Table of Contents – Introduction
|| HOSHEA | 2 || 14 ||| YOEL | 1 || 2 || 3
||| AMOS | 1 || 2 || 3 || 4
|| 9 ||| OVADYAH ||| YONAH | 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||| MICHAH | 1 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 |||
NACHUM ||| CHAVAKUK | 1 | 2 || 3 ||| TZEFANYAH ||| CHAGAI | 1 || 2 ||| ZECHARYAH | 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 14 ||| MALACHI | 1 || 2 || 3
THE BOOK OF MALACHI
Introduction:
In the Gemara (Megillah 15a) there is a discussion as to the identity of this prophet. Some say he was Mordechai, some say he was Ezra. It must be noted that his father’s name is not given, nor is any date given for his prophecies, unlike the other books of prophets, where the names of the kings of their times are mentioned.
The Abarbanel voices his opinion, that there was a prophet named Malachi, who prophesied after Chagai and Zecharyah. To prove that, he points out that whereas Chagai and Zecharyah speak of the building of the Temple, Malachi does not mention it, indicating that it had been built already.
His name also indicates his being a messenger (mal’ach) from Hashem, as all the prophets were. (Abarbanel)
In the Mechilta, it is said that all the prophets were present at the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, and they carried the prophecies with them until the time came to give them over to the people. The Abarbanel sees this as being figurative, meaning that it was the power of prophecy that was granted at Mount Sinai that fueled the prophets from then on. Malachi was the last of these prophets, and that is why he ends his prophecy with the final exhortion: זכרו תורת משה עבדי – “Remember the Torah of Moshe, My servant”. (Abarbanel)
Verse 1:
משא
דבר ה' אל
ישראל ביד
מלאכי
משא
דבר ה'
1. The prophecy of Malachi was given to him, that he should bear it to the Children of Israel. (Rashi)
2. The prophecy was a heavy burden, because the Children of Israel would not listen to it. (Abarbanel)
Verse 2:
אהבתי
אתכם אמר ה'
ואמרתם במה
אהבתנו הלוא
אח עשו ליעקב
נאום ה' ואוהב
את יעקב
אהבתי
אתכם אמר ה'
ואמרתם במה
אהבתנו
One of the main characteristics of the book of Malachi is the dialogue that he conducts with the people: You may say X, and I say back to you Y. The students can look through the first chapter and find several instances of this.
Hashem states his love for the people of Israel, and they respond by asking why He loves them – for themselves, or because of His love for the Patriarchs and Matriarchs? (Metzudat David)
הלוא
אח עשו ליעקב
נאום ה' ואוהב
את יעקב
Hashem answers that if it were only because of the Patriarchs, His love would have been given equally to Esav and to Yaakov, both sons of Yitzchak and grandsons of Avraham; but He loves Yaakov alone. (Metzudat David)
Verse 3:
ואת
עשו שנאתי
ואשים את הריו
שממה ואת
נחלתו לתנות
מדבר
ואת
עשו שנאתי
1. Since Hashem hates Esav and loves Yaakov alone, one can see that Hashem loves Yaakov and his offspring for themselves. (Metzudat David)
2. Hashem hates Esav because of his deeds, and because of the deeds of his offspring: They continued to harm Israel, and were glad when the people of Israel were exiled from their land. (Radak)
The students can be referred to the book of Ovadiah, which details the acts of Esav at the time of the destruction of the Temple and the exile.
ואשים
את הריו שממה
Both the land of Israel and the land of Edom were devastated by Nevuchadnetzar; but whereas the land of Israel was redeemed, and the Children of Israel came back to it, the land of Esav remains barren. (Metzudat David)
ואת
נחלתו לתנות
מדבר
Esav’s land remained a desert, where jackals roam. (Radak)
See Leket Sichot Mussar, by Rabbi Yitzchak Sher, page 15. He describes the nature of Esav, as opposed to the nature of Yaakov. Esav (עשו) comes from the same root as עשוי – complete; this means that he does not grow and develop. Yaakov, on the other hand, is always learning, and therefore is always growing, and becoming more perfect.
Verse 4:
כי
תאמר אדום
רוששנו ונשוב
ונבנה חרבות
כה אמר ה'
צבקות המה
יבנו ואני
אהרוס וקרא
להם גבול רשעה
והעם אשר זעם
ה' עד עולם
כי תאמר
אדום רוששנו
ונשוב ונבנה
חרבות
If Edom says that indeed they have been devastated, but this happened by chance, and that therefore all they have to do is make an effort and rebuild their land –
כה
אמר ה' צבקות
המה יבנו ואני
אהרוס
Hashem declares that ththey may rebuild their land, He will make sure that it will again be destroyed. (Metzudat David)
וקרא
להם גבול רשעה
The Edomites will be known as the “limit (or border) of evil”. (Metzudat David)
והארץ
אשר זעם ה' עד
עולם
The Edomites’ land will be known as one on which Hashem’s anger was poured – not like they thought, that it was by chance. The destruction – and the lesson that it will serve – will be forever. (Metzudat David)
Verse 5:
ועיניכם
תראינה ואתם
תאמרו יגדל ה'
מעל לגבול ישראל
ואתם
תאמרו יגדל ה'
מעל לגבול
ישראל
The Jewish people will see the fate of Edom, as a “border of evil”, from their rebuilt land, within safe borders, and will praise Hashem for it. (Radak)
Verse 6:
בן
יכבד אב ועבד
אדוניו ואם אב
אני איה כבודי
ואם אדונים
אני איה מוראי
אמר ה' צבקות
לכם הכהנים
בוזי שמי ואמרתם
במה בזינו את
שמך
בן
יכבד אב ועבד
אדוניו
Hashem loves the Children of Israel as a father does a son, but do the Children of Israel reciprocate this love?
