Sefer Yirmiyahu chapter 5. Roam the streets of Yerushalayim and see now and know and seek in her squares, if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice and seeks faithfulness, and I will forgive her. Roam the streets of Yerushalayim, search and seek, this is what "roam" means, see now and know, search, seek, is there a man who does justice and seeks faithfulness? The Radak says that from here it seems that in Yerushalayim there were no men of justice at all, none who acted faithfully, no tzaddikim and no chassidim. The Radak asks how can this be? For David HaMelech says in Sefer Tehillim, "the corpses of Your servants they gave as food to the birds of the sky, the flesh of Your pious ones to the beasts of the earth," you see that in Yerushalayim there were pious ones, there were servants of God, so how can you say go and seek if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice and seeks faithfulness? Here you see Your pious ones, Your servants, we see that there indeed were tzaddikim and chassidim in Yerushalayim.
So indeed one explanation the Radak brings in the name of his father, that Yirmiyahu spoke of the streets of Yerushalayim, "and know and seek in her squares." The chassidim do not wander about the streets and do not wander about the malls and not in the streets. The chassidim are not found there. I said that in jest, yes, but according to the line that the Radak brings in the name of his father, the meaning is that the wicked were in the streets. And since the wicked were in the streets, the way of the chassidim was to withdraw from them and enter more inner places, so they could not afford to wander about the streets, to wander about the outer areas. And this is really what the prophet is charging against them. He says go and see the terrible situation in Yerushalayim, that the wicked wander about the streets to the point that the chassidim and servants of God are already afraid to go out into the streets. They are already afraid to wander in these places because the wicked there seek their lives. That is to say, the wickedness there in Yerushalayim reached such a terrible level that the wicked took over the streets. It is known that there are certain places abroad where decent people do not leave home during the night hours. For there, people know, if you go out at night hours there is a good chance you come back on a stretcher. Yes? When I say come back, I mean to the cemetery, that is what I mean, not home. Yes? In any case, if he comes back, certainly. In any case, let us understand that there are such situations where the wicked wander about the city and then it is a great danger to the righteous. So it is true, there were tzaddikim, there were chassidim, but they could not wander about the streets of the cities because of the wicked who were in it.
But there is a further explanation that the Radak brings in the name of our Sages, that this pasuk indeed speaks of the wicked. And nonetheless the pasuk calls them chassidim. That is to say, indeed there were no chassidim, there were no servants of God. So what is meant by "they gave the corpses of Your servants as food to the birds of the sky, the flesh of Your pious ones"? You say there were none, there were only the wicked? Rather the meaning is that since they were wicked and deserving of death, the moment they died atonement was achieved for them. And then how does David call them? They are already Your pious ones, they are already tzaddikim. Why? Since their punishment was death and their death was their atonement, so at that moment they are called chassidim. This gives us, incidentally, an explanation of why we call those who died in the Holocaust the holy ones of the Holocaust. And we call them tzaddikim and chassidim, even though seemingly a person might ask, for many of them were ones who abandoned the faith of their fathers, many of them, to our sorrow, were ones who also joined with the gentiles and became just like them, assimilated, and yet the Nazis, may their name and memory be erased, went and searched three and four generations back in order to send them too to the camps. So why, are they all holy? Yes. After they died they are all holy, since they received their judgment they are all holy. So in fact even if a person was wicked, through being killed and paying the penalty, the Radak says atonement was achieved for them in their death, to the point that David HaMelech calls them "the flesh of Your pious ones to the beasts of the earth, the corpses of Your servants as food to the birds of the sky," they are in the category of chassidim and servants of God after they were stricken and suffered and received in proportion to their sin.
The prophet says, if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice. What is "if you can find a man"? "Man" means a good man, a great man, as it is written "are you not a man," this is a form of praise, of a man of stature. Go and see whether you can find a man, whether there is one who does justice, whether there is someone who does justice. But "man" is an expression in itself for a person who is of stature. The Malbim explains that here in fact the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, comes and says, do not wonder that I brought upon Yerushalayim such a terrible evil, such a distress. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, roam the streets of Yerushalayim. The "streets" (chutzot), says the Malbim, are alongside the houses. The "squares" (rechovot), the squares are the place of the market. So go search in the streets of Yerushalayim. And not only in the streets will you not find, but even if you seek in her squares, which means the place of the markets where people gather, he says there too you will not find a man who does justice. The streets and the squares are always full of people, and you will not find a man who does justice. Note, the Radak's interpretation here is an original one. Not as we would understand the pasuk in its plain sense, go and see whether you can find a man, if there is one who does justice and seeks faithfulness and I will forgive her, meaning there is no pious and righteous man in the streets, that is not the plain meaning. The Malbim actually has a slight difficulty, it is written "if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice and seeks faithfulness." What is this repetition, "if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice"? It should have said "if you can find a man who does justice." Or "if you can find one who does justice and seeks faithfulness." What is "if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice and seeks faithfulness"?
