Chapter 8, verse 13, this is the haftarah of Tisha B'Av, the haftarah of Asof Asifem. "I will surely gather them, says Hashem: there are no grapes on the vine, and no figs on the fig tree, and the leaf is withered, and I gave them those that shall pass over them." The Asof Asifem already expresses the punishment. And the punishment comes as a result of everything we saw above. "I hearkened and heard, but they did not speak rightly, no man repented of his wickedness, saying: What have I done?" and we saw that the people did not know the judgments of Hashem. After describing the great rebellion that was in the people of Israel, now he describes what the punishment will be.
What is the meaning of the expression Asof Asifem? The Radak explains that both are from the language of destruction. Asof Asifem means from the language of "and you shall gather in your soul," yisofu, meaning they shall utterly cease, everything shall be destroyed. In complete destruction, until no grapes are found on the vine and no figs on the fig tree. Why did he specifically give these two examples? The Radak says because these are the two kinds of fruit that people cultivated the most. These were the fruits that people used a great deal, and indeed in Chazal we see this matter of grapes and figs a great deal. In the blessing it is written "each man under his vine and under his fig tree," and in the curse it is said "he shall eat your vine and your fig tree." That is to say, we understand that this was considered their main food and the main crops that they cultivated. So he says the situation of Asof Asifem will come, of complete destruction, until there are no grapes on the vine and no figs on the fig tree, "and the leaf is withered," even the leaves will wither before their time, all this to show the extent of their wickedness. "And I gave them those that shall pass over them." What is "and I gave them those that shall pass over them"? What I gave them of most of the fruits, this will pass from them through the enemies who will eat all their fruits. And if so, ya'avrum is like ya'avru mehem, they shall pass from them. Thus the Radak explains.
The Malbim, by contrast, explains that regarding Asof Asifem there are two expressions here. The first, says the Malbim, asof is from the language of gathering. And asifem is from the language of destruction, like yisofu ve'ya'avoru, "their seed shall not cease." So when he says Asof Asifem, it means that the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, says, and here perhaps we should first offer an introduction from the Malbim, the Malbim says that in the coming verses we will see a kind of dialogue. And therefore in the same verse we can see several speakers. At one stage Hashem speaks, at one stage the prophet speaks, at one stage the people speak, because there is here a kind of process of dialogue of question and answer. And therefore at the beginning he says this is the word of Hashem. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will surely gather them, that is its meaning. The first asof is the language of gathering. And why will I gather them, says the Holy One, blessed be He? Because asifem, because I want to bring destruction upon them. And we explained that the second asifem is from the language of yisofu, from the language of "end," from the language of destruction. So I will gather them in order to destroy them. This is Asof Asifem.
The people argue: but there are no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, we have no food to restore our souls. Hashem says to them, "and I gave them those that shall pass over them." How can I give them grapes and figs? For they transgress the commandments I commanded them. This is the "and I gave them ya'avrum." It emerges then that we have here three explanations of "and I gave them ya'avrum." One explanation, as the Malbim says, I commanded them the Torah and I gave them My Torah and they transgressed it. So what do they claim, that there is no food, no abundance, no livelihood? Behold, the Torah I commanded you, you transgressed it, "and I gave them ya'avrum." So what do they claim, there are no grapes on the vine and so on? Another explanation: "and I gave them," I gave them grapes and figs, but who ultimately receives it? The nations who ya'avrum, who bring them across to another land. The nations who will exile them to another land, they are the ones who took the grapes and figs. You ask, there are no grapes on the vine and no figs on the fig tree? "And I gave them," I gave it to the nations who exile them from there, "and I gave them ya'avrum." Or in the third explanation, which is along the same line, but explains: since they have nothing to eat, "and I gave them," I will give them nations who will exile them. This is the "and I gave them ya'avrum." What will I give them? According to this it is not the grapes and figs that I will give to the nations who exile them, but rather the meaning is: I will give to this people who have nothing to eat the nations that will exile them.
