2 years ago

From Exile To Redemption For Hashem Himself

BEGIN WITH A GRIN
The fox went to the lion and said, “Listen, I’ve got to go on vacation!”
“If you go on vacation,” said the lion, “I cannot guarantee that you will be able to return to your fox position.”
“I don’t care; I need two weeks vacation,” declared the fox, and it left.
Two weeks later, the fox went to the lion. The lion said, “The fox position is taken. Until it becomes available, you can
have the rabbit’s position.”
“Fine,” said the fox. “If there’s no choice, I’ll take the rabbit position.”
A month later, the fox was crawling through ditches, eating lettuce and carrots, and every time it raised its nose out
of the pit, predators tried killing it.
One day, the fox met a rabbit. The rabbi was walking around fearlessly, eating meat and enjoying the open air.
The fox asked, “Aren’t you afraid of predators?”
“Nah,” said the rabbit. “I have the fox’s position.”
“One minute,” said the fox, “I’m a fox in a rabbit’s position and you’re a rabbit in a fox position?”
“Yes,” said the rabbit.
“Whose idea was this?” asked the fox, perplexed.
The rabbit said, “That’s the way it goes when there’s a donkey in the lion’s position…”
“I AM WITH YOU” IN EXILE
Parshas Nitzavim is one of the key parshiyos in connection with the Geula. Verses from this parsha are quoted by the
Rambam as his first proof (also first in importance!) that the coming of Moshiach is anchored in Torah, and
therefore, “Whoever does not believe in it, or whoever does not await his coming, not only is he denying the other
prophets, but he is denying the Torah and Moshe Rabeinu, for the Torah testifies about him (in our parsha, 30:3-5),
‘Then, the L-rd, your G-d, will return your captives, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you
from all the nations… Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the L-rd, your G-d, will gather you from there,
and He will take you from there. And the L-rd, your G-d, will bring you …”
There is an electrifying and empowering Rashi here which provides tremendous chizuk for every Jew in his avoda
and in his personal life at this time. Rashi wants to explain the difficulty in the wording of the verse. It would seem
that the verse should say, “v’heishiv” instead of “v’shav.” After all, G-d will bring the Jewish people back to the
Promised Land with the Geula shleima. Why does it say, “He will return?”
Furthermore, the words, “the L-rd, your G-d” are also superfluous. Previously, the verse says the Jewish people will
return with complete teshuva (the month of Elul, remember?). “And you will return to the L-rd, your G-d and listen
to His voice,” and as a result, measure for measure, G-d will bring you home. Obviously, just like the teshuva was “to
the L-rd your G-d,” so too the reward will come from “the L-rd, your G-d.” Why repeat that?
Rashi explains, “Our rabbis learned from here that, as it were, the Shechina dwells with Israel in the sorrow of their
exile, and when they are redeemed, He writes an expression of redemption for Himself, that He will return with
them.” That means that in the Geula, Hashem won’t only return us from exile, but He Himself will return with us.
Why? Because He is your G-d! Our G-d, in every circumstance, every time, everywhere, forever!
It sounds marvelous and encouraging. How good it is to know that the Creator is with me even in the hardest, most
grueling times. Even when I seem to be alone, He is with me!