A son naturally loves – and therefore honors – his loving father, and a slave naturally fears – and therefore honors – his master. But in this case, the people of Israel are showing Hashem neither love nor even fear of His punishments. The following verses spell out how the priests are showing lack of respect and honor. They ask: How have we shown contempt to You? (Malbim)
Verse 7:
מגישים
על מזבחי לחם
מגואל ואמרתם
במה גאלנוך
באמרכם שולחן
ה' נבזה הוא
מגישים
על מזבחי לחם
מגואל
The answer to their question is that they are bringing disgusting sacrifices. (Metzudat David)
ואמרתם
במה גאלנוך
באמרכם שולחן
ה' נבזה הוא
1. The priests are mystified: In what way have we made the sacrifices disgusting? And the answer is: by saying that Hashem’s “table” (namely the altar) is contemptible, for the offerings brought on it are the blood and the fat of the sacrifices – both things that are not considered edible. (Metzudat David)
2. The priests made the altar contemptible, by not wanting to bother dividing up each and every offering between many priests as they should, because then each one would get only a small portion. By scorning the sacrifices, they were belittling them. (Rashi)
The students should note that according to Metzudat David, the sin is not in any action being done, but in speaking derisively about the Temple service. Words are not “just” words – a disrespectful attitude towards someone or something can be a sin in itself, and, as in this case, harmful to one’s entire attitude toward the service of Hashem.
The students can bring other examples from life about how one derisive word can destroy one’s respect for something.
Verse 8:
וכי
תגישון עיוור
לזבוח אין רע
וכי תגישו פיסח
וחולה אין רע
הקריבהו נא
לפחתך הירצך
או היישא פניך
אמר ה' צבקות
וכי
תגישון
עיוור...
As a result of your contemptuous attitude towards the sacrifices, you don’t see why you shouldn’t bring unfit animals, since the process of sacrificing seems disgusting to you anyway. (Metzudat David)
הקריבהו
נא לפחתך
הירצך או
היישא פניך
If you brought such an animal as a gift to the governor of the province, as penance for some wrongdoing, would he forgive you? Would he be happy with it as a gift? (Metzudat David)
Verse 9:
ועתה
חלו נא פני קל
ויחננו מידכם
היתה זאת היישא
מכם פנים אמר
ה' צבקות
ועתה
חלו נא פני קל
ויחננו מידכם
היתה זאת
The priests are entrusted by the people with the job of praying to Hashem; but in this case they are the sinners themselves. (Metzudat David)
היישא
מכם פנים
Since the priests are the sinners, how can Hashem accept their prayers for the people of Israel? (Metzudat David)
Verse 10:
מי
גם בכם ויסגור
דלתיים ולא
תאירו מזבחי
חינם אין לי
חפץ בכם אמר ה'
צבקות ומנחה
לא ארצה מידכם
מי
גם בכם ויסגור
דלתיים...
With Priests like these, it would be better if one of them simply closed the doors of the Temple, so that no sacrifices would be brought. (Metzudat David)
Verse 11:
כי
ממזרח שמש ועד
מבואו גדול
שמי בגויים
ובכל מקום
מוקטר מוגש
לשמי ומנחה
טהורה כי גדול
שמי בגויים
אמר ה' צבקות
כי
ממזרח שמש ועד
מבואו גדול
שמי בגויים
Even though the nations worship idols, still the Name of Hashem is considered great. Everybody knows that Hashem is the Supreme Ruler, but they think that elements such as the sun and moon are servants of Hashem, and therefore also deserve respect. (Malbim)
ובכל
מקום מוקטר
מוגש לשמי
The nations bring offerings to those that they think are close (mugash – close) to Hashem. (Malbim)
ומנחה
טהורה כי גדול
שמי בגויים
1. When they bring offerings, they bring whole, unblemished sacrifices, for they respect Hashem’s servants (as they see them). (Malbim)
2. The nations bring their offerings with pure – though mistaken – intentions. (Metzudat David)
The students should read the verse and bring up the question themselves: How can the prophet say that the whole world worships Hashem?
Verse 12:
ואתם
מחללים אותו
באמרכם שולחן
ה' מגואל הוא וניבו
נבזה אכלו
וניבו נבזה
אכלו
1. Your way of referring to the altar is that the food placed on it is despicable in your eyes. (Metzudat David)
2. The word niv has a double meaning here: that of bread (as in tenuva – produce), and that of speech (which is the produce of the lips). (Ibn Ezra)
Verse 13:
ואמרתם
הנה מתלאה
והיפחתם אותו
אמר ה' צבקות
והבאתם גזול
ואת הפיסח ואת
החולה והבאתם
את המנחה
הארצה אותה
מידכם אמר ה'
ואמרתם
הנה מתלאה
The prophet now goes on to berate the people themselves: When they bring thin and gaunt animals as sacrifices, they put on an act, as if the animals are heavy and hard to carry. (Radak)
והיפחתם
אותו
In reality, the animals are so thin and weak, that one can blow them over with one’s breath. (Radak)
והבאתם
גזול ואת
הפיסח ואת
החולה
The sacrifices which you bring are either stolen (in which case they are a מצווה הבאה בעבירה – a mitzvah which is done by transgressing another mitzvah), or animals which are blemished and unfit for the altar. (Malbim)
והבאתם את המנחה הארצה אותה מידכם
And then, you bring the side-offerings with these unfit sacrifices – how can I possibly want such side-offerings? (Malbim)
Verse 14:
וארור
נוכל ויש
בעדרו זכר
ונודר וזובח
משחת לה' כי
מלך גדול אני
אמר ה' צבקות
ושמי נורא
בגויים
וארור
נוכל ויש
בעדרו זכר
ונודר וזובח
משחת לה'
Cursed is the man who has a good and fit male animal, and yet brings a damaged one in order to fulfill his vow. (Metzudat David)
כי
מלך גדול אני...
