Rabotai (my teachers), this is another edition of the haftarah (prophetic reading), and today we have a special edition. We started this project during the pandemic, on Pesach (Passover). The first haftarah we did was Shevi'i shel Pesach (Seventh day of Passover). We did not do Shemini shel Pesach (Eighth day of Passover), because by the time that day came around, the holiday was over and we could not record. So now, very appropriately, while we are in Parashat Pinchas (portion of Pinchas), we will do the haftarah for the eighth day of Pesach. The members who come to the class know that no matter which haftarah we do, it always has something relevant to the time. It is always timely.
The haftarah for the eighth day of Pesach is in Yeshayah (Isaiah). It is Yeshayah 11, and the passage is identified as Page 12:26. Actually, it starts in Yeshayah 10, with the last few pesukim (verses). It starts at lamed-bet (thirty-two), so it is Yeshayah 10:32. This is a haftarah about Mashiach (Messiah). I suppose we read it on the eighth day of Pesach because of the saying, b'Nisan nig'alu u-v'Nisan atidim l'higa'el (In Nisan they were redeemed, and in Nisan they will be redeemed.). After the eighth day of Pesach, Ashkenazim (Ashkenazi Jews), Chabad actually has a se'udah (festive meal) on the eighth day of Pesach called Se'udat Mashiach (Messiah's meal). They sit down and have a se'udah, arousing the arrival. This haftarah actually talks about it.
It begins with this amazing pasuk: od hayom b'Nov la'amod (Still today at Nov he will stand.), yenofef yado (He will wave his hand.), har bat Tziyon (Mount of the daughter of Zion), giv'at Yerushalayim (the hill of Jerusalem). This pasuk refers to something that happened in Jewish history, as recorded in the Mechilta. The story is like this: There was a city called Nov, Nov ir hakohanim—Nov, city of the priests. Do'eg (Doeg) had the city of Nov killed off and wiped out. That was a big stain on the Jewish people. That avon (sin) of killing the people of Nov would haunt us for many years.
Sancheriv (Sennacherib), who was the king of Ashur (Assyria), wanted to come against Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). He went to the stargazers, who told him, “You have a very small window to attack Yerushalayim. After that window, you will not be able to get them. You have one more day.” They did not know why they said one more day, but that is what the stars showed. Sancheriv made an exceptionally fast trip: he did a 10-day trip in one day. When he got to Yerushalayim, they put him on a mountain to look over the city and see what he was up against. The Midrash says that he laughed. He said, “This is what you brought me to? This city? I thought it was a powerful, big city. This is what we are talking about?” He waved his hand, not in disgust but in derision, as if to say, “What is this? This is the city?” He said, “We do not have to attack it today; we will wait until tomorrow.”
That night, which was leil Pesach (Passover night), leil haseder (Seder night), they put off the attack until the next day. One hundred eighty thousand of Sancheriv’s soldiers died in their sleep. The astrology was actually right: they had one more day. Why? Because the sin of Nov had expired. They were going to be punished for the sin of Nov. If he had caught that window while the sin of Nov was still in play, he would have captured Yerushalayim. But because he did not, all his people died.
The pasuk is to be read like this: “Od hayom beNov la'amod”—there was one more day, “od hayom beNov la'amod,” for the sin of Nov to stand. Sancheriv came, “yenofef yado”—he waved his hand—“har bat Tziyon,” over the sin, over the mountain of the daughter of Zion, “giv'at Yerushalayim.” The word bat is written bayit, but read bat.
Chida says in his Chomat Anach perush (commentary) that there is a chidush (novel insight) here, because the Gemara I just quoted is in Sanhedrin, page tzadi daled amud bet. What did Sancheriv do that day? When he came, he saw that Jerusalem was a piece of cake. The Gemara says, “Al u'vat.” Bat means he slept; he went to sleep. What happened as a result? The Gemara has a beautiful lashon (wording): Vayehi balaylah hahu vayetzeh mal'ach Hashem vayach bemachaneh Ashur me'ah ushmonim vachamishah elef (That night the angel of Hashem went out and struck the Assyrian camp, 185,000.). The pasuk says 185,000 soldiers. Amar Rav Pappa: Hainu de'amrei inshei, bat dina bateil dina (Rav Pappa said: This is what people say: sleeping through the court case cancels the judgment.). “Bat dina” means you slept one night. And what happened? “Bateil dina”—the judgment was that he missed it; he blew it.
The Chida says that is why the word is written bayit and read bat. He writes: “Efshar bemah she'amru, mai od hayom beNov.” I am reading the Chida: “La'amod”—Rav Huna said, “Oto hayom nishtayer me'onah shel Nov” (That day, the time of Nov remained). The astrologers said, “Ei azlat idana yachilat” (If you go today, you can prevail). “Lemachar aitu li kol chad minayhu gulmei, harag tina mina.” Immediately, that night, the angel of Hashem went out. Rav Pappa said, “Hainu de'amrei inshei, bat dina bateil dina.” It comes out that if he had acted that day, when the sin of Nov still remained, he would have fought and been able to capture the city. But God arranged for the day to pass, and at night the angel came and killed them. The Chida says there is a hint to this in the wording of the pasuk: “od hayom beNov.” BeNov has the numerical value 54, which is the gematriya (numerical value) of dan, judgment. There was still one more day of judgment against Klal Yisrael (the Jewish people) for the sin of Nov. Sancheriv waved his hand, ha veyivzeh Yerushalayim, and “bat” means “bat dina.” He slept on it, and therefore the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) remained. The judgment was canceled. So therefore bat bayit. Because he slept on it, he missed the opportunity, and the keri uchetiv (read and written forms) here gives us a hint to that miracle. Phenomenal, phenomenal Chida.
