“Lo a day of the Lord is coming when your spoil shall be divided in your very midst” [14:1]. The prophet said: a day will come when the glory and greatness of the Holy One will be shown. When Gog and Magog will come to the land of Israel and they will divide the goods and gold into shares for each other, that they will take from the nations.1Radak, Zechariah, 14:1.
“For I will gather all the nations, etc.” [14:2]. The Holy One said: I will gather all the nations in the city of Jerusalem. They will war against Jerusalem and they will besiege Jerusalem. They will destroy their houses and sleep with their wives. Half the city will run away into exile and half the city will remain. The people of Jerusalem will be captured by the nations and imprisoned in their tents before the city of Jerusalem. They will remain in exile until the other half of the city of Jerusalem will go out to do battle and to take away Israel that were imprisoned before the city of Jerusalem. The Holy One will go into battle with them and they will win the war.
“On that day, He will set His foot, etc.” [14:4]. The feet of the Holy One will stand on the Mount of Olives which stands to the east of Jerusalem. This mountain will be split into two parts, half will run to the north and half will run to the south. There will be a great valley and field between the two parts of the mountain.
“And the valley in the hills, etc.” [14:5]. You will flee and run away when the mountains will be split apart, and you will flee through the valley of the mountains, since the valley will reach until the city of Azal. There will be a great outcry, and as a result of the great storms you will flee like they fled from the earthquakes in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.2Amos, 1:1. However, the Holy One will come with all of His holy angels and take revenge.
The Tanhuma writes: “Then the Lord will come forth and make war on those nations” [14:3]. Rabbi Levi said: the evildoers will be smart in plotting against Israel. Each one will say: I am smarter than you are. Esau said: Cain was a fool. He killed his brother Abel while his father was still alive. He did not think that his father would have many more children and be fruitful and multiply. What did it help that he killed his brother Abel? He thought that he would inherit the world alone. Indeed, when his father had more children, what did it help him that he killed his brother Abel? Therefore, Esau said: I will be smarter and will behave more intelligently. I will wait until my father Isaac will die and then I will kill my brother Jacob. Pharaoh said that Esau was a fool. I am smarter than Esau who waited until Isaac, his father, would die. Esau did not know that Jacob would have many children before Isaac, his father, would die. What would it help if he killed Jacob when his children would remain alive? Therefore, Pharaoh said: I will be smarter than Esau. I will kill the children as soon as their mothers will give birth to them. They should be immediately strangled. Haman said that Pharaoh was a fool. He ordered that the sons be killed and allowed the daughters to live. He did not think that they would have husbands and have many children. Therefore, Haman said: I will be smarter. I will kill men, women, and small children and grown ones, so that nobody would remain. When Gog and Magog will come and say: all the nations were fools. They did not see that Israel had a protector and a king over Israel in heaven. Therefore, I will first wage war with their Lord in heaven, that is to say, the Holy One, and then I will wage war with Israel. Thus, the Holy One responds: you want to wage war against Me? I will gladly wage war with you, as the verse says, “The Lord goes forth like a warrior” [Isaiah, 42:13], “On that day, He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives” [14:4].3Tanhuma, Emor, 13. ; Yalkut Shimoni, Zechariah, Remez, 583.
“In that day, there shall be neither sunlight nor cold moonlight” [14:6]. There will come a day when there won’t be light after nightfall. That is, the day will be neither for troubles nor for redemption. That day will be to proclaim the wonders and signs of the Holy One, which He will do on that day.
“At evening time there will be light, etc.” [14:7]. That is to say, when Israel will be in their greatest troubles, just like the night which is dark. This is compared to the exile and when Israel will go out of the city of Jerusalem and will be captives in the hands of the nations of the world, it will be very dark for Israel. The Holy One will go forth and wage war with the nations, but the Holy One caused Israel to be tested if they would believe in the Holy One. That is why they were taken captive from the city of Jerusalem. This is the meaning of the verse here, “At evening time there will be light, etc.” [14:7]. When it will be dark for Israel in exile, the Holy One will make a light for Israel to redeem them.
