ישעיהו, פרק נ״ג, פסוק י״א

Out of profound agony and sorrow, the servant of God emerges to experience ultimate spiritual reward, inner wholeness, and a lasting impact on the world. The initial pain involves intense toil and sadness [מצודת ציון]. The primary approach among commentators is that the servant eventually receives a profound reward for the suffering endured during exile. After surviving such hardship, the servant will be redeemed, blessed with offspring, granted a long life, and filled with deep peace and satisfaction [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם, שד״ל]. Conversely, this experience of being filled with the results of his toil can be understood as a description of the suffering itself, meaning the servant was overwhelmed by troubles and hardship [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. On a more practical level, this satisfaction reflects the servant's deep honesty. He enjoys the pure fruits of his own hard work without ever resorting to theft or exploiting others [רש״י], or he simply finds a quiet contentment in the very effort he has put forth [מצודת דוד].

The servant is widely identified as the Congregation of Israel [רד״ק, שד״ל, אבן עזרא]. The deep knowledge possessed by the servant refers to wisdom, righteousness, and a profound reverence for God, driving actions that are performed with clear awareness and willing intent [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Through this wisdom, the servant brings righteousness to the masses, a process understood in two main ways. The first focuses on an outward influence: Israel will teach the nations of the world, guiding them toward serving God and following the path of the Torah, thereby leading them to righteousness [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The second approach is more inward, suggesting that the servant justifies God's judgment during the dark times of exile. Despite immense pain, the servant acknowledges God's perfect justice and fiercely protects his faith, refusing to adopt the beliefs of the ruling nations [שד״ל, מצודת דוד]. Additionally, this righteousness is expressed through absolute fairness, as the servant provides true and just rulings for anyone seeking justice [רש״י].

As part of this journey, the servant must carry a heavy burden of sin. On one hand, this is viewed as an active form of atonement. The servant bears the wrongdoings of his generation and the surrounding nations, and through his personal righteousness, his suffering, or his prayers on their behalf, he brings peace and goodness down to the world [מלבי״ם, רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. On the other hand, carrying this burden is understood as enduring the physical and emotional abuse inflicted by the nations throughout the exile [שד״ל, מצודת דוד]. Whether this burden serves as a spiritual atonement or represents the harsh reality of living in exile, the servant accepts this weight willingly, walking the same selfless path chosen by all righteous individuals [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].