פירוש על ברכות 61:12
Tosafot on Berakhot
AS WE FOUND IN [THE BOOKS OF] THE EARLY PROPHETS, THEY WOULD CONCLUDE THEIR TALKS WITH WORDS OF PRAISE AND CONSOLATION. The Gemara says that the prophets all concluded their books with words of praise and consolation. Upon a closer examination we see that this requires some explaining.
There is a bit of confusion about the various verses quoted in Yerushalmee. We will attempt to straighten them out to the best of our ability. The last chapter in Yirmiyah describes the vents of the destruction of the Temple and concludes with the improvement of prison conditions of King Yehoyochin. That is neither praise or consolation. And Yerushalmee asks: with the exception of Yirmiyoh etc.? Tosfos does not tell us the answer to this question. Yerushalmee says that in the preceding chapter 51, Yirmiyoh concludes with the sentence ככה תשקע בבל predicting the end of Babylonia which is a consolation for us who suffered so much at the hands of the Babylonians. At the end of that verse the posuk writes עד הנה דברי ירמיהו until this point are the words of Yirmiyoh. We see that Yirmiyoh’s prophecy ends in chapter Chapter 52 is merely a continuation of the narrative of the events pertaining to the destruction
Tosfos now quotes another question from Yerushalmee, which also discusses a book by Yirmiyoh, the book of Lamantations. Tosfos does not mention that Yerushalmee also asked about the conclusion of Isaiah. But it is written at the end of Lamentations, Chapter 5, 22, For even if You have utterly rejected us, You have already raged sufficiently against us. Once again Tosfos does not tell us Yerushalmee’s answer. Yerushamee says: the verse השיבנו is in place of כי אם מאוס מאסתנו. Some are of the opinion that this refers to the fact that after the last verse we repeat השיבנו. The פירוש מבעל ספר חרדים says that the last verse is the reason for השיבנו. The Prophet is saying that You have utterly rejected us and we still remain your people and do not stray to strange Gods. For this reason we will merit that You will return us to You. According to this understanding the conclusion of Lamentations is השיבנו, the last verse is only explaining why we can be sure that this will eventually happen.
However, from those verses at the end of the Twelve Prophets1The last words of the Twelve Prophets are discussing how Hashem will send Elijah the prophet to instruct us on returning to Hashem. The very last words are “lest I come and strike the land with destruction”. These words per se are speaking of destruction but within the context of the verse that Hashem is sending Elijah to instruct us to return to Hashem in order to avoid this destruction, the verse itself is not something bad. Rather, it is consolation in the sense that we will on fact be instructed to return to Hashem and we will merit the ultimate redemption. and Koheles,2The last verse in Koheles reads as follows: For G-d will judge every deed – even everything hidden – whether good or evil. This verse on the surface seems not to be praise of Hashem or consolation for the Jewish people. It is a statement of the human condition. That man will eventually be judged for all his deeds in this world. It is very puzzling that Tosfos says that the conclusion of the Twelve Prophets and Koheles can be interpreted as evil for the idolaters. There seems to be no reference in theses verses to the idolaters at all. In the sefer עשרה מאמרותof the Rama of Pano, a great Kabbalist, he explains how each of these verses can be understood as positive and uplifting and worthy of being used for the conclusion of a sefer. the Yerushalmee does not ask at all, that they seem to be a contradiction to the statement that the prophets concluded their prophecy with words of praise and consolation. Because the Yerushalmee considers those verses as speaking of good, and as words of consolation, and they are not discussing punishment of Yisroel.
There is a bit of confusion about the various verses quoted in Yerushalmee. We will attempt to straighten them out to the best of our ability. The last chapter in Yirmiyah describes the vents of the destruction of the Temple and concludes with the improvement of prison conditions of King Yehoyochin. That is neither praise or consolation. And Yerushalmee asks: with the exception of Yirmiyoh etc.? Tosfos does not tell us the answer to this question. Yerushalmee says that in the preceding chapter 51, Yirmiyoh concludes with the sentence ככה תשקע בבל predicting the end of Babylonia which is a consolation for us who suffered so much at the hands of the Babylonians. At the end of that verse the posuk writes עד הנה דברי ירמיהו until this point are the words of Yirmiyoh. We see that Yirmiyoh’s prophecy ends in chapter Chapter 52 is merely a continuation of the narrative of the events pertaining to the destruction
Tosfos now quotes another question from Yerushalmee, which also discusses a book by Yirmiyoh, the book of Lamantations. Tosfos does not mention that Yerushalmee also asked about the conclusion of Isaiah. But it is written at the end of Lamentations, Chapter 5, 22, For even if You have utterly rejected us, You have already raged sufficiently against us. Once again Tosfos does not tell us Yerushalmee’s answer. Yerushamee says: the verse השיבנו is in place of כי אם מאוס מאסתנו. Some are of the opinion that this refers to the fact that after the last verse we repeat השיבנו. The פירוש מבעל ספר חרדים says that the last verse is the reason for השיבנו. The Prophet is saying that You have utterly rejected us and we still remain your people and do not stray to strange Gods. For this reason we will merit that You will return us to You. According to this understanding the conclusion of Lamentations is השיבנו, the last verse is only explaining why we can be sure that this will eventually happen.
However, from those verses at the end of the Twelve Prophets1The last words of the Twelve Prophets are discussing how Hashem will send Elijah the prophet to instruct us on returning to Hashem. The very last words are “lest I come and strike the land with destruction”. These words per se are speaking of destruction but within the context of the verse that Hashem is sending Elijah to instruct us to return to Hashem in order to avoid this destruction, the verse itself is not something bad. Rather, it is consolation in the sense that we will on fact be instructed to return to Hashem and we will merit the ultimate redemption. and Koheles,2The last verse in Koheles reads as follows: For G-d will judge every deed – even everything hidden – whether good or evil. This verse on the surface seems not to be praise of Hashem or consolation for the Jewish people. It is a statement of the human condition. That man will eventually be judged for all his deeds in this world. It is very puzzling that Tosfos says that the conclusion of the Twelve Prophets and Koheles can be interpreted as evil for the idolaters. There seems to be no reference in theses verses to the idolaters at all. In the sefer עשרה מאמרותof the Rama of Pano, a great Kabbalist, he explains how each of these verses can be understood as positive and uplifting and worthy of being used for the conclusion of a sefer. the Yerushalmee does not ask at all, that they seem to be a contradiction to the statement that the prophets concluded their prophecy with words of praise and consolation. Because the Yerushalmee considers those verses as speaking of good, and as words of consolation, and they are not discussing punishment of Yisroel.
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