Listen to what a novel explanation the Malbim gives. The Malbim says that as it were it is written here in the pasuk, if you can find a man at a time when there is one who does justice and seeks faithfulness. The meaning of the matter, there were judges, there were dayanim, and they would go out into the streets. And what would happen when they went out into the streets? Immediately all of them, all the wicked, all the various bandits, all those who acted against Halacha and against the Torah, they would all disappear. They would all suddenly evaporate. Why? Because everyone knows that I will be the first one they catch. And so it comes out then that the pasuk, the meaning of the pasuk is like this: if you can find a man, go and wander about the streets and see whether you can find a man, do you see there any person at the time when there is one who does justice, when one who does justice wanders about the street, do you find a man? When there is one who does justice wandering about the street, do you find a man? That is to say, the dayan walks the street, and suddenly you do not see anyone. When there is someone who seeks faithfulness in the street, meaning someone who is supposed to punish those who stray from the path, someone who seeks truth and faithfulness, then you see there is no man, suddenly they all disappear. That is to say, the situation is so terrible that as it were almost everyone was wicked, and just as one would go out, in our terms today, just as the police suddenly patrol the street, there is no one, there is no one in the streets, everyone is in their homes. Everyone is in their homes. Do you know what happens, there are all sorts of markets, perhaps just to illustrate, there are all sorts of markets in the country, vegetable markets, I will speak, something like Machaneh Yehudah and the like. And there someone shouts "tax authority," one shouts "tax authority," instantly you see all the empty stalls, empty, empty, you can walk, you can walk the whole market, there is not a single person. Everyone disappears, evaporates, there is not a single person. The cash register he takes, that is clear, yes? But the vegetables remain there, and these people pass by, look, search where is the owner, where is the owner, where is... everyone got a stomachache, went to relieve themselves. Do you understand? They just saw the tax authority. So he says the same thing here, just as the judge shows his face in the street, go and see whether you can find a man. You will see suddenly everyone disappears, there is nothing, the street is empty. That is to say, this shows how far their injustice reached such a terrible state, that most of them were men of injustice, that if only one man of the law went out, immediately they would all evaporate, they could not be seen.
The Malbim dwells here on a fine point. Roam the streets of Yerushalayim and see now and know. The Malbim says, note that usually the order is "know and see." And why? Because knowledge is often abstract, and seeing is clear. Seeing is that I saw with my eyes. And here, in contrast, you say the opposite, "see now and know." First see and then after that know. It should have been the opposite. The Malbim says, since he tells them see, and at any rate you will know through the report of others. The meaning of the matter, here I want you to see. And if you did not manage to see, that is to say it is so evident that you can see. And if you did not manage to see, then they will tell you. But know that these things are evident and recognizable to all. And he adds and says, see now and know and seek. What does "seek" come to add? The Malbim says that in fact he tells them, if in this too you do not find, then seek and investigate and then you will see how much there is. He brings, as is brought in Shmuel I, "and know and see his place," thus Shaul sent after David, "and see and know all the hiding places where he hides." At first "know and see," afterwards he said "and see and know all the hiding places." What is the difference, says the Malbim? The Malbim says at first he commands them do not rely on reports, on stories, I want "and know and see." I want you not to be content with knowledge about this matter, go and see. After you see where David is, come tell me. Thus Shaul asks. For many times he had already gone out in vain. Shaul went out and it turned out that David had meanwhile disappeared. So therefore he is not content with this, he says after they inform you, "and know, and see his place." And afterwards, through the seeing, you will already reckon, "and see and know all the hiding places." Through the seeing you will already reckon where it could be that he hides among all the hiding places where he could go, and this is already through the knowledge of the intellect.
