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(a) Nevuchadnetzar, King of Bavel, had a dream which none of his wise men were able to interpret. So he called Daniel, who had already interpreted one dream of his when nobody else was capable of doing so.

(b) The verse describes Daniel's initial reaction to the dream. He knew that the interpretation of the dream was a bad one, and so he was afraid to convey its meaning to Nevuchadnetzar for fear of what he would do to him. Nevuchadnetzar, who already sensed the bad overtones of the dream and therefore anticipated an unpleasant interpretation, reassured Daniel that nothing would happen to him, and he ordered Daniel to proceed with the interpretation of the dream.

(c) Daniel proceeded to inform the king that he would be transformed into an animal, and that for seven years he would live with the wild beasts of the field.

(d) In his dream, Nevuchadnetzar saw a gigantic tree whose numerous branches spread across the entire land. It bore sufficient fruit to sustain his entire kingdom. Wild beasts rested in its shade and birds dwelt in its branches.

(b) He saw an angel descend from the heavens and call out for the tree to be cut down, together with its branches and fruit, scattering all the wild beasts and the birds that found shelter there. However, the roots were to remain intact, tied to the spot in chains, to feed from the herbs and the grass of the field like the beasts of the field for seven years. The king consulted his wise men, but none among was able to interpret the dream. That was when he called for Daniel, who had already interpreted one dream for him.

(c) Indeed, Daniel came up with the interpretation. The mighty tree was none other than the king himself, Daniel explained, an indication of his tremendous success in building up his kingdom. HaSh-m decreed, however, that Nevuchadnetzar would be banished from mankind, to live for seven years among the animals of the field, to share their habitat and their food. This was in order to convince him that HaSh-m is the ultimate King, and that He designates sovereignty to whomever He wishes.

(d) When the seven-year period would terminate, Daniel assured him, he would be returned to his throne as before. Finally, Daniel gave him some advice. Having seen how many of his impoverished brethren were going from door to door begging, he suggested that Nevuchadnetzar redeem himself by giving Tzedakah generously, which he did, delaying the fulfillment of his dream by one year.

(e) The verse later describes how the decree came materialized. Nevuchadnetzar was banished from mankind, he began to eat grass like cattle, his body became covered with the dew of the heaven, his hair grew to the extent that it resembled that of an eagle's wings, and his nails resembled the claws of a bird.

In order to keep food warm for the Shabbos day meal, dishes are heated on Friday and completely wrapped in insulating material (the process called Hatmanah) before sunset. If the material used adds heat to the food, the Hatmanah is prohibited.