יחזקאל, פרק ל״ז, פסוק כ״א

The divine promise to gather the exiles reveals a gradual process of redemption, deeply woven with spiritual repair and national unity. The prophet is instructed to deliver God's message to the people as a direct continuation of a symbolic action, speaking while still holding the wooden sticks in his hand [מצודת דוד].

The primary approach among commentators is that the return of the Israelites to their homeland unfolds in distinct stages. First, God takes them out from among the central nations where they were originally exiled. Following this, He gathers them from every side [ביאור שטיינזלץ], bringing them back from all the various countries where they had subsequently scattered [מלבי״ם].

Although the exile was a forced expulsion, the journey is framed as if it were a voluntary movement. This points to a hidden, necessary purpose in their dispersion: the need to collect scattered sparks of holiness from those foreign lands. Furthermore, because the exile originally stemmed from senseless hatred, the process of redemption and the return to the land depend entirely on building a deep connection and unity among the people. Only by coming together in true cohesion can they finally return and experience redemption [נחל שורק].