Sefer Yeshayahu, chapter 48. "Hear this, O house of Yaakov, who are called by the name of Yisrael, and who came forth from the waters of Yehuda; who swear by the name of Hashem, and mention the God of Yisrael, but not in truth and not in righteousness." The Radak explains that the prophet arises and turns to the people who heard the prophecy I spoke, that after Bavel, after you go into exile to Bavel because of your sins, I prophesy that this very Bavel will be destroyed. Now he turns to those same people and says to them: she will indeed be destroyed, but you I have not abandoned. You, house of Yaakov, who were My servant, ostensibly you should have learned from the deeds of your father, for your father was called by the name Yisrael. We have said several times that Yaakov expresses the state of the people of Yisrael when they are low, down, at the heel (akev). Yisrael comes to express their state when they are in a language of dominion, in their strength. So you, house of Yaakov, have forgotten that you are called the house of Yisrael, called by the name Yisrael, a language of dominion. How did you reach the state of the heel? You should have been like him. "And who came forth from the waters of Yehuda" - you came forth from the seed of Yehuda, and Yehuda was righteous. If so, why have you now reached such a state of decline? And behold, they swear by Him, says the Radak, mentioning His name, but not in truth, not in righteousness. They do not perform His mitzvot, they are not God fearing, yet they proceed to swear by Him. This is like one who swears by the name of the king, when this man has cursed the king, dishonored him, and rebelled against him. Is this oath then an honor to the king? It is a disgrace to the king. It is like a man who swears and says, "I swear to you by my mother in law's life." He does it lightly. So what, you swear by the name of the king while you dishonor the king? It has no value. So too here, when you swear by the name of Hashem, and mention the God of Yisrael, but not in truth and not in righteousness. You do not serve Hashem, and you do not... So what is this oath by the name of Hashem? It has no merit, only added disgrace. Therefore the Torah says that only when the people of Yisrael do the will of Hashem in full, "If you walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances" and so on, only then, "and you shall swear by His name." When shall you swear by His name? The Sages say: if you act thus, there is even a mitzvah to swear by the name of Hashem. That is to say, if the name of Hashem is so precious in my eyes, I keep all His mitzvot, I am meticulous in all His halachot, then "you shall swear by His name." Then there is power to swearing by the name of Hashem, and then it is even a mitzvah. But who can say that he has reached that level to swear by the name of Hashem? So the very fact that you do not fulfill the mitzvot of Hashem completely, and yet you swear by Him, this is a manner of disgracing the name of Hashem. A nice example: the brothers, Yosef said to his brothers, "By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave here." And afterward he did release them. There is no problem for Yosef to swear by the life of Pharaoh. He swears by his life and by his death and by whatever you wish, yes. So indeed, one whom you swear by and yet do not fear, this shows contempt. For in truth this is how Yosef did not esteem Pharaoh. But to come and swear by someone you believe in and trust in, "I swear by the life of the king" - this is an honor to the king that people swear by his name, when they truly serve him properly and fittingly.
The Malbim says: "Hear this, O house of Yaakov," what I wish to tell you. You who are called by the name of Yisrael, for Yisrael, as we said, is an exaltation above nature. You, the tribe who came forth from the waters of Yehuda, the tribe of Yehuda, where the Mikdash was, the kingdom of the house of David. I ask you: how are they, these people who swear? The Malbim says that here the statement of the verse is composed of parallel phrases. "Who swear by the name of Hashem" - not in truth. "And mention the God of Yisrael" - and not in righteousness. What is the meaning of the matter? You should have been righteous, both because of your deeds and because of your roots, your origins, where you came from. You should have been righteous. How can it be that with you the reality is the opposite? You swear by the name of Hashem, not in truth but in falsehood. And on the other hand, you mention the name of the God of Yisrael, "I am a servant of Hashem," so you come, as it were, to say, "We mention the name of the God of Yisrael," but there is no righteousness in you, deeds between man and his fellow. So there is no true dealing between man and his fellow, there is no righteousness between man and God, so how do you mention the God of Yisrael and swear by the name of Hashem? These things are not possible when you do not keep even a minimal level of the service of Hashem.