ושמי נורא
בגויים
For I am a great king, and how can you belittle Me this way? And, furthermore, I am feared among all the nations, so how can you, whom I love more than any of the nations (see above, verse 2), not fear Me? (Radak)
Verse 1:
ועתה
אליכם המצווה
הזאת הכהנים
ועתה
אליכם המצווה
הזאת...
Hashem turns to the priests, who accept the blemished, poor sacrifices that the people bring, and exhorts them not to accept such sacrifices. (Metzudat David)
Verse 2:
אם
לא תשמעו ואם
לא תשימו על
לב לתת כבוד
לשמי אמר ה'
צבקות
ושילחתי בכם
את המארה
וארותי את ברכותיכם
וגם ארותיה כי
אינכם שמים על
לב
אם
לא תשמעו ואם
לא תשימו על
לב
If you, the priests, do not listen to My warning, and also do not think for yourselves that such behavior is wrong. (Malbim)
ושילחתי
בכם את המארה
As is said in chapter 1, verse 14, a person who brings a poor sacrifice dishonestly, is cursed. This curse will lay upon the priests. (Malbim)
וארותי
את ברכותיכם
1. The blessings that you give the people after they bring their sacrifices (the priestly blessing) will be turned into curses instead. (Malbim)
2. The blessings which Chagai promised upon the building of the Temple will be repealed. (Metzudat David)
וגם
ארותיה כי
אינכם שמים על
לב
1. You are already feeling a curse, for you do not honor Me. (Metzudat David)
2. You are already feeling the effects of a curse, and if you continue to defy Me, you will be cursed even more. (Radak)
Verse 3:
הנני
גוער לכם את
הזרע וזריתי
פרש על פניכם
פרש חגיכם
ונישא אתכם אליו
הנני
גוער לכם את
הזרע
Hashem says that he will “scold” the seed, so that it won’t grow. (Metzudat David)
וזריתי
פרש על פניכם
פרש חגיכם
1. Hashem will spread the excrement from the animals that were sacrificed on the holidays on the people’s faces. This will be done measure for measure: the people are behaving disgracefully toward Hashem, so He will disgrace them with the most disgusting part of the sacrif. (Metzudat David)
2. The spreading of the excrement is figurative: the people will experience disgrace in the form of the famine that will come upon the land. (Radak)
ונישא
אתכם אליו
This sin which you have sinned will carry you towards the disgrace that you will experience. (Metzudat David)
Verse 4:
וידעתם
כי שילחתי
אליכם את
המצווה הזאת
להיות בריתי
את לוי אמר ה'
צבקות
וידעתם
כי שילחתי
אליכם את
המצווה הזאת
The people should know that this mitzvah of honoring Hashem was given to them so that they will receive the reward for it. (Metzudat David)
להיות
בריתי את לוי
Hashem wanted the people to honor Him so that He will be able to uphold the covenant made with the tribe of Levi, and specifically with Aharon and his sons, that they should be His priests. (Metzudat David)
Verse 5:
בריתי
היתה איתו
החיים והשלום
ואתנם לו מורא
וייראני
ומפני שמי
ניחת הוא
בריתי
היתה איתו
החיים והשלום
1. The covenant made with the tribe of Levi gave the tribe life and peace. (Metzudat David)
2.* The covenant was made first with Aharon, and then with Pinchas, promising Pinchas peace. (See Bemidbar 25:10-13). Pinchas received life as well – he lived more than 300 years. (Radak)
ואתנם
לו מורא
וייראני...
1. The peace and life were given to Pinchas because of his fear of Hashem. (Metzudat David)
2. Hashem promised Levi peace and life in return for his fearing Him and being in awe of Him. (Malbim)
ומפני
שמי ניחת הוא
He fears My name. (Metzudat David)
Verse 6:
תורת
אמת היתה
בפיהו ועוולה
לא נמצא
בשפתיו בשלום
ובמישור הלך
אתי ורבים
השיב מעוון
תורת אמת היתה בפיהו ועוולה לא נמצא בשפתיו
The priests taught the people Torah truthfully. (Metzudat David)
בשלום
ובמישור הלך
אתי
The priests went in Hashem’s ways – in peace – and in the proper ways regarding people as well. (Radak)
ורבים
השיב מעוון
By teaching Torah to the people the priests prevented many people from sinning. (Radak)
Yalkut Shimoni 588 brings a Midrash that sees this verse as referring specifically to Aharon Hacohen. The Midrash describes Aharon’s actions both in bringing peace between two people who were quarreling, and in preventing people from sinning. The Vilna Gaon on Pirkei Avot 1:12 (הלל אומר: הוי מתלמידיו של אהרן אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה) also sees this verse as the source for Hillel’s words.
Verse 7:
כי
שפתי כהן
ישמרו דעת
ותורה יבקשו
מפיהו כי מלאך
ה' צבקות הוא
כי
שפתי כהן
ישמרו דעת
ותורה יבקשו
מפיהו
Part of the job of the priests is to teach Torah (see Vayikra 10:11, and Devarim 33:9), and therefore the people will turn to them to learn. (Radak)
כי
מלאך ה' צבקות
הוא
The priest is an agent of Hashem for the purpose of teaching His words to the people. (Metzudat David)
The students should be made aware that the termמלאך , generally understood as meaning “angel”, really means “messenger”, or “agent”. They can be referred to various verses in which it is clear that it is referring to a human messenger and not to an angel. See, for instance, Bereishit 32:3, Bemidbar 24:12, and Yehoshua 6:25.
* As a possible homework assignment, the students can look up the
word
מלאך in a concordance, and bring several examples
of both meanings.
