Mene mene tekel u'farsin, and there it was understood that God had numbered his kingdom, it was weighed, and found lacking. And on that very night Belshazzar was slain. That is how the chapter concludes there. In other words, that very same night the Medes came and conquered Bavel. On the very night that he took out the vessels of the Temple to drink from them, because he was confident that Israel would no longer be redeemed, since according to his reckoning the seventy years of Bavel's dominion had already been completed and no redemption would come, on that very night Bavel was captured.
So this is what he says, בחומם אשית משתיהם. "In their heat I will set their feasts." The word בחומם refers to their feast, when they were in the warmth of the feast, for when a person drinks he grows warm from the alcohol. So "in their heat I will set their feasts," I will make their feast turn from a feast of joy into mourning. And this is what he says, והשכרתים למען יעלוזו. This time will be for them a time of great fear, as it is written "then Belshazzar was greatly terrified and his countenance changed upon him." Belshazzar was utterly alarmed and the radiance of his face changed, ורברבנוהי משתבשין, meaning his great ones did not know how to give him counsel but were confounded.
והשכרתים למען יעלוזו, meaning I will make them like drunkards. And what does למען יעלוזו mean? למען here means "because." Because they rejoiced. Since they had been merry and joyful when drinking from the vessels of the Temple, God says I will make them like drunkards and they will sleep an eternal sleep, they will not awaken. That is, a drunkard who goes to sleep, at a certain point wakes up, but He says of these, I will make it so that they will have such a drunkenness, והשכרתים למען יעלוזו, because they rejoiced with the Temple vessels, וישנו שנת עולם ולא יקיצו. There the sleep will not be like the sleep of a drunkard, but it will be an eternal sleep from which they will never awaken.
The Radak brings another explanation in the name of Rabbeinu Yonah, who explains what למען יעלוזו means. He explains that יעלוזו means they will convulse and tremble. He brings from Arabic that this is the meaning. The intent is that sometimes, like a person who is ill, just before death he appears to be laughing. As it is written רעתכי אז תעלוזי, the evil comes and then he appears to be laughing and dies. So here too he explains that they will experience such an evil that for one moment they will appear to be laughing, and afterward this will be their death.
Yonatan explains, distress will come upon them and they will be like a drunkard, they will resemble a drunkard, so that they will have no strength, so that they will not have the strength to fight, and they will die a second death and will not live in the World to Come. They will die a second death, not only in this world but their death will also be such that they will not live in the World to Come. The Metzudat David explains that this actually expresses what would come upon Belshazzar. He says I will bring it about that their feast will be at a time of heat. What does בחומם אשית את משתיהם mean? According to what we explained just now, the intent is that the feast will bring them to warming. But he explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, arranged the feast at a time of heat. When a person is hot, he drinks a great deal. And this will cause them to actually drink much and become intoxicated beyond what would naturally have occurred. And through this they will sleep an eternal sleep.
אורידם ככרים לטבוח, כאילים עם עתודים. I will bring them down like lambs, כרים are lambs. Yes, "the flocks are clothed with lambs." Or Targum Yonatan says כתורין, meaning young doves. "Like rams with he-goats," who are led to slaughter. And this describes the situation in which the Persians returned and killed the ministers and the mighty men, as the Malbim explains.
איך נלכדה ששך ותיתפש תהילת כל הארץ, איך היתה לשמה בבל בגויים. How was Sheshach captured? Sheshach is Bavel in the atbash cipher. So "how was Sheshach captured" means how was Bavel captured? She who was the praise of all the earth, how was she seized? How did Bavel become a desolation among the nations? So there are two questions. One question, how was she captured and conquered? For that is something beyond nature. A second matter, how is it possible that after she was captured and seized she became a wasteland? All the nations would come to her to trade with her, they would submit beneath her, and now she is nullified and has become desolate.