And if "as HaShem lives" they say, then they swear falsely. The prophet says, and if they say "as HaShem lives," after we describe such a situation, see now and know, seek in her squares, there is no man who does justice, none who seeks faithfulness, if you nonetheless hear "as HaShem lives," you hear them swearing in the name of HaShem. So he says, know, then they swear falsely. The meaning of the matter, in most cases the Radak explains they swear by other gods. They swear by idolatry, as it is written "and they swore by that which is not God." And if you do already hear them swearing in the name of HaShem, it is falsely. Do you know what "falsely" is? When Yosef wants to tell his brothers you are not leaving here, he says to them "by the life of Pharaoh" you shall not leave here. I swear to you by the life of Pharaoh you are not leaving here. There was a man who always said "I swear to you by my mother-in-law." Do you understand? When they do not want to fulfill it, then they falsely swear in the name of HaShem. They always swear in the name of idolatry. But falsely, in this they swear in the name of HaShem. The Malbim explains that if they say "as HaShem lives," even though you sometimes hear that when they quarrel with their fellows they swear in the name of HaShem, so it seems to you, here you see there are people of truth here, there are people here who have the name of HaShem on their lips. The Malbim says about this, what they swear seems as though it is according to the law of the Torah, but do not accept that. Do not take proof from this, says the Malbim, it is the opposite. The meaning of the matter, they want to make an impression as decent people, they want to make an impression as tzaddikim, so they swear in the name of HaShem. And this is a sign that a person oppresses his fellow through a false oath. And there is no faithfulness. After you see that the person as it were makes an impression of a man of truth, know that his word is a lie, so there is no faithfulness, one cannot place trust in his words.
HaShem, are Your eyes not toward faithfulness? You struck them but they were not affected. You destroyed them, they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than rock, they refused to return. HaShem, are Your eyes not toward faithfulness? Are they not the eyes of one who is faithful to do good, thus they were. And why did they suddenly betray HaShem here? Why is there no man who seeks faithfulness? You struck them, and they did not become sick as a result of this, they were not affected. They did not become sick as a result of the blow so as to return from their evil, to mend their ways. And about this, as it were, the Radak explains that the prophet wonders, how is it, HaShem, are Your eyes not toward faithfulness, Your providence in the world is in order to bring something good to the world, not a vain thing, meaning HaShem's providence is for benefit. When the Holy One, blessed be He, watches over the world it is for the benefit of the world. And if so, how can it be here that Your providence did not bring benefit? And what was His providence over them? For "You struck them but they were not affected." They did not feel pain, they did not sense it in themselves. So seemingly here it is a wonder. What did Your providence over them accomplish? Your providence always awakens faithfulness. I feel the hand of HaShem, I see with my own eyes His providence over me. But here Your providence, HaShem, has no effect at all. Are Your eyes, HaShem, not toward faithfulness, and here we see that Your providence does not awaken faithfulness in the nation. And this is similar to what is written "in vain I struck your children," they did not accept discipline. "Why should you be struck further, that you continue to rebel?" This we have already explained several times, that the Holy One, blessed be He, strikes when there is a reason. Here a person has a son and this son has strayed from the path and blows will no longer help him, so there is no reason to strike. The truth is that almost always there is no reason to strike, but ordinarily even when there was benefit in the striking, then there is still a reason. But when there is no benefit, then simply to strike and to afflict is sheer cruelty. This is what the prophet says here, are Your eyes, HaShem, not toward faithfulness, all Your actions are to strengthen their faithfulness. But here you see that the blows do not help. You struck them but they were not affected. You destroyed them, they refused to accept discipline. You destroyed them? Did they reach destruction? The Radak explains "you destroyed them" means You brought them close to destruction. This is the meaning of "you destroyed them." They are already close to destruction, well, what is left of you? Ten tribes have already gone into exile, how many of you remain? Among you the majority of the people of Yehudah and Binyamin have already been exiled. Even so they refused to accept discipline. And when the prophets rebuke them, they made their faces harder than rock. Their faces are bold and hard as rock. Not willing to be moved, not willing to be affected, not willing to accept discipline, not ashamed before the prophets, they refused to return. They refuse to return to HaShem.
