The chapter before us continues the prophecies of consolation of Yeshayahu. From here onward (from verse 9), a dialogue unfolds before us: Keneset Yisrael turns to the Holy One, blessed be He, demanding redemption, and the Holy One, blessed be He, responds. Following the path of the Malbim, alongside Rashi, Radak, and the Metzudot, we will see how every single word in the verses is constructed with wondrous precision.
Israel's Claim: "Awaken" - You Awaken, Not Us
עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי עֹז זְרוֹעַ יְהֹוָה, עוּרִי כִּימֵי קֶדֶם דֹּרוֹת עוֹלָמִים, הֲלוֹא אַתְּ הִיא הַמַּחְצֶבֶת רַהַב מְחוֹלֶלֶת תַּנִּין׃ (ט) - Awake, awake, clothe yourself in strength, O arm of Hashem! Awake as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Are You not the one who hacked Rahav to pieces, who pierced the dragon? (9)
The Malbim describes here a dialogue, so to speak, between Keneset Yisrael and the Holy One, blessed be He. The people of Israel say: Master of the Universe, why do You delay our salvation? After all, in days of old, when our forefathers were in Egypt, You performed miracles and wonders for them even though they were undeserving. If so, perform miracles and wonders for us as well, even though we too are undeserving.
Who previously made this very argument? Gideon. The angel appeared to him while he was beating out wheat to hide it from the Philistines, and Gideon said to him: "Where are all His wonders that our fathers recounted to us?" Last night my father read the Hallel of Pesach with me and taught me how the Holy One, blessed be He, delivered our ancestors; and if you say we have no merit - they had no merit either! This is precisely Israel's claim: If You wait for our merits, who knows when we will ever be worthy? Our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt without merit; redeem us as well without merit.
And what is the simple answer to this claim? When a toddler begins to walk, you hold his hand so he will not fall. But if a twenty-year-old needs someone to hold his hand, that is deeply concerning - a doctor and an orthopedist need to examine what is wrong with him. At the Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish people were in diapers, in their formative infancy, and therefore they were held by the hand: forty years in the wilderness, the manna, the Clouds of Glory, a massive outpouring of Divine influence to help them stand on their own feet. But once they entered the Land of Israel, a person has grown up and must walk on his own strength. Consequently, the claim "Do for us as You did for our fathers" is no longer relevant: from that point onward, your own merits are required.
And this is how matters find expression in the verse: "Awake, awake, clothe yourself in strength" - do not wait for an awakening from us, but awaken Yourself. The Malbim notes precisely: it does not say "the hand of Hashem" (yad Hashem), but "the arm of Hashem" (zero'a Hashem). What is the difference? The arm is the upper part of the limb, which moves the entire hand. Therefore, the "arm" always denotes the prime cause, which does not depend on the recipients below, but solely on the will of Hashem. The "hand" represents a lower action, dependent upon the deeds of human beings and their merits; but the "arm" acts independently, without checking whether we possess merit. For this reason, Israel specifically asks for "the arm of Hashem" - the power that operates without the merit of those below.
"Awake as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times" - just as in days of old the arm of Hashem was aroused without our being worthy. For even on the eve of the Exodus, when they were told, "Draw out and take for yourselves sheep," Chazal expounded: "Draw your hands away from idolatry." If they still needed to be told this, what merit did they possess? Yet despite this, the Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed them by His own will. "The generations of ancient times" refers to Israel's entry into the Land, when we entered through the miraculous battles of Yehoshua, by the power of an awakening from Hashem.
And should you ask why Hashem would act in such a manner, to this Israel replies: "Are You not the one who hacked Rahav to pieces" - Rahav is Egypt; You hewed Israel out of Egypt even though they had no merits. "Who pierced the dragon" - the dragon is Pharaoh, as in the phrase, "the great dragon crouching within its rivers." You struck the dragon and brought us out of Egypt when we possessed no merits; if so, awake, awake, clothe Yourself in strength, O arm of Hashem, against today's enemies as well, and redeem us with an everlasting redemption.
The Two Miracles at the Splitting of the Red Sea
הֲלוֹא אַתְּ הִיא הַמַּחֲרֶבֶת יָם מֵי תְּהוֹם רַבָּה, הַשָּׂמָה מַעֲמַקֵּי יָם דֶּרֶךְ לַעֲבֹר גְּאוּלִים׃ (י) - Are You not the one who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over? (10)
At the Splitting of the Red Sea we also had no merits - and furthermore, the idol of Micah passed through the sea with us. So deficient were we, and yet You did not hold us to account, but treated us with loving-kindness, through the power of the Arm.