In the Rebbe’s teachings, every Rashi is given attention and the Rebbe innovates amazing insights even in a Rashi
that consists of two words or a quote from the Targum, but a Rashi like this, which pertains to the relationship
between a Jew and G-d, and which is connected to the Geula, gets special treatment. The Rebbe explains it as only
he can…
Without getting into all the questions, we will focus on one, central question. Why does Rashi write, “Our rabbis
learned from here that the Shechina dwells with Israel in the sorrow of their exile.” From here? There is an explicit
verse in Tehillim (91:15) which is said many times in tefilla, a verse that every child knows, “imo Anochi b’tzara” (I
am with him in his sorrow).
And if someone will say that the “ben chameish l’mikra” (the proverbial five-year-old novice) did not learn Tehillim
yet, remind him that the “ben chameish l’mikra” surely already learned parshas Shemos, where Rashi explains that
the reason that G-d was revealed to Moshe from the bush and not from a tree was because “I am with him in his
sorrow.” G-d is with us in exile, so, if we are in the “bush,” a prickly desert plant, suffering the travails of exile, so is
He! So, why does Rashi say “from here?” What is unique about this particular verse?
“I AM WITH YOU” IN REDEMPTION
Usually, when we say that Hashem is with the Jewish people, it means that He conducts Himself in wondrous
fashion, not the natural way. For example, the dizzying success that the Patriarchs achieved in their lifetimes, against
all the odds and expectations, revealed to all that “G-d is with you in everything that you do” (Bereishis 21:22,
Avimelech’s words to Yitzchok); the same is for us in exile. The ability to survive the hardships of exile, the
persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jewish people for the past two thousand years, shows us that there is
a G-d in heaven, and He saves us down here on earth. As the Medrash puts it, “one lamb among seventy wolves, and
she is preserved!” The Jewish ability to overcome every impossible obstacle shows us that G-d is with us in exile too!
That’s all good and fine but in the above verse in Nitzavim, that doesn’t fit. The verse emphasizes that “He will
return… your captives,” together with your captives, in the same state as you. That means, before the Geula, G-d is
in the same state as the Jewish people. G-d (as it were) is limited, exiled and expelled from His home, lacking means,
helpless, to the extent that He is unable to help (even) Himself, and all the more so, us. Therefore, Rashi emphasizes
that this is talking about something else. Here, the Torah is explaining to us that G-d is with us in the “sorrow of their
exile.” G-d is Himself experiencing the travails of exile. He feels what it is like not to have a home and a roof, because
He doesn’t have that either!
This is what is different in our verse as opposed to the verse in Tehillim and the story of the burning bush. “I am with
him in his sorrow” teaches us about G-d’s infinite love for the Jewish people. When it hurts them, He hurts too. He
shares in their sorrow and pain and therefore, He is revealed in a thorn bush which, as it were, pricks Him. But that
still doesn’t say that He is in exile. That still doesn’t say that He is expelled from Tziyon, from Gush Katif, and from
the hilltops. What it comes down to is, we hurt and He shares in our hurt. Well, we also share in the pain of the
Ukrainians and that doesn’t stop us from having coffee and cake, right? Sharing in pain is one thing, and truly
experiencing the exile is another thing!
That is what is novel in parshas Nitzavim. Until now, we never knew how much G-d is with us, how much He suffers
just like we do. He is limited, He lacks ways and means. As it were, He has no control. He is truly in exile! But one
minute, if that is how it is, then the Geula will never come (G-d forbid) because if G-d is really in exile, “one who is
imprisoned cannot free himself,” so who will take us out of here?
That is why Rashi adds, “and when they are redeemed, He wrote redemption for Himself that He will return with
them.” Before G-d put Himself into this situation, He wrote out a plan, clear instructions, that the dominance there
is for the minister-angels on high and for the nations down below, is only for a limited time period, until the Geula.
The moment this time period ends, G-d’s Geula will come automatically because they will no longer have control.
That means, that the instant the Geula commences, there won’t be any tricks. None of the restricting ministers will

have permission to stop us. No one will interfere or delay His Geula. And what about the Jewish people? “He will
return with them!” G-d won’t leave on His own. As long as there is one Jew in exile, the Shechina will also remain in
exile. “The L-rd your G-d will return your captives,” with your captives, together with us!
Knowing that Hashem is here, with us, in the most concrete way, even as He “suffers the travails of exile,” and
doesn’t just share our pain but experiences it, ought to give us great encouragement (as well as a kick in the …) to
roll up our sleeves and begin or continue working to bring the Geula now!
TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY
We will end with a story that illustrates how G-d is with us, even when we think that perhaps He isn’t. The righteous
brothers, R’ Zushe of Anipoli and R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk, were thrown into the local prison, obviously, for no good
reason. If that wasn’t bad enough, the jailers put a pail in the center of the cell that was meant to serve as their
toilet. Thus, the brothers could not learn Torah or daven.
R’ Elimelech wanted to daven mincha. Since, according to halacha, he was not allowed to, he began to cry.
“There’s nothing to cry about,” said R’ Zushe. “The same G-d who said we should daven mincha, is the G-d who said
not to daven in an unclean room. True, you can’t daven, but you can fulfill another mitzva, and mitzvos need to be
done with joy. Let’s dance and rejoice!”
The brothers began to dance and the noise reached their jailers. When the chief warden heard the noise, he asked
for the reason for the ruckus. He was told it had something to do with the pail in their cell. The warden grew angry
and ordered: Remove the pail immediately!
The jailers removed the pail and then there was silence, for the brothers had begun to daven mincha.
Good Shabbos!