Netzach Yisrael

When a good thing is known from its opposite, that is true knowledge. The knowledge of all things is acquired from their opposite. It is from the appearance of black that one can gain knowledge of the appearance of white. And smilarly with all opposites. From one is acquired the knowledge of its opposite. It is widely accepted that "the knowledge of opposites is all one thing". Because of this, the [Sages] say in Arvei Pesachim (The final chapter of Babylonian Talmud Tractate Pesachim 116a) that in the Haggadah "one begins with disgrace and concludes with praise". Why do they begin with disgrace? Only because true praise can only be recognised from its opposite. Therefore, we cannot explain the the concept of the final redemption [geulah], without explaining the concept of exile [galut] and churban [destruction of the temple in Jerusalem]. It is by this means that we can come to know the goodness and salvation which we hope for. When we come to explain the concept of exile with true knowledge, we will need to start with the cause of the exile, and matters connected to the exile.

There is another reason to explain the concept of exile first. The exile itself is proof and clear imperative for redemption. This is because there is no doubt that exile is an alteration and departure from the normal order. The Blessed Holy One arranged each nation in the place which is appropriate for it, so he arranged the People of Israel into the place which is appropriate for it, namely the Land of Israel. Exile from their place is a complete alteration and departure [from that order]. Anything which departs from its natural place, which is outside its place, is unable to stay in the place which is not natural for it. Rather they need to return to their natural place. Because if they remain in a place which is unnatural for them, then the unnatural would become natural. And it is impossible for the unnatural to become natural. A metaphor: it is like trying to force fire to stay down, when it's natural state is to rise - or like trying to hold up solid matter, when its natural state is to fall to the earth. If you could achieve that, then you would be making the unnatural natural.

Similarly with the People of Israel themselves. If they were to stay in exile for ever, which is not the right place for them to be (since the right place for them, according to the order of existence, is the Land of Israel under their own sovereignty and not under the sovereignty of any other). Just like everything in natural existence, each one has its own place as our sages decreed (Pirkei Avot 4:3) "There is nothing which does not have its place". Each thing under its own sovereignty. If they would remain in exile forever, then this thing (unnaturally standing outside their place) would become natural. Only natural things can stand permanently, because the nature which the Blessed Holy One gave to each thing is what sustains it such that it is established to stand forever. If an unnatural state of affairs were to exist forever, even though it was not according to the order and nature of existence, then the nature of that thing would be loosened and nullified completely for no purpose, and such a thing could not happen.

Similarly, dispersal is not a natural state of affairs. Just as each thing returns to its place, so dispersed and separated parts have to return to [become] one entity. This is clear to anyone of intelligence, that all parts have one essence to them. If so, why would there be a division between them, and not unity, since they are one thing? Therefore all dispersal stands only to be coalesced together. Therefore the dispersal of the People of Israel among the nations is a thing which exists outside of nature, since (the People of Israel) is one nation, suitable to be standing together as one, as is found in the case of all natural things which are not divided into two. Rather that they should be joined together. Similarly "All the rivers flow into the sea" (Kohelet 1:7) to be gathered together. One thing is not divided. So since the Jewish nation is a nation united more than any other nation, not divided or separated , it is appropriate that they should be gathered together. From this we can see that dispersal is particularly unnatural for them. It is impossible to say that this state of affairs is only because of sin and iniquity, after all the dispersal of the People of Israel is so unnatural, because if this were to become permanent, then the unnatural would have to become natural.

Furthermore, according to the order of existence, it is not appropriate for a nation to be subjugated by another under the weight of a yoke upon it. Because the Blessed Holy One created each nation with its own purpose. The idea that the People of Israel should be "higher than all the other nations of the earth" (Deut 28:1) when they do the will of the Almighty is a separate concept, because it is the order of existence that [in those conditions] they should be on a higher level. But in the case of the rest of the nations, according to the order of existence, it is appropriate that each one of them from the point of view of being created for its own purpose, should not be under the authority of others. And if such a state of affairs were to exist permanently, namely the exile and the hand of other nations ruling over the People of Israel, then such a state of affairs contrary to the order of existence, an alteration in the order of the world, would be impossible. Therefore we can only understand redemption from exile.