And why does Scripture repeat the matter in different words? For the Malbim, there is no redundancy. Rather, as he explains in his commentary on Scripture, there were two miracles in the splitting of the sea. One miracle - that the Holy One, blessed be He, dried up and desiccated the sea, and Israel walked on dry land. Yet if a path inside the sea were dried for us right now, would it be easy to walk there? Certainly not: the seabed is not smooth asphalt; it has ascents, descents, and boulders. Therefore, an additional miracle was necessary - to level the terrain and make it a paved road. And this is "Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep" - drying the sea; "who made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to pass over" - that it be fit for passage, so that they would neither fall nor stumble.
וּפְדוּיֵי יְהֹוָה יְשׁוּבוּן וּבָאוּ צִיּוֹן בְּרִנָּה, וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם עַל רֹאשָׁם, שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יַשִּׂיגוּן, נָסוּ יָגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה׃ (יא) - And the redeemed of Hashem shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall attain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (11)
Rashi explains that this is a prayer: the prophet stands and prays that the redeemed of Hashem will return. The Malbim, by contrast, explains that this is a continuation of the plea: we continue and say - even though we are undeserving, and even though redemption will not come through our own deeds, nonetheless "the redeemed of Hashem shall return and come to Zion with singing" through the chesed of Hashem. May the Holy One, blessed be He, redeem us in His kindness and bring us out of exile by the power of His arm, even though we are not worthy.
The Holy One's Response: I Have Not Changed - You Have Changed
אָנֹכִי אָנֹכִי הוּא מְנַחֶמְכֶם, מִי אַתְּ וַתִּירְאִי מֵאֱנוֹשׁ יָמוּת וּמִבֶּן אָדָם חָצִיר יִנָּתֵן׃ (יב) - I, even I, am He Who comforts you; who are you that you should fear a mortal who dies, and a son of man who is made as grass? (12)
Radak notes a difficulty here: "Who comforts you" [menachemchem] is in the plural, "who are you that you should fear" [mi at vatirai] is in the feminine singular, and in the following verse, "and you forgot Hashem your Maker" [vatishkach] is in the masculine singular. Radak answers that this is the manner of Scripture: the plural refers to the individuals, each and every person; the masculine singular refers to the collective, addressing all of Israel as one; and the feminine singular refers to the assembly, the congregation of Israel, known as "Knesset Yisrael."
And the Holy One, blessed be He, responds, as the Malbim explains: You say, "Awake, arm of Hashem," as though some change has occurred in Me - that in the past I redeemed even without merits, whereas today I demand merits. It is not so. I have not changed at all: "I, even I, am He" - who I was then, I am now as well; the One Who said "I am Hashem your God" is the "I" standing here now. No change has occurred in Me, and I comfort you now just as before. Rather, it is you who have changed. Therefore I ask, "Who are you?" - Are you the nation that left Egypt? I do not recognize you; you do not look the same at all.
There is a story of a man whose financial situation was dire, and he prayed ceaselessly to win the lottery, until in Heaven they grew weary of hearing his prayers. The angels said: Master of the Universe, just let Yaakov Cohen win already. He won and became a multi-billionaire; he bought a car, bought an apartment, bought everything. He looked in the mirror and said: You do not look like a millionaire at all; you still look like the pauper you were before. He went to a plastic surgeon, had a facelift, and came out looking like a model. He walked out of the hospital, crossed the street, was hit by a car, and went up to Heaven. He said: Master of the Universe, You gave me so much and I was only just beginning to enjoy it, and suddenly You take me? The angels looked at him: Wait, who is this? Yaakov Cohen? We did not recognize you. A case of mistaken identity.
So says the Holy One, blessed be He: Who are you? Who are you? Is that you speaking, Knesset Yisrael? I did not recognize you. You are not the people that existed in days of old; you are not the people who went out of Egypt. They did not fear an arm of flesh, they did not fear the nations, and they trusted in My salvation. "Who are you that you should fear a mortal who dies" - who are you to fear flesh and blood?
