Rashi on Isaiah Chapter 52
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
הִתְנַעֲרִי. אישקור״א בלע״ז, כִּמְנַעֵר אֶת הַטַּלִּית (שבת קמז א):
Shake yourself Heb. הִתְנַעֲרִי, escourre in O.F., to shake strongly, like one who shakes out a garment.
קוּמִי. מִן הָאָרֶץ, מִגִּזְרַת ״לָאָרֶץ תֵּשֵׁב״ (ישעיהו ג:כו):
arise from the ground, from the decree (supra 3:26), “She shall sit on the ground.”
שְׁבִי. עַל הַכִּסֵּא:
sit down on a throne.
הִתְפַּתְּחִי. הֱוִי נִתֶּרֶת:
free yourself Untie yourself [from Jonathan].
מוֹסְרֵי. קריגל״ש בלע״ז:
bands of Heb. מוֹסְרֵי, cringatro umbriah in O.F., [strap].
שְׁבִיָּה. כְּמוֹ ׳שְׁבוּיָה׳:
captive Heb. שְׁבִיָה, like שְׁבוּיָה, captive.
חִנָּם נִמְכַּרְתֶּם. עַל עִסְקֵי חִנָּם, הוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע שֶׁאֵינוֹ לָכֶם לְשָׂכָר:
You were sold for nought Because of worthless matters, i.e., the evil inclination, which affords you no reward.
וְלֹא בְכֶסֶף תִּגָּאֵלוּ. אֶלָּא בִּתְשׁוּבָה (ירושלמי תענית א א):
and you shall not be redeemed for money but with repentance.
מִצְרַיִם יָרַד עַמִּי וגו׳. הֵם הַמִּצְרִיִּים הָיוּ לָהֶם קְצָת חוֹב עֲלֵיהֶם, שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם אַכְסַנְיָא וְכִלְכְּלוּם, אֲבָל אַשּׁוּר בְּאֶפֶס וּבְחִנָּם עֲשָׁקוֹ:
My people first went down to Egypt The Egyptians had somewhat of a debt upon them, for they served for them as their hosts and sustained them, but Assyria oppressed them for nothing and without cause.
מַה לִּי פֹה. לָמָּה אֲנִי שׁוֹהֵא וּמַשְׁהֵא בָּנַי כָּאן?
And now, what have I here Why do I stay and detain My children here?
יְהֵילִילוּ. מִתְפָּאֲרִים לֵאמֹר: ״יָדֵינוּ רָמָה״ (דברים לב:כז):
boast Heb. יְהֵילִילוּ, Boast saying, “Our hand was powerful.”
מְנֹאָץ. מִתְנָאֵץ, וַהֲרֵי זֶה דֻּגְמַת ״וַיִּשְׁמַע אֶת הַקּוֹל מִדַּבֵּר אֵלָיו״ (במדבר ז:פט):
is blasphemed Blasphemes itself, and this is an instance similar to (Num 7:89) “And he heard the voice speaking to him.”
יֵדַע עַמִּי. כְּשֶׁאֶגְאָלֵם יַכִּירוּ, כִּי שְׁמִי אָדוֹן, שַׁלִּיט וּמוֹשֵׁל, כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ (חגיגה טו:-טז.):
My people shall know When I redeem them, they will recognize that My name is master, monarch, and ruler, as is its apparent meaning.
לָכֵן בַּיּוֹם. גְּאֻלָּתָם יָבִינוּ כִּי אֲנִי הוּא הַמְדַבֵּר הִנֵּנִי קִיַּמְתִּי:
therefore, on that day The day of their redemption, they will understand that I am He Who speaks, and behold, I have fulfilled the prophecy.
צֹפַיִךְ. צוֹפִים שֶׁמַּעֲמִידִין עַל הַחוֹמוֹת וְהַמִּגְדָּלִים לְבַשֵּׂר וְלִרְאוֹת מִי בָּא לָעִיר:
The voice of your watchmen The watchmen who are stationed on the walls and the towers to report and to see (to see and to report [Parshandatha]) who comes to the city.
חָשַׂף. גִּלָּה:
has revealed Heb. חָשַׂף, has revealed.
צְאוּ מִתּוֹכָהּ. מִתּוֹךְ הַגָּלוּת, כָּל נֶחָמוֹת הָאֵלּוּ הָאַחֲרוֹנוֹת אֵינָן אֶלָּא עַל גָּלוּת הָאַחֲרוֹן:
touch no unclean one They shall be abominable to you to touch them.
טָמֵא אַל תִּגָּעוּ. שֶׁקֶץ יִהְיוּ לָכֶם מִלִּגַּע בָּהֶם:
get out of its midst Out of the midst of the exile, for all these last consolations refer only to the last exile.