Now he will describe their virtue. "For they call themselves after the holy city, and lean upon the God of Yisrael, Hashem of Hosts is His name." "For" (ki), the Malbim says, this is not a reason, but is like "ki yeda," "if a matter comes to me," "ki teitzei lamilchama" (when you go out to war), the meaning is like "when." When they call themselves after the holy city. The miracles, says the Malbim, that the Holy One blessed be He performs, are in one of two ways. Either when the people of Yisrael are worthy of miraculous leadership, the Holy One blessed be He performs a miracle for us because of our righteousness. So the people of Yisrael, when they are worthy of miraculous leadership, Hashem performs miracles for them. Why? Because we truly are worthy, like the people of Yisrael who left Egypt, we were worthy, "your following after Me in the wilderness," Hashem performed miracles for us. There is a situation where the people of Yisrael are not worthy, and why then does Hashem perform a miracle? So that we will believe in Him. So that through this we will truly recognize the providence of Hashem's hand upon us. As in the last generation, Hashem performed many miracles for us, indeed within nature, but many miracles so that we would believe in Him and recognize Him. Here, for example, the last war, yes, what was it called? Pillar of Cloud (Amud Anan). Pillar of Cloud. Why is this fitting for Pillar of Cloud, Hashem shielding over them? How many missiles fell? Out of all these missiles, 1,500 missiles. And out of all these missiles, if one were to consider what should have happened, God forbid, truly a terrible disaster. And the Holy One blessed be He had mercy and compassion on us. Certainly for every Jewish soul we grieve, but if we consider what damage should have come out, and if we consider what happened from those hits of the ones that did strike, this shows us what power this thing has, it is not a game. It is truly capable of causing harm. These are miracles. Are we worthy of miracles? Sadly, no. Rather what? As the Malbim says, when Yisrael are unworthy, He performs signs and wonders before their eyes so that they will believe in Him.
What is the difference between these signs and those signs? Between signs when we are worthy of miraculous leadership, and signs when we are not worthy. Is it the same thing? Is it the same type of miracle? The Malbim says: no, there is a difference. The miracles that Hashem performs for us because of our righteousness, because we are worthy, no prior announcement comes upon them. And why? There is no need to give us a prior announcement when Hashem solves a problem into which we have stumbled. We now have a problem, how, for example, Yehoshua pursues the nations during the conquest of the land of Yisrael, the Holy One blessed be He sends down hailstones from the heavens. Did He send an announcement beforehand? Did He announce through a prophet that in so many days hailstones will fall from the heavens at the ascent of Beit Choron in order to pursue...? There was nothing beforehand. Why? This is a miracle meant to solve a local problem for us, the Holy One blessed be He at that very moment brings the miracle. It is not a miracle that comes to strengthen our faith. It is a miracle that comes to help us, to assist us when we are righteous. In contrast, a miracle that comes to strengthen our faith, all the power of the miracle and the strengthening of faith within us is only when Hashem announces it in advance. And behold, the Holy One blessed be He says: who told you such a thing? Who told you that such a thing would come to be? I told you. Is this nature? Is this chance? The prophet came and told you a month beforehand, on such and such a day, at such and such an hour, it will be thus and so. No one knew this in advance except only the prophet from the mouth of Hashem. Through this the faith is truly strengthened.