The Malbim notes precisely: "Enosh" always denotes a lesser person - not in physical stature, but someone lowly and weak in strength. And there is a distinction between "adam" and "ben adam": the addition of "ben" indicates that he was born of a human being, born of a woman, which is an expression of deficiency. An angel is not born of a woman and has no such deficiency; but one born of a woman is born from something physical and material. Therefore, when contrasting the exalted status of angels with man who is formed of matter, or when addressing Yechezkel and calling him "ben adam" (son of man) - the intention is to point out the lowliness of his origin.
Accordingly: "From a mortal who dies" [enosh yamut] - relates to his end, for he is destined to die; "and from a son of man who is made as grass" [uben adam chatzir yinaten] - relates to his beginning, from where he came. One who descends from man is vulnerable to illness, pain, suffering, and affliction, even before he dies. Thus there are two deficiencies here: a life in which one can suffer illnesses and tribulations, and an end that is death. And "chatzir" (grass) is always an expression for the weakest of things, as in the phrase "like the smell of fire, grass is consumed." See how vulnerable man is to sickness: he eats something bad - he is bedridden for three days; he steps out briefly in inclement weather - sneezes, fever, strep throat, stuck in bed. "Is made as grass" - physical weakness and ailments are part of his very existence. And of this are you afraid?
The Difference Between Yirah and Pachad, and Between Cheimah, Af, and Ketzef
וַתִּשְׁכַּח יְהֹוָה עֹשֶׂךָ נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם וְיֹסֵד אָרֶץ, וַתְּפַחֵד תָּמִיד כָּל הַיּוֹם מִפְּנֵי חֲמַת הַמֵּצִיק כַּאֲשֶׁר כּוֹנֵן לְהַשְׁחִית, וְאַיֵּה חֲמַת הַמֵּצִיק׃ (יג) - And you have forgotten Hashem your Maker, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth, and you dread continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he prepares to destroy; and where is the fury of the oppressor? (13)
The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Come and see that you have changed. Had you not forgotten Hashem your Maker, how could you have come to fear mortal man who dies? One Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth certainly has the power to save; yet because you forgot Him, you fear flesh and blood.
Not only this, but "and you dread continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor." The Malbim distinguishes between af (anger), ketzef (wrath), and evrah (rage), versus cheimah (fury): cheimah is the anger of the heart, an internal anger; whereas af, ketzef, and evrah are expressions of anger that have already taken on outward form - "His anger flared," "smoke rose in His nostril," or the foam (ketzef) upon the lips of an enraged person. If you were dreading something that had already materialized, whose threats had assumed tangible reality, that could be understood. But you dread the cheimah that is still purely internal, which has not been expressed at all.
"When he prepares to destroy" - the prefix kaf is the comparative kaf: as if he has already come to destroy, and you dread him as though he is already here. This is evidence of a lack of bitachon (trust) in Hashem. Even though the oppressor has not yet begun to harm you, you live with the feeling as if he has already brought total destruction. But surely you should ask: "And where is the fury of the oppressor?" Where is it? Do I see it? It is still deep within him, far from being realized - so why are you afraid today?
In this way, we previously explained the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moshe: "Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the Children of Israel and let them journey on." Seemingly, a person in distress cries out to Hashem - so why say "Why do you cry out to Me?" Many explanations have been offered for this, and one of them is: the enemy has not yet reached you, they are still far off, and there is still room for salvation. A person must realize that when distress has not yet arrived and he is already anxious and agitated - this reflects a lack of bitachon. When the distress arrives, of course he should cry out; but before it has arrived? So too here: "And where is the fury of the oppressor?" They told you that he is plotting, and over the scheme within his heart you are already afraid right now?
From here stems the difference between yirah (awe / objective fear) and pachad (subjective dread): the cause of yirah lies in the perceived object - the very thing you see that inspires fear; whereas the cause of pachad lies in the perceiver - the person himself, who harbors an internal fear. A lion roaring before us evokes yirah, not pachad; indeed, yirah is connected to something you actually see (ro'eh). But pachad is what happens within, regardless of any external factor: there are people who walk around with anxieties and need a psychologist, or in more severe cases a psychiatrist, suffering from persecution complexes. It is very difficult to free them, because you cannot simply show them that there is nothing there - the dread is internal and unrelated to anything tangible one can point to.