עלה על בבל הים, בהמון גליו נכסתה. Once again the sea here is a metaphor. "The sea has risen upon Bavel," meaning a great army like the sea rose upon Bavel. And then "with the multitude of its waves she is covered." The Malbim says that here there is an expression of the three times that Bavel came to destruction and conquest. Her cities became a desolation, a parched land and a wasteland, a land in which no man dwells and through which no son of man passes. Her cities were desolate, ארץ ציה means a dry place, and ערבה means like a desert, "no man dwells in them and no son of man passes through them." And the Malbim already explained to us that איש means "there is," meaning all kinds of creatures. "And no son of man passes through her," and even a son of man will not pass through there even by chance.
ופקדתי על בל בבבל, והוצאתי את בלעו מפיו, ולא ינהרו אליו עוד גויים, גם חומת בבל נפלה. "And I will visit upon Bel in Bavel." I will visit upon Bel; Bel was a god of Bavel. In Bavel they worshiped Bel. And I will decree that they break it, and carry off its gold, yes, they will take its gold to use for their needs. And this is the greatest disgrace, that you had a god, and from this god they took its gold to make vessels, to make jewelry. So in this there will be great disgrace, therefore he says that the visitation upon Bavel will be that they carry off its gold, they will take it and use it as raw material, they will carry off its gold. Bel; we see that there was another prophecy that also expresses the fall of Bel, "Bel bows down, Nevo stoops," for there too the intent is to an idol they had there in Bavel, and Bavel is called Bavel after this idol which was Bel. Some say it is also connected to the moon Bul. Some say it is also connected after that idol.
והוצאתי את בלעו מפיו. What is this speaking about? The Radak explains that this is a parable, that they would bring offerings to the idol, to the god. Not that it actually ate this, but nevertheless they would present it offerings. Incidentally, you should know that there were some who had idols of stone, and they would bring the drink up to its mouth, and one could see in a glass vessel how the water was diminishing and it was drinking it. And the people, in their naivety, would think that the god drank. But what actually happened? The stone idol absorbs; it was an absorbent stone. Now when you place something liquid near it, it immediately draws the water to itself, like a sponge, which when you place it upon something liquid immediately absorbs it. And so they would think that it was truly, as it were, drinking. In any case, the expression here is a parable. As it were, all the offerings they fed it, all of it now it will spew out, all of it it will vomit up. "And I will bring out what it swallowed from its mouth."
ולא ינהרו אליו עוד גויים, meaning the nations would run to it. ינהרו is from the word for running, just as a river (נהר) is called a river because it flows. So then "to flow" means to go running. So "nations will no longer stream to it." "Also the wall of Bavel has fallen." Even the wall of Bavel, which was strong and broad, it too fell. It too ultimately collapsed, and all this comes to express the complete, multi-systemic collapse of Bavel. It occurs to me now to explain that what is written here, "and I will bring out what it swallowed from its mouth," it is brought that when Nevuchadnetzar wanted them to bow to the image he made in the valley of Dura, he took and placed there the Tzitz inside the mouth of the statue, and through this the statue would say "I am the Lord" and "you shall have no other gods." And through this they were certain that here this was the god speaking from its mouth. It is written there that Daniel told him he wanted to kiss the statue directly, mouth to mouth. He arranged for him lifting apparatus from the base up to the statue's top, right up to its mouth. And then he approached with his mouth as if to kiss it, drew out the Tzitz from there, and the statue collapsed. And this is what they say, "and I will visit upon Bel in Bavel and I will bring out what it swallowed from its mouth." "I will bring out what it swallowed from its mouth" can be explained, so it occurs to me now, that the intent is to that very matter, that he brought out what it had swallowed, the Tzitz that it swallowed in its mouth, this he brought out from its mouth, and by the power of this "Bel bows down, Nevo stoops." Even though according to what is apparent this is speaking of two different periods, in any case this matter is quite possible and it is alluded to here in the verses.