"Why do we sit still? Gather yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there: for Hashem our God has put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Hashem." The Malbim says that here these are the words of the people. And the people say, why do we sit still? For we saw that they gather, Asof Asifem the Malbim explained that there will be a gathering, the people will gather among themselves. And they say "why do we sit still," meaning why do we rest on our laurels? Why do we not take some action to prepare some counsel for war? And therefore they say "gather yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities." Let us go to the fortified cities so that from there, from the fortified cities, we may fight against the enemy. And this was always their way, when they wanted to defend against an enemy, they would go to a fortified city, a city surrounded by a wall, a place where one can defend oneself, and through this one can fight from there.
The prophet says to them, do you think that there you will have salvation? "And let us be silent there." The prophet says to them, do you think that from there, from that place, you will be able to do anything? For "and let us be silent there," in that place you will be still. And the reason is simple, for if the lack were on the side of strength and counsel, then you are right, think of counsels how to act. But since that is not the matter, as the prophet says immediately, "for Hashem our God has put us to silence." For who is it that made us silent, that you ask why we sit still? It is from Hashem our God. "Hashem our God has put us to silence," He made us mourners and silent, and instead of giving mourners a cup of consolation to drink, the prophet says, moreover "and given us water of gall to drink," and this is because we sinned against Hashem. What is water of gall? Rosh was a certain plant, and this plant was poisonous, a deadly poison, and when they would take and squeeze its juice from it, this was called water of gall. This means like poisoned water. "And given us water of gall to drink." The Targum explains "and He made us drink a cup of curses," meaning a cup of curses, evils like the heads of serpents, meaning like the heads of vipers. The meaning of "given us water of gall to drink" is like the venom of serpents.
"We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold trouble!" The people say, we looked for peace, for it is fitting to hope for peace, so why did no good come? The prophet says to them, "and for a time of healing, and behold trouble!" It was fitting to hope for a time of healing, for all these troubles were meant to bring you to healing. It was fitting to hope for a time of healing that you would repent. "And behold trouble," and we see that instead of them repenting, they still kick, they hold onto their evil and hold onto their corruption. So before you ask me why there is no peace, I will ask you why there is no repentance? Why do you not correct your deeds?
"The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: at the sound of the neighing of his mighty ones the whole land trembled; for they came and devoured the land and all that is in it; the city and those who dwell in it." "From Dan was heard." Why does he mention Dan? The Radak explains because Dan is at the edge of the land. And he wants to tell you that already from the edge of the land the snorting of his horses is heard, one can already hear all the horses that are already at the edge of the land. Targum Yonatan says that this is not merely "from Dan," but it comes to express a corruption that was in Dan. "Because they worshipped the calf that was in Dan." Because they worshipped the calf that was in Dan, from there the evil opened, from there the trouble opened. Since they worshipped the calf that was in Dan, therefore a king with his army will go up against them and exile them. What is the snorting of his horses? The Radak says it means the sneezing of his horses. The sneezing of horses is called nechira, since it comes out of the nostrils. "At the sound of the neighing of his mighty ones the whole land trembled." What are the neighing of his mighty ones? There are two explanations for this. One explanation refers back to the horses. The mighty horses. From the sound of the neighing of the mighty ones, who are these? The mighty horses, the whole land trembled. He brings Targum Yonatan from which it is implied that this is from the sound of the footsteps of his mighty warriors, referring back to the warriors. That is to say, when they would go out to battle, the warriors would sound a cry and the sound of horns, and make noise to encourage the fighters so they would go with all their strength. So "at the sound of the neighing of his mighty ones," according to the first explanation this is the horses, according to the second explanation this means the mighty ones riding on the horses, from their neighing the whole land trembled.