The Malbim says, and this is what is written. At the time when they call themselves after the holy city, for as we said the meaning is "when," "when you go out to war." At the time when they call themselves after the holy city, when the people of Yisrael were holy, they were attributed to the holy city, they were called a holy people in the Holy Land, from the holy city these came. "They call themselves after the holy city." And at the time when they lean upon the God of Yisrael, because of the strength of their faith. The Holy One blessed be He says to them: then I performed miracles for them. I performed for them the wondrous miracles, which, as we said, are miracles upon which no prior announcement came. "The former things from long ago I declared, and from My mouth they went forth, and I made them heard; suddenly I acted, and they came to pass." What type of miracles did I perform then? I did not need to tell the miracles I performed for you then even before they came. I did not need to give a prior announcement. Rather, from long ago I declared and from My mouth they went forth and I made them heard, suddenly I acted and they came to pass. The moment I merely said there would be a miracle, it happened suddenly. There was no need for a prior announcement. Why? Because you were righteous. And when they are righteous the miracle comes to solve a problem, it needs no prior announcement, it is not to strengthen our faith. Rather, from long ago I declared and from My mouth they went forth and I made them heard, as soon as it went out from My mouth so it was, suddenly I acted and they came to pass. At the very moment the thing happened, "and they came to pass," at that very moment the thing appeared.
And behold, when the Holy One blessed be He wishes to announce the matter in advance through the prophet, the Malbim says, there are two things here. There is a first thing: Hashem informs the prophet, "Know that thus it will be." This is part one of the matter. The second thing, afterward the prophet goes and makes it heard by the people. First the word of Hashem comes to the prophet, second the prophet now takes what the word of Hashem came to him about, and goes and announces it to the people, "thus I received prophecy from Hashem." The prophet says to them: all this was not needed for the ancient miracles. All this was not needed when you were at a high spiritual level. All of this was not needed. Rather the former things, the first miracles that I performed from days of old, also the declaring, note, there is a doubling here. "I declared" and "I made them heard." What does he wish to double here? The Malbim explains: "the declaring" is what I declared to the prophet. "And I made them heard," what the prophet makes the people hear, all came suddenly. At the very moment I declared it to him, at that very moment he went and made the people hear, and behold the thing happened. There was no need for prior announcements in advance to strengthen the faith. I declared, from My mouth they went forth and I made them heard, as it went out from My mouth suddenly I did the thing, and then in that very second it happened. "Because I know that you are hard, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow bronze." But, the prophet says, the Holy One blessed be He says, all this was with the ancient miracles. You were strong in faith. There was no need for a prior announcement in advance, rather it was only meant, as we said, to solve a local problem. Hashem says: not so now. Today this is not your reality. "Because I know that you are hard," I know that you are hard, you do not believe easily. And if the miracle comes suddenly, you will not attribute it to a higher power, but what will you say? Nature, chance. You will not recognize that it is the hand of Hashem. And even if they show you, "Here, you see it is the hand of Hashem, tell me, does such a thing happen in nature?" - it will not help. "Your neck is an iron sinew." You have here in place of a neck, you have an iron sinew. What is this iron sinew? Why do we often see that the expression for stubbornness is "stiff necked"? "Stiff necked" is an expression that precisely describes the stiffness of the neck. It means: when I want to convince you of something, I say to you, sir, the direction you are going is not correct, the direction is the opposite. If you are one who accepts, you turn your head, look to see that what I told you is correct, and change your way. But what is a stiff neck? It is head into the wall. He goes, he does not move his head. I call to him from behind, I tell him, listen, this is not the direction, you are not in the right