Therefore, notice the precision: earlier it stated, "and you feared (vatire'i) mortal man who dies" - there, there was a certain room for yirah, as there is a man standing before you. But here it speaks of "the fury (chamat) of the oppressor" - the anger still held within, with nothing external threatening. Thus, it is not yirah but mere pachad (dread). Had he been standing here with a drawn sword, one could say you fear him (yarei); but this is only fury in his heart and "when he prepares to destroy" - mere plans, and he is not even here. Such dread is entirely unwarranted, and in this you have departed from the ways of your forefathers. If so, "Who are you?" You are no longer that ancient nation; you have changed, and you are not worthy of protection.
"The captive hastens to be released" - How Small the Enemy Is
מִהַר צֹעֶה לְהִפָּתֵחַ, וְלֹא יָמוּת לַשַּׁחַת וְלֹא יֶחְסַר לַחְמוֹ׃ (יד) - The captive exile hastens to be released, and he shall not die in the pit, nor shall his bread fail. (14)
Radak explains tzo'eh as one who wanders and is tossed from place to place, through the upheaval of captivity or the upheaval of exile. "The wanderer hastens to be released" - Israel in exile will swiftly be freed from the house of their exile. "And he shall not die in the pit" - those returning from exile will not perish. "Nor shall his bread fail" - even while still in exile, and even as a captive, the Holy One, blessed be He, provides him with his bread properly among his enemies; and on the way as He leads them out, they will neither hunger nor thirst.
Rashi explains that the verse refers to the enemy, demonstrating just how small and frail he is. Tzo'eh denotes something tilted and emptied from place to place, as in "and I will send him tilters (tzo'im) who will tilt him (vetze'uhu), and empty his vessels." And this enemy - even his digestive functions are difficult for him, and he must walk to relieve himself; for if a person suffers from constipation, Halachah advises that he walk, as walking stimulates bowel activity and opens his bowels. (A similar recommendation is given to a woman in labor when labor is not progressing - that she walk, as walking relaxes the muscles and advances labor.) Because his bowels empty quickly, he requires constant food, for if it is withheld he will die - and this is the meaning of "nor shall his bread fail." If so, is this the kind of person you fear? A human being who can be endangered by slight constipation, and whom a lack of a little food starves to death? "Who are you that you should fear mortal man who dies, and a son of man who shall be made as grass?" - see how fragile man is, and how fleeting.
Rashi also brings another explanation: tzo'eh refers to the oppressive enemy, whom you currently see fully armed and girded around his loins with all his weaponry - but soon he will be weakened. Tzo'eh is an expression of girding, as in "marching (tzo'eh) in the greatness of his strength"; and lehipate'ach ("to be loosened / unbuckled") is like "let not him that girds his armor boast as he that unbuckles (kemefate'ach) it" - for at the end of the battle, the warrior unbuckles the belt from which his weapons hang. That very belt he girded to march to war will very quickly be removed from him.
And the Malbim explains: There is fury pent up within the enemy, a raging fury to come and exact retribution from Israel and take revenge upon them. Even before he dies in the pit and before his bread fails, already "the wanderer hastens to be freed" - he hastens to unleash his fury and carry out his plans for the solution to the Jewish problem. And nevertheless, you have nothing to fear.
וְאָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ רֹגַע הַיָּם וַיֶּהֱמוּ גַּלָּיו, יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ׃ (טו) - "For I am Hashem your God, Who calms the sea when its waves roar; Hashem of Hosts is His Name."
I am the One Who calms the sea, even when its waves roar. Who calms the raging sea? The Holy One, Blessed be He. And if I can quiet the stormy sea, which strikes terror and trembling into whoever beholds it, can I not silence the uproar of mortal man, a mere maggot, and his wrath? What power does a human being truly possess? Do not fear the enemy, for I can grant you relief from the stormy sea that comes to exact vengeance upon you.
The Radak cites based on Targum Yonatan that roga is akin to go'er (rebukes) - from verbs whose letters transpose, like keves/kesev (lamb), simlah/salmah (garment), kahal/lahak (congregation/group). That is to say: I rebuke the raging sea to quiet it. According to the Malbim, it means calming. And another explanation is cited by the Radak and Rashi: roga is like boke'a (splits), as in the wording of Iyov, "My skin broke open and became loathsome" (Iyov 7:5) - that from the abundance of boils his skin split open and became loathsome from the oozing pus. And here: He splits the sea and its waves roar - for when Israel needed to cross, Hashem split the sea and they passed through it. Thus, roga is an expression of calming, or an expression of rebuking, or an expression of splitting. And if I was able to split the sea before Israel, can I not overcome the enemies who rise up against you?
