Introduction: Jerusalem, Which Has Not Yet Been Consoled
The chapter opens with a great prophecy of consolation - "Sing, O barren one who did not bear" - a promise that the Community of Israel, which had been in the state of a barren woman, will rejoice once again, gather together, and return to her land. From here onward, the prophet describes the intermediate stage: although the Jewish people as a whole will return to the land, Jerusalem will not yet be rebuilt and established. It is about this intermediate stage that the verse before us speaks.
עֲנִיָּה סֹעֲרָה לֹא נֻחָמָה הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מַרְבִּיץ בַּפּוּךְ אֲבָנַיִךְ וִיסַדְתִּיךְ בַּסַּפִּירִים׃ - "O afflicted one, storm-tossed, unconsoled! Behold, I will set your paving stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires."
"Afflicted one, storm-tossed" - this refers to the Community of Israel, who is impoverished and whose heart storms with the abundance of troubles. The Metzudat David explains that this refers to Jerusalem: she is like an afflicted woman trembling in a stormy wind, with no one to comfort her. And whenever "Zion" is written, it refers to Jerusalem, as in the phrase, "Arise, and let us go up to Zion."
The Malbim explains: the Land of Israel has already been consoled, "more numerous are the children of the desolate," and the Jewish people have returned to their land - but she, Jerusalem, has not yet been consoled; she has not yet merited to be rebuilt. To this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to her: Do not sorrow; you will yet be rebuilt and firmly established.
"I will set your paving stones in antimony" - the Metzudat David explains that it is the way of pavers to lay paving stones upon sand, just as curb stones are paved on sidewalks: they spread sand and place the stones upon it. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: With you, when they come to lay the stones of Jerusalem, they will not place sand underneath, but antimony - precious stones - upon which they will lay the paving stones. "And lay your foundations with sapphires" - and the foundations of the buildings will be made of sapphire stones, which are exceptionally precious gems.
What is the sapphire stone? The Radak quotes Rav Saadia Gaon that it is a white stone; Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra wrote that it is a red stone; the Radak himself explains that it is a black pearl; and Targum Yonatan translates it as "precious stones" (avnei tavvan), without specifying a color, and similarly for "a paved work of sapphire stone" he translates "a precious stone." Ultimately, the color is not the primary point - the essence is that it is a precious gem. It is also possible that all these explanations are true: just as in varieties of fruit there can be several shades within the very same species, so too with gems there can be several shades within the same type.
The Reality of Our Times: A Redeemed Land and a Desolate Jerusalem
The words of the Malbim here are astonishing, for we are witnessing this very reality: the Jewish people have returned to their land, yet Jerusalem remains ruined, desolate, degraded, and humbled. True, Teddy Stadium has been built, the Supreme Court building has been built, and in Givat Ram sits the Knesset of the heretics - yet she has still not been consoled. Anyone who sees how foreigners and willful sinners occupy the Temple Mount, having established their house of prayer and impurity upon the holiest site - what can that afflicted, storm-tossed woman do other than lament and refuse to be comforted? The Land of Israel has already begun its redemption, whereas for me, not only has my redemption not begun, but destruction upon destruction has been added to me. And upon this comes the promise in the next verse.
וְשַׂמְתִּי כַּדְכֹד שִׁמְשֹׁתַיִךְ וּשְׁעָרַיִךְ לְאַבְנֵי אֶקְדָּח וְכׇל־גְּבוּלֵךְ לְאַבְנֵי־חֵפֶץ׃ - "I will make your window frames of jasper, your gates of carbuncle stones, and your entire border of precious stones."