The Malbim explains that the first part of the verse is the words of the people. And the people in fact come and argue: from Dan the snorting of his horses was heard, how can this be? For Yaakov, when he blesses his sons, saying, said to them "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward." The sons of Dan were trained in war and they knew how to fight against horse riders. They knew how to strike the horses so that the rider falls backward. This was the expertise of the sons of Dan. And therefore Dan was also the rearguard for all the camps. For usually those riding horses, whom do they strike? Those who remained behind, those who trail, the stragglers behind you, they are the first that the pursuers on horses strike. And if so, Dan was there, at the end, in order to protect those who remained behind. And why? Because those who remained behind, who would catch them? Those riding horses. And Dan was expert at fighting against horse riders. Dan was expert at how to bite the horse's heels and make its rider fall backward. They were trained in this warfare. And if so, about this the people come and wonder: how can it be that now the wheel has turned, that the snorting of the enemy's horses is heard specifically from Dan? And the men of Dan, so expert in warfare against horses, are not there, how did the men of Dan not stand against them? And specifically from Dan the snorting of his horses was heard, at the sound of the neighing of his mighty ones the whole land trembled, and they even come into the land itself, and devour the land and all that is in it, the city and those who dwell in it, so how can it be that the sons of Dan did not block the way of those enemies already at the beginning of the way?
"For behold, I will send among you serpents, adders, for which there is no charm; and they shall bite you, says Hashem." "Behold, I will send among you serpents, adders." What are serpents, adders? Rashi says, Chazal say that the serpent after seventy years becomes an adder. What does it mean that it becomes an adder? Its ears, as it were, become stopped up, meaning it is not able to hear, and then through this one cannot act against it. It is known that in their times there was a charmer. A charmer was a person who knew how to make sounds to serpents in order to succeed through this to gather them or to control them. This is called a charmer. He also knew how to bind them, to gather many serpents by his voice. But there is a stage where the serpent loses its hearing. And this is what Chazal say, that after seventy years it becomes an adder. And the adder will not listen to any charmer who whispers in its ear. And then it goes, as it were, out of control. And this is what is written "like the deaf viper that stops up its ear." That is to say, its ears become stopped up. This is one that reaches the age at which it becomes an adder. And this is what he says, these are serpents for which there is no charm. What is "for which there is no charm"? For which a charm does not help them. These are serpents that can no longer be controlled. And so therefore, as it were, He says, I am sending you an enemy against whom there is no remedy.
The Malbim explains that here this is in fact Hashem's answer. The people wonder, from Dan the snorting of his horses was heard, how can it be, for Dan was always expert at fighting against enemies who come on horses? And how can it be that now from Dan the snorting of his horses is heard? To this the Holy One, blessed be He, answers them, "for behold, I will send among you serpents, adders." What you think, that Dan resembles a serpent, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, now it has become the opposite. I am the one sending the serpents among you. Dan is the serpent to fight against enemies? Hashem says to them, now the opposite is true. The enemy who is like a serpent will come, and they are harder than serpents, and they will bite you. Not like Dan, for Dan would bite the horses, like a serpent as we saw earlier that bites the horse's heels. Here "behold, I will send among you serpents, adders" that will bite you. That they will bite you, and then in fact it emerges that we have gone from good to bad and measure for measure.
"When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint within me." Mavligiti, Rashi explains that this is from the language of restraint. That is to say restraining oneself, strengthening oneself. If I said I will restrain myself, I will overcome my sorrow, but I cannot, since my heart is faint within me. My heart, davai is from the language of pain. My heart aches when it knows the evil prophecies that are destined to come. So if I thought perhaps I would restrain myself, I cannot because from within me the difficult prophecies about what is destined to come are revealed to me, and in such a state restraint is not possible.
