In this section of the chapter, the prophet transitions from the dispute with the nations and idolaters to words of comfort and encouragement for the Jewish people. The Holy One, blessed be He, addresses His people and assures them that they have nothing to fear from the nations who will come to wage war against them in the Messianic era: not out of fear of being rejected, not out of fear of being abandoned in a time of distress, and not out of concern that the Redeemer lacks the power to save. Following the explanation of the Malbim, alongside the insights of Rashi and the Radak, we will see how a complete and absolute promise is established here for eternity.
וְאַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתִּיךָ זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם אֹהֲבִי׃ - "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham who loved Me."
The Holy One, blessed be He, says to Israel: You, in any case, have no reason to tremble or fear. I am not abandoning you to the hands of the nations coming to fight against you. A person who hears that nations are rising against him is naturally terrified, and to this comes the response: You have nothing to fear.
The Malbim explains a wonderful principle. Even a king's faithful servant always has cause for concern, since the present situation is never guaranteed to last forever. Now, there are two reasons why a king might favor his servant. First: the servant is loyal and exceptionally skilled at his craft, and the king needs him. Second: unconditional, affectionate love without any specific reason - "you have found favor in my eyes" - and the king elevates him above all the ministers simply because he desires him.
Each of these reasons has an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage of the first: the king needs me, and despite all his majesty, he cannot do without me. Yet this very point is its Achilles' heel: the day the king finds a craftsman more skilled than me, he will cast me aside and take the other. The advantage of the second: if the king chose me for no specific reason, he cannot possibly find someone else and say, "This one serves me better" - for he did not base his choice on any particular virtue of mine in the first place; he simply loved me. But its disadvantage is: the king does not need me at all, and such desire can be fickle - today he wants me, and tomorrow his whim changes.
And so the Holy One, blessed be He, says to Israel: With you, both virtues exist together. "But you, Israel, are My servant" - because you are a faithful servant who serves Me, you need not fear that I do not need you; as it were, I depend on you. Yet there might still be room to fear that a more faithful servant could be found. To this, the verse answers: "Jacob whom I have chosen" - I chose you, meaning I desired you unconditionally. And from when? From the time you did not yet possess great stature, when you were still in the state of "Jacob." As we have explained several times, Jacob represents Israel at the lower level, the level of eikev (heel), whereas Israel represents the higher level, the level of serarah (mastery and nobility). Even when you were at the level of Jacob, I chose you - not because of your service, but simply because I desired you. Consequently, even if another servant were found, I would not take him, because it is you whom I desire.
Yet one might still worry: perhaps this desire will change, and that which was once loved will be hated, and the one once desired will be rejected. To this, the verse continues: "The seed of Abraham who loved Me." This is not a mere passing desire; its root lies in zechut avot (the merit of the Patriarchs) - Abraham who loved Me holds immense merit before Me, and I will never reject his descendants. The conclusion is thus: Do not fear the nations; first, you are My faithful servant; second, if you worry that a more faithful servant might be found, I already chose you when you were merely at the level of Jacob; and third, if you worry that this choice might change, you are the seed of Abraham who loved Me, and I am bound to his descendants after him.
Rashi notes that a Midrash Aggadah in Bereshit Rabbah interprets this entire passage as referring to Abraham and Malki-tzedek (Shem), and this is the interpretive line followed by Rashi and the Radak. "The islands saw and feared" - the islands saw Abraham's war against the kings and were terrified. Shem was afraid of Abraham, lest Abraham say to him: "Look at the wicked descendants you brought into the world." And Abraham was afraid of Shem, because he had killed the sons of Elam, who were Shem's descendants. Thus, each stood in awe of the other. And why are they called "islands"? Just as islands in the sea are distinct and prominent in the world, so Abraham and Shem were distinguished and renowned, recognized by all. Furthermore: Abraham was not from the lineage of righteous people, yet I did this for him; you, Israel My servant, who stem from righteous forebears, all the more so! "The seed of Abraham who loved Me" - for he did not come to recognize Me through rebuke or from the teachings of his ancestors, but out of pure love. Sometimes a person does teshuvah because Hashem strikes and afflicts him, whereas Abraham, out of his love for Me, merited to recognize My divinity on his own.
אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱזַקְתִּיךָ מִקְצוֹת הָאָרֶץ וּמֵאֲצִילֶיהָ קְרָאתִיךָ וָאֹמַר לְךָ עַבְדִּי אַתָּה בְּחַרְתִּיךָ וְלֹא מְאַסְתִּיךָ׃ - "You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from its noble ones, and said to you: 'You are My servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.'"
The Malbim continues along this line: A king who chooses someone for his service might later find someone more talented and cast off the first. But with you, this is not so - "I have taken you from the ends of the earth," of all the inhabitants of the earth, I took hold of you alone. And lest you say that I chose you from among the lowly, it is therefore said, "and called you from its nobles" - from among the nobles and the distinguished, it was you specifically whom I called, and I said to you, "You are My servant," for you are chosen by Me above all the inhabitants of the world. Therefore, "I have chosen you and not rejected you" - an eternal choice that need never be feared broken. This covenant is absolute and guaranteed, and all that the people of Israel must do is preserve it through good deeds; yet in any case, Hashem says: I will neither abandon nor forsake My people Israel.
אַל תִּירָא כִּי עִמְּךָ אָנִי אַל תִּשְׁתָּע כִּי אֲנִי אֱלֹהֶיךָ אִמַּצְתִּיךָ אַף עֲזַרְתִּיךָ אַף תְּמַכְתִּיךָ בִּימִין צִדְקִי׃ - Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I strengthen you, I also help you, I also uphold you with My righteous right hand.
"Do not be dismayed" (al tishta) - According to its plain meaning, the Radak explains: Do not fear. Targum Yonatan renders it: "Do not be broken." Chazal, and likewise Rashi here, explain: Do not be like wax, which melts at a little heat; do not melt before the enemies, for I am your God. The Radak further cites in the name of his father: "al tishta" is related to "Turn away from me" (she'u mini), meaning let go of me - that is, do not grow slack or weak, for I am your God; I have strengthened you, helped you, and upheld you, so do not be terrified by the enemies.
The Malbim explains that human fear stems from three situations, and all three are addressed here. First: lest the beloved protector who always watched over him has grown weary of him and rejected him, so that protection is no longer guaranteed. To this, the previous verse declared, "I have chosen you and not rejected you." Second: lest at the time of trouble the beloved protector will not be with him and will not shield him. To this: "Do not fear, for I am with you" - always, at all times and in every circumstance, I am with you. Third: lest he should wish to save me but cannot, lacking the power to do so. To this: "Do not be dismayed" (al tishta) - according to the Malbim, tishta is from the root meaning to turn (lish'ot), turning one's thoughts to wonder whether Hashem is able to save him or not. He tells him: "For I am your God" - I am the Master of all ability, and not merely God, the Master of all forces in general, but your God specifically, watching over you with individual Divine providence.
"I strengthen you" - Notice: not merely strength, but fortitude and courage, so that you yourself will be able to stand against the enemy. And not only that, but even as you stand, "I also help you, I also uphold you with My righteous right hand." The Malbim compares this to someone who loves his companion and wishes to help him: he aids him with his left hand and supports him with his right hand - "I also help you" with the left, and "uphold you with My righteous right hand" with the right, so that you do not fall.
הֵן יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיִכָּלְמוּ כֹּל הַנֶּחֱרִים בָּךְ יִהְיוּ כְאַיִן וְיֹאבְדוּ אַנְשֵׁי רִיבֶךָ׃ - Behold, all who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; the men who contend with you shall be as nothing and perish.
After all these promises - I took hold of you, you are My servant, I have chosen you, I have not rejected you, I am with you, I strengthen you, I help you, I uphold you - you have no reason to fear the nations, for all who come to harm you will be ashamed and disgraced. The Malbim enumerates four categories of enemies. The first: one who hates his fellow and speaks against him behind his back; these are "all who are incensed against you" (ha-necharim bach). The Malbim explains that this is related to cherem (ostracism), treating you as an outcast and refusing to come within your four cubits. (Metzudat Tzion interprets it from the root of charon af, burning anger, that his anger burned against you, but the Malbim understands it as a form of ban.) And why the double expression, "shall be ashamed and disgraced"? "Ashamed" refers to feeling shame within oneself, whereas "disgraced" is even greater - when others shame and humiliate him; they will be ashamed within themselves and humiliated by others who heard their slander and malicious words.