“On that day living waters shall flow from Jerusalem” [14:8]. On that day, a spring of water will flow from Jerusalem. Half will go to the east to the sea and half to the west to the lowest sea. In summer and in winter the water will not cease flowing. That is to say, the cold will not harm it in the winter or the heat in the summer.
Ibn Shuaib writes in parshat Phinehas about this verse that the water that will go out of Jerusalem will drown the water of the river Shittim, that Israel engaged in illicit sex there.4Numbers, 25:1–9. The waters that will go out of Jerusalem will drown the waters of Shittim. This may be interpreted by the verse “I will sprinkle clean water on you” [Ezekiel, 36:25]. That is to say, I will sprinkle water on you so that you will not follow the Evil Inclination, after adultery, as the verse says, “He will destroy death forever” [Isaiah, 25:8]. That is to say, the Evil Inclination will no longer exist. There are bodies of water that and the one who sits and drinks from these waters must engage in illicit sexual relations. It was so at the river of Shittim. When Israel were sitting at the river Shittim, they engaged in illicit sexual relations, because the water flowed over vegetation, and some herbs have within them the ability to cause a person to engage in illicit sexual relations. In contrast, there are some herbs that cause the person to refrain from sexual relations. Therefore, the Holy One promises to give us the river that causes us to refrain from illicit sexual relations and this river will feed other rivers whose nature was to incite illicit sexual relations, like the river Shittim. The hope is that Israel will not sin anymore, as the verse promised, “I will drive the northerners far from you” [Joel, 2:20]. That is to say, I will remove the Evil Inclination from Israel when the Messiah will come, in the expectation that they will be free of sins, as the verse said here, “living waters shall flow from Jerusalem” [14:8].5Ibn Shuaib, Derashot, II: 398.
“And the Lord shall be king over all the earth, etc.” [14:9]. They will recognize on that day that God is God alone and there is no other and His name is eternal.
“The whole country shall become like the Arabah” [14:10]. There were many mountains in Jerusalem, but when the Messiah will come, the Holy One will remove the mountains and the area around Jerusalem will be like a plain. Jerusalem will still be seen as high as before because the surrounding mountains will be removed and Israel will dwell there. They will no longer be expelled from there.
“There will be a plague with which the Lord will smite, etc.” [14:12]. The Holy One will smite the nations that waged war against Jerusalem. Their limbs will fall off while they are still alive and standing on their feet. Their eyes will drain out and a hole will be left in their heads where their eyes were. Their tongues will dissolve in their mouths.
“In that day, there will be, etc.” [14:13]. It will be in that day that the nations will be crazy. They will kill each other, a man and his friend. The horses, donkeys, camels, and all the cattle of these nations will also be killed.
“All those who survived of all these nations” [14:16]. All the nations that will remain after this war will go every year to Jerusalem on Sukkot to bow down to God. The war of Gog and Magog will be during Sukkot. Therefore, the nations will make a memorial that they were protected from the war on Sukkot.
“Those who do not go up, etc.” [14:17]. Those of the nations who will not go up on Sukkot to Jerusalem, will have no rain. That is to say, they will die of hunger.
“If the community of Egypt does not ascend, etc.” [14:18]. That is, when the Egyptians will not go up to Jerusalem on Sukkot, what kind of travails should I impose on them when they never need rain? Their grain grows without rain. Therefore, I will punish them because they did not go up to Jerusalem and so will it happen to all the nations.
“On that day even the bells of the horses shall be inscribed, holy to the Lord, etc.” [14:20]. Everything will be holy to God, even the bells that hang from the necks of the horses will be inscribed, holy to God. They will make pots for the Temple from them, since they will need many pots in the Temple because they will bring many sacrifices on that day.
“Indeed, very metal pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy” [14:21]. There will be so many sacrifices on Sukkot that they will no have enough pots to cook and bring the sacrifices. Therefore, they will have to take pots instead from the houses of Jerusalem.
“In that day, there shall be no more traders in the House of the Lord of Hosts” [14:21]. That is to say, they will have to hire craftsmen to make pots in the Temple and people would donate many pots to offer sacrifices. Another explanation is that there would no longer be the nation of Gibeonites. They used to serve the priests in the Temple, to chop wood and draw water. However, nobles will come and chop wood and draw water for the priests, in the days of the Messiah.
Amen.