The Malbim explains that here these are the words of the people. That the people in fact say, if so we see that what we thought needs a little more overcoming, we need a little more to strengthen ourselves against the sorrow, there is hope, I see that this is not from a clear-sighted view of reality. But rather, on the contrary, it is because we are entirely like a sick person whose heart is faint within him. What does this mean? We know that when a person, as someone once said, what is the difference between a person who falls from the tenth floor and a person who falls from the first floor? From the tenth floor it is aaaaah boom. From the first floor it is boom aaaaah. Fine, so that means that from the tenth floor is less dangerous, right? Because from the tenth floor you see a person who received a blow, he does not scream. Right? He does not scream. So it is less dangerous, right? What does this mean? We understand that when there is a sick person, an attack God forbid, war, from anything at all, injury, an accident God forbid. If the sick person is still conscious, if one can still speak with him, there is a chance. And they always tell you to keep him talking, speak with him so he does not lose consciousness. Because if he loses consciousness then we know that this is a state after which it is very difficult to bring him back. And in fact the Holy One, blessed be He, created in man a mechanism that at a certain stage when he cannot bear the pain, a disconnection occurs. And the disconnection is in fact the loss of consciousness, because if not, think of a person who is in terrible and enormous pains and he does not lose consciousness, then think that he could continue to suffer and the suffering would be terrible and awful. But loss of consciousness constitutes testimony to the critical state the person is in. That is to say, he can no longer bear the pain, he already loses consciousness. It emerges then that "when I would comfort myself against sorrow," what I strengthened myself against the sorrow and overcame and thought there was hope, and since so you did not hear a cry from me, I understand that this stems not from strengthening and expectation of a better future, as I said some clear-sighted view of reality, but rather exactly the opposite. This shows that I have reached being like a sick person who has lost consciousness. It becomes clear to me that this stems not from strengthening and expectation of a better future... but rather exactly the opposite, it shows that I have reached being like a sick person who has lost consciousness.
So that "my heart is faint within me." I am already like a sick person whose feelings, whose sensations have entirely ceased and consequently he no longer feels everything that happens with him. From here the restraint stems. And in fact it emerges that restraint can sometimes come from strengthening, and can sometimes come from the loss of all senses. So what? So this is a person who restrains himself, then he does not take any action.
"Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a far country: Is Hashem not in Zion? Is her king not in her? Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images, and with strange vanities?" Before we explain the verse, perhaps first of all a grammatical note. The name of Hashem, as is known, one can read it A-D-O and so on, and one can read it with a silent aleph. I will not say the name of Hashem, I will say adoni. And indeed grammatically it is the same thing, because in adoni too it is exactly the same. I can say for example me'adoni, she'adoni, la'adoni. And I can say for example ka'adoni, la'adoni, mi'doni... ha'doni, excuse me. Excuse me, ba'adoni. And I will explain. Notice, so the rule is like this: Moshe and Kalev. This is a well-known and famous rule. And Kalev in fact brings in and Moshe takes out. That is to say, the sign is as it were Moshe took us out of Egypt and Kalev brought us into the land.
And the sign is to know whether the aleph is silent or not, this is whether it begins with the letters of Moshe or begins with the letters of Kalev. If it begins with the letters mem, shin, heh, we pronounce it out. Pronouncing the aleph properly. Moshe takes out. So therefore I will say me'adoni, I will say she'adoni, ha'adoni. By contrast, when it involves the letters kaf, lamed, bet, then Kalev brings in, it brings in and swallows the aleph. I will say ka'adoni. There is none like our Lord, we do not say ein ka'adonenu, ein ke'Adonenu, ein ke'Malkenu, ein ke'Moshi'enu. So we will say la'adoni, yes? ba'adoni. And likewise "do not rebel ba'Hashem" and so on. That is to say, there are these letters where the aleph is not pronounced. And notice by the way that many err in this. "Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait la'Hashem." And this is a complete error, this "all who wait" is la'Hashem. One must say la'Hashem. And not... the aleph is silent there.