"Kadkod" is a type of precious stone (and there are two traditions regarding its pronunciation, whether the letter dalet takes a sheva nach or a sheva na). And what are "shimshotayich"? Several explanations are offered: Rashi cites in the name of Onkelos "a'ach," and likewise Targum Yonatan, referring to window frames, which will be crafted from precious stone. Menachem connected it to the language of "they shall serve her" (yeshamshunah), meaning your utensils and implements will be made of precious stones. Others explain it as deriving from shemesh (sun): the openings through which the sun shines, where it is customary to place panes of colored glass for beauty - and Scripture is saying that you will not use glass, but rather windows of precious stones that will shield against the sun. Midrash Tehillim offers another explanation, from the expression "a sun and a shield," referring to the battlements protruding atop the wall, like the crenellations of the walls of Jerusalem: out of immense wealth, even these battlements will be made of precious stone.
Avnei Ekdach
Targum Yonatan translates "le'avnei ekdach" as "le'avnei gumrin" - burning coals (and similarly, "bisra agumrei" refers to meat roasted over coals, and "mugmar" refers to incense spices placed over burning coals to diffuse fragrance). How is ekdach connected to coals? Rather, ekdach is not a pistol, but an expression of fire, as in "kindlers of fire (kodchei eish), girded with firebrands," and "a fire is kindled (kadcha) in My anger." That is: your gates will be made of precious gems blazing like torches, glowing like fiery coals.
Others explain ekdach from the concept of carving or drilling: stones so immense that the entire opening of the gateway is carved directly out of them - the entryway, the doorposts, the lintel, and the threshold, all from the body of a single stone. A wondrous marvel! Today, the largest diamond known to us, said to belong to the British monarchy, is about the size of an egg. We know of no stones larger than that, yet the prophet proclaims that there will be such colossal gems.
If You Have Not Seen, You Did Not Believe
Here it is fitting to recall the incident involving the student of Rabbi Yochanan. Rabbi Yochanan expounded on the size of the stones destined for Jerusalem, thirty cubits by thirty cubits, and that student scoffed: Where can such things be found? Today we can barely find minuscule diamonds; what are you talking about? Some time later, he set sail upon the sea and witnessed ministering angels sawing precious gems. He asked them, "What are these for?" They replied, "For Jerusalem." Upon his return, he said to Rabbi Yochanan, "Expound, my master! For it is fitting for you to expound!" Rabbi Yochanan said to him, "Empty-headed one! If you had not seen, you would not have believed?" He fixed his gaze upon him and turned him into a heap of bones. A person who lacks emunah - a deficiency in faith is a dreadful and severe matter.
They relate that there was an older yeshivah student who used to visit the Chazon Ish to discuss Torah learning, and the Chazon Ish - as was his customary way with anyone who came to converse in Torah - would step down from his elevated standing and speak with him like an ordinary person. Each time, that student would bring along a bottle of wine, for pouring wine down the throats of Torah scholars is regarded as though one offered libations upon the altar. Once, a certain Midrash was mentioned, and the student said, "Surely this cannot be understood literally; it makes no logical sense." This contained great disparagement of the words of Chazal. The Chazon Ish took severe issue with him and said, "What do you mean it is not literal? If Chazal describe that it will be so, it will surely be so, literally!" He debated him, and ultimately told him, "And next time, do not bring wine" - for the Chazon Ish was extremely careful not to drink wine touched by a person of dubious views. Awful and sobering words: Are the words of Chazal not trustworthy in your eyes? Do you require proofs? Do you need angels to show you, without which you will not believe?
"And All Your Borders into Stones of Delight"
Radak explains: "Stones of delight" (avnei chefetz) are stones that a person desires - not ordinary Jerusalem stone, but precious gems and pearls. And "all your borders" - not Jerusalem alone, but even the towns along the frontier. Radak adds that it is very possible the letter lamed in "le'avnei ekdach" and "le'avnei chefetz" indicates a transformation: not that they will rebuild anew with precious stones, but that the very stones of which the gates and borders are built will be transformed into burning fire-stones and stones of delight. It is also possible that these matters are entirely literal, or that they serve as a parable for the immensity of the wealth and abundant goodness in the Future Era, to the extent that if you so desire, you will be able to fashion even the city gates out of colossal precious stones.