"And I Have Put My Words in Your Mouth" - The Promise That Is Never Revoked
וָאָשִׂים דְּבָרַי בְּפִיךָ וּבְצֵל יָדִי כִּסִּיתִיךָ, לִנְטֹעַ שָׁמַיִם וְלִיסֹד אָרֶץ, וְלֵאמֹר לְצִיּוֹן עַמִּי אָתָּה׃ (טז) - "And I have put My words in your mouth, and covered you with the shadow of My hand, to plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and to say to Zion: You are My people."
Rashi cites Targum Yonatan: "To establish the people of whom it was said that they would multiply like the stars of heaven" - "to plant the heavens" means to sustain the people of Israel, of whom it was said that they would multiply like the stars of the heavens; "and to establish the congregation of whom it was said that they would multiply like the dust of the earth" - "and lay the foundations of the earth" means to establish the congregation of Israel, of whom it was said that they would multiply like the dust of the earth. Thus, both expressions refer to the increase and strength of Israel.
And the Malbim explains: The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: Why are you afraid? After all, I have placed My promise in your mouth, that I will save you and take you out of exile, and salvation will certainly come. And even in the meantime you have nothing to fear, for "I have covered you with the shadow of My hand" - a temporary shielding until I redeem you, saving you from destruction so that I may fulfill the promise. And what are the words I have placed in your mouth? "To plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and to say to Zion: You are My people." Even if the exile seems so difficult that delivering you from it would be like the creation of heaven and earth - a monumental and tremendous task - My promise is a promise: I will plant new heavens and lay the foundation of a new earth, I will alter nature and change the laws of heaven, so long as I fulfill what I promised - "to say to Zion: You are My people," that you will return to Zion and be My people.
The Two Cups: The Cup of His Wrath and the Goblet Cup of Poison
הִתְעוֹרְרִי הִתְעוֹרְרִי קוּמִי יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר שָׁתִית מִיַּד יְהֹוָה אֶת כּוֹס חֲמָתוֹ, אֶת קֻבַּעַת כּוֹס הַתַּרְעֵלָה שָׁתִית מָצִית׃ (יז) - "Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from Hashem's hand the cup of His fury; you have drunk the goblet cup of poisoning to the dregs, draining it."
We have seen that Israel said, "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Hashem" - asking that Hashem awaken and redeem us even without merits, just as He redeemed us from the Egyptian exile and the Babylonian exile. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, answers with the very same phrasing: You say to Me "Awake, awake," and I say to you, "Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem" - the matter depends on you.
The Malbim explains: Israel drank two bitter cups. One cup is the cup of fury: that Hashem was angered with us and hid His face from us. And notice that we did not drink this cup to the very end, for "He does not stir up all His wrath" - He did not bring His fury to utter destruction, and even while we are in exile, "He peers through the windows, glances through the lattice," ensuring that the people of Israel will not perish. And the second cup is "the goblet cup of poison," the actual punishment He brought upon us: murders, Holocausts, decrees of destruction, and inquisitions.
There is a wonderful nuance in the verse: "who have drunk from Hashem's hand the cup of His fury" - the first cup we drank from His own hand, may He be blessed, and it does not say that we finished it, for He still watches over us. But "the dregs of the cup of reeling you have drunk, draining it" - here it does not say "from Hashem's hand," for this comes from the enemies striking us; and that one we drank entirely, and not only that, but "drained it" - you drained it to the very last drop, even what remained at the bottom.
What is kuba'at? The Malbim and Rashi explain: the dregs at the bottom of the cup. Rashi cites one explanation that kuba'at is a type of vessel, but leans more toward the explanation of dregs, as it says here "you have drunk, draining it," and regarding dregs it says in Tehillim (75), "its dregs will be drained" - draining applies to dregs, the sediment at the bottom of the wine that one must, as it were, wring out to the end.