direction. His neck is as though an iron sinew. He cannot turn around. He has a one directional neck. And such a person, this is stiff necked, this is a stubborn one who is not willing to change his way. And this is what he says, "and your neck is an iron sinew." The meaning: even if they show it to you with your eyes, you have an iron sinew in your neck, you cannot turn back to see. "Here, come see, I am showing you, come look, a miracle. Here, look, turn your head." Iron sinew, "I do not see, I saw nothing." Do you know Admiral Nelson? Did anyone here ever smoke Nelson cigarettes? Yes. There was a famous admiral, they called him Nelson, the cigarettes are named after him. And indeed there are many stories of heroism about him. He was an admiral in the English fleet, I believe. And they tell about him that once they surrounded them, their fleet, ships surrounded on all sides. And he had one eye. He was, as in the stories, blind in one eye, he had one eye. They said to him, "Listen, we must raise a white flag, we must surrender, we are surrounded on all sides." He said, "What do you mean? What are you talking about? Bring me the telescope." He took the telescope, brought it up to his blind eye, looked, said, "I see nothing, forward." Yes, and in this case it also succeeded, yes. Not that this is a method; there are some for whom this is the method in life. He sees nothing, he continues. Yes, and then sometimes, Hashem have mercy, accidents also happen. So he says here, this is exactly your story. You have an iron sinew, you cannot turn back, I tell you, "Here, come see, there is a miracle here." No, he does not go to see. Because if I see, perhaps I will be convinced. I say, I tell him, "I did not see." "What do you mean, what did you see, a miracle? I did not see. I did not see." Well, if they show you in practice, they force you, they sit you down by force, they show you, "and your brow is bronze." What is "your brow is bronze"? You face to face deny with a brazen brow, saying there was no miracle. That is "your brow is bronze." That is already after they force you to see, "your brow is bronze." This is a bronze brow, this comes to express stubbornness and brazenness of face to deny what is tangible. That is the bronze brow. His brow is like bronze, it is impossible, nothing makes a difference to him. They tell that there was once one who... two who were arguing. They saw from afar some creature standing on a branch. And they argued between themselves. One says to his fellow, "Listen, that is a dog." The other says to him, "What do you mean, that is a raven." He says to him, "What are you talking about, a raven, that is a dog." He says to him, "No, what do you mean, that is a raven." Well, while they are arguing, the one who claimed it was a raven took a stone, threw it at the tree. He threw, and it spread its wings and flew. He says to him, "Well?" He says to him, "What can I tell you, in my life I never saw a dog fly." He does not believe. A dog flew. This is exactly it, these people who are willing to give the strangest, most bizarre explanations. Those who were asked, I will give you an example, about geology, they were asked: geologically, that you claim about periods, archaeologists arranged all sorts of periods, the Neanderthal period, the... the Stone Age, the period... each one they arranged. They were asked: according to your method, how can it be that we find in lower excavations a period that according to your method is much later? That is to say, we see that the order of the excavations does not appear as you say. For it is known that the moment we dig deeper, that is an earlier period. Deeper is an earlier period. How is this? So what do they say? What they must say is that apparently there was a shifting of the ground, and the lower ground rose over the ground that... This is truly a flying dog. A flying dog, do you understand? Everything is possible, the main thing is you will not say "I erred." Bronze brow, here, they show you, he does not believe, a flying dog. "This is the first time I ever see this." He will give the strangest, most illogical explanations, in order to remain in his error. This is what the Holy One blessed be He says. To the earlier generations I could perform a miracle for them immediately, without prior announcement, they had strong faith, they knew everything is from Him blessed be He. But I know that you are hard, your faith is weak. Your neck is an iron sinew, even when miracles are shown to you, you are not willing to turn your head and see. And if you already see it in practice, your brow is bronze, to deny the tangible miracle and say "not a miracle."