Verse 8:
ואתם
סרתם מן הדרך
הכשלתם רבים
בתורה שיחתם ברית
הלוי אמר ה'
צבקות
ואתם
סרתם מן הדרך
הכשלתם רבים
בתורה
Hashem turns to the priests and berates them for doing the exact opposite of what they were supposed to do: instead of teaching the people Torah and preventing them from sinning, they have caused them to sin. (Metzudat David)
שיחתם
ברית הלוי
The priests have broken the covenant: instead of serving Hashem and respecting Him, they have disgraced the worship of Him. (Metzudat David)
Verse 9:
וגם
אני נתתי אתכם
נבזים ושפלים
לכל העם כפי אשר
אינכם שומרים
את דרכי
ונושאים פנים
בתורה
וגם
אני נתתי אתכם
נבזים ושפלים
לכל העם
1. Since you have not kept your part of the covenant, I will not keep mine. Instead of giving you life and peace, I will make you despicable in the eyes of the people, and for a respected person lack of respect is like death, and he can find no peace in life that way. (Metzudat David)
2. The priests will be punished measure for measure: since they showed lack of respect for Hashem, He will make them suffer from disrespect. (Radak)
כפי
אשר אינכם
שומרים את
דרכי
The extent of the disrespect they will suffer will be in accordance with their own disrespectful behavior. (Metzudat David)
ונושאים
פנים בתורה
1. The priests have been favoring the rich people by not admonishing them for bringing blemished sacrifices. (Radak)
2. The priests have been favoring the rich people by deciding court cases in their favor. (Metzudat David)
The students can define the different jobs of the priests that each commentator is referring to.
Verse 10:
הלוא
אב אחד לכולנו
הלוא קל אחד
בראנו מדוע
נבגד איש באחיו
לחלל ברית
אבותינו
הלוא
אב אחד לכולנו
הלוא קל אחד
בראנו...
The prophet now goes on to mention another wrongdoing of the people: that of taking non-Jewish wives (as mentioned in Ezra, chapters 9, 10). He says: Why should we be unfaithful to our Jewish wives, who are close to us both physically (since we were all born from the same father), and spiritually (since we have the same G-d)? (Radak)
Verse 11:
בגדה
יהודה ותועבה
נעשתה בישראל
ובירושלים כי
חילל יהודה
קודש ה' אשר
אהב ובעל בת
אל נכר
בגדה
יהודה ותועבה
נעשתה בישראל
ובירושלים
1. Yehudah
has betrayed himself, and done a despicable thing; if a Jew is living among
non-Jews and intermarries with them, it is not as bad as when he is surrounded
by Jews, and is living in the heart of the Jewish world – Jerusalem – and still
marries a non-Jewish woman. (Metzudat David)
2. Yehudah has betrayed the family by marrying out of it, and, in addition, has behaved despicably in marrying idol-worshippers. (Malbim)
כי
חילל יהודה
קודש ה' אשר
אהב ובעל בת
אל נכר
1. Yehudah had been holy, and now he has profaned himself by loving and marrying the daughter of a foreign god. (Metzudat David)
2.* Yehudah has profaned the holy, loved, daughters of Israel, by taking other, non-Jewish wives. (Radak)
The Jewish people are intrinsically holy, and are also exhorted to be holy, meaning not to cohabit indiscriminately, as the non-Jews do. See Vayikra 19:2, and other places, where at the end of the section dealing with the prohibitions regarding incest and other prohibitions, where the matter is summed up as “Be holy”. (Radak)
Verse 12:
יכרת
ה' לאיש אשר
יעשנה ער
ועונה מאהלי
יעקב ומגיש
מנחה לה'
צבקות
יכרת
ה' לאיש אשר
יעשנה ער
ועונה
1. Whoever marries a non-Jewish woman will not have any sons in the “tents of Yaakov” (the study-houses) who are students raising questions, nor sages who can answer them. (Metzudat David)
2. Whoever marries a non-Jewish woman will end up having no children left – when one calls out in his house, no one will be awake to answer. (Radak)
ומגיש
מנחה לה'
צבקות
If the person who does this is a priest, then he will have no offspring who will serve in the Temple. (Metzudat David)
Verse 13:
וזאת
שנית תעשו
כסות דמעה את
מזבח ה' בכי
ואנקה מאין
עוד פנות אל
המנחה ולקחת
רצון מידכם
וזאת
שנית תעשו
כסות דמעה את
מזבח ה' בכי
ואנקה
1. In addition to showing disrespect to the altar (as mentioned above, chapter 1), the altar is also a site of sorrow: the deserted Jewish wives come to it to cry over their situation. (Radak)
2. Some unmarried men married non-Jewish women; but some did worse: they were already married to Jewish women, but these women had become unattractive as a result of the exile and the suffering. So the husbands took non-Jewish wives in addition to their Jewish wives, pushing them aside as mistresses of the house. This, of course, caused great anguish to the Jewish wives. (Rashi)
3.* The Jewish women, who have been divorced, come to the altar and cry upon it, saying: If our husbands suspected us of infidelity, we are willing to be checked as isha sota. (Mahari Kra)
מאין
עוד פנות אל
המנחה ולקחת
רצון מידכם
You have no merit left, that I should accept your offerings willingly. (Metzudat David)
Verse 14:
ואמרתם
על מה על כי ה'
העיד בינך
ובין אשת נעוריך
אשר אתה בגדתה
בה והיא חברתך
ואשת בריתך
ואמרתם על מה
The people claim that they divorced their wives because they suspected them of infidelity, so why is Hashem angry with them? (Metzudat David)
על
כי ה' העיד
בינך ובין אשת
נעוריך אשר
אתה בגדתה בה...
The prophet answers: Hashem can testify that it is you, the husband, who has been unfaithful, while she has remained faithful throughout. (Metzudat David)
The Talmud (Gittin 90a) says: כל המגרש אשתו ראשונה אפילו מזבח מוריד עליו דמעות – Even the altar [in the Temple] weeps when someone divorces his first wife. From this we can see how seriously the Torah views divorce.
