דניאל, פרק ט׳, פסוק ט״ז

Standing in prayer, Daniel asks for mercy on the desolate city and the exiled nation. Recognizing that the people have no merits of their own to rely on, he crafts a humble and calculated appeal. Instead of pointing to human actions, he bases his request entirely on God's absolute goodness and the eternal holiness of the location. He asks God to act according to His boundless kindness and mercy, a trait He often shows the world even when people are undeserving. Since the Israelites have not yet been cleansed of their sins, Daniel cannot depend on their merit. Instead, he pleads for God to extend the same unconditional charity and kindness He has shown in the past [מלבי״ם, יוסף אבן יחיא, אלשיך].

In his plea for God to calm His anger and return to a state of peace [ביאור שטיינזלץ], Daniel deliberately prays for the city of Jerusalem before praying for the people. This order is intentional. The sins of the people directly caused the destruction, making it difficult to ask for direct forgiveness on their behalf. The city itself, however, committed no crime. Moreover, the mountain holds an ancient holiness dating back to the days of Adam, Noah, and the binding of Isaac. This inherent sanctity remained intact even after the city was reduced to ruins and became desolate [אלשיך].

Daniel openly admits that the tragedy struck because of their wrongdoings. He makes it clear that the destruction was the result of God's anger over their sins and not a lack of His power [מצודת דוד]. Yet, he makes a careful distinction to lessen the blame on the current generation. He attributes the severe, intentional crimes to previous generations, while assigning only lighter offenses to his own peers [חומת אנך, אלשיך]. As a consequence of these sins, both the city and the nation have become targets of insult, mockery, and offense to all their neighbors [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. The Israelites are left as a prime example of a wandering people with no homeland or safe refuge [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This humiliating reality ultimately causes a desecration of God's name in the world. Therefore, Daniel begs that once God's anger subsides, this deep disgrace will finally be lifted from both the nation and the city [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].