And therefore, all this compels Me, "and I told you from long ago; before it came to pass I made you hear it, lest you say, my idol did them, and my graven image and my molten image commanded them." Therefore, the Holy One blessed be He says, therefore I was forced to tell you the miracle even before it came. "And I told you from long ago, before it came to pass." And I am forced to tell, as we said in verse 3, "to tell" is to the prophet and "to make heard" is to the people. I am forced to tell it to the prophet, and from the prophet it will come to you even before it comes to pass, "I made you hear it." Even before it comes, I saw to it that the prophet made you hear that this thing is meant to arrive, tomorrow this sign will be. Why? Because I am concerned that if the thing comes suddenly, like the earlier generations for whom I performed sudden miracles, lest you say, "my idol did them." "You see? This is my god who makes surprises for me. My idolatry, you see what miracles it performs?" What, where is your idolatry? I announced in advance; did your god say anything? Until now he is silent. Let him say something about what is going to be. I announced to you a month in advance what would be, and behold you see that it happened. "Lest you say, my idol did them, and my graven image and my molten image commanded them." The Malbim explains that the verse is precise here, that the two clauses of the verse are parallel. "And I told you from long ago" - why did I need to announce it to you early? "Lest you say, my idol did them." That you should not say that the idols, your idolatry, did this. "And before it came to pass I made you hear it" - lest you say "my graven image and my molten image commanded them." "Molten image" (nesech) is the cast image, a type of idolatry. Now the Malbim explains, what is the difference? The Malbim says: what I announced to you, what I declared in advance to the prophet, the moment I decided that I wanted to perform a miracle, I announced it to the prophet, because I was concerned lest you say that your idolatry is the one that did it. I did it, only your idol, your image, your idols, they did it. And what I was forced to make heard and publicize through the prophet even before it came, the meaning is at a time close to before it is about to arrive, for if not, even though I announced it in advance, and you would not be able to say the graven image did it, since I announced it a month beforehand, yet still you would say: even though Hashem did it, the graven image and the molten image are the ones who commanded that the thing Hashem decreed should come to pass. What is the meaning? Even idolaters, many of them believed that there is a supreme power of God, who is exalted above all created beings. But they believed that those who actually run the world are the idolatry, the... many of them believed there is a power exalted above all. So he tells you: correct, you are right, the original decree a month before, the prophet announced it in the name of Hashem, that I believe Hashem said. But listen, someone is needed to bring it down here. Who brings it down here? These are my stars. This is my idolatry. The original decree was decreed by God, that I agree. But who are the clerks of nature here? To whom? When you want something here in practice, with whom do you have to speak? You do not go to the prime minister, right? You speak with the clerk who is close to you. This is the sun, this is the moon, these are the constellations, this is my idolatry, he is the clerk who brings it to fruition. So a prior announcement was not enough, because still when it comes, the moment it comes, you would still attribute that the one who brought it down to the lower world and implemented it in practice, is the clerk, which is your god, your idolatry. Therefore the Holy One blessed be He says: I was forced, before the thing came, to make heard again through the prophet, so that you would know that I commanded that the thing I did should come. So there were two things here. There was a prior announcement, so that you would know that I know it in advance, because many times immediate things can be known. Tomorrow it will be thus, many times these are things that even stargazers can know. But what is going to be far off, that no one can know. This is also in the teaching about dreams, that dreams that are meant for the future are only dreams through an angel. A dream through a demon, it may be that a demon will reveal to you what is going to be soon. It may reveal to you the truth that is going to be soon. How can this be? This is a dream through a demon. Rather, it is written in the holy Zohar, that they hear from behind the curtain. When the decree is decreed, a day or two before it comes to pass, the herald goes out. And then even the demons are able to hear from behind the curtain, able to tell you tomorrow it will be thus and so. So he tells you, as I heard, so it was. A dream through an angel, who says? It is more logical that it is a demon who heard from behind the curtain and conveyed it to you, because connections with angels are hard to believe that anyone in our generation has. It is more plausible that we have connections with demons. That is more logical. Therefore it may well be a dream through a demon. But if it is something that tells you in five years thus and so will be, in so much time, for a distant time, demons do not know such a thing. That is certainly a dream through an angel. The demons do not know what is going to be far off. So the Holy One blessed be He says: first I announced to you about the far off, so that you would know it is only the word of Hashem, because none of the astrology and all the powers are able to know what will be far off. And also about the near I again announced, "here now it will be," why? So that you would not attribute it and say, "well, my graven image brought it down now. My graven image implemented the ancient decree, brought it about at this very moment." And why? Because the Malbim says: there were among them two groups. There were those who thought that the graven image is the god, there is none besides it. The graven image is the god and nothing more. And there were those, and this is called "idols" (atzabim). Those who believed this, they were worshippers of the idols. The idols, the idolatry. "That you should not say, my idol did them." It is the god, it is the one who did it. And there was the second group, who believed it is only a means, as I explained earlier. There is the supreme God, and the bringing down of the decrees here to the lower world is by the power of the idols, by the power of the graven images. So that you should not say "my graven image and my molten image commanded them." Did you notice? The first said "my idol did them." "Did them," it did everything. The second, who believes there is a god, but there is only a graven image through which I bring things to fruition, it commanded that what Hashem said should be fulfilled. Do you understand? It brought it down here. It gave the order for the thing to come down to the lower world. Indeed Hashem did it, but the graven image commanded. He says: so that you should not say both this and that, I announce a prior announcement, and also announce a moment before the thing arrives.