Daniel. צאו מתוכה עמי ומלטו איש את נפשו מחרון אף השם. "Go out from her midst, My people." Israel, now the Holy One, blessed be He, tells them the time of redemption has come, for we know that Daryavesh and Koresh gave the possibility for Israel to go up to their land and build the Second Temple. So He says "go out from her midst, My people, let each man save his soul from the fierce anger of God." Save his soul from the fierce anger of God that will be in Bavel, and through this, Heaven forbid, you too will not be struck. So therefore first you, "go out from her midst, My people, and let each man save his soul."
ופן ירך לבבכם ותיראו בשמועה הנשמעת בארץ, ובא בשנה השמועה ואחריו בשנה השמועה, וחמס בארץ ומושל על מושל. What is this multiplicity of reports here? Rashi explains, "lest your heart grow faint and you fear at the report that is heard in the land." The report that Belshazzar was killed, your heart will melt. "And in the year the report comes," in that same year another report will come, that Bavel was destroyed. Destroyed of itself from Heaven, as it is written "and Bavel, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor of the Chaldeans' pride, will be like God's overthrow of Sodom and Amora." Bavel was overthrown. And afterward "and after it in the year the report." So this is the third report. It is a report that is already good for you. And what is the report? "So says Koresh, king of Persia, whoever among you of all His people, let him go up," and so on. The permission granted by Koresh to go and build the Temple. So "and after it in the year the report," a year later the report will come, and then "a ruler over a ruler." Daryavesh the Mede reigned one year, and in the second year Koresh the Persian reigned. And in this the Radak explains and says, He informs them that they should not fear and their hearts should not grow faint from all these reports, since these reports are harsh regarding Bavel, but they are good regarding Israel. And therefore He says to them "lest your heart grow faint and you fear at the report heard in the land," do not worry, for behold, even though violence has been done in the land, but know for yourselves, a ruler will come upon the existing ruler, and this ruler will give you permission to go up to the land and build it.
The Malbim explains along the same line, he says that your heart should not grow faint at the first report, which is the first destruction. "And in the year comes" the second report that Bavel will be destroyed a second time. As we saw according to the Malbim that she was destroyed three times. "And after it in the year" the report will come a third time that Bavel was destroyed. According to the Malbim it emerges that the third report is not the good report for us that we go up to the land, but rather it is a report a third time about the destruction of Bavel. "And violence in the land, a ruler over a ruler." And the violence that will be in the land will rule over the rulers. Meaning, when there is violence in the land, then the ruler has the power to control the violence. Meaning, he can nullify the violence, the evil forces that rule in the country. But if the ruler is weak, then it emerges that the violence rules over him. That is, the evil force in the land rules over the ruler. This is what he says, "and violence in the land and a ruler over a ruler." The violence in the land will be stronger than the ruler, it will rule over him, that is, the ruler will not be able to prevail against the violence that will be in the land.
לכן הנה ימים באים ופקדתי על פסילי בבל וכל ארצה תבוש, וכל חלליה יפלו בתוכה. "Therefore behold, days are coming and I will visit upon the idols of Bavel." Therefore I tell you, days will come and I will visit, and this time it will be through Providence, not through peoples but it will be through Providence from God. I will bring the evil, and this evil will, as the Malbim defines it, be in accordance with nature. To such an extent that heaven and earth will sing over Bavel. What is the intent? When something happens here on earth, it is, as it were, according to nature. When something happens and is written in the heavens, it means it is through Providence. And if I say here "and heaven and earth will sing over Bavel," in the next verse, let us read it: "and heaven and earth and all that is in them will sing over Bavel, for from the north the spoilers will come to her, says God." So here this evil will be through Providence and encompasses both in heaven and on earth. Both according to nature and according to the supernal Providence. And through this, "from the north the spoilers will come to her, says God." The spoilers will come from the north, from the north Daryavesh will come with his army, who are these spoilers. And as we saw, that toward us the evil opens from the north, that for us from the north Bavel came and struck us, we already saw measure for measure, from the north the trouble and downfall of Bavel will come.