The Malbim explains that these words here, where it is written "HaShem, are Your eyes not toward faithfulness," the Malbim says these are the words of the prophet. And the prophet as it were comes and turns to HaShem and says, Master of the Universe, the main point of Your striking them is so that they will return in repentance. And if they do not return in repentance, they do not believe that the punishment they receive is truly from You, then if so it is fitting that You change the means. This is what the Malbim says. This is really the prophet's argument. If the whole aim is to bring them to faithfulness and the striking does not bring faithfulness, then Master of the Universe, You must consider other means by which they truly could return. For behold you see that as a result of the blows they made their faces harder than rock, they refused to return.
And I said, they are only poor, they have acted foolishly, for they do not know the way of HaShem, the justice of their God. And I said that this does not come from rebellion in malice, the Malbim explains. It comes from a lack of knowledge. They are poor and they have acted foolishly. "Acted foolishly" we explained several times means from the language of "evil," they walk in the way of folly, they do not know the way of HaShem. If a person knows the way of HaShem, when he receives blows, he immediately understands this is from HaShem. But if he does not know the way of HaShem, then when he receives blows he says what a terrible mishap happened to me. A mishap. A mishap, it has nothing to do with HaShem, may He be blessed. He does not understand that this is on account of rebellion. And therefore the first thing needed is that they recognize that they sinned. That is to say, first of all that you should know that what you did was not at all proper. But they did not know HaShem at all, they do not know what a mitzvah is, what a transgression is. In such a state, how is it possible to return in repentance when I am not even aware that I sinned? The matter is similar to a captive infant. It is like if today you take some Jew of the third or fourth generation somewhere in Russia and strike him. For what should he repent? For what? He does not know what a sin is. If he does not know what a sin is, for what should he repent? Not that he did not put on tefillin. He does not know what tefillin is, he does not even know that he is a Jew. So such a person whom there is no point in rebuking because he does not even know that he did wrong, so what is the point of afflicting them? For they did not know the way of HaShem. So the first thing needed is that they should know that they sinned. The second thing, they need to understand that the punishment is not accidental, that they should understand that the punishment is by providence from HaShem. For they do not know the justice of their God, they do not understand that the punishment is by providence. And this corresponds to what he said, they are poor, they have acted foolishly. On the side of having acted foolishly, on the side of being poor, they have a poverty in Torah, so they do not know the way of HaShem. And then consequently since they are poor they do not recognize the justice of their God, for they think that poverty and destitution is what caused us the evil. If we were stronger, if we were mightier, we could overcome everything. Thus they are certain. They do not understand no, there is someone here who afflicts you because you strayed from the path, because you rebelled against HaShem. And if so, Yirmiyahu says to Him, then Master of the Universe, all this proves what I said, that there is no point in afflicting them. There is no point in striking them, since You see that rebuke and affliction ultimately do not bring them to the way of truth. And if so, Master of the Universe, the way must be a different way.
The Radak explains that it is true that in Yerushalayim there were great sages, and in Yerushalayim there were also men great in Torah. And if so it is somewhat difficult to understand, what is "they have acted foolishly," from the language of fools, of simpletons? And the Malbim explains that it speaks of people who do not know the way of HaShem at all. How can this be explained? The Radak says, since those who remained after the first exiles were the lowest of the people. The vinedressers and the plowmen. The vinedressers and the plowmen are complete ignoramuses. For the craftsmen and the smiths were exiled first. The craftsmen and the smiths were Torah scholars. And they are the ones who were first exiled and went down to Bavel. So who remained here? The lowest of the people. And the lowest of the people are the ignoramuses in the plain sense. The ignoramus, the commentators explain, is a person whose whole occupation is with the earthly. And these were people whose whole occupation was as farmers. And farmers usually, as is known, even today when one wants to say about someone that he is less developed than others, they say he is a "moshavnik." So the farmers in their times were much, much lower, for they were people far from the great city. And consequently their knowledge was much more feeble. And then through this one can also say that when you speak with them about Torah and mitzvot, they do not even understand what you are talking about. They have no understanding, they did not know the way of HaShem, they did not know the justice of their God.