Notice, there is a Masorah. The Masorah in fact organizes for us the pronunciations in every place, how many times each thing appears. And the Minchat Shai is usually the one considered the grammarian who brings the Masorah. Among us, among the Sephardim, there were many masters of the Masorah, there was the Machberet HaTijan, there was the Radak, there was the Michlol, there were many books of Masorah. Among the sages of Ashkenaz the more accepted was the Minchat Shai. And he brings what is written here, "Is Hashem not in Zion," let us say ha'adoni ein be'Tziyon for the matter, so the heh is apparently from the letters of Moshe, so one should say ha'adoni ein be'Tziyon. Thus one apparently should say with the name of Hashem. But in practice in the Masorah it is written thus: every expression of Lordship with Moshe blows out. Blows out means takes out, pronouncing the aleph. Except for one, "Is Hashem not in Zion." Thus he brings from the book Michlol, that "Is Hashem not in Zion" here one does not say ha'adoni ein be'Tziyon, but rather ha'doni ein be'Tziyon. As it were without... the aleph is silent contrary to the rules of grammar, so here it is an exception in all of Tanach. Good, after the grammar lesson, let us now learn the verse.
"Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people." There are three explanations here of how to explain who is speaking here. Rashi explains that here we are speaking about the people of Israel in the future. And the prophet, as a paraphrase, describes: I hear now all of Israel crying out from the lands of their exile. Which lands of their exile? They are here. Yes, but the prophet wants to describe to you: you do not listen to what I say, know that this is what is going to be, and I already foresee the future, I already hear you crying out from the lands of your exile. "Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people," I hear that your end is to cry out from a far country. "Is Hashem not in Zion? Is her king not in her?" That is, why, from what does all this come? For is Hashem not in Zion? Is the Holy One, blessed be He, not here? For if you return to Him in repentance, then Hashem will accept you. So why must I now hear you crying out from a far country, as one who sees with his mind's eye the future that will be yours? About this the heart of the prophet aches, he as it were describes the future.
The Radak explains that Israel now are the ones crying out. And that we should understand the difficulty. The difficulty is how "behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a far country"? The prophet is here, the people are here. What is "the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a far country"? They are not in a far country. So how can it be that the prophet speaks of a far country? So Rashi says he foresees the future. The Radak explains no. The Radak explains "the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a far country" does not mean my people cry out when my people are in a far country. No. But rather the meaning is: the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people, who cry out from the terror of the enemy coming from a far country. So it is not my people crying out from a far country, it is the enemy coming from a far country. So the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people, my people cry out about the enemy coming from a far country. And then what do they cry out and say? "Is Hashem not in Zion? Is her king not in her?" How can it be that the enemy comes to attack us? Is the Holy One, blessed be He, not here? Do we not have a king? For Hashem, His Shechinah is in Zion, there is a king in it, so how does the enemy come and rule? And the Holy One, blessed be He, answers them, "Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images, with strange vanities?" How do they think to be saved by Hashem, for they provoked Me to anger with their carved images, for they provoked Me to anger with strange vanities, how do they think that their king will save them after the evil deeds they did?
According to the Malbim, the address here, the cry of the daughter of my people from a far country, indeed speaks of the people exiled now in a far country. How can it be? The prophet speaks with the people and they are still here? The Malbim says correct, but have you forgotten that the ten tribes are already in a far country? The prophet says, behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people, the ten tribes from a far country. They, the ten tribes who are now exiled in their lands, here the Holy One, blessed be He, says, I hear, this is the word of Hashem according to the Malbim, the Holy One, blessed be He, says I hear the voice of the cry of the ten tribes who are in a far country, beyond the rivers of Cush, they await redemption, they await salvation. And when they hear, not only that there is no salvation, but moreover that the remnant that remained here, it too is about to be exiled, this despairs them completely, causes them to lose all hope. The voice of the cry of the daughter of my people who are in a far country, they wonder, what, is it not enough that we are not returning, but moreover those remaining here will