The Chida has another chidush here. Besides the sin of Nov ir hakohanim, which Shaul HaMelech (King Saul) killed, there was also the sin of Kayin (Cain) killing Hevel (Abel). According to Rabbeinu haAri, that sin also haunted them for many years, and it too was coming to an expiration. The Chida says that Hevel is hinted at in the initial letters of “Hayom beNov la'amod.” “Hayom beNov la'amod”—that is Hevel. “Ki Chizkiyahu HaMelech (Hezekiah) mishoresh Kayin” (For King Hezekiah was rooted in Cain); Chizkiyahu was from Kayin, and Kayin sinned by killing Hevel. The sin of Kayin killing Hevel still remained until that day, and then it passed. So Sancheriv missed what we would call a golden window of attack. He did not listen to the stargazers. This is one case where he should have listened.
The pasuk says, Hineh Adon Hashem Tzeva'ot (Behold, the Lord Hashem of Hosts.), Hashem, the head of the legions, “mesa'ef purah bema'aratzah.” A ma'aratzah is a tool used to chop down trees, like a hatchet, sickle, or pruner—an item that cuts down a lot at once. The pasuk says “yefashach purot”; the purot are the trees. God came down with a weapon that chops down the trees in one shot. Of course, the trees He chopped down here were all the heads of Sancheriv’s legions. Do you have an English translation of that? “Behold, the Lord Hashem, Master of Legions, will lop off the bough with an axe, and the lofty ones will be severed...” An axe—beautiful. “Veramei hakomah gedu'im”—the tall ones will be cut down—“vehagvehim yishpalu,” and those who were high will become low.
The Gemara has a chidush about arrogance. It says, “Amar Pappa”—actually, take that back; the Gemara says, let me quote: “Veramei hakomah gedu'im.” It is in Sotah, page five. Rabbi Elazar said, “Kol adam sheyesh bo gasut haru'ach”—whoever has arrogance—“ra'ui legad'o ke'asheirah.” You should uproot him like an asheirah, an avodah zarah (idolatry) tree. “Ktiv hacha veramei hakomah gedu'im, uchtiv hatam by asheirah, va'asheireihem tegade'un.” Just as you uproot an asheirah, the haughty ones should be uprooted. “Venikaf sibchei haya'ar babarzel”—the bushes in the field were cut down with barzel, a metal instrument. “VehaLevanon be'adir yipol”—and Levanon, which is the Beit HaMikdash, will fall; “be'adir yipol,” it will fall by a great leader.
In our text, “vehaLevanon” simply refers to the strong ones, although Rashi says it refers to the number of Sancheriv’s soldiers. The adir is either the angel who caused them to fall or Chizkiyahu. But the Gemara expounds “vehaLevanon” as referring to the White House—not in Washington, D.C.; the Beit HaMikdash is called Levanon because it whitens the sins of Yisrael. “VehaLevanon be'adir yipol” means that Levanon, the Beit HaMikdash, will fall only by someone who is a king. This recalls the Gemara in Gittin. You remember when Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai was smuggled out of the city and was given a private meeting with Aspasyanos Keisar (Emperor Vespasian). Aspasyanos did not yet know that he was the keisar. Rabbi Yochanan said to him, “shlam alach malka (Peace be upon you, king.).” Aspasyanos told him, “You are guilty, because, first, I am not the king.” As he said that, a messenger came from Rome and said that the Caesar had died and he was going to be king. “Three wishes,” exactly. How did Rabbi Yochanan know that he must have been the Caesar? He knew that Aspasyanos was set on destroying the Beit HaMikdash. Rabbi Yochanan said, “VehaLevanon be'adir yipol”: Levanon must fall by a king, by an adir, and therefore I knew you had to be Caesar. That is the rule.
The Chida asks: What does this have to do with the context here, where Sancheriv’s army is killed, Chizkiyahu is victorious without having to shoot a bullet, and Yerushalayim is saved? Why does the pasuk about Yerushalayim’s salvation suddenly take a left turn and say, “VehaLevanon be'adir yipol,” as if to say, “But do not worry; one day the Beit HaMikdash is going to be destroyed”? Why put that in the pasuk? The pasuk was giving us beautiful. The Chida says, “Vet zarich lehavin mai shayachuta hacha”—why did he bring this here? As soon as Sancheriv fell, he mentions the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. The next pesukim are all going to speak, Be'ezrat Hashem, about the future and the coming of Mashiach. What is the connection?
The Chida says something amazing. Chizkiyahu HaMelech, alav hashalom, was meant by HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, blessed be He) to be Mashiach, and Sancheriv was Gog u'Magog (Gog and Magog). All the players were in place. Chizkiyahu was going to defeat Sancheriv in a war, as he did. Mashiach would have come, we would not be here today, and everybody would live happily ever after. But after it was all over, Chizkiyahu sinned. What was the sin? He did not sing a shirah (song). After such a victory, he should have said, “Az yashir Moshe (Moses our teacher), az yashir Chizkiyah”—Moshe sang, and Chizkiyahu should have sung. There should have been a song. “Shelo amar Chizkiyah HaMelech shirah, kitregah midat hadin, venitbatel.” Because Chizkiyahu did not sing, the attribute of judgment brought an accusation, and the plan was canceled.
