Michah 4 מיכה ד׳

וְנָהֲרוּ. וְנִקְבְּצוּ שָׁם יַחַד כַּנְּהָרוֹת הַהוֹלְכִים אֶל הַיָּם:

shall stream Heb. וְנָהֲרוּ. And they shall gather there together like rivers flowing into the sea.

וְשָׁפַט. מִשְׁפָּט זֶה לְשׁוֹן ׳תּוֹכָחָה׳ הוּא דשרימנ״ט בְּלַעַ״ז:

And he shall judge—This judgment is an expression of reproof, derajjnement in O.F. [Isa 2:4]

כִּי פִי ה׳ צְבָאוֹת דִּבֵּר. וְהֵיכָן דִּבֵּר ״וְנָתַתִּי שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ״ (ויקרא כו:ו):

for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken—Now where has He spoken? (Lev. 26:6) “And I will place peace in the land, etc.” [from Mechilta to Exodus 12:25]

יֵלְכוּ אִישׁ בְּשֵׁם אֱלֹהָיו. יֵלְכוּ לַאֲבַדּוֹן עַל שֶׁעָבְדוּ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה כֵּן תִּרְגֵּם יוֹנָתָן:

For all peoples shall go, each one in the name of his god—Shall go to destruction because they worshipped idols. So did Jonathan render it.

אֹסְפָה הַצֹּלֵעָה. ״אַכְנִישׁ מְטַלְטְלַיָּא״ וְכֵן תַּרְגּוּם יוֹנָתָן, וְלִי נִרְאֶה לְשׁוֹן ׳מַרְפֵּא׳ כְּמוֹ ״וַאֲסַפְתּוֹ מִצָּרַעְתּוֹ״ (מלכים ב ה):

I will heal the limping one Heb. אֹסְפָה. I will gather in the exiles. So did Jonathan render. To me, however, it appears as an expression of healing, as in (II Kings 5:6) “And you shall cure him (וְאֲסַפְתּוֹ) of his zaraath.”

וַאֲשֶׁר הֲרֵעוֹתִי. וְאוֹתָם שֶׁהֲרֵעוֹתִי לָהֶם בַּעֲוֹנָם:

and those whom I harmed—And those whom I harmed because of their iniquity.

וְאַתָּה מִגְדַּל עֵדֶר. תִּרְגֵּם יוֹנָתָן: ״וְאַתְּ מְשִׁיחָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל דְּטָמִיר מִן קֳדָם חוֹבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא דְצִיּוֹן״. פֵּרוּשׁ מִגְדַּל לְשׁוֹן ׳מָעוֹז׳ וְתַרְגּוּם עֵדֶר ׳כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל׳ וְתִרְגֵּם עֹפֶל לְשׁוֹן ׳אֹפֶל׳. וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ מִגְדַּל עֵדֶר בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְעֹפֶל לְשׁוֹן ׳מִגְדַּל עוֹז׳ וְכֵן ״עוֹפֶל וָבַחַן״ (ישעיה לב):

And you, tower of the flock Heb. מִגְדַּל עֵדֶר. Jonathan renders: And you, anointed one of Israel, who is hidden because of the sins of the people of Zion. His explanation is: מִגְדַּל is an expression of a stronghold, and he renders עֵדֶר as the people of Israel. He renders עֹפֶל as an expression of אֹפֶל, darkness. [I.e., מִגְדַּל עֵדֶר is the stronghold of Israel, identified as the Messiah. He is hidden because of the sins of the people of Zion. The word “hidden” is derived from אֹפֶל, darkness.] But it is possible to interpret מִגְדַּל עֵדֶר as the Temple, and עֹפֶל as an expression of a mighty tower. Likewise there is (Isa. 32:14) “Rampart (עֹפֶל) and tower.”

עָדֶיךָ תֵּאתֶה. שְׁאֵרִית הַצּוֹלֵעָה וְהַנַּהֲלָאָה כֻּלָּם יִקָּבְצוּ אֵלֶיךָ:

to you it shall come—The remnant of the limping ones and the scattered ones shall gather to you.

וּבָאָה הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה. תָּבֹא הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה שְׁלֵמָה כֻּלָּהּ אֶל בֵּית דָּוִד בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה בַּתְּחִלָּה עַד שֶׁלֹּא נֶחְלְקָה. וּמַה הִיא הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה הַמַּמְלָכָה לְבַת יְרוּשָׁלָיִם:

and the former kingdom shall come—The complete kingdom, in its entirety, shall come to the house of David in Jerusalem as it was originally, before it was divided. Now what was the former kingdom? The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

עַתָּה. שֶׁאַתְּ מוֹרֶדֶת בִּי:

Now that you rebel against Me.

לָמָּה תָּרִיעִי רֵעַ. שִׁיתִי לִבֵּךְ לָמָּה אַתְּ צְרִיכָה לְבַקֵּשׁ רֵעִים וַאֲהוּבִים מַלְכֵי מִצְרַיִם וּמַלְכֵי אַשּׁוּר לַעֲזֹר:

why do you seek friends? Heb. תָרִיעִי רֵעַ, lit. befriend a friend. Put to your heart: why do you need to seek friends and beloved ones, the kings of Egypt and the kings of Assyria, for aid?

