Parshas Ki Seitzei 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- 2 hours ago
- 1 min read
רני עקרה לא ילדה ... כי רבים בני שוממה (ישעי' נד-א)
Even though Hashem promised that the time would soon come when the Jewish Nation would return to the land of their heritage, Yeshaya HaNavi still famously equated the holy city of Yerushalayim to a barren woman devoid of children. From Hashem’s promise one would think that the Jewish people were on the mend and there was hope for their future. Therefore, why would they be likened to someone who has no future?
R’ Tzadok HaKohen zt”l (Pri Tzadik) explains that Hashem takes pride in every Jew’s accomplishments - whether it is large or small. In Hashem’s eyes, an unlearned shopkeeper can achieve the same level of greatness that a highly learned talmid chacham can, if his intentions are right.
Yeshaya HaNavi’s comparison of the Jewish nation to a barren woman seems as though it is denigrating the Jewish people, however, in reality it was a new kind of hope to the nation. Hashem understood the nation’s spiritual status, yet He still embraced them and promised to return them to their homes. One must never forget that Hashem always sees the full picture and takes every aspect of life into account. Just because someone appears low and unimportant, it doesn’t mean that he is, and vice versa.
In exile, Hashem saw that even in their low state, his children were taking “baby steps” toward bettering themselves, and not only did He accept their teshuva, He even took pride in them and promised to bring them back to Eretz Yisroel.