הֶאֱכִיל אוֹתוֹ גַּחֲלֵי רְתָמִים

ביטוי (אנגלית)

Fed him with coals of broom

הגדרה (אנגלית)

Figuratively: To impose severe hardships upon someone. To make his life difficult. (’Coals of broom’ means burning coals made from the broom shrub, which in their city were considered long-lasting embers. Its original source is in Psalms 120:3:"Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of broom.")

("Rabbi Levi said: Anyone who interrupts words of Torah and engages in mundane talk — they feed him with coals of broom, as it is said (Job 30), ‘My skin is black upon me, and my bones burn with heat.’" - Hagigah 12b. And similarly: "In charcoal, the embers are extinguished inside, but coals of broom, even though they appear extinguished outside, still burn inside; so too anyone who accepts evil speech, even though you go and reconcile him and he reconciles, he still burns inside." - Bereshit Rabba (Theodor-Albeck) 26, Parashat Vayechi 97; and also: "In my eyes are the streams of old, and the intestines of coals of broom." - Moshe Even Ezra / From fear of my lord.)