Now we understand what the pasuk is saying. “Od hayom beNov”: there was one more day left for Nov. Sancheriv missed the moment, and Chizkiyahu was able to be victorious. “Ve'im Chizkiyah HaMelech alav hashalom hayah omer shirah, haytah ge'ulat olam”—if Chizkiyahu had sung, there would have been a permanent ge'ulah (redemption), because he would have been Mashiach and Sancheriv would have been Gog u'Magog. But he did not sing. Therefore, “VehaLevanon be'adir yipol”: even though such a miracle happened, the Torah immediately tells you that the Temple will ultimately be destroyed. That is relevant. We are in the Three Weeks. I know we are not on the eighth day of Pesach, but Pesach is mentioned in Parashat Pinchas, so that connects to what we are doing, and to the churban Beit HaMikdash (destruction of the Temple). In any case, whenever you have a haftarah that talks about Mashiach, it is always good.
Now we begin the next pasuk, which is the next chapter: “Veyatza choter migeza Yishai” (Jesse). Choter Yishai (shoot of Jesse). “Veyatza choter.” Choter is like a shoot. “Migeza Yishai”—it is talking about the sprouting of Mashiach. Choter is a sprout that will come from the family of Yishai, referring to the sprouting of Mashiach tzidkenu (our righteous Messiah). “Venetzer misharashav yifreh”—a netzer, as he explained, is a shoot. “So choter is a branch?” “Chazak u'varuch”—a staff. “And a shoot?” Beautiful. That is basically saying that Mashiach is going to sprout.
Rashi is here; the Chida again asks why it is called “geza Yishai,” rather than “geza David.” The Chida says, “Perush bizchut Yishai demit be'etyo shel nachash.” Yishai died only because of the sin of the nachash (snake). He had no personal sins; he died because of the universal sin of chet Adam HaRishon (sin of the first human). They say Yishai died because of the counsel of the snake. “Yavo Mashiach.” The gematriya of Mashiach is nachash. How much is Mashiach, rabotai? Mem-shin is 340; altogether, 358. How much is nachash? 358. In the merit of the one who died because of the counsel of the snake, we will have Mashiach.
The Chida says, “Ulevatlo, debechoach nun sha'arei binah”—this is an amazing Chida—“sheyitgalu.” When Mashiach comes, there will be a revelation of chochmah. What is that chochmah? Nun sha'arei binah, the 50 Gates of Wisdom. The nun of nachash is going to disappear. The kelipot (spiritual husks) are holding the nun. When Mashiach comes, we will take the nun back from the nachash, meaning the nun sha'arei binah. “Veye'aseh mi.” What is mem-yud? Mem-yud is 50. What letters remain in nachash? Chet-shin. We will take chet-shin and put it with mi, and what do you have? Mashiach. That is how you get a hint to understanding: “veyitztaref mi im chet-shin vena'aseh Mashiach.” Do you believe this? Yishtabach HaBoreh la'ad.
Furthermore, the pasuk says “netzer.” You called it a shoot. The Chida asks the numerical value of “venetzer.” Nun is 50, tzadi is 90, which makes 140; resh brings it to 240, and then it is 346. Moshe with the kolel is 346. Why would “venetzer” have the gematriya of Moshe? The Chida says, “Ki hago'el harishon hu hago'el ha'acharon.” That is like the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh. We see that the Chida, from the same generation, said the same thing: Moshe Rabbeinu is Mashiach. Just as the first redeemer was Mashiach, “ani rishon, hen ga'alti etchem acharit kereshit.” The pasuk in Kohelet says, “Mah shehayah hu sheyihyeh”—what was will be. The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh says that the initial letters of “mah shehayah hu” spell Moshe. Therefore, he says, “uvizchut Moshe Rabbeinu alav hashalom tiheyeh hage'ulah atidah bimherah biyameinu,” as it says in the Zohar HaKadosh.
For those who have kavanot (mystical intentions) during the yemei bein hametzarim (Three Weeks): “misharashav,” from his roots, “yifreh,” he will sprout. The Chida says “yifreh” has the gematriya of retzeh, because “ki bimkom tzarah yihyeh retzeh.” We know that in the kavanot of bein hametzarim, we have a kavanah when we say retzeh; retzeh is also otiyot tzarah. We say that in the merit of the kavanot, the tzarah will turn into retzeh. The Chida is expressing that kavanah here: “yifreh,” whose gematriya is retzeh, because in place of tzarah there will be retzeh. That is that.
Now we are already in the subject of Mashiach. “Venachah alav”—and it will rest upon him. Wait. There is a Rashi here that has to be one of the most stunning Rashis of all time. I do not think Rashi is quoting it, but it is in parentheses. “Katav hama'atik (copyist).” Who knows who the ma'atik is? That is what it says here. You have to keep track, because this could be from Rabbi Shimshon m'Ostropoli. This piece of Rashi is amazing. I was not aware of this Rashi. I do not know every Rashi, but this is a famous one. It is an unbelievable Rashi. Do not ask questions; just hear it out.