The Malbim explains what the difference is between the way of HaShem and the justice of their God. Every place where he speaks of HaShem, the four-letter Name, he speaks of the general governance. The Holy One, blessed be He, who manages His entire world, this is the four-letter Name. In contrast, when he specifies it upon us, "your God," this is from the side of His individual providence over us. From the side that He leads us. The four-letter Name, the Name that leads the whole world. "Their God," this is the providence specific to us. Therefore, regarding the general providence, regarding HaShem's governance in the world, he says they did not know the way of HaShem. And regarding the individual providence over us and His influence upon us, he says they did not know their God. This too they did not feel. And we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts payment from us more than from the other nations. Since the other nations in any case do not know anything. But the nation of Yisrael, "only you have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore I will visit upon you." That is to say, the fact that HaShem knows us, watches over us with individual providence, this also always places us in the focus, that if we stray we immediately receive a blow. For this was the reality of the nation of Yisrael in the wilderness. They had close providence at the highest level. Clouds of glory accompanying them, Moshe Rabbeinu with them, Aharon among them, providence at the highest level. A well going with them closely, manna descending every day from heaven. And precisely in this period you see that they had the greatest blows. Why? What is the reason for this? Because when you are under close providence, every slight deviation from the path, then the fire of HaShem broke out in the nation. Then a plague begins and Aharon has to go out and stand between the dead and the living. That is to say, close providence also demands judgment when there is a deviation from the path. And they here do not know the way of HaShem at all as general providence, and all the more so they do not understand His providence over us from the side that He is the God of Yisrael, which they certainly did not understand and did not grasp. So what is the point of afflicting them? What is the point of striking them?
Let me go to the great ones and speak with them, for they know the way of HaShem, the justice of their God. But they together broke the yoke, tore off the bonds. Let me go to the great ones. Who are these great ones, says the Radak? These are the great and the wealthy. They do not occupy themselves with labor, they have free time to learn Torah, to learn wisdom. And they are usually more moral people, people more with knowledge of the Torah. And perhaps they know the way of HaShem, the justice of their God. Perhaps them I will rebuke and from them positive results will come. But the prophet says, when I speak with them they together broke the yoke of the Torah. That is to say, the first ones did not know. The first ones did not understand. But these great ones do know, they do understand, so what is it with them? It is that they broke the yoke. He knows, he recognizes, but it is a yoke, it is heavy upon me. He breaks it. This is "they broke the yoke." That is to say that I saw that from them too it is not possible to obtain any positive result through rebuke. They tore off the yoke, they tore off the bonds. And it says "together," whose meaning is that "together" means they all as one rebelled.
The Malbim explains, let me go to the great ones, for they know these things, this is the way of HaShem and the justice of their God. The first thing, they know that the Holy One, blessed be He, governs the world. The second thing, they know that there is individual providence here, "HaShem their God," for the great ones know that the Holy One, blessed be He, "the eyes of HaShem your God are upon it," and the Holy One, blessed be He, watches over us specifically, over the nation of Yisrael more than the gentiles. But here I see that they know their Master and intend to rebel against Him. As we said here it is "they broke the yoke," this is already with malice. And this is against the way of HaShem and the justice of their God, which is the Torah and the mitzvah, which is the way of HaShem. He says "the way of HaShem," the Malbim explains, this is like the yoke on their neck. They cast off the yoke from upon their neck. The suffering and the punishments are the justice of their God. That is to say, when you cast off the way of HaShem, you do not accept the mitzvah, HaShem does justice with you. And this is from the side of "their God," that He is our God, that the Holy One, blessed be He, leads and manages us in detail, that we are His children, that we are His people. And then he compares this to bonds. The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to bind them with bonds. What are the bonds? The bonds are the ties that are fastened to the ox in order to bind it. So these they tore off. The Holy One, blessed be He, as it were imposed upon them the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvot, and they tore off the bonds. They did not pay attention to the discipline, they did not pay attention to the punishment, they did not pay attention to the suffering, they tore all this off from upon them. This is against the justice of their God.