חוּלִי. לְשׁוֹן ׳חַלְחָלָה׳ כְּמוֹ (כאן) ״כִּי הֶחֱזִיקֵךְ חִיל״, וְהַלָּשׁוֹן נוֹפֵל עַל יוֹלֶדֶת:

Be in pain Heb. חוּלִי, an expression of pain, as in (verse 9) “that pangs (חִיל) have seized you.” This expression is appropriate for a woman in confinement.

וָגֹחִי. כִּרְעִי וּשְׁחִי עַל גְּחוֹנֵךְ. וְכֵן בִּלְשׁוֹן מִשְׁנָה ״כּוֹתֶל הַגּוֹחֶה לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים״:

and kneel Heb. וָגֹחִי, kneel and bend down on your belly (גָחוֹן). So it is in the language of the Mishnah (Moed Katan 7a): “A wall that bends over (הַגוֹחֶה) into a public domain.”

תֵּצְאִי מִקִּרְיָה. מִירוּשָׁלַיִם לָלֶכֶת בַּגּוֹלָה:

you shall go forth from the city—From Jerusalem, to go into exile.

וְשָׁכַנְתְּ בַּשָּׂדֶה. תְּהִי שְׁכִינָתֵךְ חֲרוּשָׁה כַּשָּׂדֶה:

and you shall dwell in the field—Your dwelling shall be plowed up like a field.

הָאוֹמְרִים תֶּחֱנָף. עַתָּה תִּתְחַיֵּב צִיּוֹן בְּחַטֹּאתֶיהָ וְיִפָּקֵד עָלֶיהָ עֲוֹנָהּ:

who say, “Let her be guilty”—Let Zion be guilty of her sins, and let her iniquity be visited upon her.

וְתַחַז בְּצִיּוֹן עֵינֵינוּ. וְתִרְאֶינָה בָּהּ עֵינֵינוּ מַה שֶּׁאִוִּינוּ לִרְאוֹת בָּהּ:

and our eyes shall gaze on Zion And our eyes will see in her what we hoped to see her.

כִּי קִבְּצָם כֶּעָמִיר גֹּרְנָה. וְסוֹפוֹ לְקַבְּצָם אֶל עֵמֶק יְהוֹשָׁפָט וּסְבִיבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם לְמִלְחָמָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּקַבְּצִין עָמִיר כְּדֵי לְדוּשָׁם שָׁם, אַף הֵם חֵיל גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג לְרָעָתָם נֶאֶסְפוּ. וְיֹאמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל קוּמִי וָדוֹשִׁי בַת צִיּוֹן:

for He gathered them as sheaves to a threshing floor—And eventually, He will gather them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat and around Jerusalem to war, as they gather a sheaf in order to thresh it there. The heathens, too, will be gathered there for their detriment, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the people of Israel: “Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion.”

וְהַחֲרַמְתִּי. לְשׁוֹן ׳הֶקְדֵּשׁ׳:

and I will devote Heb. וְהַחֲרַמְתִּי, an expression of hallowing.

בִּצְעָם. מַה שֶּׁכִּנְּסוּ מִגְּזֵלָה וְחָמָס:

their plunder—What they gathered from robbery and violence.

וְחֵילָם. ״וְנִכְסֵיהוֹן״:

and their wealth—Their possessions.

עַתָּה תִּתְגּוֹדְדִי בַת גְּדוּד. עַתָּה בְּעֵת גְּזֵרָתָהּ הָרָעָה עַל הֶעָוֹן כִּי גָבַר, תִּתְגּוֹדְדִי בַּת גְּדוּד בַּת כַּשְׂדִּים, קִבְצִי גְדוּדִין כִּי עַתָּה הוּא אֲשֶׁר תִּצְלְחִי בַּגְּדוּד אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מָצוֹר עָלֵינוּ:

Now you shall gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops—Now, at the time of its [Israel’s] evil decree concerning the iniquity, which has increased, you shall gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; O daughter of the Chaldeans, gather troops, for now you shall succeed with the troop that laid siege upon us.

בַּשֵּׁבֶט יַכּוּ עַל הַלֶּחִי. מִי גָרַם לָךְ לְהַצְלִיחַ אֶת אֲשֶׁר יִשְׂרָאֵל מַלְעִיבִים עַל נְבִיאֵיהֶם וְשׁוֹפְטֵיהֶם וּמַכִּים אוֹתָם עַל הַלֶּחִי. כָּךְ הָיוּ עוֹשִׂים, וְכֵן מָצִינוּ בִּפְסִיקְתָּא וְכֵן יְשַׁעְיָה הוּא אוֹמֵר (ישעיהו נ:ו) ״גֵּוִי נָתַתִּי לְמַכִּים״:

With a rod, they strike... on the cheek—Who caused them (Babylon) to succeed? The Israelites deride their prophets and their judges and strike them on the cheek. So were they wont to do, and so we find in Pesikta (d’Rav Kahana, p. 125b), and so does Isaiah say, (Isa. 50:6) “I gave my back to smiters.”