also be exiled? And then they ask, is Hashem not in Zion? For in Zion is the place of Hashem's Shechinah, and there it is fitting for them to have salvation in a miraculous way, above nature. And even if you say Hashem abandoned them, there is a hiding of the face, is her king not in her? In any case according to the way of nature, that they fight against the enemies and be saved through war. Hashem answers them, and here it is in fact more or less like the Radak, why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images? The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, this punishment is not by way of chance, it is with complete providence, for they provoked Me to anger with their carved images, they exchanged Hashem for other gods. And not only that, but also my people exchanged its God for that which is of no avail. That is to say, the very fact that you exchanged for someone else is already great betrayal. Let us define it, perhaps let us give an example, it is like a man who was married to a very special woman, going and taking another special woman. So his wife would not be hurt. And she would be more special than her, alright? So she would not be hurt. Of course she would be hurt. And if he takes someone who is a complete nothing, then the hurt is seven hundred times greater, right? You exchanged me for someone like that? That is to say, let us understand that this is in fact what the verse comes to say here. The verse says, for they exchanged Hashem for other gods, and this is already a criminal offense. And beyond that, with strange vanities? They provoked Me to jealousy with a non-god, for they provoked Me to anger with their vanities. Fine, if you were to say I took someone else from whom I derive benefit, that too is a sin. But behold you took someone else who has no power at all, so still with strange vanities? The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, if so the punishment is with complete providence, it is not in a chance manner, so you, the ten tribes who await salvation, understand that not only is your salvation not near, but those still here, they too are destined to be exiled.
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." According to the Malbim, this is the continuation of the words of the ten tribes. And they say, for the harvest has already passed and the summer too is ended and we are still not saved. For many days we await salvation, and still the salvation has not yet come. That is to say, "we are still not saved" fits very well if we are speaking about someone who is now in exile. According to the other explanations, one needs more understanding of what "we are still not saved" means. But they too explain. Rashi explains, the harvest is past, the summer is ended, from whom did we think to be saved? We relied on Egypt. We thought that its supports would help us. We thought that Pharaoh would save us. We awaited the help of Egypt. For we saw our salvation was vain. And the prophet says to them, do not expect the salvation of Egypt, it is like a reed, a crushed reed, that when you lean on it, the splinter of the reed enters and pierces and punctures the hand. We awaited the salvation of Egypt. We said the harvest will pass, they are apparently busy now, there is a harvest, there is much work in the field, they have not yet freed up. The harvest passed in Iyar, and they still did not come. The summer time, we said perhaps now they are occupied, it is summer, the cutting of the figs, they would dry them, there is much work in the field, he has no time to send an army. But the summer too is ended and we are not saved. Those whose help we expected was vain, and ultimately we saw that our expectation did not justify itself.
The Radak explains that the harvest and the summer are special times in which a person has salvation. They are times of salvation. And why? Because the harvest is a time when a person has salvation from the drought. Finally there is wheat, there is food, no, this year is not a drought, thank God, there is a harvest. And therefore it is written "as the joy in harvest." And also the summer time, a person rejoices in the fruits he has, this too is a time of joy. He comes to say, as it were by way of parable, there are times fit for salvation, for joy, and these times passed and we are still not saved. Even though these times are times when it is fitting to expect good in them, still the good has not come. The Malbim explains, notice, "the harvest is past, the summer is ended." He speaks both of harvest, and of summer, both of "past," and of "ended." He in fact doubles his language, and this thing requires explanation. The Malbim explains that the summer comes after the harvest. And "ended" is more than "past." "Past," that is to say it may be that there is still a little. But "ended" is complete cessation, entirely ended. So it emerges that the prophet goes and adds. The harvest passed, which is the first stage, it passed, but perhaps something still remained. He says no, we passed also the second stage and it already ended, the summer ended, which is complete cessation, and still we are not saved. In fact he wants to say, the salvation has become completely distant.