The second type: one who denounces you to your face, speaking against you openly and causing you humiliation and disgrace. These are "the men who contend with you," and concerning them it is said, "they shall be as nothing and perish."
תְּבַקְשֵׁם וְלֹא תִמְצָאֵם אַנְשֵׁי מַצֻּתֶךָ יִהְיוּ כְאַיִן וּכְאֶפֶס אַנְשֵׁי מִלְחַמְתֶּךָ׃ - You shall seek them and not find them, those who strive with you; the men who wage war against you shall be as nothing and as naught.
Here come the remaining two types. The Malbim explains that there is a difference between matzah (quarrel/strife) and merivah (dispute): a riv is a verbal dispute, whereas a matzah involves physical striking. One who engages in "strife and quarrel" is not content with a verbal argument but comes to strike you. A proof of this comes from the verses: "When men fight (yinatzu) and strike a pregnant woman," and likewise, "Behold, two Hebrew men were fighting (nitzim)" - showing that the root natzah denotes physical blows. Therefore, "those who strive with you," who come to strike you, not only will you not need to defend yourself against them, but you will not even find them: "You shall seek them and not find them."
The fourth category, and the most severe of all: "the men of your warfare" - those who come to kill you and wage war against you with the sword in full-scale battle. They too "shall be as nothing and as naught," like something that has vanished and ceased to exist. Thus we find here all the levels: those who are incensed against you, who boycott and curse behind your back; the men of your strife, who demean you face-to-face; the men of your contention, who strike; and the men of your warfare, who kill. And against them all, the Holy One, blessed be He, promises to protect you.
כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מַחֲזִיק יְמִינֶךָ הָאֹמֵר לְךָ אַל תִּירָא אֲנִי עֲזַרְתִּיךָ׃ - For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand, saying to you: Fear not, I have helped you.
"Holds your right hand" - I give you strength to fight, for a person fights with the strong hand, which is the right hand. The Malbim explains that a person may fail in battle for two reasons. The first is physical weakness and frailty, and concerning this: "I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand." The second is emotional or psychological weakness: he may have muscles and physical prowess, but he is faint-hearted and lacks courage and fortitude. Concerning this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: "Fear not, I have helped you." If so, all that is required of you is courage and fortitude, and then you will see how you are saved from all your enemies.
אַל תִּירְאִי תּוֹלַעַת יַעֲקֹב מְתֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי עֲזַרְתִּיךְ נְאֻם יְהֹוָה וְגֹאֲלֵךְ קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Fear not, you worm of Jacob, you men of Israel! I have helped you, says the Lord, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Why is Israel compared to a worm? Rashi explains: the family of Jacob is weak like a worm, which has no strength except in its mouth. And yet the worm is capable of toppling even a wooden tower - teamwork, each one eats a little and a little, and suddenly the building collapses. In the United States there are many such stories, where a person is notified to evacuate his home within twenty-four hours lest it collapse upon him; everything looks beautiful and intact, but the wood has been eaten away by worms. They perform maintenance treatments and various exterminations there, but there are situations where nothing more can be done, and the worm consumes everything.
There is a story from the time of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, concerning a town that burned down entirely, as fires were very common in those days. The residents began rebuilding their homes and hired non-Jewish contractors, and Rabbi Akiva Eiger announced and warned not to allow the contractors to work on Shabbat. Although one might have argued that a non-Jewish contractor works for his own benefit (ada'ata denafshei ka'avid), nevertheless, since it causes public notice (avsha milta) and becomes publicized, it is forbidden. There were three wealthy men there for whom staying in soup kitchens and temporary shelters for long was unfitting, and they needed their luxury homes quickly. They told the non-Jewish contractor to continue building on Shabbat as well and to pay no heed to Rabbi Akiva Eiger's warning. And so they did. Within a short time their mansions were built and they moved in, while the rest of the townsfolk were still in the middle of construction. Yet within a year, all three were forced to evacuate their estates: they had built lavish villas, entirely of wood, which was inexpensive there, and termites were discovered in them - special wood-eating worms - and only by them, only by the three of them. It was impossible to live there, and they had to demolish everything. We see the power of a warning issued by a holy man of Israel, the Gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger.