And what is tareilah? Rashi explains: a drink that stupefies and drains a person's strength, rendering him as if bound, tied, and wrapped. Tareilah relates to tying and wrapping, as in "and the cypresses were shaken (hore'alu)," and like women who go out veiled (re'ulot) - a veil (re'alah) that covers the face. Metzudat Tziyon adds a wonderful insight: tareilah is akin to ta'arlah, one of the inverted root words (like keves / kesev, lamb), from the root of arel (uncircumcised/blocked). And what is arel? Blocked and covered - "their heart is uncircumcised (arel)" means their heart is sealed; and the foreskin (orlah) is called such because it seals and covers the crown of the body. Thus, "the dregs of the cup of tareilah" is the cup that shrouds, through which you drank the drink that blocks and saps a person's vitality until he becomes as if wrapped and bound - and you drank it down to the very last drop.
Radak explains tareilah as trembling (re'adah) - one who drinks from that cup is seized by trembling. In any case, we see that in Lashon Hakodesh the word ra'al does not mean a lethal poison at all; in Chazal's language, that is always called sam hamavet (a deadly poison). The modern Hebrew word ra'al (poison) was derived from "the cup of tareilah," but here the meaning is an expression of blockage or trembling, not poison.
No One to Guide the Drunken Woman
אֵין מְנַהֵל לָהּ מִכָּל בָּנִים יָלָדָה, וְאֵין מַחֲזִיק בְּיָדָהּ מִכָּל בָּנִים גִּדֵּלָה׃ (יח) - There is no one to guide her among all the sons she bore, and no one to take her by the hand among all the sons she raised.
After describing Israel as intoxicated from the two cups - the cup of fury in which Hashem hid His face, and the cup of reeling which is the punishment and afflictions - the verse continues: A drunkard who drank two generous cups until "draining" them, what does he need? Someone to guide him home. One who drinks cannot drive, and needs an escort. And here, "There is no one to guide her among all the sons she bore" - there is no son to escort her home after she collapsed in her drunken state; "and no one to take her by the hand among all the sons she raised" - there is no one to help her up from her fall. The younger sons are meant to guide her home, and the older ones are meant to hold her hand so she does not stumble and fall - and there is no one.
שְׁתַּיִם הֵנָּה קֹרְאֹתַיִךְ מִי יָנוּד לָךְ, הַשֹּׁד וְהַשֶּׁבֶר וְהָרָעָב וְהַחֶרֶב מִי אֲנַחֲמֵךְ׃ (יט) - These two things have befallen you; who will grieve for you? Desolation and destruction, famine and sword - how shall I comfort you?
The misfortunes that overtook you were twofold, and therefore there is no one to grieve for you. "Desolation and destruction" - here is a pair: desolation (looting) comes from without, as the looter comes to rob our property, and destruction comes from within; thus the affliction is both from inside and from outside. "Famine and sword" - here too is a pair, both from inside and outside, as it says in Yirmiyahu (14): "If I go out into the field, behold, those slain by the sword! And if I enter the city, behold, the sicknesses of famine!" - there is nowhere to flee, one is pursued in the field and pursued at home.
"How shall I comfort you" - to whom else has such a ruin occurred, that I could say to you: Be comforted, this happened to others as well? All the commentators here explain that the nature of offering comfort is to cite an example of another person to whom the same thing happened. This is somewhat surprising: seemingly, why should a person find comfort in the fact that his fellow also suffers a tragedy? Yet such is human nature. When something terrible befalls someone, they tell him: Do not worry, there are many others like you. If he suffers a financial collapse, they tell him: Two hundred thousand others went down in this same collapse; and he is consoled and calmed. The great sages of Israel acted this way when comforting mourners: Rabbi Yochanan would take out a bone and say, "This is a bone of my tenth son who passed away." He came to comfort a person whose single son had died, showing him that ten of his own had passed away. It is an undeniable reality that human nature finds comfort in the troubles of others.
Rashi explains similarly: "'How shall I comfort you' - whom can I bring to comfort you and say that such-and-such nation was also stricken like you? I have no one with whom to comfort you."
The Malbim analyzes the precise wording: What is the difference between "to grieve (lanud)" and "to comfort (lenachem)"? (We also find this with Job's friends, who came "to grieve for him [lanud lo].") Nud is from the shaking of the head - when a person says "alas and alack" and shakes his head, and this comes from close relatives. Menachamim (comforters) can also be distant acquaintances who come to console. As the verse states: "I looked for someone to grieve (lanud), but there was none; and for comforters (menachamim), but I found none." Here, those who shake their heads do not exist, for those who grieve are close kin - and you have no close kin, since through these catastrophes they were lost to you; and if any remain, they too are mired in the very same tragedy. As for comforters, they may indeed exist, but what can they say to you? To whom else has such a thing occurred, that one could come and say, "This also happened to so-and-so"? There is no one. Thus, it is impossible either to grieve or to comfort.