The Sages hinted towards this idea, in their wisdom, in Midrash Bereishit Rabbah (44:18) [on the double language in the verse] "G-d said to Avram you shall surely know [lit: it is known, you will know]" (Gen 15:13)" [The Midrash says:] "(1) It is known that I will disperse them, you will know that I will gather them in. (2) It is known that I will pawn them, you will know that I will reclaim them. (3) It is known that I will subjugate them, you will know that I will redeem them." This Midrash did not need to express all three of these ideas, because they are all one concept. It would have been enough for them to express [only the third one] "It is known that I will subjugate them, you will know that I will redeem them" Because this is the essence which records that, in any case, that He will redeem Am Yisrael. So why did they need to mention also the idea of (1) gathering in and (2) reclaiming? The [Sages] wanted to express that by this double expression the exile and redemption are hinted at. The exile is referred to by the expression "it is known" and the redemption by the expression "you will know" in the future tense. They explain [that G-d is saying] "it is known that I disperse them, you will know that I will gather them in". Because dispersal is not according to the order of existence - that a single entity, like the People of Israel which is one people, should be dispersed, as has been explained already, that things which are one are together also. And [the Sages say] "it is known that I will pawn them" meaning that I will put them under the authority of others, and it is not appropriate according to the order of existence that the People of Israel should stand under any other sovereignty. Because when the People of Israel are in another land, they leave behind their own sovereignty and stand under the authority of another. Like a pawned object which is situated in the domain of someone other than its owner. So with the People of Israel, who should not, according to the order of existence, be under the government of others, and that others should be subjugating them, because it was not for this that they were created. Therefore, "by it being known that I will subjugate them, you will know that I will redeem them" - take them out of the subjugation. Because He is the One who ordered existence, it is impossible that something which comes from Him should depart from that order. Rather something temporary arising out of the happening of a sin, because something which is a temporary punishment because of sin is not called a departure from the order of existence. But for such a state of affairs to continue forever cannot be, because you will not find anything which departs from the natural order which sustains. Similarly when [the Sages] said "it is known that I will subjugate them, you will know that I will redeem them", it is because the subjugation of one nation by another is not in accordance with the order of existence as it should be, because it should be that every nation is free. This we have discussed at length in my book "Gevurot Hashem" (Chap 35) on the verse "This month shall be for you the first of months" (Ex 12:2) q.v. Thus has been explained by these three ideas [being out of place, dispersal, and subjugation] that one can come to an understanding of redemption from [understanding] exile.

And you will understand all this, since the letters of the expressions, exiled [galah] and redeemed [gaal], are the same [even though only the first has a hey and only the second has an alef]. It is just that the expression, redeemed, hints within it that He, may He be blessed, redeemed them from all four directions of the world and united their dispersion. For all unity in the world is in the center, since the edges are divided but the center is one. And that is why the alef, which is unity and the unification of the dispersion, is in the middle [of the word]. However, exiled is with a hey, which is dispersion. And dispersion is in the four directions, in all of the edges, and also in the center. For something that is dispersed is dispersed in all of the space, which includes the four directions and also the center. And even though the middle is not dispersion — this thing that they have a middle comes to teach that a power of unity and assembly remains among the Jewish people, as will be explained. It also tells you that the exile itself is a cause for the redemption, to assemble the dispersion, and for the Jewish people to be one. Hence the letters of exiled are the letters of redeemed, except that the dispersion becomes a unification, which is hinted to in the alef of gaal; and with that which there is a hey in the word, galah, since the hey teaches that the Jewish people is dispersed in all of the corners and in the center. And because of this, unity remains among them, even in their exile. As, behold, the one that is in the center, in the middle of the four [directions], unites and binds the dispersion of the four to itself. For the middle always unites and binds everything. And this thing indicates that the Jewish people still have the power of unity in their exile, and that they have not been completely separated. And because of this power of unity that remains in them, they will again unite. For if, God forbid, there were no power of unity remaining in them, they would have already separated and they would not have the power to become reunited. However now they will unite from the power of unity that remains among the Jewish people.

And in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 82:10), it is asked: What did our father Jacob see that led him to bury Rachel on the road to Efrat (Genesis 35:19)? He foresaw that the exiles were destined to pass by there, so he buried her there in order that she might seek mercy for her children. This is as it is written (cf. Jeremiah 31:14-16), “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, etc… Thus says the Lord: Restrain your voice from weeping… for there is hope for your future… and your children shall return to their own border.” End of quote. And the explanation of this matter is as they further elucidated in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 71:2): “Rachel weeps for her children” (Jeremiah 31:14)—Israel is called by the name of Rachel; and not just by Rachel’s name, but by the name of her son: “Is Ephraim My dear son?” (ibid., 19). And this Midrash has a most profound reason, for a wife is called a ‘house,’ as Rabbi Yosi said (Shabbat 118b), “I never called my wife ‘my wife,’ but rather ‘my house.’” And because Rachel was the mainstay of Jacob’s house, as our Sages of blessed memory said, it is she who was the mainstay of the house. And whoever is called ‘house’ includes and unifies everything, just as a house includes and unifies all that is within it. Therefore, Israel is called by the name of Rachel, because she was the mainstay of Jacob’s house. And likewise, Israel is called by the name of her son, for just as she was the essential part, so too was her son the essential part, and this is very well known. Therefore, the Midrash says that Rachel was buried on the road, for if Rachel had been buried in the cave, there would not have remained with Israel in their exile the gathering and unifying power for Israel in their exile. But as it is, the unifying power does remain with Israel, only it is not in a state of actuality but in potential alone. For this reason, Rachel, who is the unifying power of Israel—for indeed all of Israel is called by her name—was buried on the road. And it is for this reason that she seeks mercy until Israel is completely gathered in their land. For if Rachel—who is the mainstay of the house that gathers Israel—had not been buried on the road, Israel would have, Heaven forfend, already been splintered, and there would no longer have been among them a power that gathers and assembles Israel. And this is the meaning of the Holy One, Blessed be He’s, response to her: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears,” for it is through the merit of Rachel—who is the power that gathers Israel—that Israel will return from their exile. And this is the meaning of, “and your children shall return to their own border,” for there is a power that unifies Israel in the midst of their exile, and on account of that unifying power, Israel will return from their exile. And this is what we wished to explain.