To return to our subject: this is the nature of the worm. A worm is weak; with a slight squeeze it is destroyed, and yet it topples a great tower, for its strength is in its mouth. So too is the Jewish people: we are weak, but we have strength in prayer, and the power of prayer is the true might of the Jewish people. The Radak similarly cites the Midrash Yelammedenu: Why is Israel compared to a worm? Just as this worm strikes the cedars only with its mouth, being soft yet smiting the hard - soft as it is, it can bring down a mighty cedar - so too Israel: all their power is in prayer, and they strike down the wicked of the world who are strong like cedars and compared to them, as it says, "a cedar in Lebanon." Consequently, "Fear not, you worm of Jacob," for you possess that immense power of the worm, which is the power of prayer.
The Malbim, consistent with his approach throughout his commentary, distinguishes between Jacob and Israel: Jacob represents the lower level, the masses, while Israel represents the elevated level. This is also implied by the words themselves: Jacob (Yaakov) comes from akev, the heel, something low; Israel (Yisrael) connotes dominion (serarah) and prominence. "The worm of Jacob" refers to the masses of the house of Jacob, the body of the general nation, which has become like a corpse that decomposed, of which nothing remains but worms. "Men of Israel" (metei Yisrael) - even those on the level of Israel have been reduced to mere metei, meaning weak mortals or few in number, as in "few men" (metei me'at) - vocalized with a sheva under the mem, not a tzeirei, meaning it does not mean the dead. That is, even those of high stature are not like a decomposed worm, but they have grown weak from the exile. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them: Do not look at this state and become broken, "I have helped you, says the Lord, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." And why does it say "I have helped you" in the past tense? Because this is a divine promise, and a promise from Hashem is as good as done.
הִנֵּה שַׂמְתִּיךְ לְמוֹרַג חָרוּץ חָדָשׁ בַּעַל פִּיפִיּוֹת תָּדוּשׁ הָרִים וְתָדֹק וּגְבָעוֹת כַּמֹּץ תָּשִׂים׃ - Behold, I have made you into a new, sharp threshing sledge with double-edged blades; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them fine, and make the hills like chaff.
What is a morag (threshing sledge)? It is among the implements mentioned in the Mishnah, "threshing sledges and ox-yokes." It was a heavy wooden implement set with rows of grooves, similar to a grater or a file. They would drag it across the stalks of grain, and it would finely chop the straw and separate the wheat from the husk and chaff. Naturally, the more such an implement is used, the more it wears down. Therefore it is said, "a new sharp [charutz] threshing sledge" - grooved with notches, and new, its edges still razor-sharp. "Having many teeth [ba'al pipiyot]" - these grooves form numerous cutting edges.
The Malbim explains that the verse compares the idolaters to chaff and waste, and you, Israel, will thresh them with this new implement. And what is the deeper meaning? "Old" means worn and used, which corresponds to the merit of the Patriarchs (zechut avot), which we have drawn upon for thousands of years. The verse tells you: "I will make you into a new, sharp threshing sledge" - you will not need to rely solely on the merit of the Patriarchs; rather, you will possess your own new merits, and you will not be forced to lean only on the merits of our ancestors from three and four thousand years ago. Nor will they be few merits, but "having many teeth," numerous cutting edges, generated by an abundance of mitzvot.
"You shall thresh mountains and crush them fine, and make hills like chaff" - notice the precision: the mountains, being large, are compared to the wheat that is crushed and ground down until it turns into flour; while the hills, which are small, are compared to chaff, the husks and straw. Even the great mountains - representing prominent ministers and kings - you need not fear, for you will grind them like flour; and the hills, the lower and weaker officers, you will render like chaff. It turns out that not only can you rely on Me, but I am granting you the strength to stand on your own merits as well, becoming like a new, sharp threshing sledge that threshes them all.
תִּזְרֵם וְרוּחַ תִּשָּׂאֵם וּסְעָרָה תָּפִיץ אוֹתָם וְאַתָּה תָּגִיל בַּיהֹוָה בִּקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל תִּתְהַלָּל׃ - You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and a whirlwind shall scatter them; and you shall rejoice in Hashem, and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Threshing alone is not enough, for the kernels of wheat must still be separated from the chaff. How was this done? They would winnow with a winnowing shovel - a broad, light shovel - scooping up the grain and tossing it into the air, and the wind aided the winnower: the wind carries the light, while the heavy falls back down. The heavy wheat kernels drop straight down, while the light chaff and husks are blown away by the wind. This is the meaning of "You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away" - even a slight breeze lifts them into the air; and lest you worry that they might fall back into place, "and a whirlwind shall scatter them" - a stronger wind will scatter and banish them completely.