"You have heard it, behold all of it; and you, will you not declare it? I make you hear new things from now, and hidden things which you did not know." The Holy One blessed be He says: so although I devised a stratagem to announce to you in advance about what is going to be, and by this, as it were, I close off your claims that your idolatry is the one that did it, the Holy One blessed be He says: behold I see it did not help at all. For behold, "you have heard it, behold all of it," you heard the whole vision, the prophets announce in advance about what is going to be, and you with all this, "will you not declare it," "my idol did them, and my graven image and my molten image commanded them." You in any case still insist on saying who did it? Your idolatry. Even though My prophets announce it in advance. Not the prophets of the Baal, My prophets announce it in advance, and you attribute these miracles to nature or to your graven images. The Holy One blessed be He says: and therefore I need another stratagem through which you will believe the matters. How? "I make you hear new things from now." I, since this is so, see that I have no choice but to perform new miracles the likes of which never existed. And not only that, but "hidden things." These will be things hidden and kept in My heart, that even the prophet did not know of. To them too I did not reveal, and you also did not know them before they came. As he will now explain.
"They are created now, and not from long ago; and before this day you did not hear them, lest you say, behold, I knew them." What I said, that I make new things heard, the Holy One blessed be He says, this is "from now." "They are created now, and not from long ago." All the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed in the past, the Malbim says, note, there is no creation of something from nothing there. It is all in the aspect of something from something. The Holy One blessed be He transforms one form into another form. There is a staff, a thing with form, the staff turns into a snake. There is water, a thing with form, water, it turns into blood. There is the sea whose nature is that it is liquid, and Hashem turned it to be like an upright wall. The sun works in a certain way, it moves from a certain direction to another direction, the Holy One blessed be He moves it in the opposite direction. Is there a new creation here? Is there something from nothing here? No. There is the thing, and the Holy One blessed be He turned that same thing into another thing. He changed a thing, but within nature. There was no thing here above nature. The Malbim says: but these signs and wonders, the miracle and the special thing about them, is that the prophet announces in advance that thus it is going to be. Where is the miracle here? I, the prophet, announce to you, know, on this day, at this hour, and the wisdom here really is to specify the exact hour, therefore Moshe said, "Take honor over me, for when shall I entreat for you." There is something supernatural here, but it is still within nature. What is special? I determine when it will be. Ah, here I see that you have power. The special thing in these miracles is the determination of the time. That is exactly the point, when exactly it will happen. For truly there is nothing here that is a new creation, only a change within nature. The Malbim says: but there is a concept of creation. Creation is the making of a new thing that never existed in the world, to create something from nothing. All these miracles, they were performed, they were already created during the six days of creation. To the extent that the Sages say that the mouth of the donkey and the mouth of the well, all this was already up to the six days of creation. Since the Holy One blessed be He does not do a new thing, He does things only within nature. But when Hashem creates a new thing, this thing, even the sorcerers, even the magicians, even all those who believe in idolatry, in the Baal, in the stars, even they will not think to say that this is from their god. Why? Because even they admit that all the stars and constellations can bring to fruition only what exists. Only what is within the category of creation. Even they admit that the stars and constellations cannot create a new thing. For the stars and constellations themselves are also under the rule of nature. For they too are natural heavenly bodies. If so, even according to their method they understand that if it is a thing you see is created, it is something from nothing, this thing is surely not from the power of idolatry, not from the power of the idols, but the creation was now formed and made. And this is what he says, "they are created now." Everyone knows they are created now. Everyone knows this was just now created. It was not before. "They are created now, and not from long ago." It is not possible that this thing would be from long ago, since it is a new creation. And such things, such miracles, are created now, not from the six days of creation, but miracles that the Holy