“Ba'egel ketiv, vayatzer oto bacharet (Regarding the calf it is written: he formed it with a tool.).” Aharon (Aaron) took the gold and put it in the charet. Charet is like a cauldron. “Lakach Aharon reish misheker”—Aharon took the reish from the word sheker and put it between the letters chet and tet. Chet is sin. When you put the reish between chet and tet, what happens? It becomes charet. What remains from sheker becomes sak (sackcloth). He gave them a sign: “Al yedei chet egel shetzarti bacharet, yilbeshu sak.” Because of the sin of the calf that I formed with the charet, they will wear sackcloth. He was telling them that this sin would haunt them. I committed the sin with the charet; where did I get the charet from? I had to borrow the reish from sheker. You want to make the chet? No problem: the chet became charet, and sheker became sak. The charet will bring you to sackcloth, because this caused the destruction of the Temple.
The egel also caused the churban Beit HaMikdash, as it says in Megillat Eichah (Scroll of Lamentations), chapter one: “Chet chatah Yerushalayim.” That is chet; chet is referring to chet-tet. “Chet chatah Yerushalayim” refers to the sin of the egel. Therefore, Yeshayah reversed the letters of chet and later says, “tach eineihem meir'ot”—their eyes are covered from seeing. He switched the chet to tach, so that afterward the letters of charet would turn into choter. “Choter Yishai” has the letters of choter; choter is charet. Ultimately, when we make the tikkun (rectification), the charet of the cauldron of the egel will turn into choter.
Because Aharon made the egel, the letters alef-heh of his name came next to chet-tet. Chet-tet is chet. That is what Moshe said: “Anah chata'ah ha'am hazeh chata'ah gedolah.” “Chata'ah” is chet-tet and alef-heh: chet-tet is the sin, and alef-heh are the first two letters of Aharon. Yirmeyah likewise said, “Chet chatah Yerushalayim,” in Eichah. What does “chet chatah” mean? He is hinting at the sin of the egel, which caused the destruction of the Temple in Yerushalayim.
What letters were left in Aharon’s name? The reish and nun, which equal 250. As a result of the sin of the egel, this caused 250 wise guys to rise against Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon in the story of Korach (Korah), because the reish and nun were left. Yeshayah took the resh from charet and brought it next to chet-tet, saying “veyatza choter”—the sin of the egel will not be atoned for until the coming of Mashiach.
There are a couple more chidushim here. The Chida writes, “Katav hama'atik, bimei chorefi, hiksheiti lish'ol lekammah ge'onim (gaonim).” There is a famous Rema in the laws of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) that says you are not supposed to eat egoz on Rosh Hashanah. Egoz is a nut. Why? Because egoz has the gematriya 17, the same numerical value as chet-tet. We do not want to mention sins on Rosh Hashanah. The ma'atik asked a couple of the ge'onim: yod-zayin also has the gematriya of tov. For the same reason that you say chet, why not say it has the gematriya of tov? The Rema should say to make sure you eat egozim on Rosh Hashanah, so you will have a good year and a sweet new year.
He says he wanted to answer this according to the Zohar, based on what Rebbi Elazar asked his father, Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai: “Al mah she'amru velo kam navi beYisrael keMoshe, aval be'umot ha'olam kam.” There was no prophet in Israel like Moshe, but one arose among the nations. Who was that prophet among the nations? Bil'am (Balaam). He answered him from the pasuk, “'s gam zeh le'umat zeh.” There are always parallel worlds, one corresponding to the other. Even if there is holiness in impurity, it is forbidden to study it. Bil'am is the son of—He gave him a prophet, but it comes from the sitra achara (the other side). As it says, “ume'etz hada'at tov vara lo tochal”: if something is good and evil, keep away from it. Since egoz is tov vara, with good and bad, it is the etz hada'at, so do not eat it; it comes from the sitra achara. The rabbis nodded their heads in approval of this chidush.
Where would you find this chidush? It is in Rashi on the eighth day of Pesach, giving me a pshat in why we eat the—. I once explained this when they asked me to speak at one of these Se'udat Mashiach meals. I said there is a remez (hint): On Rosh Hashanah, what do we come to do? We have the practice of tashlich; we go to the water and throw away the sins. There is only one other time of year when we are obligated to go to the well. When is that? On Pesach, when we have to draw water for mayim shelanu (water kept overnight). Chassidim (Hasidim) say that what you threw away on Rosh Hashanah, by the time Pesach comes, we have already had teshuvah me'ahavah (repentance from love), and now we want to reclaim it. We want to take all those sins we threw away, draw the water, put them in the matzah (unleavened bread), and eat them. So perhaps on the eighth day of Pesach they gave us a remez to Rosh Hashanah, because by Pesach we have gone back to the well to draw the waters. We need to make a tikkun, to take back what we deposited.
The pasuk continues: “Venachah alav”—when Mashiach comes, rabotai, there will be a spirit upon him. What is the spirit? “Ruach Hashem (spirit of Hashem), spirit of God,” “ruach chochmah (spirit of wisdom),” “binah (understanding),” “ruach etzah ugevurah (spirit of counsel and might), advice and strength,” “ruach da'at veyir'at Hashem (spirit of knowledge and fear of Hashem).” These are all the different qualities. “Vahoricho beyir'at Hashem”—the world will smell with yir'at Hashem, and Mashiach will be able to smell whether a person has yir'at Shamayim (fear of Heaven). When a person walks in front of him, Mashiach will not smell his cologne; he will be able to smell him. You will not be able to cover the smell, either. Mashiach will come with a very strong sense of smell.