"And you shall rejoice in Hashem, and glory in the Holy One of Israel" - you will experience exultation and joy over the great power of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who came to your aid, and you will have praise and honor in the eyes of all the nations on account of the Holy One of Israel, which denotes Hashem in His relationship to us, as our God. The Malbim analyzes the precise difference between rejoicing (tagil) and glorying or boasting (tithalal): a person can experience joy and exultation even from a success that is not attributable to his own efforts and comes from the outside - if someone wins the lottery, what did he do to earn it? Many others bought tickets just like him and did not win, yet he rejoices in his winnings. But to glory or boast, what could he boast about? Boasting belongs to one who labored, worked hard, founded an enterprise, and succeeded. Therefore here, where everything comes from the power of the Creator, there is no room for self-glorification; rejoicing, certainly - "you shall rejoice in Hashem"; but glorying is reserved for "in the Holy One of Israel" - I glory in Hashem and His might, for it is through His power that we triumphed, and He is the One Who saved me.
הָעֲנִיִּים וְהָאֶבְיוֹנִים מְבַקְשִׁים מַיִם וָאַיִן לְשׁוֹנָם בַּצָּמָא נָשָׁתָּה אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֶעֱנֵם אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא אֶעֶזְבֵם׃ - The poor and the needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue is parched with thirst. I, Hashem, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
Who are the poor and the needy, why are they seeking water, and what happened to cause their tongues to dry up? There are three primary explanations. Rashi explains that this is a prophecy concerning the End of Days, and it does not refer to physical thirst but to spiritual thirst: "Not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but to hear the words of Hashem" - they will wander seeking the word of Hashem and will not find it. These are the poor and destitute who will arrive at the end of the exile and seek a bit of spirituality, but find none: there is no prophecy, and Hashem does not even speak to us in dreams. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: When I redeem you, I will prepare bread and water for you, which represent His Shechinah and the spirit of prophecy in the mouths of their prophets. "Nashata" (parched), according to Rashi, is like "and the waters shall fail [venishtu] from the sea," an expression of desolation, ruin, and dryness; grammatically it should have been nashatetah in the feminine, but a dagesh replaces the doubled letter. Their tongue is dried up from intense thirst, and Hashem says, "I, Hashem, will answer them" - I will pour out upon them an abundance of spirituality.
Radak likewise sets these events during the era of the Redemption, but in his view, it refers to literal physical thirst: the people of Israel will leave the exile and journey through wildernesses and arid regions where there is no water; they will seek water, their tongues will dry up with thirst, and they will cry out to Hashem. The Holy One, blessed be He, says, "I will answer them" - and the term for answering (aniyah) always follows an outcry, prayer, or request, signifying: I am answering what you initiated and asked for. And why will I answer? Because I am the "God of Israel" - I brought them out of exile, and I will not let them die of thirst in the wilderness.
The Malbim explains that the Jewish people in exile have already despaired of the Redemption, and there are two reasons for their despair. First, when they look at their own weakness and feebleness compared to their enemies and the nations, they think: what chance do we have of being redeemed? Regarding this, it was said above: "Fear not, you worm of Jacob" - you fear your weakness, saying, "I am a worm, what strength do I have?" To which God replies, "O mortals of Israel, I have helped you, says Hashem, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." The second reason is that they worry because of their poverty and destitution, and this is the focus of our verse. What is the difference between "poor" (aniyyim) and "needy" (evyonim)? The Malbim explains: the evyon is even poorer than the ani, for the ani lacks means, whereas the evyon yearns and longs for everything, which is why he is called evyon. They are so destitute that they lack even water, a resource readily available everywhere and obtained cheaply. As for "nashata" - it can be interpreted as an expression of ruin and dryness, or as in "and the waters shall fail [venishtu] from the sea," where the Malbim explains the root n-sh-t as removal and loss, like "their might has failed [nashatah]," and like the displaced nerve (gid hanasheh) which slipped and was dislocated from its place following the angel's blow. Here, too: their tongue is displaced and withdrawn into their mouth from sheer thirst.