The Malbim's Explanation: The Stones of the Tribes
The Malbim explains that "kadkod" refers to the shoham stone (onyx), and "your windows" (shimshotaich) are the windows, and these matters contain deep allusions. The nofech stone is the gem of Yehudah, symbolizing royalty; the sapphire stone is the gem of Yissachar, "those who have understanding of the times," symbolizing wisdom and the Torah. These two will serve as the foundation: "I will set your stones with carbuncle" - royalty; "and lay your foundations with sapphires" - the Torah.
The shoham stone is the gem of Yosef, an emblem of success and wealth, as it is written, "And Hashem was with Yosef, and he was a successful man." Therefore, it is the window facing the sun: "And I will make your windows of kadkod" - that the sun of success shall shine favorably upon them. "And your gates into fiery stones (avnei ekdach)" - the ekdach stone is the gem of Levi, symbolizing the Avodah, the service of the Beit HaMikdash, which serves as the gateway: "This is the gate of Hashem; the righteous shall enter through it." "And all your borders into stones of delight" - all the remaining tribes are designated by one collective name, stones that a person desires, without mentioning individual names, alluding to the fact that the remaining tribes will unite into a single entity and will no longer be split into two separate kingdoms.
Four Causes of Division - and the Prophet's Response
The Malbim explains: Discord and division can stem from four causes - two internal and two external. The first internal cause is poverty. When people are poor, they fight over every penny; Heaven spare us, during the Holocaust people fought over every crust of bread. When poverty prevails, people look upon one another begrudgingly, feeling that whatever you possess comes at my expense, and everyone seeks to seize from his fellow. In response to this, the verse prefaces: "Behold, I will set your stones with carbuncle and lay your foundations with sapphires" - there will be tremendous wealth, and this cause for strife will cease to exist.
The second internal cause is discord in faith and outlook, as occurred during the Second Temple era with the Tzadokim and Boethusians, and as is sometimes seen even among observant Jews. The next verse addresses this directly.
וְכׇל־בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי יְהֹוָה וְרַב שְׁלוֹם בָּנָיִךְ׃ - "And all your children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."
All your children will be taught of Hashem - everyone will receive their learning and their faith directly from Hashem Himself. There will no longer be arguments about what Hashem wants, which path He chooses, which service is pleasing before Him, and what is foolishness or forbidden to believe - which is the root of division and strife. When everyone receives faith from Hashem Himself, then automatically, "great shall be the peace of your children." As Yirmeyahu said: "And they shall no longer teach each man his fellow and each man his brother, saying, 'Know Hashem,' for they shall all know Me, from their smallest to their greatest" - no one will need to instruct his fellow, because our Teacher will be the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself. This is also the meaning of "yet your Teacher shall not hide Himself any more" - your Teacher will no longer conceal Himself behind His wing, but will teach us all Torah directly. Then there will be no controversy, no conflicting viewpoints, no divergent approaches, and no differing practices; rather, we will all serve Hashem with one accord.
The Two External Causes: Oppression and Ruin
Thus far, the prophet addressed the two internal causes: there will be no poverty and no poverty of knowledge, so there will be no quarrels over monetary matters or ideological differences. Yet division in the kingdom could still arise from two external causes: the enemy who comes to rob our wealth, and the enemy who comes to take our lives. The next verse addresses both of these.
בִּצְדָקָה תִּכּוֹנָנִי רַחֲקִי מֵעֹשֶׁק כִּי־לֹא תִירָאִי וּמִמְּחִתָּה כִּי לֹא־תִקְרַב אֵלָיִךְ׃ - "In righteousness shall you be established; be far from oppression, for you shall not fear, and from ruin, for it shall not come near you."
Zion will be built of precious stones through what has been explained: that there will be no strife over differing approaches and views, for we will all be taught of Hashem, and no strife caused by poverty, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, will shower an abundance of blessing. To this the verse adds that the completion of the building will come through righteousness - good deeds between man and his fellow. Through this, we are saved from destroyers coming from without: "In righteousness shall you be established," and then "be far from oppression" - when we give charity and act with righteousness, we need not fear that anyone will come to rob our property. For when is our property plundered? When our wealth is not kosher.