והנה ימים באים ופקדתי על פסילי בבל וכל ארצה תבוש. "And all her land will be ashamed" means all the people of her land will be ashamed, since they relied on their idols and their graven images, and now God visits upon them, so behold their idols could not help them. "And all her slain will fall within her." "Fall within her" adds to the disgrace. For if you fell on the battlefield, that is still acceptable. But if you fell within her, that means you did not even go out to fight. That means they are led like sheep to slaughter. This shows the magnitude of Bavel's disgrace, that her downfall will be even in such a state that they did not fight for their lives but waited until the enemy came and killed them all.
גם בבל לנפול חללי ישראל, גם לבבל נפלו חללי כל הארץ. Let us read another verse. "You who have escaped the sword, go, do not stand still, remember God from afar and let Yerushalayim rise upon your heart." "Also Bavel is to fall." Meaning, since Bavel is already prepared for the slain of Israel and the slain of all the earth to fall in her, therefore do not fall into this trap. Do not remain there. You who have escaped the sword, go, do not stand still. Since anyone who remains there is destined to fall as Bavel fell, therefore I inform you, you, Israel, who have escaped the sword, if you want to be those who escape the sword and not fall like them, then go, do not stand still. Go from here and do not remain.
זכרו מרחוק את השם וירושלים תעלה על לבבכם. "Remember God from afar," meaning remember from Bavel what you corrupted, that you nullified the Temple service. And through this "and let Yerushalayim rise upon your heart," remember Yerushalayim to return to her. That is, through remembering what you lacked and what you damaged, you will return quickly to Yerushalayim. Remember that she mourns over her desolation, and this will bring you to leave Bavel. "We are ashamed for we heard reproach, disgrace has covered our faces, for strangers have come upon the sanctuaries of the House of God." And they say "we are ashamed for we heard reproach." בושנו, the Malbim explains, shame (בושה) is what a person is ashamed of from within himself. Disgrace (כלימה) is what he is disgraced of from others. Therefore it is written here "we are ashamed for we heard reproach, disgrace has covered our faces," for in fact they have two things. The reproach, the Malbim says, is because of some cause. In contrast, disgrace can very well be that a person is disgraced for nothing, without any cause. On this he says, until now we were ashamed, we were greatly ashamed for we heard reproach. Since the exile and the destruction were on account of our evil deeds. And as we said, reproach is for a cause. So our evil deeds brought about this shame. So at first "we were ashamed for we heard reproach," and being ashamed is a person ashamed of himself, we are ashamed of ourselves over the reproach with which they reproached us because of the evil deeds we did. In the second stage, "disgrace has covered our faces." After our sins were atoned, we were still in disgrace. And why? "For strangers have come upon the sanctuaries of God." That is, strangers arrived, took the sanctuaries of God and held the Temple vessels and drank from them. Now this is already disgrace. And why is this called כלימה? Since our sin was already atoned. And כלימה, if you wish there is a hint here, כלימה is like בלי מה, "without anything." Without any cause. We said כלימה is without a cause. So now this disgrace is without cause because our sins were already atoned.
The Radak explains that the reproach of the enemies was our disgrace, since the enemies reproached us until now that the Holy One, blessed be He, was, as it were, unable to save His people. God, as it were, cannot save you, and therefore you see you are in exile. And since this is so, now that disgrace and shame will come to an end. Therefore "behold, days are coming, says God, and I will visit upon her idols, and throughout all her land the slain will groan." God says therefore I will visit upon Bavel, and the visitation will be over the desecration of the Temple vessels, as Daniel explained the matter, that the thing was over the desecration of the Temple vessels. Mene mene tekel u'farsin, by that same hand that went out and wrote in the palace of Belshazzar. "And days are coming, says God, I will visit upon her idols, and throughout all her land the slain will groan." And throughout all her land the slain will cry out. Rashi says when a person is pierced by an arrow and spear and he groans, when the spear is drawn out then there is the groan. The Radak explains that the groan is the departure of the soul. The cry of the departure of the soul is called the groan. "And throughout all her land the slain will groan." Throughout all her land the slain one will groan over the trouble that came upon him.