"I, Hashem, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them" - "I, Hashem" refers to His aspect as the God Who created all worlds; "the God of Israel" refers to the bond and individual Divine providence (hashgachah pratit) He maintains with us. The Malbim adds: The Holy One, blessed be He, says, I will not forsake them, for I am bound to the people of Israel and share an enduring connection with them; you will not even need to pray - even before you pray, I will bestow abundance upon you.
אֶפְתַּח עַל שְׁפָיִים נְהָרוֹת וּבְתוֹךְ בְּקָעוֹת מַעְיָנוֹת אָשִׂים מִדְבָּר לַאֲגַם מַיִם וְאֶרֶץ צִיָּה לְמוֹצָאֵי מָיִם׃ - I will open rivers on bare hills, and springs in the midst of valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and an arid land springs of water.
According to Rashi, all of this immense bounty is spiritual abundance: "I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh," "your prophets shall dream dreams" and perceive visions; and the wilderness represents a place that was devoid of the wisdom of the Torah, which the Holy One, blessed be He, will transform into a pool of water. According to the Radak, the meaning is literal, referring to those who will actually be traversing the desert upon their return from exile: I will open rivers for them, and springs in the valleys - and all in a miraculous manner, for these are not places of water, but desert lands.
The Malbim analyzes every single detail. What is a nahar (river)? Something drawn along and flowing, as in "and all the nations shall stream (venaharu) unto it," meaning they will be drawn to it. A river does not bubble up from its own place; rather, it flows from somewhere else, whereas the place where water wells up is called a ma'ayan (spring). And where are rivers naturally found - in high places or low ones? Certainly in low places, for water flows downward. Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "I will open rivers on bare hills" - shefayim are high, elevated places, and it is precisely there that I will open rivers, contrary to nature. Conversely, welling springs are typically found in the mountains, not in valleys, yet He says: "and springs in the midst of valleys" - the reverse of the natural order. "I will make the wilderness a pool of water" - a pool (agam) is an accumulation of standing water, and water does not collect in the desert because it evaporates within days; water only pools in moist areas. Nevertheless, I will place a pool there. "And an arid land springs of water" - in parched ground there will be found springs and water sources, which is likewise contrary to nature, that water should burst forth and flow from parched earth. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will do things that completely defy the natural order.
אֶתֵּן בַּמִּדְבָּר אֶרֶז שִׁטָּה וַהֲדַס וְעֵץ שָׁמֶן אָשִׂים בָּעֲרָבָה בְּרוֹשׁ תִּדְהָר וּתְאַשּׁוּר יַחְדָּו׃ - I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia tree, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane tree, and the box tree together.
According to the Radak, since the prophecy refers to the future redemption when Israel will journey through the wilderness, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will not only give you water in the desert, but trees as well. The Radak asks: What need do they have for these trees when ascending from exile? Does a person traveling through the desert for a few days on the way to the Land require trees? He offers two answers. First: It is possible that these trees will be created in the wilderness fully grown, just as Adam was created, without any need to wait for saplings to grow, but rather everything being created in its full stature and beauty; and when Israel arrives, the trees will be ready immediately to provide shade, so that the heat and sun will not strike them. Second: The greatness of these trees will be that from then on, trees will continue to grow throughout those deserts, and all who pass through will wonder in astonishment - this is a desert, what are trees doing here? And they will say: The People of Israel passed through here! This will create an enduring sanctification of Hashem's Name, where everyone who beholds it will praise Hashem for that wonder.
In identifying these trees, the Radak cites various designations. An "oil-tree" (etz shemen) is what is known in Old French as pin (pine), trees of resin whose oil exudes like a type of pitch, and Yonatan rendered it as a'in dimeshcha, trees of oil; it cannot be interpreted as an olive tree, for in Nehemiah it says "olive leaves and branches of wild olive (etz shemen)," proving that the olive is distinct from the etz shemen, even though one might have thought otherwise because olive oil is oily. Tidhar is translated as mornyan, and in the words of Chazal some identified it as she'aga, while others identify it in Old French as shaf. Te'ashur is ashkaroin (boxwood), and some call it shurbina or shurbin, while others interpret it as ashkaro'a, and some identify it as boho or cypress. Be that as it may, they are distinctive, prized trees that will flourish in the desert.