There was once an informer (a moser) in Volozhin, a man who betrayed fellow Jews to the authorities and caused tremendous damage. People gathered at the home of Rav Chaim of Volozhin to discuss what to do, and in the heat of the discussion, one of those present slammed his hand on the table in fury. The table was full of cups of tea and coffee, fine china, and porcelain dishes; the tablecloth was pulled, the dishes went flying to the floor with a great crash, and everyone was startled. Rav Chaim said to them: "Do not worry, nothing is broken." They looked at him in disbelief - everything had crashed down. They lifted the tablecloth and saw that not a single dish had broken. They asked him: "Is this a miracle? How did the Rav know?" He replied: "I know that my hands are clean. I do not have a single penny in my house that is not mine, in which there is any suspicion of theft. And when you do not possess a penny that is not yours, no loss can harm you. Loss travels with its partner - falsehood; when you act deceitfully, loss comes and takes. But when everything is honest, nothing breaks and nothing is damaged." He added: "It is very possible that Heaven orchestrated this to give us a hint: if you see that an informer is capable of harming your wealth, it is likely that the wealth was not entirely kosher or acquired with complete integrity, and therefore it became vulnerable to harm."
This is the meaning of "In righteousness shall you be established": do you wish that your property not be harmed, that external enemies will be unable to damage your wealth? It is achieved through righteousness. "Be far from oppression" - you will not fear oppression, and through this you will also be far from "ruin" (mechitah), which in the view of the Malbim refers to one who seeks to take our lives. These, then, are the two external enemies: the one who comes to strip our wealth and the one who comes to take our lives, and the completion of the structure against them is achieved through righteousness.
Notice carefully: the Malbim explained that "and lay your foundations with sapphires" refers to the foundations, while "shall you be established" (tikonani) refers to the completion of the structure. We find this in many places in Tanach, where the root k-v-n implies completion: "builder of a city, establisher of a town" - building is the beginning and establishing is the finishing; "Through wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established" - the completion is achieved through understanding. In what way, then, will the building be completed? Through the strength of interpersonal righteousness.
Rashi explains "be far from oppression" in the sense of "shake yourself from the dust" - shake yourself free and distance yourself from those who oppress you. According to the Abarbanel, this is a commandment: "be far from oppression" - distance yourself from oppressing others, a command to keep ourselves far from robbery. There is yet another interpretation: from the great wealth we will possess, we will not need to fear oppressors, for we will have more than enough and will have no need to take from others.
הֵן גּוֹר יָגוּר אֶפֶס מֵאוֹתִי מִי־גָר אִתָּךְ עָלַיִךְ יִפּוֹל׃ - "Behold, they shall surely assemble, but not by Me; whoever assembles against you shall fall on your account."
Rashi's Explanation: Who Shall Fear and Who Shall Fall
Rashi explains: "Behold, he shall surely fear [hen gor yagur]" - he who does not have Me with him will fear and dread evil decrees, and that refers to Seir, which is Edom. Who will fear Me? One who is "apart from Me [efes me'oti]," who has nothing from Me, with whom My connection is zero. "Whoever gathered against you shall fall over you [mi gar itach alayich yippol]" - whoever gathers against you for war and provokes you will ultimately fall upon you in battle.
Rashi also brings the Midrash of Chazal that in the Future to Come, converts are not accepted. The reason for this is that the Jewish people do not want converts who come for benefits or an "absorption basket," but rather converts who come out of a genuine desire to draw close to the Torah of truth. For this reason, converts were also not accepted in the days of King Solomon, as it was a golden age when silver and gold were as common as stones in Jerusalem - and did you come merely for that? Similarly, in the Messianic era, converts will not be accepted. And where is this alluded to in the verse? One who lived with you [gar itach] during your poverty shall join you [alayich yippol] in your wealth and continue dwelling with you; but one who did not dwell with you in your poverty, for whom our impoverished state was not appealing, will not join you in your wealth, and we will not accept him later.
