Comentários de Citação sobre Isaías 29:1

Our sages have said that the [letter] bet was added, like the bet in barishonah (“in the beginning”) Bereshit 13:4, for you find “at the beginning (rishonah) they travelled” Bamidbar 2:9. But were that the meaning, the bet would have been vocalized with a kamatz gadol. And there are those who say that [the word] bereshit always [appears in] attached [form], where the meaning is “at the beginning of the evening, or the night, or the darkness”. But behold, they forgot “he saw a beginning reishit for himself” Devarim 33:21. And there are those who say that the bet is a subject without meaning. Their reason is that it is unthinkable that there is no beginning to the heavens and the earth. Therefore, it said “bereshit. But according to my opinion, it is indeed an attached form, like “At the beginning (bereshit) of the rule of Yehoyakim” Yirmiyahu 26:1. Now don’t wonder how can it be attached to a past tense verb [instead of a noun], for behold, thus: “At the beginning (techilat) spoke Hashem with Hoshea, and Hashem said to Hoshea” Hoshea 1:2, “The city (kiryat) where David camped” Yishayahu 29:1. The meaning [of this usage] will be explained for you in the second verse.

The Book of Kings makes a point of stating that the windows in the Temple were very narrow on the inside and wide on the outside suggesting that their purpose was not to let light enter, but on the contrary, to illuminate the outside world with the spiritual light contained therein. Our sages (Tanchuma Behaa-lotcha 2) phrased it thus: when the average person builds himself a house he arranges for the windows to be narrow on the outside and wide on the inside in order to admit the maximum amount of daylight. Solomon did the reverse. He made the windows narrow on the inside and wide on the outside in order for the Temple to radiate the maximum amount of spiritual light to the outside world. This conveyed the message that the entire Temple was a source of light, and that G’d most certainly did not require man-made light to light up the interior for Him. The meaning of the words שקופים אטומים in the verse from Kings I 6,4 we referred to earlier is: ”they were open toward the outside, but closed toward the inside,” i.e. short. This prompted Ezekiel 40,25 to write that both it and its vestibule had windows כהחלונות האלה. The extra letter ה in the word כהחלונות, is an allusion to something “faint, dim,” in other words these windows provided faint light. The prophet indicates that the windows are in the shape of the letter ה, narrow on the inside and wide at the outside. This was to enable the light to escape to the outside.
This is the reason the Temple was also known as the אריאל, (Isaiah 29,1) an allusion to the lion which is narrow at its rear but broad at its front.
This paragraph teaches us three things: 1) the lamps should be facing the center shaft of the Menorah. This light on the center shaft is known as the נר המערבי, “the lamp of the West.” 2) The Menorah ought to be constructed of gold, if at all possible; in the absence of suffficient gold, other metals would be acceptable (Sifri Nasso 61). The principal restriction was that one must not have more or fewer than the seven lamps prescribed. The third lesson we learn from this paragraph is that the whole Menorah was to be cast in one piece of metal. In order to make this point clear the Torah repeated the words מקשה היא, “it is to be a (single) casting.” Whereas a Menorah of more than one piece would not be acceptable for use, a Menorah which was not of gold would be acceptable.

The fairest of branches (nof) – Mount Zion is the beauty of the place, there is nothing as beautiful as it in all the place. And it is ‘the joy of the entire earth’ as it is written “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” (Lamentations 2:15) The meaning of nof is place, as in “…the three regions (hanafet).” (Joshua 17:11) My father and master explained nof as one of the seven divisions of the world, because it is known that the settled world is divided into seven pieces as they said ‘the seven lands.’ These portions are called in Hebrew nafot and in Arabic iclimim. And he said that anyone who goes from one nof to another will fall ill due to the change in air. The air of the land of Israel, and all the more so the air of Jerusalem, was the fairest nof and the joy of all the earth. Even sick people who came there were healed because its air was well mixed and pleasant. As it says about it “And the neighbor shall not say, ‘I am sick.’” (Isaiah 33:24) Meaning that one who dwells in Jerusalem will not say ‘I am sick.’ Mount Zion, by the north side – Zion is on the north side of Jerusalem, as it says “…and I will sit on the mount of the assembly, in the farthest end of the north.” (Isaiah 14:13) The previous part of the verse “above God's stars will I raise my throne” is a metaphor regarding Israel. the city of a great (rav) king – a great king, as in “…upon every steward of his house…” (Esther 1:8) This is referring to David, as it says “…the city wherein David encamped.” (Isaiah 29:1) Or this is referring to the King Messiah. In the midrash (Shachar Tov 48) it says everyone glorifies her, because there was none other like her. Even though Tyre said ‘I am the perfection of beauty’ as it says “Tyre, you said, 'I am the perfection of beauty.'” (Ezekiel 27:3) You said this of yourself, but others did not say it to you. This is like the common saying: not as your mother said, but as your neighbors said. But it doesn’t say this about Zion, rather everyone says “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” (Lamentations 2:15) And further ‘the joy of all the earth.’ And how did she bring joy to all the earth? If a man sinned and is downhearted, as Shlomo says “If there is concern in a man's heart, let him cast it down, and a good word will make it cheerful,” (Proverbs 12:25) he would go to Jerusalem and offer a sacrifice which would atone for him. His heart would rejoice and he would leave there joyful that he had been forgiven, therefore she is the joy of all the earth.

Behold [for] their altar they have cried in the street The prophet was prophesying consolations and saying that the retribution had already been completed, and from now I will rise and exalt Myself to redeem them. Behold for their Arel - that is the altar (see above 29:1) - they have already cried and lamented in their streets and in their squares with weeping and wailing.

for I will place upon Dimon additions Its name is blood, and I will add the blood of the fallen, to fill it. Jonathan renders, however: כְּנִישַׁת מַשַׁירְיָן, the gathering of the camps, the camps joined together. This is an expression of (infra 21:1) “Join (סְפוּ) year to year”; (Deut. 29:18) “to add (סְפוֹת) the inadvertent sins.”

Year after year (lit., ‘days upon a year.’) Comp. (supra 29:1) “Add year to year,” and your sins are constantly becoming more serious, until eventually you shall be troubled, those who are now confident, for the vintage of the grapes shall be over for them, and the ingathering of the grain shall not come into the house.