Le Lévitique 26:36 Commentaire : Rashi, Kli Yakar, Or HaChaim & Rashbam

והבאתי מרך AND I WILL SEND A FAINTNESS [INTO THEIR HEART] — מרך‎ means timidity and faint-heartedness. The מ is an essential letter of the noun, which, however, is omitted in the root; as is the case with the מ in the nouns מועד and ומוקש.

And the sound of a driven leaf shall pursue them. This is what is written: And they shall stumble one upon another, for this speaks of the division of hearts that is more common among Israel than among all other nations, as it is said: And I will scatter [literally, winnow] you among the nations. Like a winnower where no one [piece] clings to another, so too Israel — even when they are in the land of their enemies, they are separated from one another, even though it is the way of exiles to comfort each other. But Israel is not like this, for they are scattered and separated even in exile, and each one pushes his fellow with force and seeks to remove him from his position, to overthrow and fall upon him, as in the curse of Ahijah the Shilonite, as it is said: And the Lord shall strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water (First Kings 14:15). For every reed is pushed and shaken by the wind blowing through it, and in addition to the push of the wind, each reed pushes its fellow. Thus, each reed is pushed twice: once by the wind, and a second time by its neighboring reed that pushes against it, and so on from one to another until they all stumble and fall. So too, every person of Israel is pushed by the wind, that is, by the kingdoms, as in Daniel’s prophecy that compared all four kingdoms to wind — not the wind of God — as it is said: And behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea (Daniel 7:2). And perhaps this great sea alludes to the Red Sea [Yam Suf, literally Reed Sea], which has reeds and rushes, and his intention refers to Israel like the parable of the reeds: In addition to the pushing of the nations against Israel, each one pushes his fellow into his pitfalls. Therefore, here he compares them to a driven leaf, for the leaf is very weak and is blown by the wind that blows through it, and nevertheless, each leaf pushes its fellow and strikes it. So too, every person of Israel in exile is like a leaf driven by the aforementioned wind, and nevertheless, he pursues his fellow to strike him with the whip of his tongue, either in front of the nations or with evil speech in the Jewish quarter, which is the sound of a leaf. Therefore, it immediately says: And they shall stumble one upon another.

והנשארים בכם, "As to those of you who are still left, etc." Here the Torah refers to Israelites who continue in their wicked ways in spite of having experienced all the curses listed come true. At this stage G'd announces that such people would be afflicted with faint-heartedness while they are in exile and they would experience fear without cause and fall even without being pursued. In spite of all the terrible experiences the Jewish people undergo while in exile they will not be wiped out as a nation.

ונסו מנוסת חרב AND THEY SHALL RUN AWAY AS RUNNING AWAY FROM THE SWORD — as though pursuers were about to kill them.