The Malbim explains the specific utility of each tree: the cedar and the acacia are suited for building houses; the advantage of the myrtle is its fragrance; and the oil-tree provides food and illumination. None of these typically grow in the desert, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, states that He will place them there. And what is the difference between a midbar (wilderness) and an aravah (arid plain)? In the wilderness nothing grows at all, while in the aravah thorns and thistles grow - yet even there, "I will set the cypress, the plane tree, and the box tree," fine and valuable trees. Furthermore, one should not think that where there is a cypress there will be no plane tree, or where there is a plane tree there will be no box tree; therefore the verse states "together," demonstrating the immense magnitude of the wonder and the miracle.
לְמַעַן יִרְאוּ וְיֵדְעוּ וְיָשִׂימוּ וְיַשְׂכִּילוּ יַחְדָּו כִּי יַד יְהֹוָה עָשְׂתָה זֹּאת וּקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרָאָהּ׃ - That they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of Hashem has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.
What is the ultimate purpose of all this? "That they may see and know, and consider and understand" - that everyone will contemplate and arrive at the realization that the hand of Hashem has done this, and that it did not happen on its own. How could it be that in places where there is no water, streams and springs suddenly appear, and how could it be that in a place where no trees grow, an entire forest of cedar, acacia, myrtle, cypress, plane tree, and box tree suddenly flourishes? Inevitably, they will conclude that the hand of Hashem has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it for our sake, for the sake of the People of Israel.
The Malbim explains that the clauses of the verse run parallel. We have seen this structure several times before: when dividing a verse into four consecutive clauses, the first clause connects to the third, and the second to the fourth - two corresponding to two. Here, too: "That they may see and know that the hand of Hashem has done this," and "and consider and understand together that the Holy One of Israel has created it."
There are three distinctions here. The first: "They will see and know" refers to sensory sight - I see and I know, a clear matter and complete visual proof; whereas "consider and understand" means that one takes it to heart and reflects inwardly, examining the matter and arriving at that conclusion through intellectual comprehension. The second: "the hand of Hashem" relates to His role as the One Who brings all of existence into being, whereas "the Holy One of Israel" relates to His individual providence, watching over and caring for the people of Israel specifically. The third: "has done" (asah) versus "has created" (bara) - creation is something from nothing (yesh me'ayin), bringing something out of the void; whereas action or fashioning is improving or altering an existing entity, something from something (yesh miyesh), as in "and she shall pare [ve'astah] her nails," and like a carpenter who makes a table, who did not create it out of nothing.
According to this, the verse is explained: they will see with tangible sight, and from the sight itself they will know with clear certainty that the hand of Hashem has done this - that this is no coincidence, and everything you see there in the desert is the work of His hands. Yet they might still say: It is true that the hand of Hashem did this, but this is mere fashioning and not creation, something from something, which is less awe-inspiring and less wondrous; as though this were merely an interesting natural phenomenon, that rivers appear in the middle of the desert and trees in the midst of the wilderness. To this the verse responds: "and consider and understand together" - when they apply their minds, examine, and reflect deeply, they will reach the conclusion that "the Holy One of Israel has created it." For Hashem, by virtue of being the Holy One of Israel Who shields them and watches over them with individual providence, has brought about a miraculous, supernatural creation here, in the manner of something from nothing. And this, only one who reflects deeply can perceive.
In this part of the chapter, the prophet constructs a complete and absolute promise to the people of Israel: you are My faithful servant, you are chosen unconditionally since the days of Yaakov, and you are the seed of Avraham who loved Me - and therefore there is no fear that I will reject you, that I will abandon you in a time of trouble, or that I lack the power to save you. Against the four types of enemies - those who harbor anger behind your back, those who quarrel face-to-face, those who strike, and those who wage war - it is promised that all of them will become as nothing and naught. Israel, who are weak as a worm, have their strength in their mouth and in their prayer, and in the future they will be made into a new, sharp, multi-toothed threshing sledge through the power of their own merits, and not merely through the merit of the Patriarchs. And in the redemption, the Holy One, blessed be He, will shower upon them an abundance that entirely defies nature - rivers on bare hills, springs in valleys, and trees in the wilderness and the desert - so that they will see and know that the hand of Hashem has done this, and when they contemplate, they will understand that the Holy One of Israel has created it: a creation of something from nothing, born of His individual providence over His people.