"And in the greatness of Your excellency You have overthrown them that rose up against You"

Synopsis

Rabbi Chizkiyah opens with, "Why stand You afar off, Hashem? Why hide You Yourself in times of trouble?" He says that, when the world sins, the Holy One, blessed be He ascends farther away and people cry with no one to hear them; repentance is withheld from them. Rabbi Yitzchak says that the title verse of this section refers to the time that God will attire Himself with majesty over the nations that will come against Him, and destroy them. We hear that God will resurrect the kings who were the enemies of Yisrael and provide them with a governing dominion above, and they will make war against Jerusalem; then God will take revenge on them. This will happen at the time of Messiah and Armageddon.

Repentance

308. "And in the greatness of Your excellency You have overthrown them that rose up against You" (Shemot 15:7). Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion, saying: "Why stand You afar off, Hashem? Why hide You Yourself in times of trouble?" (Tehilim 10:1). At the time that the inequities of the world cause it, the Holy One, blessed be He, ascends higher and higher and people shed tears and cry, yet there is no one to pay attention to them. What is the reason? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, ascends higher and higher and repentance is withheld from them. Then it is written, "And in the greatness of Your excellency You have overthrown them that rose up against You."

308. וּבְרֹב גְּאוֹנְךָ תַּהֲרוֹס קָמֶיךָ. ר' חִזְקִיָּה פָּתַח וְאָמַר, לָמָּה יְיָ' תַּעֲמוֹד בְּרָחוֹק תַּעְלִים לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּחוֹבֵי עָלְמָא גָּרְמוּ, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא סָלִיק לְעֵילָּא לְעֵילָּא, וּבְנֵי נָשָׁא צַוְוחִין וְנַחְתִּין דִּמְעִין, וְלֵית מַאן דְּיִשְׁגַּח עָלַיְיהוּ. מ"ט. בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ סָלִיק לְעֵילָּא לְעֵילָּא, וּתְשׁוּבָה אִתְמָנַּע מִנַּיְיהוּ, כְּדֵין כְּתִיב, וּבְרֹב גְּאוֹנְךָ תַּהֲרוֹס קָמֶיךָ.

Hosts Jerusalem Sanctuary Seventy War

309. Rabbi Yitzchak said, This verse refers to the time when The Holy One, blessed be He, will attire Himself with majesty over the nations that shall gather against Him, as it is written, "And the princes take counsel together, against Hashem, and against His anointed" (Tehilim 2:2). As we have learned, seventy generals of armies shall gather from every side at that time with the hosts of the entire world to wage war against Jerusalem, the Holy City, and to plan against the Holy One, blessed be He. What do they say? 'Let us rise against the protector first, and then against His people and His sanctuary.'

309. ר' יִצְחָק אָמַר, הַאי קְרָא, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְלָבַשׁ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא גָּאוּתָא, עַל עֲמַמְיָא דְּיִתְכַּנְּשׁוּן עָלֵיהּ, כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב, וְרוֹזְנִים נוֹסְדוּ יַחַד עַל יְיָ' וְעַל מְשִׁיחוֹ. וְתָאנָא זְמִינִין אִינּוּן שַׁבְעִין קַסְטוֹרִין מִכָּל עִיבָר, לְאִתְכַּנְּשָׁא בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא בְּאוֹכְלוֹסִין דְּכָל עָלְמָא, וּלְמֶעְבַּד קְרָבָא עַל יְרוּשָׁלַם קַרְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא, וּלְאַחֲדָא עֵיטִין עָלֵיהּ דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וּמַאי אַמְרֵי, נוֹקִים עַל פַּטְרוֹנָא בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּלְבָתַר עַל עַמֵּיהּ, וְעַל הֵיכָלֵיהּ.

Flesh Heavens Jerusalem Plagues

310. כְּדֵין זַמִין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְחַיְּיכָא עָלַיְיהוּ. דִּכְתִּיב יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָׁמַיִם יִשְׂחַק יְיָ' יִלְעַג לָמוֹ. בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא יִלְבַּשׁ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא גָּאוּותָא עָלַיְיהוּ, וִישֵׁיצִינוּן מִן עָלְמָא, כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב וְזֹאת תִּהְיֶה הַמַּגֵּפָה אֲשֶׁר יִגֹּף יְיָ' אֶת כָּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר צָבְאוּ עַל יְרוּשָׁלַם הָמֵק בְּשָׂרוֹ וְהוּא עוֹמֵד עַל רַגְלָיו.

Adrianus Destruction Jerusalem Lupinus Messiah, The Nebuchadnezzar Plagues Resurrection Revenge Singing War

311. Rabbi Aba said, quoting Rabbi Yesa Saba (the elder), and also Rabbi Shimon said, The Holy One, blessed be He, shall resurrect those kings that distressed Yisrael and Jerusalem, NAMELY Adrianus and Lupinus, Nebuchadnezzar and Sancheriv, and all the other kings of the world that took part in the destruction of His House. Then He will provide them with a governing dominion as before, and the rest of the nations will gather with them, AND THEY WILL WAR AGAINST JERUSALEM. The Holy One, blessed be He, will take revenge on them openly around Jerusalem. This is the meaning of, "And this shall be the plague with which Hashem will smite all the peoples that have fought against Jerusalem." It is not written, 'that will fight' but rather, "that have fought" IN THE PAST TENSE, BECAUSE IT REFERS TO NEBUCHADNEZZAR, WHO HAD ALREADY FOUGHT. Then it is written, "And in the greatness of Your excellency You have overthrown them that rose up against You." This is written about the time when Messiah will come, and this song is a never-ending song.

311. רִבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב יֵיסָא סָבָא, וְהָכִי אר"ש, זַמִין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאַחֲיָיא לְכָל אִינּוּן מַלְכִין, דְּעָקוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְלִירוּשָׁלַםִ, לְאַנְדְּרִיאָנוּס, לְלוּפִינוֹס, וּנְבוּכַדְנֶצַר, וּלְסַנְחֵרִיב, וּלְכָל שְׁאַר מַלְכֵי עַמִּין, דְּחָרִיבוּ בֵּיתֵיהּ, וּלְשַׁלְּטָאָה לוֹן כְּקַדְמִיתָא, וְיִתְכָּנְּשׁוּן עִמְּהוֹן שְׁאַר עַמִּין, וְזַמִּין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאִתְפָּרְעָא מִנַּיְיהוּ בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָיא, סַחֲרָנֵי יְרוּשָׁלַםִ. הה"ד, וְזֹאת תִּהְיֶה הַמַּגֵּפָה אֲשֶׁר יִגֹּף יְיָ' אֶת כָּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר צָבְאוּ עַל יְרוּשָׁלַםִ. אֲשֶׁר יִצְבְּאוּ לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא אֲשֶׁר צָבְאוּ. כְּדֵין כְּתִיב, וּבְרֹב גְּאוֹנְךָ תַּהֲרוֹס קָמֶיךָ, וְדָא לְזִמְנָא דְּאָתָא מְשִׁיחָא, כְּתִיב, וְשִׁירָתָא דָּא שִׁירָתָא דְּעָלְמִין הִיא.

Armageddon Flood Gog and Magog Messiah, The Waters World to Come, The