כי תעלה בבל השמיים, וכי תבצר מרום עוזה, מאיתי יבואו שודדים לה נאום השם. "For should Bavel ascend to the heavens," even if she builds fortified walls to the heavens, it will not help her. "And should she fortify and strengthen the height of her strength," she raises up on high with strong and mighty buildings, "from Me the spoilers will come to her, says God." The Holy One, blessed be He, says מאיתי, meaning those who will come, for God does not descend and fight, this is not Egypt. Rather, what? מאיתי, those who will come, who are Daryavesh and Koresh, God says they are from Me. They are My messengers to bring down Bavel even if she should ascend to the heavens. In simple terms there is here a mission that will be fulfilled, come what may. Bavel will not be able to be saved from this evil decree.
The Malbim explains that "should Bavel ascend to the heavens" is not speaking here about something physical. In truth, from the words of the Radak it is implied that this is like a metaphor. Even if they climb to the heavens, nothing will help them. But as the Malbim explains, "ascend to the heavens" means that governance can be either through supernal Providence or through the dictate of the constellations. "The dictate of the constellations" means the stars, the systems of the stars. So he says even "should Bavel ascend to the heavens," even if it were pictured that in the systems of the heavens and the stars Bavel ascends, that is, her condition, her level would be high, the Holy One, blessed be He, says this will not help. Since God's Providence overpowers the dictate of the stars. And therefore God says "from Me the spoilers will come," I will plunder the constellation system, and then that action and dictate of the stars will accomplish nothing, so that even this will not constitute salvation for them.
קול זעקה מבבל, ושבר גדול מארץ כשדים. "A sound of an outcry from Bavel, and a great shattering from the land of the Chaldeans." A sound of an outcry will be heard from Bavel, that is, they will hear there an outcry over the terrible downfall. And a great shattering will be from the land of the Chaldeans. "For God plunders Bavel, and destroys from her the great voice, and their waves roar like many waters, the tumult of their voice is raised." For God plunders Bavel. The Holy One, blessed be He, plunders, as we saw the intent is that He brings spoilers upon her, that these spoilers will destroy and demolish her, as we will see explained further ahead. And Bavel, who was a bustling city, a city of great voice, הומיה meaning great voice. Bustling; there was a great populace there, and in a place where there is a great populace, then the place is bustling. God plunders Bavel and destroys from her the great voice. This place that was bustling, like "as the waves of the sea roar," the tumult of their voice, "the tumult of their voice is raised," there was tumult, there was noise, a living and vibrant city, God destroyed from her the great voice. That great voice will be lost from her; a place that is desolate is a quiet place. It is a place in which there is silence. A ruined place is a place where no voice is heard. In contrast a living, vibrant city is a city that has tumult. But here God plunders Bavel, so He destroyed from her the great voice. "And their waves roar like many waters," a city that until now their waves roared like many waters, "the tumult of their voice is raised," they had great tumult and their voice, this city will lose from her that great voice.
And this is the reason, "for a spoiler has come upon her, upon Bavel, and her mighty men are captured, their bows are shattered, for God is a God of recompense, He will surely repay." For a spoiler has come upon Bavel, and this is because God is a God of recompense and God will surely repay. That is, everything Bavel receives is repayment for the evil deeds they did. The Malbim explains that there is a difference between recompense (גמול) and payment (תשלומים). "For God is a God of recompense, He will surely repay." What is the difference between them? The Malbim says, recompense is according to the intensity of the hatred. The meaning is, the greater a person's hatred, the greater his act of recompense. In contrast, payment is according to the deed. Now according to the deed, it may be that you will receive a low payment because the deed is minor, the deed is small. But if there are intensities of hatred, then the recompense will be much, much greater. Since recompense, as we said, is not according to the deed but according to the hatred. So God says, here they will receive according to both these reckonings. Both according to the reckoning that is according to the deed, and according to the intensity of the hatred. And these two reckonings will find expression in that they will receive harsh and full punishments, so that in fact they will receive and drink the cup of poison to its end. And this thing will cause "her mighty men to be captured, their bows shattered." Her mighty men are captured, her mighty ones will not be able to fight and act against the enemies. "Their bows are shattered," as it were their bows were broken. And through their bows being broken, through this they have no possibility, they have no tools to fight. And all this, as we said, is recompense for their evil deeds.