Verse 15:
ולא
אחד עשה ושאר
רוח לו ומה
האחד מבקש זרע
אלוקים
ונשמרתם
ברוחכם ובאשת
נעוריך אל
יבגוד
ולא
אחד עשה ושאר
רוח לו
1. The people say: Didn’t the one (see Yechezkel 33:24) – Avinu – do the same, in taking Hagar as a second wife? And he, of course, was on a very high spiritual level! (Metzudat David)
2. The prophet says: Didn’t Hashem create man and woman as one being in the beginning (and only afterwards separated them into two beings), so that their souls are really united? (Malbim)
ומה
האחד מבקש זרע
אלוקים
1. Hashem answers the people’s claim: What did this one person, Avraham, want? He wanted a holy seed to come from Sarah, as a result of his union with Hagar (see Bereishit 16:2). He did not take Hagar as a result of any desire on his part. (Metzudat David)
2. What is the point of the unity of the soul that exists between a man and his wife? That their seed will be holy, an unmixed seed, in the image of G-d. For that they must have a unity of body – from the same nation – and a unity of soul – worshipping the same G-d (as mentioned above, verse 10). (Malbim)
ונשמרתם
ברוחכם ובאשת
נעוריך אל
יבגוד
1. Therefore, you should be careful to control your desires, and to love your true wife. (Metzudat David)
2. The original intention of the Creator was that man and wife should have unity of love and will. (Malbim)
The students should define the differences between the two commentaries to this verse (a continuation of the debate between the prophet and the people, vs. a statement of the prophet only, the meaning of “one” in the verse; bringing a claim from the origins of the nations, vs. bringing a claim of a universal nature, etc.)
Verse 16:
כי
שנא שלח אמר ה'
אלוקי ישראל
וכיסה חמס על
לבושו אמר ה'
צבקות
ונשמרתם
ברוחכם ולא
תבגודו
כי
שנא שלח
If a person really hates his wife, he should divorce her, freeing her so that she can marry someone else. (Metzudat David)
וכיסה
חמס על לבושו...
ונשמרתם ברוחכם
ולא תבגודו
He shouldn’t hide his hatred under wraps, and have his wife stay with him while he hates her; he should expose the hatred and divorce her, or else he should control his feelings and remove the hatred from his heart. In any case, he shouldn’t be unfaithful to her, by taking another wife while she is still married to him. (Metzudat David)
Verse 17:
הוגעתם
ה' בדבריכם
ואמרתם במה
הוגענו
באמרכם כל
עושה רע טוב
בעיני ה' ובהם
הוא חפץ או
איה אלוקי
המשפט
הוגעתם
ה' בדבריכם
“You have tired Hashem with your words” – this is being said as a figure of speech, as Hashem cannot get tired. (Radak)
ואמרתם
במה הוגענו
באמרכם כל
עושה רע טוב
בעיני ה' ובהם
הוא חפץ
The people ask: How have we tired Hashem? And the answer is: by their saying that Hashem seems to like evildoers. (Metzudat David)
או
איה אלוקי
המשפט
If Hashem does indeed dislike the evildoers, then why doesn’t he punish them? Can’t He see their actions? (Metzudat David)
The next chapter is the answer to this question. There is justice in the world. (Malbim)
By looking in a Tanach Koren, one can see that the commonly-accepted division of chapters, which was done by Christians, is not in accordance with the Jewish division – and also does not make sense textually. According to the Jewish division, this last verse is the beginning of a paragraph, not the end of one, and indeed it is opening a new subject.
Verse 1:
הנני
שולח מלאכי
ופינה דרך
לפני ופתאום
יבוא אל היכלו
האדון אשר אתם
מבקשים ומלאך
הברית אשר אתם
חפצים הנה בא
אמר ה' צבקות
הנני
שולח מלאכי
ופינה דרך
לפני
1. In answer to the question about justice in the world, Hashem says that when the time comes he will send an agent to clear the way for Him, so to speak. This agent will do away with the evil people and purify the land before the Shechinah returns to dwell on earth. (Metzudat David)
2. An agent will be sent from Heaven, as it says in Shemot 23:20. He will physically clear the way before the people returning to the Land. (Radak)
ופתאום
יבוא אל היכלו
The End of the Days will come suddenly. As it says in the
book of Daniel, these matters will remain hidden from us until the moment they
happen. (Radak)
האדון אשר
אתם מבקשים
ומלאך הברית
אשר אתם חפצים
1. The Mashiach, whom everybody wants, will come. (Metzudat David)
2. The Adon is either the Mashiach, or Eliyahu Hanavi (as mentioned in the end of the book, 3:23). In the Aggadah, Eliyahu is known as the Angel of the Covenant, because he claimed that the people of Israel were not keeping the covenant (כי עזבו בריתך בני ישראל, Melachim II 19:10), meaning that they were not circumcising their sons. Hashem responded by saying that from then on Eliyahu has to be present at every circumcision done. From this stems the custom to have a kiseh shel Eliyahu – a chair for Eliyahu – at every brit. (Radak)
* The Malbim on this verse gives a deep explanation about the difference between the present world and the way it is run, and the future world, when Hashem will reveal Himself, and every sin will be punished immediately. The world will have to be prepared for this transition, and that is what this agent will do. This Malbim can be assigned to honors students to read and to discuss.