הִבָּרוּ. הִטַּהֲרוּ:
purify yourselves Heb. הִבָּרוּ, purify yourselves.
נֹשְׂאֵי כְּלֵי ה׳. הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם, שֶׁהֲיִיתֶם נוֹשְׂאִים כֵּלָיו (שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא) בַּמִּדְבָּר (מִכָּאן לִתְחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים):
you who bear the Lord’s vessels You, the priests and the Levites, who carried the vessels of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the desert [from here is proof of the resurrection of the dead].
כִּי הוֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם. שְׁנֵי דְבָרִים שֶׁבְּסוֹף הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה מְיַשְּׁבִין שְׁנֵי דְבָרִים שֶׁבְּרֹאשׁוֹ: כִּי לֹא בְחִפָּזוֹן תֵּצֵאוּ – מָה טַעַם? כִּי הוֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם ה׳ לַנְחוֹתְכֶם הַדֶּרֶךְ, וּמִי שֶׁשְּׁלוּחוֹ מַקְדִּים לְפָנָיו לַנְחוֹתוֹ הַדֶּרֶךְ אֵין יְצִיאָתוֹ בְחִפָּזוֹן. וּבִמְנוּסָה לֹא תֵלֵכוּן – לְפִי שֶׁמְּאַסִּפְכֶם אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הוֹלֵךְ מֵאַחֲרֵיכֶם לִשְׁמֹר אֶתְכֶם מִכָּל רוֹדֵף, כְּמוֹ ״וְנָסַע דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה דָן מְאַסֵּף לְכָל הַמַּחֲנוֹת״ (במדבר י:כה). הַהוֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֵי הַמַּחֲנֶה קָרוּי מְאַסֵּף, לְפִי שֶׁהוּא מַמְתִּין אֶת הַנֶּחֱלָשִׁים וְאֶת הַנִּכְשָׁלִים, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר בִּיהוֹשֻׁעַ (יהושע ו:יג): ״וְהַמְאַסֵּף הוֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֵי הָאָרוֹן״:
for...goes before you Two things at the end of this verse explain two things in its beginning, [viz.] For not with haste shall you go forth. What is the reason? For the Lord goes before you to lead you on the way, and one whose agent advances before him to lead him on the way his departure is not in haste. And not in the flurry of flight shall you go, for your rear guard is the God of Israel. He will follow you to guard you from any pursuer. Comp. (Num. 10:25) “And the division of the camp of Dan shall travel, the rear guard of all the camps.” Whoever goes after the camp is called מְאַסֵּף, the rear guard, because he waits for the stragglers and the stumblers. Similarly, Scripture states in Joshua (6: 13): “And the rear guard was going after the Ark.”
הִנֵּה יַשְׂכִּיל עַבְדִּי. הִנֵּה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים יַצְלִיחַ עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב, צַדִּיקִים שֶׁבּוֹ:
Behold My servant shall prosper Behold, at the end of days, My servant, Jacob, [i.e.,] the righteous among him, shall prosper.
כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמְמוּ. כַּאֲשֶׁר תָּמְהוּ עֲלֵיהֶם עַמִּים רַבִּים בִּרְאוֹתָם שִׁפְלוּתָם, וְאָמְרוּ זֶה אֶל זֶה: כַּמָּה מִשְׁחַת מֵאִישׁ מַרְאֵהוּ (שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל), רְאוּ מַה תָּאֳרָם חָשׁוּךְ מִשְּׁאָר בְּנֵי אָדָם, כֵּן כַּאֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ רוֹאִים בְּעֵינֵינוּ:
As many wondered As many peoples wondered about them when they saw them in their humble state, and said to one another, How marred is his [Israel’s] appearance from that of a man! See how their features are darker than those of other people, so, as we see with our eyes.
כֵּן יַזֶּה גּוֹיִם רַבִּים. כֵּן עַתָּה גַּם הוּא תִּגְבַּר יָדוֹ וְיַזֶּה אֶת קַרְנוֹת הָעֲוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת אֲשֶׁר זֵרוּהוּ (זכריה ב:ד):
So shall he cast down many nations So now, even he his hand will become powerful, and he will cast down the horns of the nations who scattered him.
יִקְפְּצוּ. יִסְגְּרוּ פִּיהֶם מֵרוֹב תִּמָּהוֹן, כִּי כָבוֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא סֻפַּר לָהֶם עַל שׁוּם אָדָם רָאוּ בּוֹ:
shall shut Heb. יִקְפְּצוּ. They shall shut their mouths out of great bewilderment. for honor. what had not been told them concerning any man, they saw in him.
הִתְבּוֹנָנוּ. ״אִסְתַּכָּלוּ״:
they gazed Heb. הִתְבּוֹנָנוּ, they gazed.