ה' אלקי אבותיכם יוסף עליכם ככם אלף פעמים ויברך אתכם כאשר דבר לכם

“Hashem the G-d of your forefathers will increase upon you a thousand times and bless you as He spoke to you.”

(Devarim 1:11)

The word “dibur” (spoke) used in the verse connotes harsh language. Why does the Torah use this word when it promises blessings? The softer word “amar” would have seemed more in place with the spirit of the verse.

The sefarim tell us that every day of the week, when it is time for Mincha, an atmosphere of din (harsh judgment) descends upon the world. Shabbos is an exception. Not only is Mincha-time on Shabbos free of din, it is actually a special time of Divine closeness and rachamim (mercy).

The Chiddushei Harim said that during the Nine Days between Rosh Chodesh Av and Tisha b’Av, an element of harsh judgment is present throughout the entire day, not just during Mincha-time. Since Shabbos reverses the din to Divine mercy, this means that Shabbos during the Nine Days is a special day of Divine closeness and rachamim, far more than every Shabbos during the year.

We see from this that Shabbos has the power to reverse din to rachamim. In fact, the greater the element of din during the week, the greater the level of rachamim brought about on Shabbos.

This is the meaning of the verse: “…and bless you…” The blessing symbolizes Shabbos, as we see from the verse “and Hashem blessed the seventh day.” The verse continues, “as He spoke to you” using a harsh word. The blessing of Shabbos is in direct correlation to the harshness of Divine judgment during the week. We will be blessed according to the dibur – the harshness of the week.

May these days of pain and darkness be turned into days of joy and happiness with the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdash, Amen.

***

“Deliver Your lamb from the mouth of the lion and gather in Your nation from exile; the nation that You chose from among all nations.” (Shabbos zemiros)

Why did the composer add the words “the nation that You chose from among all nations?” We are begging Hashem to redeem us. Hashem knows who we are; He knows that He chose us. What does the reminder about our chosen status add to the plea?

We will explain this with a parable: A teacher had a class of naughty boys who were disobedient and caused him a lot of anguish. They never listened to him or sat respectfully in class, but instead the classroom was in constant chaos with the boys bickering among themselves and ignoring the teacher.

There was one well-behaved boy who always sat in his seat respectfully and listened to what the teacher said. He knew his work well and participated in class. Naturally, the boy quickly became the teacher’s favorite. The teacher didn’t make this a secret and frequently complimented the boy publicly, giving him special treatment.

It wasn’t long before the boy’s classmates became jealous of him and started picking on him. They would mock him and fight with him, calling him names and sometimes even abusing him physically. The boy couldn’t understand what he did to deserve this treatment from his friends. After a while, he finally realized that his special relationship with the teacher is causing his friends to envy him, and that’s why they are making his life miserable. Upon coming to this realization, the boy decided that it just wasn’t worth it to continue listening to the teacher. He began to join the other boys in their activities during class time, and before long he was acting like one of them. Instead of reaching out to the teacher who loved him so much and look for a solution together, he turned his back on the teacher.

The same thing is happening with many Jews. The source of anti-Semitism is the special love that Hashem has for His chosen nation. The nations of the world are envious of our status and therefore they persecute us. Unfortunately, some Jews come to the wrong conclusion and decide to follow the nations, in the hope to stop all anti-Semitism. Instead of becoming closer to Hashem who loves us so much, these Jews imitate the ways of their tormentors and slip away from Hashem.

So we turn to Hashem in prayer and cry out to Him: “Deliver Your lamb from the mouth of the lion and gather in Your nation from exile.” Please, Hashem, save us, because the reason for our suffering is our special status as “the nation that You chose from among all nations.” This sparks the jealousy of the nations and brings upon us a double problem: we are subject to their abuse and persecution, and it also causes many Jews to turn away from the Torah. The envy of the nations is causing us both physical and spiritual suffering, and we therefore implore Hashem to save us from their jaws.

We will forever remain Hashem’s chosen nation. May we merit seeing His love openly with the coming of Moshiach, speedily and in our days.