The Radak's Explanation
The Radak interprets yagur as an expression of gathering, as in "the mighty gather [yaguru] against me" - they will assemble. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: The nations that assemble against you at the time of redemption are "apart from Me" - I did not send them; it is not from Me. This is not like when they gathered against you in the past, which occurred by My command - Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar, as in "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger," for I brought them.
The Radak raises a difficulty: Does it not say explicitly in Yechezkel, "And I will bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and bring you upon the mountains of Israel," and "I will put hooks into your jaws" to draw him to come - which shows that the Holy One, blessed be He, brings them! He answers: That itself is the point, for God placed it in his heart to come there not for Israel's harm, but for their good: to exact Israel's vengeance from him and from the other nations that wronged Israel. Here in Eretz Yisrael He will take His vengeance upon him for the honor of His Name, for the honor of Israel, and for their benefit, so that their plunder and spoil will belong to Israel. This is the meaning of "apart from Me" - although their intention is for evil, your harm will not come from Me; rather, their arrival is solely for your benefit. "Whoever gathers against you shall fall over you" - whoever gathers to wage war against you will fall upon you, as it is written, "Upon the mountains of Israel you shall fall," and for seven months they will gather the corpses.
The Malbim's Explanation: Who Provokes War With You
The Malbim interprets the verse as an expression of wonder: Is it possible that someone could provoke war against us and it would not be from Me? Could anyone muster war against us if I did not send him? And since without Me "the shield of the mighty is cast away" - meaning that without Me there are no wars at all - who would dare to provoke war with you, or who would "fall upon you" to rob you of your wealth? After all, everything depends on Me. This corresponds directly to what was stated earlier: corresponding to "be far from oppression" - "who shall fall upon you," who would come to oppress you; and corresponding to "from ruin" - "who shall provoke you [mi gar itach]," who could come to kill the people of Israel, and who could possess such power?
The Malbim analyzes the root g-w-r with grammatical precision, noting three distinct meanings in Scripture. The first is an expression of fear, as in "And Moab feared [vayagar]," in which case it is always followed by the preposition mem - "because of [mipenei] the children of Israel." The second is an expression of bonding and gathering, as in "the mighty gather [yaguru] against me," and then it appears with the preposition al ("upon/against"). The third is from the concept of strife and provocation, as in "do not contend [al titgar] with them in battle," which appears with the preposition bet. Here, however, we find a novelty - "who contends with you [mi gar itach]," with the preposition et ("with"). The Malbim explains: the phrasing "with you" indicates a mutual provocation of war coming from both sides together, where both provoke one another. The prophet says: whoever comes to contend with you, you have nothing to fear, for ultimately "he shall fall over you" - either you will prevail and he will fall, or as in the idiom "and the blow of the Queen of Sheba fell," meaning he comes with his army to conquer.
The Malbim offers an additional explanation: whoever waged war against you in ancient times will fall to your side to assist you. These words align remarkably well with the Malbim's commentary in the Book of Daniel regarding the future war, where he describes with precision that the war will take place between Ishmael and the nations of Edom, and the nations of Edom will subdue the nations of Ishmael, while we will not need to do anything. They will come to fight here, fighting one another. This fits strikingly with what we witness in our own times: on one side the nations of Ishmael awaken, and on the other the nations of Edom arrive and fight against them, and the final war will center around Jerusalem. Although the verses might seem to imply that the nations of Edom will come against us, the Malbim explains that this is not so; rather, they will come to subdue Ishmael and bring him down. According to this, the verse is wonderful: "Whoever waged war with you [mi gar itach]" - who in the past provoked war with you, namely Edom, "shall fall to your side [alayich yippol]" - will join you as one of your helpers, and those who fought against us throughout all generations will join us to fight against the enemies rising up against us.