The Chomat Anach writes, “Peirush haRav moreinu Rebbi Yehonatan de'achar chet Adam HaRishon natnu hakelipot bechinat rei'ach.” For whatever reason, the kelipah of smell went to the kelipot. That is why Yitzchak Avinu (Isaac our father) was astonished: “Re'eh rei'ach beni.” When Ya'akov Avinu (Jacob our father) walked in, he smelled like Gan Eden (Garden of Eden). He said, “What? How could that be? The kelipot already took the—” “Yehei reiach bikdushah.” Who knows? Maybe that is why so many people lost their sense of smell right before Mashiach comes. People lost their smell during corona. Who knows, maybe that is the final tikkun. The kelipot are making their last effort to take the smell away from Klal Yisrael right before “vaharicho beyir'at Hashem.”
“Velo lemareh einav yishpot”—Mashiach will be a judge, but he will not judge by what his eyes see. You will not have to bring the evidence in front of him and say, “Let me see your proof.” “Velo lemishma oznav yochiach”—he will not have to hear the case. He will look, as Rashi says, “Ki bechochmat HaKadosh Baruch Hu bekirbo yeda veyavin mi zakai mi chayav.” Finished, like Shelomoh. He will look at a person and say, “Guilty.” “Why?” “I see it on your face.” He will not have to look at any evidence. “Veshafat betzedek dalim”—one of Mashiach’s functions will be to judge the impoverished with justice. “Vehochiach bemishor le'anvei aretz”—he will take care of the weak and humble. “Vehikah eretz beshevet piv”: with just a word, he will attack the resha'im (wicked people). “Uveruach sefatav yamit rasha”: with the breath, the wind that comes out of his mouth, he will kill the rasha.
“Vehayah tzedek ezor motnav”—he will be connected to justice. Justice will be like a belt to him. Just as a belt is wrapped around a person and attached tightly, Mashiach will be committed to making justice. “Veha'emunah, emunah ezor chalatzav” is also the belt around him. Rashi says, from the Targum, “viyhon tzadikaya sechor sechor leh devukin bo ke'ezor.” That is Mashiach’s function: justice and righteousness.
At that time, rabotai, there will be world peace. What does world peace mean? The animals will all live together. “Vegar ze'ev im keves”—normally, the ze'ev, the wolf, eats the sheep. Here they will live together. “Venamer,” the leopard, “im gedi,” with the goat, “yirbatz,” will frolic together. “Ve'egel uchefir.” Egel is the calf. What is kefir? The lioness? The lion, fine. “Umeri”—what is meri? A fatling? Good. “Yachdav”—together. When it happens, you will see what it is. “Vena'ar katon noheg bam”: the children, like when they play with cats and dogs, will play with these wild animals. They will not be scared. You are right: Rashi says “umeri shor patam,” a fattened ox. “Ufarah vadov tir'einah”—the cow and the bear will graze together. “Yachdav yirbetzu yaldeihen”—their young will lie together as well. “Ve'aryeh kabakar yochal teven”—the lion will eat straw like an ox. They will not eat meat anymore. “Veshi'asha yonek al chur paten”: the children will play on the hole where the snake is. The viper is in the hole. The children will put their hands in the hole because they will not be afraid; the viper will not bite them.
“Veshi'asha yonek al chur paten ve'al me'urat tzif'oni gamul yado hadah.” They will put their hands in, as Rashi says, the eye or the mouth of the viper, and nothing will happen. Rashi says, from Yonatan, “chazu galgelei einohi vechurman.” They will put their hands in its eye, and nothing will happen. “Yado hadah”—he will put his hand back, safe. There is an amazing Gemara on this. The pasuk in Bechukotai says, “Vehishbati chayah ra'ah min ha'aretz”—God will stop wild animals. Rabbi Yehudah says, “Ma'aviram min ha'olam”: He will remove them from the world. Rabbi Shimon says, “Mashbitan shelo yaziku”: He will stop them from causing harm. Rabbi Shimon said, “Eimatai hu shivcho shel Makom? Bizman she'ein mazikim o bizman sheyesh mazikim ve'ein mazikim?” What is a greater praise of the Almighty: when harmful animals are absent, or when they are present but do no harm? Clearly, the praise is greater when they are present but do no harm. Vechen hu omer, rabotai, we'll give you a new kavanah for tonight: Mizmor shir leyom haShabbat (A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day.). What's the kavanah? Lemashbit mazikim min ha'olam. Mizmor, sing to God. Why should you sing to God? Shir, a song. Leyom, to the day haShabbat that is going to cease mazikim. And when is that? When Mashiach comes. They are going to be there. You're going to walk down the street and see a lion, and the lion is not going to do anything. Today you're scared if you see a poodle, so you cross the street because they come after you. But when Mashiach comes, even the wild animals.
Rabbi Shimon’s proof is the pasuk in Yeshayah: “Vegar keves vegar ze'ev im keves venamer im gedi,” and so on. As the Gemara says, “Melamed shetinok miYisrael atid lehoshit et yado letoch galgal eino shel tzifoni.” Not only will you touch the snake and pet it; children will put their fingers in its eye and provoke it, and nothing will happen. The snake will be afraid. “Umotzi aram mitoch piv”—the snake will be afraid. So there will be world peace. “Lo yare'u”—they will not harm.
