יואל ב׳:ט״ו-כ״ז

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.

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.”

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]

חֶרְפָּה. גִּדּוּף שֶׁיִּקְרְאוּ אֶתְכֶם חַסְרֵי לֶחֶם:

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

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.

אַל תִּירְאִי אֲדָמָה. אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אִם תָּשׁוּבִי בִּתְשׁוּבָה:

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

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.

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