Yoel 2:15-27 · Pshat

2:15

תִּקְעוּ שׁוֹפָר בְּצִיּוֹן קַדְּשׁוּ־צוֹם קִרְאוּ עֲצָרָֽה׃

Blow the shofar in Żiyyon, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

2:16

אִסְפוּ־עָם קַדְּשׁוּ קָהָל קִבְצוּ זְקֵנִים אִסְפוּ עֽוֹלָלִים וְיֹנְקֵי שָׁדָיִם יֵצֵא חָתָן מֵֽחֶדְרוֹ וְכַלָּה מֵחֻפָּתָֽהּ׃

gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those who suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her pavilion.

Rashi

קִבְצוּ זְקֵנִים. מִמִּשְׁקְלוֹת ״שְׁלַח קְבֹץ אֵלַי״ (מלכים א יח:יט) לְשׁוֹן רָפֵי וְקַל:

assemble the elders Heb. קִבְצוּ. This is of the form of (I Kings 18:19) “Send and gather (קְבֹץ) for me,” an expression which is weak and light.

2:17

בֵּין הָאוּלָם וְלַמִּזְבֵּחַ יִבְכּוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתֵי יְהֹוָה וְֽיֹאמְרוּ חוּסָה יְהֹוָה עַל־עַמֶּךָ וְאַל־תִּתֵּן נַחֲלָתְךָ לְחֶרְפָּה לִמְשׇׁל־בָּם גּוֹיִם לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ בָעַמִּים אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃

Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not Thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

Rashi

לְחֶרְפָּה. לְגִדּוּפִין:

a derision Heb. לְחֶרְפָּה

לִמְשָׁל בָּם גּוֹיִם. לְשׁוֹן מָשָׁל וּשְׁנִינָה:

for nations to make them an example Heb. לְמְשָׁל, an expression of, (Deut. 28:37) “for an example (מָשָל) and for a conversation piece.”

2:18

וַיְקַנֵּא יְהֹוָה לְאַרְצוֹ וַיַּחְמֹל עַל־עַמּֽוֹ׃

Then the Lord was zealous for his land, and pitied his people.

Rashi

וַיְקַנֵּא ה׳ לְאַרְצוֹ. לְשׁוֹן ״הַמְקַנֵּא אַתָּה לִי״ (במדבר יא:כט) נִכְנְסָה בְּלִבּוֹ צָרָתָהּ וְנִלְחַם בְּמִלְחַמְתָּהּ וְנִתְעַסֵּק בְּצָרְכֶיהָ. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ פֵּרְשׁוּ לְשׁוֹן ׳הַתְרָאָה׳, הִתְרָה בַּגּוֹבַאי עַל עִסְקֵי אַרְצוֹ:

And the Lord was zealous for His land Heb. וַיְקַנֵּא, an expression similar to (Num. 11:29) “Are you zealous (הַמְקַנֵּא) for me?” Their distress entered His heart, and He fought their battle and engaged in their necessities. Our Sages explain it as an expression of warning. He warned the locusts concerning His land. [from Sotah 3a]

2:19

וַיַּעַן יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמֶר לְעַמּוֹ הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ לָכֶם אֶת־הַדָּגָן וְהַתִּירוֹשׁ וְהַיִּצְהָר וּשְׂבַעְתֶּם אֹתוֹ וְלֹא־אֶתֵּן אֶתְכֶם עוֹד חֶרְפָּה בַּגּוֹיִֽם׃

And the Lord answered and said to his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations:

Rashi

חֶרְפָּה. גִּדּוּף שֶׁיִּקְרְאוּ אֶתְכֶם חַסְרֵי לֶחֶם:

derision Heb. חֶרְפָּה, a derision, that they will call you ill-provided.