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָּרָאתִי חָרָשׁ נֹפֵחַ בְּאֵשׁ פֶּחָם וּמוֹצִיא כְלִי לְמַעֲשֵׂהוּ וְאָנֹכִי בָּרָאתִי מַשְׁחִית לְחַבֵּל׃ - "Behold, I have created the smith who blows upon the coal fire and brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the destroyer to ruin."
"The smith [hecharash]" is the craftsman who fashions the sword. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: He makes the sword - but who created him? "Behold, I have created the smith." And through what power does he operate? "He blows upon the coal fire" - and I created the coal fire as well, not only the craftsman but also the means. And through what power does the fire function? Through the blowing of the bellows that intensifies the fire to smelt the iron - and that, too, is from Me. "And brings forth an instrument for his work" - the completion of the weapon and the material from which it is made are also from Me. "And I have created the destroyer to ruin" - this refers to the iron material with which one can kill and destroy, and the ultimate purpose, which is the destruction, is also from Me.
And if so, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Since the raw material, the craftsman, the means, the form, and the ultimate purpose are all the work of My hands - if I do not wish to destroy, who can destroy? Had there been the intervention of an outside force at any of these stages, you might have said that it acted; but if at none of them is there any power other than Hashem, blessed be He, who can act contrary to His blessed will?
כׇּל־כְּלִי יוּצַר עָלַיִךְ לֹא יִצְלָח וְכׇל־לָשׁוֹן תָּקוּם־אִתָּךְ לַמִּשְׁפָּט תַּרְשִׁיעִי זֹאת נַחֲלַת עַבְדֵי יְהֹוָה וְצִדְקָתָם מֵאִתִּי נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - "No weapon formed against you shall succeed, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Hashem, and their righteousness is from Me, says Hashem."
Since all forces derive from His blessed power, it naturally follows that "no weapon formed against you shall succeed." Rashi explains "weapon" (keli) as an implement of war, a weapon that they polish and sharpen to fight against you; and "formed" (yutzar) comes from the root of "flint knives" (charvot tzurim) and "You also turn the edge of his sword" (tzur charbo), referring to sharpening a blade. Radak explains yutzar in the sense of creation (yetzirah). Thus, any weapon created and sharpened to strike the Jewish people will not succeed for its wielder, nor will it harm you. "And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn" - if someone seeks to defeat you in judgment, you, the Congregation of Israel, will condemn him. That is, the Malbim explains: whether someone seeks to sway us from our faith by the sword and a strong hand, or whether someone seeks to sway us through debates and arguments - the prophet promises that he will not succeed by either method. "This is the heritage of the servants of Hashem, and their righteousness is from Me" - this is the reward they will receive for being the servants of Hashem and for their righteousness, their mitzvot, and their good deeds.
Iggeret Teiman: The Two Ways of Warring Against the Torah
The Rambam addresses this verse in Iggeret Teiman (The Epistle to Yemen). In his time, many Jews were persecuted by the gentiles, who forced them to convert, and some sacrificed their lives even for things for which one is not halachically required to die; to strengthen them, the Rambam sent his epistle. He writes as follows: "And because the Creator singled us out with His commandments and His statutes, and our superiority over others was made manifest through His general precepts and His judgments" - the superiority we possess through Hashem's upright judgments, as it says, "For what great nation is there that has righteous statutes and judgments" - "all the gentiles became exceedingly jealous of our religion." All the persecution the nations inflict upon Israel stems from jealousy, because the true religion is with us. "And on account of this, their kings pressured to arouse hatred and enmity against us, and their desire is to fight against Hashem and to contend with Him - but He is God, and who can contend with Him?"
The Rambam continues: "And there has been no period from the time the Torah was given to us until our present day in which every conqueror, tyrant, oppressor, or despot did not make it his primary aim and purpose to destroy our Torah and annul our religion by force, through conquest and the sword - such as Amalek, Sisera, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Titus, Hadrian, and many like them. And this is one of the two methods by which they aimed to overcome the divine will." That is to say, there are two movements, two methods, by which they attempted to defeat the divine will: the first is to destroy our Torah by the sword and coercion.
