Welcome back to another episode of NachDaily, as we finish the second chapter of Doniel. The previous segment ended with Nevuchadnetzer ordering all the wise men in Bavel to be killed.

We will begin with verse 13.

Doniel and his friends were amongst those who were to be executed.

Doniel tactfully approached the Aryoch, the chief executioner.

In verse 15 he asked, “Why does the King feel such a sense of urgency” for all of us to be killed? Aryoch said, the Metsudos explains, that the stargazers didn’t ask the King for more time but told him the request was impossible.

Doniel went to the King to ask for more time to come up with the dream and its proper meaning. He told Chananya, Mishael, and Azaryah the situation and asked them to daven for Hashem’s mercy to be able to fulfill the King’s demand so that their lives would be saved.

In verse 19, Hashem revealed the mystery to Doniel in a “mareh chalom – nocturnal vision.” Doniel thanked and blessed God for revealing the mystery.

In verse 20 he says such things as, “Let the Name of God be blessed throughout all the worlds, for wisdom and power are His.”

Doniel told the chief executioner to hold off on the killings. “Bring me to the King and I’ll tell him the dream and its meaning.” Ayroch rushed Doniel to the King and told him that he found a Jewish man who could solve his mystery.

The King called Doniel by his Babylonian name, Bellshatzar, and asked if he really knows the dream and its meaning.

Doniel did not take any credit for his wisdom. He proclaimed that there is a God in Heaven, who chose to reveal the dream and its meaning about what will happen at the end of days. Doniel

affirmed that he was only shown the answer to the King’s mystery because God, who controls our thoughts, chose him on behalf of Nevuchadnetzer, to endow him with this knowledge.

Now for the dream. Again, it is important to remind everyone this is just a recording of what happened. The Seforim of Nach are open for all who want to learn deeper.

In front of the King there appeared a huge, extraordinarily bright and fearsome statue. The head was gold, the breasts and arms were silver. Its belly and thighs were copper. It had legs of iron with feet made of iron and clay mixed together.

As he watched, a huge uncut stone appeared and struck the statue’s feet. The entire stature proceeded to crumble, becoming like powder on a threshing floor, while the wind blew it away without leaving a trace.

The stone which struck the statue grew until it became a mountain which filled the entire earth.

Doniel gave the following interpretation. Essentially the statue and its various parts represent Klal Yisroel’s 4 exiles, while the stone that destroys the statue is Am Yisrael.

The head of gold was Nevuchadnetzer, whom Hashem chose to rule over the entire earth. The silver breasts and arms represent inferior Kingdoms which will rule after Nevuchadnetzer, while the 3rd Kingdom of bronze will rule over the entire earth. The 4th Kingdom will be strong as iron. It will crush and wreck everything, even the previous Kingdoms.

The feet, made of mixed iron and clay, symbolize that the last Kingdom will be split. Some parts will be strong and others weak.

Certainly, there is much debate amongst the Meforshim about what all this means. Here is just a taste of what some of them say.

Rav Sadya Gaon and the Ibn Ezra explain that the fourth Kingdom is Islam and the Muslim religion, which will wreak havoc at the end of

days. The legs being made of iron and clay represent both strength and weakness. Rome is made up of a mixture of Christianity and Islam, which have both weak and strong parts. This symbolizes Islam’s inability to totally conquer Rome, which is Christianity and the western world.

Additionally, the mixture of clay and iron in the feet represents the mixing of the strong and weak, the interrelationship and “marriage” of Islam and Christianity, who will try to affect one another.

Alternatively, some of the Meforshim explain, even though Ishmael and Edom will intermarry, they will not really love each other despite their attachment.

Although no one knows the deeper meaning here, it’s possible to say that this can apply to us. Over the last 15 years, the Arab world has risen to be among the superpowers both in terms of Iran and the terrorism which has infested the world.

America and the western world, which are ostensibly Rome and Christianity, in a certain way has “joined” with Iran and the Arab world. Sort of like a cat and a mouse. The cat is forever joined with the mouse in an attempt to catch it. We are living in amazing times, seeing events predicted a long time ago!

The end of the interpretation of the dream is that the stone which smashed the statue is none other than the hand of God, Who will establish His Kingdom on earth forever and ever. It will crush all the Kingdoms, which are manmade, unlike the rock, which was made by God Himself.

King Nevuchadnetzer was so impressed by Doniel’s interpretation that he actually prostrated himself to him, saying, “Your God is truly the God of all Gods!”

Doniel was promoted to be the Governor and Prime Minister over all the wise men in Babylon. Doniel appointed Chananya, Mishael and Azaryah to be the governors, while he focused on being the chief advisor to the King (Malbim).

I hope you enjoyed this episode of NachDaily. Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day.