Rabotai, the Chida has a famous teaching on this pasuk. What does “lo yare'u” mean? The animals will not harm, and “velo yashchitu,” they will not destroy, “bechol har kodshi,” on My holy mountain, “ki male'ah ha'aretz de'ah et Adonai kamayim layam mechasim.” Listen to this. You know why all the troubles come? For one reason: Democrats. No, I am joking. We do not talk politics in class. The reason for all the problems, rabotai, is bitul Torah (neglect of Torah study). That is it. It all comes down to bitul Torah. If we learned more, wasted less time, and committed ourselves more to the books, the world would be a better place. The problem is bitul Torah. But in the future, there will be no bitul Torah, because “ki male'ah ha'aretz de'ah et Hashem”—the world will be filled with knowledge. Yeshayah gives us a mashal for how much Torah there will be: “kamayim layam mechasim,” like water covering the sea.
The Chida has a classic explanation. He says, “Lo yare'u velo yashchitu, hamekatergim vesitra achara lemalah.” When it says “lo yare'u velo yashchitu,” “lo yare'u” means that in Heaven they will not act as accusers. If there are no accusers above, then “lo yashchitu” below: the nations will not destroy. It is all happening above. Why? “Ki male'ah ha'aretz de'ah.” Our sages said, “Ein pur'anut ba la'olam ela bishvil amei ha'aretz (people unlearned in Torah).” When you see an am ha'aretz, it is his fault. This is like what they say in Tanna Dvei Eliyahu: all troubles, both generally and individually, come from the sin of bitul Torah. That is what “lo yare'u velo yashchitu” means. In the future there will be no trouble, because “ki male'ah ha'aretz de'ah”: there will be so much Torah in the world that people will be learning.
Why does the pasuk compare it to the sea? The Chida says something beautiful. When you look at the surface of the sea, it looks as if it is all the same depth. But we know that is not the case. It is deceptive. Certain parts of the sea are shallow, and certain parts go miles and miles deep. When that plane went missing in the Indian Ocean, they said they did not know how deep the Indian Ocean goes—miles and miles, maybe 30 miles or 20 miles deep. It goes very deep in certain places, and in other places you can go swimming. What does this teach us? Based on what a person did in this world in his learning, he will be placed at that depth in the future. If a person went deep in his learning and studied a lot in this world, they will put him in the deep end. If a person did not learn so much, they will put him in the sh-. The knowledge will not be distributed equally. “Umale'ah ha'aretz de'ah,” but the knowledge will be like the sea. Just as the sea has varying depths, so too in the future, according to what you received in olam hazeh (this world), that is what you will get. They will not put you in the deep end if you were swimming in the baby pool in olam hazeh.
The Chida writes: “De'efshar diramez deveyam yesh mekomot amukim veyesh enam amukim, uvchinot bchinot yesh”—there are different levels. “Vehayam mechaseh hakol”: when you look at the sea, the surface all looks the same. “Shehakol shaveh.” So too in the future, talmidei chachamim who studied Torah in exile and toiled greatly will merit the inner Torah, the secrets. Those who did not toil in Torah in exile will have knowledge of the simple Torah, the pshat, the remez, and so on. They will be talmidei chachamim, but will not reach the level of the talmidei chachamim who toiled greatly in Torah in exile. That is what “kamayim layam mechasim” means. In truth, the sea has deep places, even though to the eye the surface looks the same. People say, “You see? They look the same in their measure,” but that is not the case. There are many levels of knowledge, and the image is beautiful.
The pasuk then says, “Vehayah bayom hahu shoresh Yishai (root of Jesse) asher omed lenes amim elav goyim yidroshu.” Mashiach will be like a nes (like a flag), and all the nations will join themselves to him and seek him. “Vehaytah menuchato kavod.” The Gemara says they will give him gifts; menuchato is an expression of minchah, shai shai yakriv shai lamora, a gift that the nations of the world will bring to Mashiach.
“Vehayah bayom hahu yosif Hashem shenit yado liknot et she'ar amo.” God will acquire us again. What does “shenit” mean? When did He acquire us the first time? The commentators say it refers to when He acquired them from the house of slaves, from Egypt. The first time He bought us was from Egypt; now He will take us from the exile. Where will He take us from? Everywhere. The pasuk lists those who remain in Ashur, Mitzrayim, Patros, Kush, Elam, and Shin'ar—about six locations—and the islands of the sea. Bermuda and Barbados? Rashi says the islands of the sea are the islands of Kitim, actually the islands in Rome where those people go, Capri and the others. You do not care, so just know that Rashi says they are Romans, the descendants of Esav. They will all come. Not one of us is going there, by the way.
“Venasa nes lagoyim ve'asaf nidchei Yisrael.” All the dispersed of Yisrael will be gathered, as we say, “mekabetz nidchei amo Yisrael.” The dispersed are basically the Ten Tribes, who are lost somewhere. Mashiach will come and raise the flag, and they will all come like a magnet. “Yehudah, unfutzot Yehudah yekabetz me'arba kanfot ha'aretz.” At that point, “vesarah kin'at Efrayim vetzorarei Yehudah yikaretu.” There will be no rivalry between Efrayim and Yehudah. Efrayim brings Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah son of Joseph), and Yehudah brings Mashiach ben David (Messiah son of David). There will be no rivalry. “Efrayim lo yekane et Yehudah viYehudah lo yatzor et Efrayim.”