Verse 2:
ומי
מכלכל את יום
בואו ומי
העומד
בהראותו כי הוא
כאש מצרף
וכבורית
מכבסים
ומי
מכלכל את יום
בואו ומי
העומד
בהראותו
Who can stand the day when this angel will arrive? (Metzudat David)
כי
הוא כאש מצרף
וכבורית
מכבסים
1. This preparatory agent will be like a fire purifying metal, burning up the extraneous parts of the ore, and like a cleansing soap which washes away the stains in an item of clothing. He will destroy all the unfaithful people and the sinners. (Metzudat David)
2. The evil people will be burned up completely, like dross, and the righteous, who are basically “clean”, will have all the “spots” removed from them with soap. (Malbim)
Verse 3:
וישב
מצרף ומטהר
כסף וטיהר את
בני לוי וזיקק
אותם כזהב
וככסף והיו
לה' מגישי
מנחה בצדקה
וישב מצרף
ומטהר כסף
וטיהר את בני
לוי
The Agent will sit like a judge, and will remove from the Levites – meaning here the priests, who come from the tribe of Levi – all those who belittle Hashem’s Name, so the tribe will be purified. (Metzudat David)
והיו
לה' מגישי
מנחה בצדקה
After they will be purified, they will go back to bringing the offerings properly, as opposed to the situation now, where they bring offerings that are disgusting to Hashem. (Metzudat David)
Verse 4:
וערבה
לה' מנחת
יהודה
וירושלים
כימי עולם וכשנים
קדמוניות
וערבה
לה' מנחת
יהודה
וירושלים...
1. Once the priests will do their job properly, the gifts that Yehudah will bring to the Temple will gladden Hashem, as in the days of Moshe Rabbeinu (ימי עולם) and the days of Shlomo Hamelech (שנים קדמוניות). In those days, Heavenly fire came down to light the fire on the altar. (Metzudat David)
2. Yehudah and Jerusalem are mentioned especially because that is where the Temple is. (Radak)
The students should, of course, recognize this verse from their daily prayers.
Verse 5:
וקרבתי
אליכם למשפט
והייתי עד
ממהר במכשפים ובמנאפים
ובנשבעים
לשקר ובעושקי
שכר שכיר אלמנה
ויתום ומטי גר
ולא יראוני
אמר ה' צבקות
וקרבתי
אליכם למשפט
1. After the priests are purified, and the service in the Temple is renewed, Hashem will come to judge the rest of the people. (Metzudat David)
2. On the same day of the purification of the priests, Hashem will judge the rest of the people as well, including previous generations. (Radak)
והייתי
עד ממהר
במכשפים...
The trial will not be lengthened by the need to wait for the witnesses – Hashem Himself will be the witness against all the wrongdoers. (Metzudat David)
ומטי
גר
Judges who rule against a convert unfairly. (Metzudat David)
ולא
יראוני
All of the sins enumerated in this verse are sins that are either done in secret, or, even though they are done publicly, are done without fear of punishment. Who will stand up for the convert, who has no friends? Who will stand up for the widows and orphans? The claim of the people (above, 2:17), was that Hashem does not seem to punish evildoers. Hashem is saying here that on the Day of Judgment, all these evildoers will be punished. (Metzudat David)
Verse 6:
כי
אני ה' לא
שניתי ואתם
בני יעקב לא
כליתם
כי
אני ה' לא
שניתי
1. Hashem says that He has not changed his mind – He still hates evil, as before. (Metzudat David)
2. Hashem says that He has not changed his mind – all the prophecies will come true. (Radak)
ואתם
בני יעקב לא
כליתם
1. The Jewish nation lives forever, and therefore, even if wicked people die, seemingly without being punished, when everyone is resurrected they will stand trial. (Metzudat David)
2. The Jewish nation lives forever: no matter how badly the people behave, in the End of the Days they will return to their high position in the world. (Radak)
3.* Chazal say that Hashem says about the Jewish nation: לא הכיתי אומה ושניתי בה אבל ... חצי כלים ואתם אינכם כלים – I have never knocked down a nation twice, but with you, my arrows (the troubles I put you through) are used up, but you remain. (Rashi)
The students can note the difference between the two first commentaries in terms of the purpose of the second half of the verse: to warn the people, vs. to console them.
Verse 7:
למימי
אבותיכם סרתם
מחוקי ולא
שמרתם שובו אלי
ואשובה אליכם
אמר ה' ואמרתם
במה נשוב
שובו
אלי ואשובה
אליכם...
ואמרתם במה
נשוב
Hashem is berating the Jewish People. He is calling them to return to Him, to observe the mitzvot, and then He will return to them, and their life will be good. But despite all of the sins enumerated above, the people might ask him: What do we have to repent of? (Metzudat David)
Verse 8:
היקבע
אדם אלוקים כי
אתם קובעים
אותי ואמרתם במה
קבענוך המעשר
והתרומה
היקבע
אדם אלוקים
1. Is it right that a person steal from G-d, as you steal from Me? (Metzudat David)
2. Can a person accept upon himself a G-d, without giving Him His due? (Malbim)
ואמרתם
במה קבענוך
המעשר
והתרומה
The people may ask: How have we stolen from You? And the answer is that they have not given the terumah (the priestly portion) and the ma’aser (the tithes) to the priests and the Levites, who serve Hashem. (Metzudat David)
Verse 9:
במארה
אתם נארים
ואותי אתם
קובעים הגוי
כולו
במארה
אתם נארים...
הגוי כולו
1. Even though you are being cursed with poor crops, you still continue to steal from Hashem – no one is bringing the terumah and the ma’aser. (Metzudat David)
2. Even though you gain no benefit from not giving Hashem His due, for it causes you a curse, you continue to do so – not just individuals, but many of you. (Malbim)
3. The people are already cursed because of the other sins enumerated above (see 2:2), and they add to their sins by saying that they owe nothing to Hashem – He is stealing from them by cursing them, and therefore why should they give Him anything? (Radak)
Verse 10:
הביאו
את כל המעשר
אל בית האוצר
ויהיה טרף בביתי
ובחנוני נא
בזאת אמר ה'
צבקות אם לא
אפתח לכם את
ארובות
השמיים
והריקותי לכם
ברכה עד בלי די
הביאו
את כל המעשר
אל בית האוצר
ויהיה טרף בביתי
Bring the ma’aser to the Beit Ha’otzar, mentioned in Nechemiah 10:39, as the place where the ma’aser was brought to. This produce will be the food for the people who serve in the House of Hashem – the Levites. (Metzudat David)
ובחנוני
נא בזאת אמר ה'
צבקות אם לא
אפתח לכם את
ארובות
השמיים...