2:20

וְֽאֶת־הַצְּפוֹנִי אַרְחִיק מֵעֲלֵיכֶם וְהִדַּחְתִּיו אֶל־אֶרֶץ צִיָּה וּשְׁמָמָה אֶת־פָּנָיו אֶל־הַיָּם הַקַּדְמֹנִי וְסֹפוֹ אֶל־הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֹן וְעָלָה בׇאְשׁוֹ וְתַעַל צַחֲנָתוֹ כִּי הִגְדִּיל לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃

but I will remove far off from you the northern one, and will drive him into a barren and desolate land, with his face towards the eastern sea, and his hinder part toward the western sea, and his foulness shall come up, and his ill savour shall ascend, though he has done great things.

Rashi

וְאֶת הַצְּפוֹנִי. יֵשׁ לְפוֹתְרוֹ עַל חֵיל הָאַרְבֶּה וְעָלָיו נוֹפֵל לְשׁוֹן הִדַּחְתִּיו אֶל אֶרֶץ צִיָּה וּשְׁמָמָה. דָּבָר אַחֵר הָעָם הַבָּא מִצָּפוֹן מַלְכֵי אַשּׁוּר וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אוֹמְרִים זֶה יֵצֶר הָרָע שֶׁצָּפוּן בִּלְבָבוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם:

And the northerner Heb. הַצְּפוֹנִי. This can be interpreted as referring to the host of locusts, upon which the expression, “and I will drive him to a land barren and desolate,” fits aptly. Another explanation: The people that come from the north, viz., the kings of Assyria. And our Sages (Sukkah 52a) state: This is the temptation, which is hidden (צָפוּן) in a person’s heart.

הַקַּדְמוֹנִי. הַמִּזְרָחִי. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁפֵּרְשׁוּ בְּיֵצֶר הָרָע דָּרְשׁוּ שְׁנֵי הַיָּמִים הַלָּלוּ בְּמִקְדָּשׁ רִאשׁוֹן וּבְמִקְדָּשׁ שֵׁנִי וְכֵן פֵּרְשׁוּהוּ עַל אֲשֶׁר שָׂם פָּנָיו בְּמִקְדָּשׁ רִאשׁוֹן וְשֵׁנִי וְהֶחֱרִיבָם. וּלְפִי הַתַּרְגּוּם שֶׁפֵּרְשׁוּ עַל חֵיל מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר פָּנָיו (אֶל) הַיָּם הַקַּדְמוֹנִי מִקְצָת חֵילוֹ אֶשְׁלַח לְמִזְרָח וּמִקְצָתוֹ לְמַעֲרָב:

the western sea the eastern sea. And our Sages, who interpreted it [i.e., הַצְּפוֹנִי] as a reference to temptation, interpreted these two seas as the First Temple and the Second Temple. I.e, they explain הַקַּדְמוֹנִי as first and הָאַחֲרוֹן as last. And so they explained it: Because he directed his face toward the First Temple and the Second Temple and destroyed them. [God says: I will drive him out to a land barren and desolate, where he will find no one to incite. That will be because he set his sights for the First Temple and for the Second Temple and, because he incited the people to sin, they were destroyed. The two Temples, where everyone would gather during the three Pilgrimage Festivals, are symbolized by the sea, where water of the streams gather.] And, according to the Targum, who explains it as a reference to the king of Assyria, we must explain “his face to the eastern sea, and his end to the western sea” to mean that part of his army I will send to the east and part of it to the west.

צַחֲנָתוֹ. בָּאְשׁוֹ יוֹרֶה עָלָיו שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן זֹהַם וְטִנּוּף:

its ill savor Heb. צַחֲנָתוֹ. The word בָאְשוֹ, its stench, indicates concerning that it is an expression of filth.

כִּי הִגְדִּיל לַעֲשׂוֹת. רָאָה שֶׁפָּשַׁט יָדוֹ בַּגְּדוֹלִים:

for it did great things—I.e, it did a great evil, for it stretched forth its hands upon the great.

2:21

אַל־תִּֽירְאִי אֲדָמָה גִּילִי וּשְׂמָחִי כִּֽי־הִגְדִּיל יְהֹוָה לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃

Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do greater things.

Rashi

אַל תִּירְאִי אֲדָמָה. אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אִם תָּשׁוּבִי בִּתְשׁוּבָה:

Have no fear, O land—I.e, the land of Israel, when you repent.

