Dreaming of Moshiach

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

We Were Dreamers

The Song of Ha'azinu concludes with the revenge and reconciliation that will be in the future, as it says, "Let the tribes of His nation sing praise, for He will avenge His servants' blood. He will bring vengeance upon His foes, and reconcile His people to His land." (Deuteronomy 32:43)[+/-] show/hide text

Rashi comments:
In the future, the nations will praise Israel, saying, "Consider how praiseworthy this nation is! They remained devoted to G-d throughout all the suffering they experienced, and they never abandoned Him. They were aware of His goodness and virtue."

And why should the nations praise them? "For He will avenge His servants' blood. He will bring vengeance upon His foes," for the blood of Israel that was spilt like water and for the evil and massacres and the theft and pillaging by the nations from the beginning of history until today, as it says, "The enemy's first punishment will be the blood of the slain and wounded." (Rashi on ibid. 32:42)
Following G-d's revenge on Israel's foes will come great reconciliation and appeasement between us and our Father in Heaven, as it says, "He will reconcile [vekiper] His people to His land." Rashi explains that G-d will appease His land and His people for the suffering they underwent, caused by the enemy. Rashi treats the word vekiper, which normally means "atone", as meaning "reconcile". Why does it say "vekiper admato," literally "G-d will reconcile His land," when it is His people that He will reconcile? Rashi thus explains that admato, literally, "His land", here means "His people." When the Jewish People are consoled, G-d's land is consoled. It likewise says, "G-d, You have propitiated Your land." (Psalms 85:2)

Yom Kippur is our day of appeasement, the day of reconciliation between men, and between man and G-d. Yet, this is not just so on the personal level, but also on a national level, as it says, "He will reconcile His people to His land." G-d will appease His land and His people for the suffering they experienced, and which was carried out by the enemy; and all this He will do by way of the revenge that He will exact upon His enemies (see Rashi, ibid.).

When the Jewish People rise to rebirth in their land, and vanquish their enemies who are fiercely attacking them, G-d's name will be sanctified in the world, and the nations will praise us, recognizing that our uniqueness is our profundity of spirit. In every generation, the nations rise up to destroy us. In the present generation, the Arabs and Muslims are rising up against us, led by the dictators of Iran. And just as G-d saved us from all our enemies and took revenge on them, so too in our day He will take revenge on our enemies, as it says, "For He will avenge His servants' blood. He will bring vengeance upon His foes." By such means, "He will reconcile His people to His land" will be fulfilled, speedily in our day. Amen.
"כי לא יטש ד' עמו ונחלתו לא יעזב".

by Rabbi Dov Begon http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=6578
in Hebrew, http://www.inn.co.il/Articles/Article.aspx/2233

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והיה השם למלך על כל הארץ, ביום ההוא יהיה השם אחד - ושמו אחד ישתבח שמו לעד לנצח נצחים בכל העולמות Blessed is His name for eternity in all worlds אין עוד מלבדו