פירוש על ישעיהו 5:7

For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel To this vineyard are you compared, O House of Israel, for all that He did for this vineyard, He did for Israel. The vineyard represents Adam, for we find in Midrash Aggadah, in many places in Tanhuma, and in Genesis Rabbah [that] these passages are expounded concerning him, e.g., Adam was not expelled from Paradise until he reviled and blasphemed, as it is said: And He hoped to produce grapes,... (Gen. Rabbah 19:12). And in another place we find: He appointed guards over him that he should not eat from the Tree of Life, as it is said (verse 6): “And I will command the clouds...” (ibid. 21:8). And in this manner, [the following verses] can be expounded concerning him:

The prophet now explains who is meant by the vineyard.

(1) My beloved had a vineyard. A vineyard This [alludes to] Adam.

משפח Disease.¹³A.V., Oppression. About the interchange between ש and ס, see I. E. on 3:17. Comp. מספחת scab (Lev. 13:6)

My beloved This is the Holy One, blessed be He.

In a fertile corner in the Garden of Eden.

(2) And he fenced it in with the ten canopies mentioned in Ezekiel (28), in the section dealing with Hiram, king of Tyre.

And He cleared it of stones Of temptation, until he ate from the tree, and temptation gained entry into him.

And He planted it with the choicest vines The beginning of his formation was from the place of the altar.

And He built a tower in its midst And He breathed into his nostrils the spirit of life, from the heavenly beings.

And also a vat He hewed therein A spring flowing, the fountain of wisdom.

And He hoped to produce grapes that he would thank Him and praise Him.

And it produced wild berries putrid things; he reviled and blasphemed.

(3) Judge now Since the end of the parable comes to say that they too did like him, he asks them the judgment.

(5) I will inform you what I decided to do to him and I did.

I removed its hedge I expelled him from amidst his canopies.

And it shall be eaten up His end will be to die and to be ruled over by wild beasts.

Breach its wall I expelled from the enclosure of Paradise.

(6) And I made it a desolation I made him dwell in desolation, for I did not give the Torah in his days.

It shall neither be pruned nor hoed They will learn from him neither merit nor good deeds.

The shamir and desolation will come up Temptation ruled over him and his posterity, to perform corrupt deeds.

And I commanded the clouds I appointed guards over him to guard the way of the Tree of Life.

(7) For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel For the House of Israel is to Me like that vineyard; The ten tribes were to Me like a vineyard producing wine, like an olive orchard, in a fat corner, in a fat land, [producing anointing] oil for the priesthood, [anointing] oil for the kingdom, oil for the Menorah, oil for the meal offerings. I fenced them in first with the encirclement of the clouds of glory in the desert and I cleared them of stones, i.e., I cleansed them of the transgressors of the generation. I planted them with the choicest vines (שׂוֹרֵק) six hundred and six commandments, like the numerical value of שׂוֹרֵק, I added for them to the seven commandments that the children of Noah were commanded. I built a tower in their midst, My Tabernacle and My Temple, and also a vat, the altar and the pits [the pits by the side of the altar into which the remainder of the libations was poured.]

(2) And it produced wild berries They corrupted their deeds.

(3) And now, dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah who have not yet been exiled, please judge between me and between them concerning the evil that I brought on them; who sinned against whom? What more could I have done beneficial deeds for My vineyard, and I have not done for it?

(5) Now I will inform you Even you who anger Mewhat is fitting in My eyes to do to My vineyard, according to all that I did to Adam, viz.

to remove its hedge I will remove My Shechinah from them, the Shechinah that covers them, as it is said (infra 22:8), “And He bared the covert of Judah.”

Breach its wall I will demolish its walls.

(6) And I will make it a desolation And I will make them forsaken [from Targum Jonathan].

It will neither be pruned nor hoed They will not be visited nor will they be supported. [from Targum Jonathan].

And the shamir and desolation will come up And they will be wandering and forsaken, represented by the שָׁמִיר וָשָׁיִת [desolation] of the vineyard, and regarding the vineyard itself in another place, it is rendered הֲבָאִי וּבוּר, desolate and fallow.

And I will command the clouds And I will command the prophets not to prophesy on your behalf [Jonathan]. Prophecy is analogous to rain, which the clouds receive from heaven; so do the prophets receive the divine prophecy.

The plant of His joy Comp. נָטָע (Job 14:9), but since it is in the construct state, it is vowelized with a patach, like (Num. 7:88) בְּקַר זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים, “the cattle of the peace offerings.”

and He hoped that they would perform justice, and behold, there was מִשְׂפָּח, an accumulation of sin upon sin, like (I Sam. 26:19), “From cleaving (מֵהִסְתַּפֵּחַ),” also (ibid. 2:36), “Take me now into (סְפָחֵנִי).” Another explanation is that it is an expression of a lesion, and since it is a similar expression, for, in pronunciation, מִשְׂפָּח resembles מִשְׁפָּט, and so, זְעָקָה resembles צְדָקָה, it fell through divine inspiration into the prophet’s mouth.