the taunt of Moav and the revilings of the children of Amon," for this is called taunts and revilings, when people are exiled and you go out and mock them like this. And furthermore, not only that, see what else Moav did, that they assisted Sancheriv for three years when he besieged Shomron. As it is said, "in three years, like the years of a hired laborer, and the glory of Moav shall be brought into contempt." "And their store upon them," what will their punishment be? This it will be, "over the brook of the willows they carry them away." The enemies will exile them to the land of Bavel. The land of Bavel is the brook of the willows. What kind of expression is "aravim" (willows)? "Upon the willows in its midst we hung our harps." Were they Jews? Why willows needed? "Aravot" (plains), correct? "Upon the aravim in its midst" means upon the aravot. They will exile you to the brook of the willows, to the place where there are the plains, to the land of Bavel. And then there you will pay the price, and just as you mocked the people of Yisrael, so in the end it will be done to you.
Pasuk 8. "For the cry has gone around the border of Moav; its wailing reaches to Eglayim, and to Be'er Eilim its wailing." After he describes the desolation that will be within the country, he says: know, this will encircle everything, even the border of Moav. For when they leave their land, the sword of the enemy that pursues them will overtake them. And also as far as Eglayim its wailing. Eglayim is outside the border of Moav. And also as far as Be'er Eilim, which is even farther from Moav, all the way there its wailing has gone around. The meaning is that even when they distanced themselves from their place, the way is that when a person is in defeat, in breakdown, then, as the saying goes, one does not cast a stone after the fallen. But here he says they will have defeat upon defeat; not only will they be exiled from their land, but the weeping and the pursuit that pursues them, that causes weeping, will continue even beyond the border of Moav. They will have no rest from their enemies even when they distance themselves from their border. The Malbim explains that the cry here is described as if it were an abstract entity. This is what today is called personification. As if you take an abstract thing and give it a voice. For he says the cry will go and pass from city to city. What does "will go" mean? Does the cry have legs? Does the cry travel? Rather, this is a kind of personification. As if I give to an abstract thing, which is the sound of a cry, I give it, as it were, the picture of a figure, and I characterize it as someone who goes and cries out and passes from place to place. So too here, he says "for the cry has gone around the border of Moav," the cry will go and encircle the border of Moav, and it will go and wail, and it will reach Be'er Eilim and there too it will wail. As if the cry is given a figure, that the cry is the one going from place to place.
"For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dimon still more, a lion upon the fugitives of Moav, and upon the remnant of the land." "For the waters of Dimon," which was farther from Moav, the waters of Dimon meaning a brook, there they are full of blood. From the slain of Moav the whole river will be filled with blood. It is brought in the Tikkunei HaZohar that in the war of Gog and Magog the sea will turn red, not the Red Sea, but our sea will turn red from the blood, from the blood of the bodies of Gog and Magog. Yes? So this is what he already says, the waters of Dimon, here he speaks of a brook, there they are full of blood, from the abundance of the blood of the slain of Moav. "For I will bring upon Dimon still more." Because I will bring upon Dimon additional camps, additional foes who will come to fight against those who fled. And then even those who fled, who thought their lives were spared as spoil, additional forces will come, additional armies will come who will strike them too there, even the escapees. "A lion upon the fugitives of Moav." And even to those who escape the additional forces, and manage to save themselves, they will hide in the forests, and I will bring upon them a lion, wild beasts that are in the forest that will destroy them. "And upon the remnant of the land." And upon the few who remained, those who hid in the country, those who were not harmed by the additional forces nor by the lion because they still remained in the country, he says: I will set upon them the land. The meaning is that the soil of Moav will be a parched soil, as we explained, that all the greenery and the plants, everything already ceased from it, and this land will kill those who dwell there through famine and diseases, and in fact nothing will remain of them. And all of this is from the prophecy of Hashem, all of this is the words of Hashem.
Now what is the difference between "the fugitives of Moav" (peleitat Moav) and "the remnant of Moav" (she'eirit Moav)? The Malbim says, "peleitah" is through fleeing. When one flees he escapes from the camp. Yes? A refugee, "and the refugee came" and fled from the battlefield, that is the refugee. In contrast "she'eirit," he remained in place. They were exiled, so there is the remnant. What is the remnant? Those who remained and were not exiled, they are called "she'eirit." And usually the Malbim explains that "she'eirit" comes to express the low status that it has. That it is in the category of leftovers. So Chazal in several places expound. "She'eirit" means the unimportant, the worthless, it is in the category of leftovers. So he says: even those who will be the remnant, meaning they will be the leftovers of the leftovers who still remained in Moav, the soil there, the reality there of the place and the drought that will be, this is what will kill them.