"And the second method is that of the sharp-witted among the other kingdoms and the wise among the other nations, such as the Edomites, the Persians, and the Greeks, who set their sights on refuting our religion and undermining our Torah through the arguments they put forward and the difficulties they compose." The first group comes with the sword - "the law of Muhammad by the sword," the Crusades: either accept our religion or we will kill you. The second group is more sophisticated: they come with arguments, proofs, and rationalizations, which is why the Rambam specifically mentions cultured and educated nations. "And their purpose in all this is to undermine the Torah and erase its traces through their writings, just as the tyrants intended through their wars" - the intention of both is one and the same.
"Yet neither the one nor the other will succeed, for the Holy One, blessed be He, informed us through Isaiah that regarding any tyrant or conqueror who intends to destroy our Torah and abolish our religion with weapons, the Creator will shatter his weapons of war and they will not succeed; and this is by way of metaphor, meaning that his plan will never be accomplished" - it does not mean that the sword will literally break, but that he will not succeed in his war. "And likewise, any debater who intends to refute what is in our hands will be condemned in his argument, and it will be refuted and will not stand," meaning his arguments will turn against him and fail to hold up. And this is the meaning of "no weapon formed against you shall succeed" - referring to one who comes with weapons of war; "and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn" - referring to one who comes to debate against us, for we will condemn him and prove his arguments baseless; "this is the heritage of the servants of Hashem, and their righteousness is from Me, says Hashem."
Indeed, there were many disputations against the Jewish people throughout the generations, particularly during the era of the Rishonim - the Disputation of the Ramban, and the Sefer HaVikuach which recounts dozens of debates with priests and clergymen, where kings would summon the sages of Israel to debate the truth of their religion. In the end, the adversaries were always refuted, and there was not a single debate where they held the upper hand. The reason is simple, as one of the Torah greats once remarked: we may be terrible lawyers, but we have the best case in the world. When the case is clear and backed by compelling evidence, even a mediocre lawyer wins, because the case speaks for itself. Conversely, when the case is a lie from beginning to end, even the cleverest lawyer will fail to sell ice to Eskimos.
The Rambam adds: "And both of these groups realized that this building is not easily demolished, yet nevertheless they joined together to destroy the foundations of the edifice that were sunk into deep bedrock." That is: they already saw that they lacked the power to stand against the edifice of Israel's Torah and faith, yet many nations still banded together to destroy the foundations of the religion. But while a foundation set lightly upon the ground is easily knocked down, a foundation sunk into deep bedrock - dug tens of meters into the earth - cannot be uprooted. "And in all this, they only increase their toil and sorrow, while the building stands firm, and the Truth mocks them and laughs" - the Holy One, blessed be He, who is Truth, sits and mocks and laughs at them "for aiming, in the weakness of their intellect, at a goal that has no purpose." It is like a bird that scoops up grains of sand from the seashore and casts them into the water, and when asked, "What are you doing?" it replies, "I am drying up the sea." The onlooker sits and laughs: "Go on, I am waiting to see your progress." "And concerning this matter, King David, peace be upon him, said with the holy spirit, upon seeing their intent to destroy the true religion and seeing that the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and laughs at them: 'Let us snap their cords and throw off their ropes' - 'He who sits in heaven laughs, the Lord mocks them.' And we are still tested and tried by these two factions, from the days of our kingdom and throughout the days of our exile" - that Hashem tests and proves us through both of them: those who come to convert us by the sword, and those who come to convert us through the power of debate.
The Third Way: The Path of Seduction
However, there is a third way that the Rambam did not address, and unfortunately, it is the hardest of all. It is neither the way of the sword nor the way of disputation and debate, but rather the way of buying one over. Today, everyone knows: when you want to convince someone and try to twist his arm, he exerts counterforce and you fail; if you try to break him, he only gains greater resolve. The way is to win him over - a hand you cannot break, stroke it and kiss it. And that is what Yaakov said: "Rescue me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esav."
