What is the meaning of "Hine la'Esh Nitan Le'achlah"?
Rashi: Fire swallows it. After asking about an intact [vine grafted onto a barren tree] that is not proper for anything, I additionally asked about a vine branch put in fire, and both ends were consumed and the inside was singed.
Radak: Its only use is for burning. Yisrael are compared to a vine branch. It is the thinnest, softest branch ? "Ki Atem ha'Me'at mi'Kol ha'Amim" (Devarim 7:7). When they produce good fruits, from it comes wine, which rejoice Elokim and people. Its only use is its fruits. Also Yeshayah compared Yisrael to a vine - "Kerem Hayah li'Ydidi b'Keren Ben Shamen; ? va'Yita'ehu Sorek? va'Ykav La'asos Anavim va'Ya'as Be'ushim" (Yeshayah 5:1-2). Now it is a forest branch; its only use is for a fire. Once Yisrael did evil deeds, their only solution is to afflict them with hunger, the sword and Dever, which is fire.
Malbim: [The grafted vine] has no benefit for fruits or crafts. It is proper only for a fire, and also this is not to heat, cook or bake via its heat, only to be consumed. Also its heat is weak and useless.
What is the significance of "Es Shnei Ketzosav Achlah ha'Esh"?
Radak #1: I will make it even lower. If one will take [the grafted vine] from the fire after both ends were consumed, its inside is charred. If fire consumes only one end, and the other is far from the fire, [the inside] is charred. However, if fire consumed both ends, the inside is charred. Even though [the inside] was not consumed, it is charred, because fire consumed around it. Its only use is to return it to the fire.
Radak #2: "Aram mi'Kedem u'Flishtim me'Achor va'Yochelu Es Yisrael b'Chol Peh", "va'Telahatehu mi'Saviv v'Lo Yada va'Tiv'ar Bo v'Lo Yasim Al Lev" (Yeshayah 9:11, 42:25).
What is "[v'Socho] Nachar"?
Rashi #1, Menachem: It is singed. This is like "v'Atzmi Charah" (Iyov 30:30).
Rashi #2: It is totally burned. This is like "va'Yichar Alai Apo" (Iyov 19:11).
Radak: The root is Charar; the last letters are identical. It is Nif'al conjugation, like "v'Nakel Zos b'Einei Hashem" (Melachim II, 3:18), "v'Nasav Go'asah" (Yirmeyah 31:38). There is a Kamatz under the Ches, due to the Zakef (the Trup; it is a minor stop). Alternatively, it is present tense Nif'al, therefore it has a Kamatz, like "Im Navar Titavar" (Shmuel II, 22:27). "Nachar Mapu'ach" (Yirmeyah 6:29) has a Patach under the Ches because it is past tense. Fire affected it, but it is not burnt. Yerushalayim, which is in the middle of Eretz Yisrael, was charred. All the evil that they saw occur to the 10 tribes and all Arei Yehudah other than Yerushalayim, and Yerushalayim's residents were singed from the fire and the four punishments came on them, even so, they did not take Musar. What hope is there for them?
Why does it say "ha'Yitzlach li'Mlachah"?
Radak #1, Malbim: Even when it was intact, it was not proper for any craft, and all the more so when fire consumed around it (5)!
Radak #2: If [Yoshevei Yerushalayim] will escape the fire, and it will not totally consume them, they will not repent or fox their ways. There is no solution for them, other than to return them to the fire to consume and eradicate them.