One blessed be He now performed. And accordingly, since the thing in itself is a wonder, there is no need to announce it in advance. For as we explained earlier, why do I need to announce in advance? Something within nature, through the prior announcement, here, you see what a miracle? I foresaw this. This is the miracle. The miracle is in the prior announcement, I knew exactly in what second it would come. Here we see the miracle. But when it is about creation, is a prior announcement needed? The very fact that you see a new creation, this causes amazement even without announcing it in advance. Therefore he says, these miracles, you will say "I make you hear new things from now," now you will see the new things, no prior announcement is needed. "And hidden things which you did not know." These things are hidden things, a thing guarded and kept with Me, the Holy One blessed be He says, "which you did not know," I will not announce this thing to the prophet, because there is no need to announce to the prophet in order that he announce to the people, rather it is guarded within Me. Guarded in My heart. "Which you did not know." And why indeed do I not want to announce? "Lest you say, behold, I knew them." Lest you say, "behold, I knew them, the novelty is not so great." Ah, they already said such a thing would be. They said, I am not impressed. But if suddenly a thing happens without their having said it, ah, that causes a much greater amazement. Therefore the Holy One blessed be He says: what I will create from nothing now, I will not reveal it even to the prophet, so that you would not have a feeling that you already recognized, heard, saw it.
"You also did not hear, you also did not know, and from long ago your ear was not opened; for I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and you were called a transgressor from the womb." "You also did not hear, you also did not know." The Holy One blessed be He says to them: but I know what all these stratagems will accomplish. I know that even if you did not hear, and even if you did not know, and even from long ago your ear was not opened. Even though you did not hear the miracle, I want to create something from nothing, and even though you did not know it, you cannot attain any knowledge that such a thing is going to be, for creation from nothing is a thing not grasped by the senses, it is impossible to know it, it is a new creation that did not exist at all before. The Holy One blessed be He says: with all this I know, even from long ago your ear was not opened. It will not help to open your sealed ears. You do not want to listen, you do not want to hear, and it will not help at all. The foolishness that is in you, the lack of knowledge, you do not want to believe, and accordingly your ear will not open, even from long ago your ear was not opened. And why? The Holy One blessed be He says: but I knew that you would surely deal treacherously. I know that the lack of your faith does not stem from lack of knowledge, "I am not sure that Hashem is the Creator of the world." No. For if so, behold, these miracles that I tell you are complete creation, why did they not suffice to convince you? The Holy One blessed be He says: because there is no deficiency here in the persuasion. I knew that it is clear to you that this is from Hashem, but you deal treacherously deliberately. And if so, one who does a thing deliberately, how is it fitting to call him? "You were called a transgressor from the womb." That is to say, it is as though you have the nature of transgression, from your very inception. The nature of rebellion, to rebel against the word of Hashem, you have from birth, from conception. And if so, the Holy One blessed be He says: so what will it accomplish even if I create for you a new creation? You will insist and say that you see nothing, that you do not understand, that you are not convinced. So what point is there to come and overturn the systems of nature for one whose ear is not opened? He does not listen to what you say. For one who surely deals treacherously and is a transgressor from the womb. The Malbim says, what is the difference between treachery and transgression? The Malbim says: treachery is between equals. There are two friends who made a covenant between them, a husband and wife made a covenant between them, when one of them corrupts his ways, he is called a traitor (boged). This is between two equals. In contrast, transgression, a person who transgresses, a servant who transgresses against his master. Therefore, regarding the deceit whereby they come to deny the wonders, this he calls treachery. For behold, it is as if there is a covenant between us, I show you a wondrous thing, and you do not accept it. As it were, you betray the covenant between you and Hashem. And what he does in rebelling as a servant against his master, rebelling against Hashem may He be blessed, this he calls transgression. "For the sake of My name I will defer My anger, and for My praise I will restrain it for you, so as not to cut you off."