The people are invited to test Hashem. Generally, it is forbidden to test Hashem, but in this special, one-time case, Hashem is promising them that if they bring the ma’aser, Hashem will bless their crops. (Abarbanel)
* In Ta’anit 9a, there is a discussion about whether one is allowed to test Hashem. Rabbi Hoshayah says that the issue of ma’asrot is an exception to the general rule forbidding it, and he brings this verse as proof.
A discussion can be held in regard to the general issue of expecting immediate reward for doing a mitzvah – on one hand it appears to be a show of pure faith, but on the other hand it has many pitfalls, as, as a general rule, we are not to expect an immediate reward for doing our duty to Hashem, and not receiving an immediate reward should not deter us from doing more mitzvot.
עד
בלי די
1. There will be so much produce, that the storehouses will not be able to contain it all. (Metzudat David)
2. There will be so much produce, much more than needed, so that your lips will tire of saying “enough”. (Ta’anit 9a)
Verse 11:
וגערתי
לכם באוכל ולא
ישחית לכם את
פרי האדמה ולא
תשכל לכם הגפן
בשדה אמר ה'
צבקות
וגערתי
לכם באוכל...
Hashem will stop the various pests from attacking the produce. (Metzudat David)
Verse 12:
ואישרו
אתכם כל
הגויים כי
תהיו אתם ארץ
חפץ אמר ה'
צבקות
ואישרו
אתכם כל הגויים...
The other nations will praise you for your great success. (Metzudat David)
כי
תהיו אתם ארץ
חפץ
1. Instead of the Land of Israel being a cursed land, it will be a land that fulfills the wishes of its inhabitants. (Metzudat David)
2. As opposed to the statement above (1:10), where Hashem says that He does not want the Jewish People, He says here that they will be His desired portion. (Mahari Kra)
Verse 13:
חזקו
עלי דבריכם
אמר ה' ואמרתם
מה נדברנו
עליך
חזקו
עלי דבריכם...
After the prophet answers the people’s question about the wicked not receiving punishment for their sins, still the people claim against the Heavenly system of reward and punishment. (Radak)
Verse 14:
אמרתם
שווא עבוד
אלוקים ומה
בצע כי שמרנו
משמרתו וכי
הלכנו
קדורנית מפני
ה' צבקות
אמרתם
שווא עבוד
אלוקים...
1. The people say that there is no reward for the observing the mitzvot, and why should they bother? What good have they received for being subservient to Hashem? (Metzudat David)
2. The people say that although the answer given above might explain the phenomenon of the wicked prospering, it doesn’t explain the suffering of the righteous. They also raise the question of what good does this serving of G-d do? It does no good to Hashem, for what does He need man’s service for? (Malbim)
ומה
בצע כי שמרנו
משמרתו וכי
הלכנו
קדורנית
Serving Hashem seems to do no good for the people either, for they are supposed to get reward for it, and this reward does not seem to be forthcoming. (Malbim)
Verse 15:
ועתה
אנחנו מאשרים
זדים גם נבנו
עושי רשעה גם בחנו
אלוקים
ויימלטו
ועתה
אנחנו מאשרים
זדים...
1. The people say: Now that we have seen that it does us no good to serve Hashem, we praise the wicked, for not only have they prospered and stand firm like a building, but they have also tested Hashem, to see if He will punish them, and He has not. (Metzudat David)
2. We think highly of the wicked, for they do not labor to serve Hashem, and yet have not lost anything, even though they tested Hashem. (Malbim)
Verse 16:
אז
נדברו יראי ה'
איש אל רעהו
ויקשב ה'
וישמע וייכתב
ספר זכרון
לפניו ליראי
ה' ולחושבי
שמו
אז
נדברו יראי ה'
איש אל רעהו
Hashem is responding to these thoughts of the people: when those who truly fear G-d heard these things, they discussed them among themselves, and came to the conclusion that the ways of Hashem are just after all. (Metzudat David)
ויקשב
ה' וישמע
וייכתב ספר
זכרון לפניו
ליראי ה'
1. Hashem heard their conclusions, and wrote down their names for future reference – that their reward should not be forgotten. This writing down is referred to in the book of Daniel (12:1): ובעת ההיא ימלט עמך כל הנמצא כתוב בספר – “at that time (a time of troubles) anyone from your nation who is written down will escape”. (Metzudat David)
2. Even though Hashem will not reward them for their good deeds in this world, he did write down their deeds in a special book, for by remaining faithful, they prove that they fear G-d at the highest level – for G-d’s own sake (יראת הרוממות), not for any reward. (Malbim)
Rav Bloch (of the Telz Yeshiva), in his book שיעורי דעת, p. 128, has an insightful essay on the importance attached to all mitzvas that we do.
Verse 17:
והיו
לי אמר ה'
צבקות ליום
אשר אני עושה
סגולה וחמלתי
עליהם כאשר
יחמול איש על
בנו העובד אותו
והיו
לי אמר ה'
צבקות ליום
אשר אני עושה
סגולה
1. Hashem is saving the words of the faithful, until the special day (סגולה) for which all the deeds of human beings are being saved, in order to pay each and every one accordingly. (Metzudat David)
2. The verse should be read: והיו לי סגולה ליום אשר אני עושה – the words of the righteous will be precious (סגולה) to Hashem, treasured by Him until the special day. (Malbim)
וחמלתי
עליהם
On that day, I will have mercy on those who fear G-d, and they will not be harmed by the justice I will mete out to the wicked people. (Radak)
כאשר
יחמול איש על
בנו העובד
אותו
1. A father has mercy on all his sons, but especially on the son who serves him. (Radak)
2.* Employees, who work for pay, are paid immediately by their employer. But a son who serves his father is not paid immediately – the father saves up his pay for the future. Here too, Hashem is saving up the rewarso that it will be given in the eternal world, and it itself will be eternal. (Malbim)
Verse 18:
ושבתם
וראיתם בין
צדיק לרשע בין
עובד אלוקים לאשר
לא עבדו
ושבתם
וראיתם בין
צדיק לרשע...