בָּנַיִךְ עֻלְּפוּ שָׁכְבוּ בְּרֹאשׁ כָּל חוּצוֹת כְּתוֹא מִכְמָר, הַמְלֵאִים חֲמַת יְהֹוָה גַּעֲרַת אֱלֹהָיִךְ׃ (כ) - Your children have fainted, they lie at the head of every street like a wild ox in a net, full of the wrath of Hashem, the rebuke of your God.
We saw that she expects her children to hold her and guide her, yet there is no one. Regarding this, the verse explains why they did not come to help: "Your children have fainted." Instead of your older and younger children raising you up from drunkenness and guiding you, they themselves drank from both cups and became intoxicated just like you.
"They lie at the head of every street like a wild ox in a net" - even though they are lying outside in an open area rather than in a prison, they are like an ox caught in a net. Radak and Rashi explain that to is equivalent to teo in "the wild ox (teo) and the chamois" (Devarim 14:5), with inverted letters (like keves / kesev), referring to a wild ox. Michmar comes from the root of machmoret, a net, as in "he fell into his net." "Full of the wrath of Hashem, the rebuke of your God" - from what did they become drunk? They too are full of the wrath of Hashem, meaning the cup of fury that you drank; as well as "the rebuke of your God," which is the cup of staggering, the punishment that they drained to the dregs. They too became intoxicated from these two cups, and therefore there is no one to guide Israel, no one to assist them, no one to raise her up, no one to grieve for her, and no one to comfort her.
לָכֵן שִׁמְעִי נָא זֹאת עֲנִיָּה, וּשְׁכֻרַת וְלֹא מִיָּיִן׃ (כא) - Therefore hear this now, afflicted one, and drunken, but not with wine.
Since none of your children can save you, hear this now. "Afflicted one" - you were made poor and afflicted by the cup of fury, for Hashem hid His countenance from you. "And drunken, but not with wine" - this refers to the cup of staggering, for you became drunk from poverty and troubles. A drunkard has no control over what is happening to him, and Israel are like drunkards - they do not know what is happening around them - not because of drinking, but because of the troubles, suffering, and all that they have endured.
Taking the Cup from Your Hand
כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנַיִךְ יְהֹוָה וֵאלֹהַיִךְ יָרִיב עַמּוֹ, הִנֵּה לָקַחְתִּי מִיָּדֵךְ אֶת כּוֹס הַתַּרְעֵלָה, אֶת קֻבַּעַת כּוֹס חֲמָתִי לֹא תוֹסִיפִי לִשְׁתּוֹתָהּ עוֹד׃ (כב) - Thus says your Master, Hashem, and your God Who champions His people's cause: Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of staggering; the goblet, the cup of My fury, you shall no longer drink.
There are two dimensions here: one dimension is to take you out of distress, and the second dimension is to requite the nations for all that they afflicted and tormented His children. "Your Master, Hashem" - from this aspect I will save you and take you out of distress; "and your God Who champions His people's cause" - from this aspect I will plead the cause of My people and take vengeance upon the enemies.
"Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of staggering" - the cup of affliction. Yet we already noted that "the goblet of the cup of staggering you drank, you drained," meaning that we drank it down to the dregs and nothing remained in it; so what was left in your hand? Only the empty cup, the vessel holding the punishment - which is the exile itself. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Even this vessel I will take from you, and I will bring you out of exile.
But of what are you still afraid? Of the second cup, the cup of His fury, which we did not drain, and the bitter drink still remains inside it - for He did not spend all His fury upon us. Are you afraid that He might yet make you drink from it? To this the Holy One, blessed be He, promises: "The goblet, the cup of My fury, you shall no longer drink." Notice the precise phrasing: with the cup of staggering it says, "I have taken out of your hand the cup of staggering" - the cup alone, for its contents we have already drunk and drained; whereas with the cup of fury, which still contains drink, it says, "You shall no longer drink it."