"For the breaking of the daughter of my people I am broken; I mourn; horror has taken hold of me." The prophet says, for the breaking of the daughter of my people I am broken. Over the breaking, over the breaking of Israel, their great and difficult trouble, I am broken, I myself am broken. Targum Yonatan explains that this is the statement of Jerusalem. Jerusalem says, over the breaking of the congregation of Israel, over the breaking of Israel, Jerusalem as it were was broken. "I mourn; horror has taken hold of me." Kadarti is from the language of dark, black, blackness and gloom. And shamah is from the language of astonishment. Desolation and astonishment seized me, yes? "I mourn; horror has taken hold of me." And the Malbim explains that here too he goes and adds. At the beginning he says "I am broken," a break can be partial. He has a break in the arm, a break of the leg, or a break of the leg. A break can be in part of the body. By contrast "I mourn," it is already all become black, all blackened. And afterwards "horror has taken hold of me," this is already completely desolate. So here too the prophet proceeds gradually and describes the troubles going and mounting. The Malbim explains that this verse too is a continuation of the words of the ten tribes. And this according to the Malbim is most wondrous, for "for the breaking of the daughter of my people I am broken," the ten tribes weep now there in a far country, for their heart aches over the breaking of the daughter of my people, over whom? Over those who remained here, who are the daughter of my people, who too were broken. The tribe of Yehudah and Binyamin. And about them he says "I am broken" completely. Why? Because if now I was in a state of breaking, then now I am even more broken. For if I had hope that soon I would be redeemed, now that I hear that also those who remained in the land are about to be exiled, this shows how the redemption goes and grows distant, so this added a break upon my break. Let us notice, says the Malbim, there is here a threefold expression. "I am broken, I mourn, horror has taken hold of me." There are here three expressions of breaking. Since this comes to allude to the three times that Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem and exiled it, so corresponding to this this matter is mentioned here three times.
"Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is the healing of the daughter of my people not come up?" "Is there no balm in Gilead," there is here in Targum Yonatan an explanation more by way of derash. He says that in fact the prophet here laments over himself and says, perhaps I do not have in me good deeds to pray on behalf of the house of Israel, perhaps there are not in me good deeds so that I would be worthy to pray on behalf of Israel? Was I not longing for the teaching of Eliyahu the prophet who is from Gilead, whose words are healing. For I was longing for his study, for the Torah of Eliyahu the prophet who is from Gilead. This is "is there no balm in Gilead." That Eliyahu, his actions, his deeds, his words are healing, they are the healing. So when it is written "is there no balm in Gilead," the meaning is: do we not have the great physician who is Eliyahu who comes from Gilead? I was longing for his Torah. About this he says, why has the healing of the daughter of my people not come up? About this he says, since they did not repent, and therefore healing did not come up, healing did not come up for the daughter of my people.
The Malbim explains that this verse, let us now go more by way of the plain meaning, for what we just explained is by way of derash. The Malbim explains that here this is Hashem's answer. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to those who were broken and to those who now ask why this trouble came upon us, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, did the tribe of Yehudah need healing through drugs brought from a distant land? Through remedies that come from across the sea? For He says to them, is there no balm in Gilead? Is their healing not in Gilead? For Gilead is the place of the balm, Gilead is the place of healing. As it is written, the Metzudat Tziyon brings, that the balm is the tzari mentioned among the ingredients of the incense, it is the sap of a tree that was designated for healing. As it is written "take balm for her pain." And therefore he says the balm, this matter of healing, is it not found in Gilead? For it need not be imported from a far country. In Gilead that plant designated for healing is found. And he also says to them, is there no physician there? Say, perhaps the balm is found, but what can be done, there are no physicians who know how to compound it. About this he says, is there no physician there? Is there not the physician who would know how to take the balm and how to treat it and how to heal with it? So if so, why has the healing of the daughter of my people not come up? If so, the healing is fitting and ready, and if so they should be healed immediately. So why has the healing of the daughter of my people not come up? In simple words, for their healing is near to coming. And on what does it depend? That they improve their deeds, that they correct their corrupt way. They have the Torah, they have the mitzvot, they have the prophets. So the Torah and the mitzvot are the balm, this is in fact the healing. Who are those who know how to make this healing accessible and give it to you? These are the physicians, the physicians of the soul, they are the prophets, they are the sages. So is there no physician there? For there are the sages who teach the Torah. So why were they not healed? And in fact here, as it were, He says, the fault is with them. Since remedies exist and healing exists, and if so why has the healing of the daughter of my people not come up? So why did they remain sick? It is only that they refuse to take the remedies. They refuse to listen to the word of the physicians, and since so, their suffering is only through their own fault.
"Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" The prophet says, oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears. As it were the prophet says on the one hand, out of the great love, the immense love with which I love this people, I want to weep day and night for their slain. But on the other hand, let us not be confused, the prophet hates, with complete hatred, their evil deeds, their corrupt actions. And therefore immediately in the next verse, "oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfarers, that I might leave my people and go from them!" Wait, a moment ago you say I want to weep over them, and a moment later you say you want to flee from them? This is the dual relationship that we have toward transgressors and toward the wicked. On the one hand, I must love him as I love every one of Israel. On the other hand, I must hate, with complete hatred, his evil deeds. So as part of Israel, he is part of Israel.
Once someone came to... this was to the Rebbe of Ger, he said to him, Rabbi, that person, it is a mitzvah to bury him. From this side he is a complete wicked man, it is a mitzvah to finish him off. It is a mitzvah to bury him. So the Rebbe said to him, it is a mitzvah to bury him? Where did you get this mitzvah? The Rebbe said to him, I will prove to you from the Torah that there is no mitzvah to bury him. He said to him from where? He said to him, behold see, regarding the plague of darkness it is written that when there were wicked people among Israel, then they buried them during the plague of darkness so that the Egyptians would not know that among us too there were wicked people who died, so Israel buried them during the plague of darkness, when all the Egyptians were in curfew, they went to bury Israel. He says, is this not so, when Israel were before the redemption, what is written? "And I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood." What merit did they have? The blood of the Pesach, the blood of circumcision. Why did they not have the merit that they buried the wicked? You see that this is not a mitzvah. You decided it is a mitzvah to bury him? The Rebbe said to him this is not a mitzvah. If it were a mitzvah they would have been redeemed from Egypt by the merit of this mitzvah. There is no mitzvah to bury him.
Another time they tell that he heard from someone who said, this is the Rebbe, this wicked man, may his name and memory be blotted out. So he said to him, how do you say such a thing about him? He says to him, yes Rabbi, he is wicked. The Rebbe said to him, know that from halachah it is proven that his name and memory shall not be blotted out. In the Torah it is written that it shall not. He said to him how can it be? He said to him it is written that a woman whose husband died and he has a brother, she is obligated in levirate marriage. If he has no children, she is obligated in levirate marriage. And what would the law be if this husband who died is wicked? He says the law is that in any case chalitzah she is obligated. And there, why is this done? So that the name of the deceased will not be blotted out. So the Torah says it shall not be blotted out. And this is written in the Shulchan Aruch, and you say may it be blotted out? Thus that great one said to him. Good, in any case we see that on the one hand we hope that the wicked will be finished off, and not that sinners will cease, but rather that the wicked will become righteous. And through this the wickedness will cease. So this is what is here. On the one hand, out of his great love for Israel, he says oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night. That I might have weeping day and night over the terrible troubles that happen to Israel. And on the other hand, oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfarers. But to be here with the wicked and the transgressors, this I cannot, I am not able. And therefore oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfarers, to distance myself from them to the wilderness.
And he asks, oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears. My head would be entirely waters, and my eyes from which a fountain of tears would come out. What does this mean? That from this source the waters would as it were flow out, and then through this day and night I could weep without cease. The Malbim brings that by nature, the persistence of weeping, researchers say, dries out the brain until the tears cease. The tears would cease. When a person weeps much, this causes dryness in the brain that causes the tears to cease. And therefore he asks that I ask that even though I weep day and night, with all this the moisture in his head would not cease, but rather his head would be as it were of the element of water, and through this the tears would continually continue and flow from his eyes and would be in the category of a flowing stream, a fountain of tears that does not stop.