2:22

אַל־תִּֽירְאוּ בַּהֲמוֹת שָׂדַי כִּי דָשְׁאוּ נְאוֹת מִדְבָּר כִּי־עֵץ נָשָׂא פִרְיוֹ תְּאֵנָה וָגֶפֶן נָתְנוּ חֵילָֽם׃

Be not afraid, O beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness shall spring, for the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

2:23

וּבְנֵי צִיּוֹן גִּילוּ וְשִׂמְחוּ בַּיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כִּֽי־נָתַן לָכֶם אֶת־הַמּוֹרֶה לִצְדָקָה וַיּוֹרֶד לָכֶם גֶּשֶׁם מוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ בָּרִאשֽׁוֹן׃

Be glad then, you children of Żiyyon, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he has given you the former rain in due measure, and he has brought down for you the rain in the first month, the former rain, and the latter rain.

Rashi

אֶת הַמּוֹרֶה. אֶת נְבִיאֵיכֶם הַמּוֹרִים אֶתְכֶם לָשׁוּב אֵלַי כְּדֵי לְצַדֵּק אֶתְכֶם:

the teacher for justification Heb. מוֹרֶה. Your prophets who teach you to return to Me, in order to justify you.

מוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ. כְּמוֹ ״יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ״ (דברים יא:יד):

the early rain and the late rain. Heb. מוֹרֶה, like (Deut. 11:14) “the early rain (יוֹרֶה) and the late rain (וּמַלְקוֹֹש).”

בָּרִאשׁוֹן. בְּנִיסָן וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַיּוֹרֶה הִיא רְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה הַיּוֹרֶדֶת עַל הַזֶּרַע וְהוּא בְּמַרְחֶשְׁוָן, אוֹתָהּ שָׁנָה בְּנִיסָן זָרְעוּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּמַסֶּכֶת תַּעֲנִית שֶׁגָּדְלָה הַתְּבוּאָה בְּאַחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם:

in the first month—In Nissan. Although the early rain is the first rain, which falls on the seeds, and that is in Marcheshvan, that year they sowed in Nissan, as is explained in Tractate Taanith (5a) that the grain grew in eleven days.

2:24

וּמָלְאוּ הַגֳּרָנוֹת בָּר וְהֵשִׁיקוּ הַיְקָבִים תִּירוֹשׁ וְיִצְהָֽר׃

And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

Rashi

וְהֵשִׁיקוּ. לְשׁוֹן הַשְׁמָעַת קוֹל כְּשֶׁהַקִּלּוּחַ יוֹרֵד מִן הַגַּת אֶל תּוֹךְ הַיֶּקֶב וְהוּא הַבּוֹר שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַגַּת:

shall roar Heb. וְהֵשִׁיקוּ, an expression of making noise when the stream runs down from the winepress into the vat (הַיֶקֶב), which is the pit before the winepress

2:25

וְשִׁלַּמְתִּי לָכֶם אֶת־הַשָּׁנִים אֲשֶׁר אָכַל הָאַרְבֶּה הַיֶּלֶק וְהֶחָסִיל וְהַגָּזָם חֵילִי הַגָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר שִׁלַּחְתִּי בָּכֶֽם׃

And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the hopping locust, and the destroying locust, and the cutting locust, my great army which I sent among you.

2:26

וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אָכוֹל וְשָׂבוֹעַ וְהִלַּלְתֶּם אֶת־שֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה עִמָּכֶם לְהַפְלִיא וְלֹא־יֵבֹשׁוּ עַמִּי לְעוֹלָֽם׃

And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

2:27

וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי בְקֶרֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל אָנִי וַאֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְאֵין עוֹד וְלֹא־יֵבֹשׁוּ עַמִּי לְעוֹלָֽם׃ {פ}

And you shall know that I am in the midst of Yisra᾽el, and that I am the Lord your God, and there it is none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Yoel 2:15-27 יואל ב׳:ט״ו-כ״ז

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