ישעיהו, פרק ל״ז, פסוק ל׳

Following the harsh prophecies of anger and destruction directed at Assyria, the focus shifts to speak directly to King Hezekiah and the people of Judah. A promise of rescue is paired with a beautiful picture of miraculous agricultural recovery, standing as a symbol for the rebirth of the entire nation. The exact nature of the sign given to the people is understood in a few different ways. One approach is that the miraculous fall of Sennacherib's army serves as the proof that the promised agricultural recovery will indeed happen [רש״י, אברבנאל]. Conversely, others suggest the opposite: the unnatural, miraculous growth of the crops is the sign proving that the enemy's defeat was not a random stroke of luck, but the direct result of God's watchful care [שד״ל]. Taking a more symbolic approach, the sign can be seen as a metaphor. Just as the ruined, barren earth will once again bring forth a harvest, the surviving remnant of the people will take root and flourish anew [מלבי״ם].

The physical reality on the ground is grim, as the Assyrian legions left behind massive devastation, ruining the fields and chopping down the trees [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. In the midst of this harsh reality, God promises the people a miraculous source of food, assuring them that they will be able to eat and be full despite the widespread destruction [שד״ל]. The recovery process unfolds gradually over three years. During the first year, the people will survive on crops that grow entirely on their own from seeds that fell to the ground or from leftover roots, without any deliberate planting [מצודת ציון, שד״ל, שטיינזלץ]. In the second year, they will eat secondary growth that continues to sprout from the previous year's wild crops, or new branches growing from the stumps of the cut trees [רש״י, מצודת ציון, שד״ל]. This reliance on wild growth during the second year might be because it is a Sabbatical year, during which plowing and planting are forbidden, making this natural blessing absolutely essential [מצודת דוד, חומת אנך, אברבנאל]. Another possibility is that the first year of farming was lost to the war, and the entire second year must be spent clearing and preparing the ruined soil from scratch [אברבנאל].

Finally, by the third year, the fear of the enemy will be completely gone. The people will be able to safely go out into their fields, plant seeds, and harvest their crops, returning to a normal and fruitful way of life [מצודת דוד, שטיינזלץ]. This era of restoration culminates in a shared experience of collective peace and security. The entire nation will be wrapped in safety, sitting quietly and eating together from the fruit of their land [מנחת שי, אברבנאל].