ישעיהו, פרק מ״ט, פסוק ט״ו

The deep connection between God and His people is illustrated through the most powerful human bond imaginable, a mother's devotion to her child. Responding to a profound feeling of abandonment, God clarifies that His love and memory surpass even the deepest natural instincts of motherhood [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. God embedded a natural, innate compassion within women toward their children [אבן עזרא]. This compassion is especially awakened toward small, fragile infants who are entirely helpless and lack the strength to care for themselves or seek their own livelihood [רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. The bond is rooted in the sheer impossibility of a mother withholding pity from the very child she bore [רש״י, שד״ל], particularly a soft, newborn infant [מצודת ציון, רש״י, אבן עזרא].

While some commentators view these descriptions of children simply as a general emphasis on the maternal bond [רד״ק, אבן עזרא], others identify a precise distinction between different stages of childhood that evoke different emotions. One stage represents an older child who is no longer entirely dependent on his mother, where the connection is based primarily on love. Another stage represents a nursing infant who desperately needs his mother, where the bond is driven by pure compassion. The rhetorical question is posed: even if a mother could somehow forget her love for an older child, could she ever forget her natural compassion for a helpless infant [מלבי״ם]?

Despite this powerful maternal nature, the possibility of a mother forgetting her child is still raised. This might occur in rare instances where a person possesses an unusual cruelty [רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. Alternatively, even if human nature were to completely fail and mothers of both older children and dependent infants were to forget them [מלבי״ם], God's promise remains absolute. The divine connection is infinitely stronger than any human bond, ensuring that even when human nature fails, God will never forget His people [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

A unique additional layer of interpretation shifts the focus toward self-sacrifice and enduring hardship. One approach views this dynamic as a reflection of the heroism of the Israelites, who suppressed their natural maternal compassion and sacrificed their children to sanctify God's name. In return for this ultimate devotion, where they seemingly forgot their own compassion for God's sake, He promises to never forget them and to restore their former state. Another perspective addresses the difficulty of finding joy in serving God after enduring immense sorrow. In this light, God promises the people that in the future, they will forget all their past troubles and suffering. Freed from that pain, they will return to serving Him with joy, and He will never forget them, permanently resting His presence upon them [אהבת יהונתן].