והשכרתי שריה וחכמיה, פחותיה וסגניה וגיבוריה, וישנו שנת עולם ולא יקיצו, נאום המלך השם צבאות שמו. We already saw this explanation, that they sat on that night on which Belshazzar brought out the Temple vessels and drank from them, they drank and became intoxicated, the ministers, the wise men, the governors, the officials, and the mighty men. And after a person becomes intoxicated, we spoke then, he goes to sleep. He sleeps. Yes, so it says, here too they slept. But the sleep here was an eternal sleep, for on that very night Belshazzar was slain. That very night Belshazzar was killed. So God says, this drunkenness of drinking from the Temple vessels will be a drunkenness after which there will be sleep, but not the sleep of a drunkard, rather an eternal sleep.
כה אמר השם צבאות, חומות בבל הרחבה ערער תתערער, ושעריה הגבוהים באש יצתו. ויגעו עמים בדי ריק, ולאומים בדי אש, ויעפו. "So says God of Hosts, the broad walls of Bavel will be utterly demolished, and her high gates will be burned with fire. And peoples labor for emptiness, and nations for fire, and they grow weary." "So says God of Hosts, the broad walls of Bavel, will be utterly demolished." "The broad walls of Bavel"; it seemingly should have said "the broad ones" (plural). Why does he say הרחבה (singular)? The Radak explains that this speaks about each and every wall of Bavel's walls. Each and every wall of Bavel's broad walls, which is broad, and seemingly the breadth of the wall guarantees that it will never be demolished. A wall whose foundations are narrow has a chance of falling easily. But its broad walls, this thing is not natural. He tells you nevertheless know, the broad walls of Bavel will be utterly demolished. The intent is her walls will be destroyed. Rashi explains that this is from the word for digging, like "lay bare, lay bare down to its foundation within her." Her walls will be demolished, broken. "And her high gates will be burned with fire." She had mighty gates through which they would enter the city, they will burn with fire.
ויגעו עמים בדי ריק ולאומים בדי אש. What is בדי ריק, what is בדי אש? The Radak explains, בדי ריק means like "in emptiness." בדי אש means like "in fire." And when it is written בדי, the intent is that the thing is continuous. The continuity of the thing finds expression in the word בדי ריק. The intent is in the continuity of the emptiness and the continuity of the fire. That is, the peoples in Bavel, even if they exert themselves greatly to save themselves, their labor is for emptiness. And their salvation will be for fire. That is, you thought you were saved, but the fire will catch you. Ultimately their labor will be for emptiness and their salvation for fire, so that in fact their effort to be saved is without benefit. This is essentially the idea written here. The Radak gives another explanation, that they will recognize that all their labor in building Bavel was for emptiness and their labor for fire. That is, we are not speaking here about the salvation, we are speaking here about the very building of Bavel. For if I now depict that Bavel will be destroyed and go up in fire, then it becomes clear that all the labor was for emptiness. As if we wish to give an example, if they were to tell the one who built the Twin Towers what a lump of metal would come out of this whole matter, without any doubt he would have withdrawn from the whole undertaking from the outset. So here too, behold all your labor and all your effort went up in emptiness and in fire, so that in fact your labor was for nothing. And the Radak says that this explanation seems better to him, since this verse also appears in Chavakuk, and this explanation is more precise regarding what is written there.
The Malbim explains that what is written here, the labor for emptiness and the nations for fire, the intent was that they had labor to hold up the wall. Since they came to bring down the wall, then they exerted themselves greatly to strengthen the wall. As is known, whenever they would come to fight against the wall, then on the other side they would place ramparts, earth, to support the wall. They would place beams on the other side to hold up the wall. This is what he says here, "peoples labor for emptiness and nations for fire." What they labor to hold up the wall, that will be for emptiness. And what they labor to extinguish the fire, "and nations for fire," their labor will go up in fire, in the end they will not be able to save themselves.
