ישעיהו, פרק נ״ד, פסוק ח׳

The relationship between God and His people exists on a vast timeline, contrasting the harsh sufferings of exile with the eternal nature of redemption. Periods of destruction and distance, no matter how difficult, shrink entirely when compared to the promise of unending divine forgiveness. When examining the anger that caused this distance, the primary approach among commentators is that God experienced only a minor amount of anger, meaning His abandonment and the hiding of His face lasted for merely a brief period [דונש, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, תרגום יונתן, צאינה וראינה]. Conversely, other commentators understand this event as an immense, overwhelming flood of wrath that burst forth all at once [מנחם, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Yet, even this massive surge of anger led only to a momentary hiding of His face. Had God unleashed full vengeance, no remnant of the Israelites would have survived [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This fleeting period of abandonment is generally understood as a short span of time, though some view it as a sudden, instantaneous event [שד ל בשם תלמידיו].

Beyond its brief duration, this sudden anger serves a profound legal and spiritual purpose in the process of redemption. God swore to punish the Israelites out of this intense, momentary wrath. Because an oath made in the heat of anger is naturally voided once the anger subsides, the path is cleared for the Israelites to return from exile. Ironically, it is the very suddenness of the anger that ultimately allows for grace and redemption [אהבת יהונתן]. Standing in absolute contrast to that passing anger is God's eternal grace. His mercy flows from an everlasting forgiveness that grants the nation an unending existence [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. Even if the days of exile feel agonizingly long, from a grand historical perspective, they will be viewed as a tiny, meaningless fraction of time once the kingdom is permanently restored [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This promise of eternal redemption is cemented by the fact that God Himself acts as the redeemer. In the past, redemptions were carried out by human messengers; as a result, they were temporary and eventually led to further periods of subjugation. The future redemption, however, will be enacted directly by God. Just as He lives and endures forever, this final redemption will be absolute, with no subjugation to follow [אדרת אליהו]. Furthermore, this profound kindness is not merely a private favor granted to the Israelites, but a fundamental necessity for the existence of all reality. Even though the people sinned and drifted away, God must bring them back and show them mercy, because the world was created for their sake and cannot exist without them. This is the deepest meaning of eternal grace: a divine kindness that repairs and sustains the world itself [אהבת יהונתן].