Therefore a lion from the forest struck them, a wolf of the plains ravages them, a leopard watches over their cities. Anyone who goes out from there will be torn apart. For their transgressions are many, their backslidings have become mighty. Therefore a lion from the forest struck them. The lion is the kingdom of Bavel. "A wolf of the plains ravages them," Rashi says, the wolf is the kingdom of Madai. "A leopard watches over their cities," this is the kingdom of Ashur. "A wolf of the plains," Rashi explains, is from the language of a plain and a pit, the wolf of the wilderness. And it is the wolf of the plains that ravages them and hurries to ravage them. Or from the language of lying in wait for them. The Radak explains, since they broke the yoke of the Torah, a lion from the forest strikes them. He compares the enemy to a lion, for a lion goes out from the forest to prey. That is to say, the lion has might. The lion is not obliged to remain only in the forest. It is capable also of going out from the forest, from the safe and protected place, it is capable also of going out and preying. Therefore a lion from the forest struck them, a lion that goes out from the forest to prey. In contrast the wolf, the wolf goes out toward evening. And this is one explanation of the matter of "a wolf of the plains." Some explain that "a wolf of the plains" is from the matter of evening (erev), thus the Malbim explains in one of the interpretations, that the meaning is that the wolves come at night. Usually one hears their sounds at night. The wolves, note also, they usually come in packs. The wolves are less mighty than the lion. And since this is so, they come only under the cover of darkness. It is not like the lion, which has the might to go out from the forest and fight, but rather they are wolves of the plains, they come only in the evening, they go out toward evening. It is not strong like the lion and not like the leopard, and it is fearful. It only goes out in the evening and at a time when it feels more secure. The lion is a metaphor for the king. Just as the lion is the king of the beasts, this says that the king of Bavel will come upon them. The wolf is a metaphor for the army. And the leopard for the officers of the army. That is to say he comes to compare here how the king and his officers and army will come upon it, and all will come and strike Yerushalayim. The leopard watches. From what language is "watches"? Like "the almond tree watches," watching, guarding. The meaning is striving, persisting in the matter. So the leopard will watch over their cities. It will not give us rest, it will lay siege upon us and will watch with great persistence until it subdues us.
The Malbim explains that since our sin is from the side of rebellion and not from the side of foolishness, for behold we saw that he tries to speak also with the great ones. And the great ones we saw that they broke the yoke, tore off the bonds. And this we said is complete rebellion. Therefore he said, now what will happen is that a lion will come, "a lion struck them." And after this a wolf of the plains. The wolf of the plains, it is its way to eat the corpses. That is to say the lion gives the blow, and the one who afterwards comes after the slain, this will be the wolf. It eats what remains. And it "ravages them," what is the meaning of "ravages them"? It eats what remains from what the lion struck. The leopard, whose way it is to always be near the cities, to lie in wait for the people, it watches over their cities. Why does he mention here three times three kinds of beasts? The Malbim explains, this is the referent of the three times that Nevuchadnetzar came with his camp and destroyed them. And this comes to show that their transgressions are many, also in terms of quantity, their backslidings have become mighty, which is in terms of quality. That is to say, a person can commit many small sins. And on the other hand, he can commit sins where each sin is great. Now it can be that a sin great in itself, even if it is not much, is already fitting to be punished for. He says look, here there is a duplication. On one hand their transgressions are many. Their transgressions are numerous. This is already a severity. Even if they are small, but many, it is very severe. As is brought in the holy books, that this is similar to a reed that you can break easily, but the moment there are many reeds, then what would tear a spider's web becomes like the ropes of a wagon. Even if it is a light sin, says Rabbeinu Yonah, when you repeat it and do it again, it becomes thick and becomes hard. This is what happens here. He says come and see, their transgressions are many, this is in terms of quantity. What will you say, but these are small sins, light transgressions? He tells you no, their backslidings have become mighty. "Have become mighty" means in their quality, it is immense. What is so immense about them? There are two kinds of sins. There are sins that a person commits out of desire, his inclination overpowers him. This is not called "mighty." This is a sin where he does not want to rebel against HaShem, but his inclination overpowered him. Do not understand incorrectly, certainly for this too he is destined to give an accounting, but it is not at the level of severity of rebellion. And we saw in the previous pasuk, "but they together broke the yoke, tore off the bonds." We saw that he went to the great ones, to those whose time is free, to those who are supposed to know Torah. And they nonetheless broke the yoke, tore off the bonds. This says that their transgressions have become mighty, in quality, it is a great and terrible transgression, since it is a transgression that is out of rebellion. About this he says "their backslidings." "Their backslidings," the Malbim explains, what is the difference between a transgression and a backsliding? A transgression is rebellion in deed. In contrast, "their backslidings" is a matter of the soul. A matter of the soul, a rebellious spirit. What is the meaning of the matter? In his soul he rebels. That is to say, in his thought, in his mind he opposes the command of HaShem. So there is here much more than a mere transgression in deed, for I can say he transgressed in deed, so what, what things did he do? He went after his desires, he went. But when I tell you "backsliding," this says something connected to the inner will. That is to say there is here a rebellion against HaShem.