“Ve'afu bechetef Pelishtim yamah yachdav.” Now it says “ye'ufu”—the children of Yisrael will fly. “Veyarutzu shechem echad al haPelishtim.” They will attack the Pelishtim and take their lands, because these are lands we need. Did we not say there are three lands we have not conquered yet? We did not get Amon, Moav, or Edom. At this point the pasuk says, “ve'afu vechetef Pelishtim yamah yachdav yabozu et bnei kedem Edom u-Moav mishloach yadam u-vnei Amon mishma'atam.” This is exactly what the Three Weeks are about: the three nations we have not yet inherited. This navi tells us that when Mashiach comes, that will be the business: they will get the last three, making a total of 10 nations, as God promised Avraham Avinu (Abraham our father): the Kenizi, the Kadmoni, and—.
“Ve-hecherim Hashem et leshon yam Mitzrayim.” Now something amazing will happen: there will be another Kriyat Yam Suf (Splitting of the Sea of Reeds). One of the rivers there will dry up so that the people in exile can cross it. We have to get everyone to Israel; I guess not everyone can get on a plane. Certain rivers will dry up so we can cross borders. “Ve-hecherim Hashem et leshon yam Mitzrayim ve-henif yado al ha-nahar ba'yam rucho.” Does anybody know the word “ba'yam”? You are in good company, because Rashi says, “ein lo dimyon ba-mikra”—there is no comparable word in Scripture. From the context, though, it seems to mean “bechozek rucho”: with His great strength and wind, He will dry up the oceans. “Ve-hikahu le-shiv'ah nechalim”—He will split it into seven roads. Did we not say we will come from seven locations? The seven roads will correspond to the seven locations we just mentioned, where the exiles will return to Eretz Yisrael. “Ve-haitah mesilah lish'ar amo asher yisha'er me-Ashur”—there will be a road for those who remain in Ashur, “ka'asher haitah le-Yisrael be-yom aloto me'eretz Mitzrayim,” as there was for Yisrael on the day they went up from Egypt.
Now listen to this, rabotai, a fantastic chidush. We now go to chapter 12: “Ve-amarta ba-yom ha-hu.” On the day Mashiach comes, do you know what we will say? “Odecha Hashem, ki anafta bi”—thank You, Hashem, for all the yisurim (sufferings). Then you will understand that all the yisurim were worth it. “Yashuv apecha u-tenachameni”—Your anger has subsided, and now You have consoled me.
The Chida says something amazing: Why will we thank Hashem for the yisurim? He says there is a principle in the Zohar HaKadosh that whenever we do mitzvot (commandments), we create a force for kedushah (holiness). We create tremendous energies of kedushah. But when we commit averot (transgressions), the kelipot can take all the kedushah we created. The sitra achara takes all the energy created by our mitzvot, and we lose all the. It is almost like we say every day in tefillah (prayer), “lo niga larik” (We should not toil in vain.), we shouldn't work for nothing. All the work we did is seized by the sitra achara. We have to be careful. Chet means a void, a void of what? A void of all the kedushah that was there; now a vacuum is created.
What is the problem? You say, “I will do teshuvah and bring it back.” But there is a law in hashavat aveidah (returning a lost object). If you find something, in America they say, “Finders keepers.” “Losers weepers,” exactly; remember we used to say that in school? But the Torah does not say “finders keepers.” The Torah says finders must return it, unless you are a zaken (elder), unless you are a talmid chacham (Torah scholar) ve-eino lefi kevodo (and it is beneath his dignity). If it is beneath your dignity to go into that place to return the object, the Torah does not demand that a talmid chacham lower his dignity to do hashavat aveidah. Whatever it may be, the rabbi would have to go into a place that is not becoming of him. So there is no hashavat aveidah for a zaken when it is beneath his dignity.
For HaKadosh Baruch Hu to return all this kedushah, He would have to go into the kelipah, and the halachah (Jewish law) is “zaken ve-eino lefi kevodo”: He does not have to perform hashavat aveidah. The Chida says we are in trouble. HaKadosh Baruch Hu follows the Torah. Is it fitting for Hashem to go into the kelipot and bring all this back? The kelipot are the garbage dump. Just as you would not make a talmid chacham walk into the garbage dump to retrieve a lost object, how can you demand that from HaKadosh Baruch Hu? He is zaken ve-eino lefi kevodo. So you ask Him, “God, I did teshuvah; return it.” Do you understand the Chida’s question?
What is the answer? The Rambam has a big chidush there. I am very happy here. The Rambam has an unbelievable chidush. So that makes it mutual. The Rambam says: suppose a talmid chacham is walking down the street, and it is beneath his dignity, but he has his stick and hits the cow. Once he hits the cow, that is a lost object; now he has to deal with it. Once he has started the process, he cannot say, “I am not bothering.” The Chida says that once HaKadosh Baruch Hu gives us yisurim, He has already hit us. Once You hit us, the law of zaken ve-eino lefi kevodo. So it turns out that yisurim are the key. “Odecha Hashem ki anafta bi.” Baruch Hashem, You gave us yisurim. Why? “Yashuv apecha”—therefore You return it—“u-tenachameni.” The yisurim are the key. That is how he explains it through this act. And then he explains “nechamani” as consolation. Exactly: “Vehachziri nafshi baTorah umitzvot”—You return to me all the Torah and mitzvot I lost. Once You hit me, that is it; all bets are off. “Hikishah, hikishah chayav,” as the Rambam says.