Then you will see that there is a difference between the wicked and the righteous, and not as you say now (verse 14), that there is no point in serving Hashem. (Radak)
Verse 19:
כי
הנה היום בא
בוער כתנור
והיו כל זדים
וכל עושה רשעה
קש וליהט אותם
היום הבא אמר
ה' צבקות אשר
לא יעזוב להם
שורש וענף
כי
הנה היום בא
בוער כתנור...
The Day of Judgment will be like a hot furnace, in which all the wicked will be like straw – they will burn up immediately, and nothing at all will remain of them. (Metzudat David)
Verse 20:
וזרחה
לכם יראי שמי
שמש צדקה
ומרפא בכנפיה
ויצאתם ופשתם
כעגלי מרבק
וזרחה
לכם יראי שמי
שמש צדקה
ומרפא
1. As opposed to the burning furnace that the wicked will experience on the Day of Judgment, the righteous will experience a pleasant and healing sun. This sun will be the light resulting from the mitzvah of tzedakah. (Metzudat David)
2. The righteous will be saved that day, and they will be happy and joyful. (Radak)
בכנפיה
The rays of the sun are like spread-out wings. (Radak)
ויצאתם
ופשתם כעגלי
מרבק
The righteous will go out and flourish like growing and fattening calves. (Metzudat David)
Verse 21:
ועסותם
רשעים כי יהיו
אפר תחת כפות
רגליכם ביום
אשר אני עושה
אמר ה' צבקות
ועסותם
רשעים כי יהיו
אפר תחת כפות
רגליכם...
1. The wicked will be trampled by the righteous on that day. (Metzudat David)
2. Right now the wicked are trampling the righteous, but from the Day of Judgment on, the righteous will trample the wicked. ועסותם comes from the same root as עסיס – juice, which is the result of trampling on fruit. One might ask, if the wicked are burned up on the Day of Judgment, when will they be trampled on? And the answer is, that they will not be burned up all at once, and as long as they exist, they will be like ashes, at the mercy of the righteous. (Radak)
Verse 22:
זכרו
תורת משה עבדי
אשר ציוויתי
אותו בחורב על
כל ישראל
חוקים
ומשפטים
זכרו
תורת משה עבדי
1. Since you know you will receive your reward, make sure to remember the Torah, given to you through Moshe Rabbeinu, Hashem’s servant, for by keeping it you will earn this reward. (Metzudat David)
2. After rebuking the people, and especially the priests, for a variety of sins, the prophet ends his word by reminding them that all of Moshe’s Torah is to be remembered and observed. (Da’at Mikra)
אשר
ציוויתי אותו
Hashem gave the Torah to Moshe – Moshe did not make it up. (Metzudat David)
על
כל ישראל
חוקים
ומשפטים
The Torah was given to all of Israel, and they are to observe all the commandments – both those that one does not understand the reason for them, and those whose reason is obvious. (Metzudat David)
Verse 23:
הנה
אנוכי שולח
לכם את אליה
הנביא לפני
בוא יום ה'
הגדול והנורא
הנה
אנוכי שולח
לכם את אליה
הנביא
1. Because of the Torah, I will send you Eliyahu Hanavi, before the Day of Judgment. (Metzudat David)
2. Eliyahu Hanavi dedicated his life to bringing the people of Israel back to Hashem. It is he who will be sent to awaken the people to return to Hashem. (Da’at Mikra)
הגדול
והנורא
The Day of Judgment will be great for the righteous, and terrible for the wicked. (Da’at Mikra)
Verse 24:
והשיב
לב אבות על
בנים ולב בנים
על אבותם פן אבוא
והכיתי את
הארץ חרם
והשיב
לב אבות על
בנים ולב בנים
על אבותם
1. Eliyahu Hanavi will resurrect the dead, and then all sons and fathers will stand together and tell each other the truth of the reward; then they will all, in wonder, repent and return to Hashem. (Metzudat David)
2. Eliyahu Hanavi will make everyone – fathers and sons – return to Hashem. (Metzudat David)
3. The entire world will do teshuva, so that the sons who have left the Torah of their fathers will return to it, and that way the hearts of the fathers and sons will be united. (Malbim)
An historical note can be added, that the Malbim is describing the reality of his day: that of the younger generation leaving the way of Torah.
פן
אבוא והכיתי
את הארץ חרם
This teshuva before the Day of Judgment will be necessary, for if that day comes without the people having repented, everyone will be struck fatally. (Metzudat David)
Verses 4-24 of this chapter are read as the haftara of Shabbat Hagadol, the Shabbat before Pesach. After reading the last verse, the next-to-last verse is repeated, so as not to end the reading on a negative note.
Malachi, the last prophet, ends his prophecy with a call to teshuvah, to teach us the power of teshuva, as being able to change cherem to rachamim – total annihilation into mercy. (Da’at Mikra)
הנה
אנוכי שולח
לכם את אליה
הנביא לפני
בוא יום ה'
הגדול והנורא
והשיב
לב אבות על
בנים ולב בנים
על אבותם
Table
of Contents – Introduction || HOSHEA | 2 || 14 ||| YOEL | 1 || 2
|| 3 ||| AMOS | 1 || 2 || 3
|| 4 || 9 ||| OVADYAH ||| YONAH | 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||| MICHAH | 1 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 |||
NACHUM ||| CHAVAKUK | 1 | 2 || 3 ||| TZEFANYAH ||| CHAGAI | 1 || 2 ||| ZECHARYAH | 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 14 ||| MALACHI | 1 || 2 || 3