"Bow Down That We May Pass Over" - The Body Yes, the Soul No
וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ בְּיַד מוֹגַיִךְ אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ לְנַפְשֵׁךְ שְׁחִי וְנַעֲבֹרָה, וַתָּשִׂימִי כָאָרֶץ גֵּוֵךְ וְכַחוּץ לַעֹבְרִים׃ (כג) - And I will place it into the hand of your tormentors, who said to your soul: Bow down, that we may pass over; and you made your back like the ground, and like the street for passersby.
And to whom will the remainder of the cup be given? "I will put it into the hand of your tormentors [mogayich]." And what is "mogayich"? The Malbim explains: those who caused you anguish, pained you, and afflicted you. Rashi explains "mogayich" as those who shake and toss you about, as in the phrase "and behold, the multitude melted away [namog]," which denotes being tossed and shaken. Radak explains it as deriving from yagah, as in "for the Lord has afflicted her [hogah]," where Rashi and Ibn Ezra explain it as an expression of grief (yagon) and anguish - hence mogayich are those who cause you anguish. Metzudat Tzion explains it like "all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away [namogu]" - not in the sense of shaking, but rather melting and fear: those who melted Israel's heart and wore them down with suffering; them will I give to drink the cup of fury. And the Minchat Shai cites an interesting point: Targum Yonatan translates "into the hand of those who aggrieved you [dehavo monan lach]" - meaning those who mistreated you, from the root of oppression (ona'ah, as in "you shall not wrong one another"); this implies that his text read monayich rather than mogayich.
And by what merit will the cup be taken from our hand and placed into theirs? "Who said to your soul: Bow down, that we may walk over." The nations were willing to grant Israel physical freedom in exchange for spiritual subjugation: worship our gods, and we will grant you emancipation and equal rights - provided your spirit is enslaved to them. This was the case in the era of the Hellenizers, and so too in other eras: had we been willing to accept upon ourselves the "religion of love" [Christianity], they would have had no problem with us remaining among them; the entire problem was that we insisted on observing the commandments of our faith. Had we been willing to accept core secular curriculum upon ourselves, they would have had no problem with us; the entire problem is that we insist on studying Torah alone.
And this is "who said to your soul" - specifically to your soul and spirit; "bow down, that we may walk over" - bend down so that we may pass over you, an expression of subjugation, that we should abandon our faith and religion and adopt theirs. But Israel said: We are willing for you to tread upon us, to trample us, to torture and afflict our bodies - but the freedom of the soul will remain in our hands; we will believe in Whom we believe, and we will serve Whom we choose to serve. And this is "and you made your back like the earth" - our physical body, our back, we placed like the ground: walk over my back, but not over my spirit and not over my soul; that you will not break. "And like the street to those who pass by" - like the outdoor path, not inside the house but along the road, open to all passersby: to anyone who wants to come and trample Israel, Israel says - you may overcome us physically and materially, but spiritually we will never bow before you.
And the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: In this merit, that you were willing to surrender your bodies for the sake of your souls, that they said to you "Bow down, that we may walk over" and you refused to bend in your soul - in return for this, "I will put it into the hand of your tormentors." I will bring the cup of fury upon the haters and the enemies, those who sought to break you while you stood firm as flint. They will drink the cup of fury, and you will emerge from exile to eternal redemption. Amen, Selah.
In summary:
In the chapter before us, a dialogue unfolds: Israel pleads, "Awaken, awaken, put on strength, O arm of the Lord" - awaken and redeem us with the supreme Divine power that does not depend on our merits, just as You redeemed us from Egypt and at the Sea without merits. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, responds: "I, even I, am He Who comforts you" - in Me there has been no change whatsoever; it is you who have changed. "Who are you that you should fear?" - you have forgotten the Maker of heaven and Founder of earth, and you fear wrath that is still locked within the oppressor's heart, an internal fear with no ground to stand upon. Nonetheless, the Holy One, Blessed be He, promises that His word will not be broken: "And I have placed My words in your mouth" - if need be, I will plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, so long as I fulfill My promise. Jerusalem drank two cups: the cup of fury, which was not drunk to the dregs because He did not unleash His full wrath upon us, and the dregs of the cup of reeling, which was drunk and drained to the bottom. Now the Lord will take the cup from her hand - this is the exile - and promise that she will never again drink from the cup of His fury, and the remainder He will place into the hand of her tormentors. And in what merit? In the merit that they said to our soul, "Bow down, that we may walk over," and we gave over our back, but not our soul.