הדבר אשר ציווה ירמיהו הנביא את שריה בן נריה בן מחסיה, בלכתו את צדקיהו מלך יהודה בבל, בשנת הרביעית למולכו, ושריה שר מנוחה. "The matter that Yirmiyahu the prophet commanded Serayah son of Neriyah son of Machseyah." Serayah son of Neriyah son of Machseyah was sent to Bavel. The opinions differ as to whether he was sent to Bavel "in his going with Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah to Bavel," meaning that he went with him to Bavel, and then he was actually sent with him. So the Radak explains, according to what is brought in Seder Olam, that in the fourth year of Tzidkiyahu he went down to greet the king of Bavel, and Serayah the commander of Menuchah was with him, and afterward he returned and arrived at Yerushalayim. In contrast Yonatan does not translate this way. Yonatan takes the view that he did not go with Tzidkiyahu, but rather Tzidkiyahu sent Serayah there. Essentially through Yirmiyahu, and by Tzidkiyahu Serayah was sent there on his mission. But Tzidkiyahu himself did not go. And thus he translates, "when he went on Tzidkiyahu's mission." He did not go with Tzidkiyahu but on Tzidkiyahu's mission.
What is ושריה שר מנוחה? What is a שר מנוחה? There are two explanations here. And both explanations are interesting. One explanation the Radak gives, the minister who was the king's companion, and was with the king during his rest, to converse and take pleasure with him. The king too needs to relax a little, right? So in their times he did not have, I don't know, a tablet or all sorts of gadgets, so who would relax him? There was the שר מנוחה. This was a minister whose role was to be with the king during his rest, to entertain him, interesting things, in short this was the minister who made his time pleasant when the king was at rest, conversing and taking pleasure with him. This is one explanation. There is a second explanation which is more the explanation of Targum Yonatan, that this was the minister of gifts. שר מנוחה like שר מנחה. To the king they would bring gifts. It is not like today, one could bring him envelopes, bring him presents, prestigious pens and so on, everything. The king would even write to you in advance what he wanted, everything as is customary in our regions. He would request and people would bring him gifts and offerings. And this was what was called officially. Not a legal advisor, not police, not anything. It was customary, they come to see the face of the king, they bring him a gift. For this you need a minister to arrange all the matters of the gift. This was a minister with a very heavy portfolio. And therefore this was called שר מנוחה. The minister of the gift. The one to whom they bring the offering to present to the king.
ויכתוב ירמיהו את כל הרעה אשר תבוא אל בבל אל ספר אחד, את כל הדברים האלה הכתובים אל בבל. "And Yirmiyahu wrote all the evil that would come upon Bavel in one book." At first he tells us that he writes a book, and afterward he teaches us what to do with this book. This is seen further ahead. But now he says that he wrote all the evil that would come upon Bavel in one book, all these things that are written concerning Bavel. What is the repetition? He means to say, all these things, what you just read, from all of this he made a book. The intent is, he prepared from it one unit in which is the entire story of Bavel and its bitter end. "And Yirmiyahu said to Serayah, when you come to Bavel, see and read all these words." When you arrive at Bavel, there indeed we saw just now that Yirmiyahu commands Serayah son of Neriyah son of Machseyah in his going with Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah to Bavel. So Serayah son of Neriyah son of Machseyah is now going to Bavel. The prophet Yirmiyahu says to him, I have a mission for you. What should you do there in Bavel? He did not ask him to buy him duty-free; he has other requests. What does he ask? He tells him that when you arrive there, you should read all the things that appear in this book. I have given here a book with all the disasters that are to come upon Bavel, arrive there, read it. "And you shall say, God, You have spoken concerning this place to cut it off, that none shall dwell in it, from man to beast, for it shall be an eternal desolation." Behold, from your mouth, Yirmiyahu, you spoke the prophecies written here, and You, God, indeed nothing restrains Your hand from acting as You wish, to cut off Bavel from having, from man to beast. "And it shall be, when you finish reading the book," Yirmiyahu says to Serayah, this book, tie a stone upon it and cast it into the