Then he gives the simple pshat: when yisurim come upon a person, God forbid, the person may be stirred to realize that he sinned and acknowledge his sin. What happens then? Bore Olam (Creator of the world) is mechaper (atones). So yisurim are a good thing; they are a wake-up call. That is what “odecha Hashem ki anafta bi” means: “I thank You, Hashem, because I acknowledge my sin through the yisurim.” What caused me to confess my sins? “Ki anafta bi”—You did it. That is actually rachamim (mercy). That is why it says “odecha Hashem.” Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei is midat harachamim (attribute of mercy). The yisurim always come from Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei. It does not say “odecha Elokim”; it says “odecha Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei ki anafta bi.” Why? Because the yisurim woke us up. Therefore, “yashuv apecha vetenachameni ki rachum ata.” We have a chance.
Let us finish now. These are pesukim we read on Motza'ei Shabbat (after Shabbat): “Hineh El yeshuati evtach (Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust.).” I will put my trust in God, the merciful God, the God of salvation, “velo efchad.” When you put your trust in God, you do not have to be afraid. “Ki ozi vezimrat Yah Adonai vayehi li lishuah (For my strength and song is Yah, Hashem, and He became my salvation.).” Before Mashiach comes, God is my strength and the one I sing to. But before Mashiach comes, the name of God is incomplete. The name of God is only Yud-Kei, as in “ki yad al kes Yah milchamah l'Hashem baAmalek.” When Mashiach comes and we have a yeshuah, Yah will become Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei. The name of God will become complete. That is the sod of it.
The end of the haftarah says, “Ush'avtem mayim besason mima'ainei hayeshuah (You shall draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.).” “Ush'avtem mayim besason.” I once saw a derashah on this: it is a remez to the berachot (blessings). If you drink water, “besason,” the berachah is “shehakol (by whose word all things exist),” and then “uVore Nefashot (and Creator of souls).” I forget what the second shin is. “Besason, ush'avtem mayim, berachah shehakol.” Oh no—“Barech berachah besimchah,” bless with joy, or “besimchah shehakol venefashot,” something like that.
What is this water we will draw, rabotai? Are we going to be water fountains? The Chida says, “utekabbelun ulfan chadat”: it will be new Torah. It is the old Torah, but it will be revealed. Therefore, “ush'avtem mayim”: we will begin drawing new waters of Torah, “sheyitrabeh hashefa, veyilmedu razei Torah.” The secrets of the Torah will be revealed, and it will look like a new Torah. That is why it says “mima'ainei hayeshuah.” What is yeshuah? In yeshuah are the letters Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei, and also the letters sha. The sha represents the sha'a nehorin (370 lights) that we talk about. When Bore Olam brings down the shefa from the sha'a nehorin, there will be a new revelation of Torah.
What will we say on the day Mashiach comes? “Hodu l'Hashem kir'u vishmo (Give thanks to Hashem; call upon His name.).” Call out to God and thank Him. “Hodi'u va'amim alilotav”—reveal His ways to the nations. “Hazkiru ki nisgav shemo”—mention how exalted and high His name is. “Zamru Hashem ki ge'ut asah”—we will sing to God because of all the glorious things He did. “Muda'at zot” will become known throughout the world.
“Tzahali varoni yoshevet Tziyon (Sing and rejoice, O inhabitant of Zion.).” This is a beautiful pasuk. “Tzahali varoni” means sing. Who should sing? “Yoshevet Tziyon”—the women who dwell in Zion. The question is: how can the women sing when Mashiach comes? I thought we had a problem of kol b'ishah (a woman's voice). But we know that when the ge'ulah from Egypt came, the women sang. Therefore, the ge'ulah acharonah (final redemption) will be like the ge'ulah rishonah (first redemption). What does the pasuk say? “Vata'an lahem Miryam (Miriam). Vatashar Miryam hanevi'ah”—Miryam the prophetess sang a song. She took the tof, went out with tupim umcholot (drums and dances), and sang to them, “shiru l'Hashem.” Just as the women sang, because of the merit of the righteous women, they were definitely part of it, so the pasuk says, “Tzahali varoni yoshevet Tziyon.”
The Chida asks: What happened to “kol b'ishah ervah”? That is why when it came to Yetzi'at Mitzrayim (Exodus from Egypt), they took tupim umcholot to drown out the sound. The men did not have instruments, but the women had to come with the drums—boom, boom, boom—so the men would not hear them singing. But in the future, he says, there is a principle that when there is eimata (awe) of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), you do not worry about kol ishah. What is the problem of kol b'ishah ervah? You are concerned about hirhurim (improper thoughts) and all that sort of thing. But if the Shechinah is right in front of you, there is no—. So the Chida says, and I will finish with this: “Tzahali varoni, ha'ishah, ki gadol bekirbech Kedosh Yisrael”—because the Kedosh Yisrael is going to be in your midst—“ve'ein lachush mishum kol b'ishah de'ika eimata deshechinah.” There is no concern—.
Be'ezrat Hashem, may we merit all these prophecies that we read today. Maybe I do not believe in coincidences; maybe Hashem wanted us to come and read the eighth day haftarah of Pesach over here to be me'orer. We have many troubles in Klal Yisrael; we need to awaken the ge'ulah. I am sure not too many people studied this chapter at this moment. Could it be that this was a tikkun we needed to make? “Yehi ratzon” (May it be [His] will), unshalmah farim sefateinu. “Amen ken yehi ratzon” (Amen, may it be so). “Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya omer (Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya says), ratzah HaKadosh Baruch Hu lezakot et Yisrael (The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to grant merit to Israel.).”