Rabbi Finkel said: What Hitler, may his name and memory be erased, did not do to us, America did - with the golden path it opened before us, such assimilation! If we calculate how many Jews were lost to the Jewish nation, far more were lost beyond return than in the Holocaust. Those who perished in the Holocaust died as Jews, died for Kiddush Hashem, and we have no grasp of their tremendous stature in Heaven; but those lost to seventy and eighty percent assimilation, and in France and European countries over one hundred percent assimilation - this is a terrible and frightful holocaust, not through the sword, nor through war, nor through vanquishing, but through "Come": lusts, pleasures, take, you are accepted, we will bestow upon you, just join us. "Let us journey on and go, and I will go alongside you," says Eisav, and of this Yaakov was afraid most of all. Therefore, when people say to us today from all sides, "My brother," this "brother" does not ring well with us - we remember such a brother in history, and it ended very badly: "Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother."
Whoever comes to distance us from our religion says: Let us create tracks for you, tailored shortened service, kosher food, just study a little core curriculum, a bit of secular education, come closer. But this will not help. And what kindness the Holy One, blessed be He, did for us by putting people into government who came to fight, not realizing that they achieved the exact opposite outcome! The worst thing for us as shomrei mitzvos is when people approach with seductions, for it is difficult to withstand temptation; but when they come to fight - "we will break you, draft you by force, put you in camps, imprison you, and impose criminal penalties" - very good, speak to us like that! When they come to fight, we are strong. The latest draft cycle was the smallest of all the Chareidi draft cycles. For three thousand three hundred years we have been laughing at people like you, and they are in the dustbin of history. When people come to wage war against a person over his religion and faith, he fights back; but when they tell him: "I have a senior position for you, a salary, a car, a cellphone, just be a bit flexible, just cut a few corners without taking off your kippah" - that is dangerous, one can be tempted. And so it was in the days of Mordechai: even though they bowed to the idol, when Mordechai came and said that there was a war here, everyone arose, in fast and affliction, and returned to Hashem Yisborach. In war we are strong; temptation is the hardest of all.
When the Chasam Sofer was told that Napoleon granted emancipation and promised equal rights to Jews, great grief arose within him. He said: When they come to attack the Jew, he knows how to defend himself; when they come to erase his Torah, he knows how to protect himself and his Torah. But when they grant us equal rights, when they embrace us - who knows where that will lead! And how right he was; two hundred years of the Haskalah proved his words. This is our reality: to know not to be seduced, even when they promise, bestow, and fund. And in the words of the Rambam, there has not been a king since the Torah was given whose initial intention was not to contradict our Torah - whether it be the Erev Rav from within or kings from without, the agenda has not changed: to wage war against Hashem and His anointed. We are in a period of severe trial, but the truth will ultimately triumph, and we already see how the structure is beginning to crumble, and soon it will collapse with a great roar and the truth will prove its course.
In summary:
The prophet describes Yerushalayim as "afflicted, storm-tossed, uncomforted" - the Land of Israel has already been settled and her children have returned to her, yet Yerushalayim is still desolate and awaits her consolation. Corresponding to this, the Holy One, blessed be He, promises a structure of antimony and sapphires, rubies, carbuncles, and precious stones, which correspond to monarchy, Torah, success, the Temple service, and the unification of the tribes. The prophet removes four causes of division: poverty - through an abundance of blessing; dissension of views - through "And all your children shall be disciples of Hashem"; and external enemies who come upon wealth and soul - through "In righteousness shall you be established." And finally, the verse promises that there is no power in the world that is not from His hand, and therefore, "No weapon formed against you shall succeed, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn" - neither by the sword, nor by arguments, nor even by the soft seductions that are hardest of all, will they succeed in uprooting the edifice of Torah that has been deeply set in a faithful foundation: "This is the heritage of the servants of Hashem, and their righteousness from Me, says Hashem."