Euphrates. When you finish reading the things written here in the book, upon the stone, upon this book tie a stone. This book is essentially a scroll, and if I throw it into the water, there is a good chance that it will float. And since I want the scroll to sink, then tie to it a stone which is essentially a weight, and cast it into the Euphrates River. The Radak says, the Euphrates River, we found it at the border of the Land of Israel, that it is one of the borders of the Land of Israel. So how do we now see it in connection to Bavel? The Radak says, that this river is one of the borders of the Land of Israel and it continued and reached all the way to Bavel. "And you shall say, thus shall Bavel sink and not rise, because of the evil that I am bringing upon her, and they shall grow weary." "Thus far the words of Yirmiyahu." "And you shall say," thus you shall say in your words at the time you sink the book, thus shall Bavel sink and not rise. Meaning, she will have no rising up. "Because of the evil that I am bringing upon her, and they shall grow weary." Meaning, the people will have such great evil come upon them, that they will grow weary. "They shall grow weary" means, they will be like the exhausted without strength to fight. This is the "and they shall grow weary." Thus far the words of Yirmiyahu.
This seemingly is not understood, for there is another chapter, and it is chapter 52. Why then does he say "thus far the words of Yirmiyahu"? The Radak explains, since he elaborated on the story of the evil that came upon Bavel, he said "thus far the words of Yirmiyahu." What Yirmiyahu spoke about Bavel, thus far. This is the intent. So "thus far the words of Yirmiyahu" means his prophecy regarding Bavel. As it is written above, "thus far the judgment of Moav." The intent is his prophecy that pertains to Moav. Another explanation, since from here onward, the Radak says, it is a narration of events and not the prophecy of Yirmiyahu, but rather whoever wrote afterward is the one who added the next chapter, and since this is so, he said "thus far the words of Yirmiyahu." So that you should not mistakenly think that Yirmiyahu also wrote the continuation, but rather the continuation, which is the description of the destruction, is from whoever wrote the book and not from Yirmiyahu himself. Another explanation the Radak gives, based on what the Rambam wrote, that it is impossible that prophecy should not cease from the prophet before his death. Whether a long time or a short time, it will cease from him. The Rambam says, the prophet never prophesies until the very last moment. Prophecy always ceases beforehand. Whether a long time or a short time, but prophecy ceases beforehand. So he says, according to this view of the Rambam, it is quite possible that this is what is written here, "thus far the words of Yirmiyahu." The intent is, when he completed his prophecy, here his prophecy ceased and he spoke no more. From here onward he prophesied no more, as the words of the Rambam that the prophet prophesies not until his death but until a time before his death. Just perhaps an explanation that we will try to understand as to why it was necessary to take and perform this action with the book and its casting into the river. We explained several times, the Malbim does not mention this here, but we mentioned several times in the name of the Malbim, and in fact the matter, if I am not mistaken, is also mentioned in the Ramban, that when the prophet performs some physical action, this action essentially brings down and transforms the thing from something that was pictured only in prophecy as something spiritual and ethereal, into something physical and earthly. Which guarantees that the prophecy will forever be fulfilled. Even if it is for evil, for a prophecy for evil is not necessarily fulfilled, when the prophet performs some physical act, this thing compels that the matter be fulfilled. And it is quite possible that what Yirmiyahu did here was with this aim, since Yirmiyahu wanted the prophecy to be fulfilled in Bavel come what may, and there should not be a situation where God would spare and have mercy on them, and then through this it would be said that when there is a prophecy for evil there is no necessity that it be fulfilled. Through your taking and sinking this book into the water, and your saying "thus shall Bavel sink," this thing is the creation of an act in the physical world, bringing down the thing to the reality of deed, and this thing will guarantee the fulfillment of the matters down to the last detail.