ישעיהו, פרק ס״ג, פסוק י״א

In times of deep crisis and exile, a painful cry of longing for a glorious past often rises from the hardship. This yearning sparks a deep wonder about God hiding His face in the present, felt sharply through the absence of miracles and prophetic leadership.

The primary approach among commentators is that the Israelites, trapped in exile, are the ones who remember their magnificent history and pray from the depths of their distress [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. However, other perspectives suggest that it is God Himself Who remembers that ancient era [שטיינזלץ, רד ק בשם התרגום], or that God intentionally causes the Israelites to recall those good days through the very troubles they now face [שד״ל]. A different view proposes that the nations of the world are the ones remembering, looking on and wondering about the tragic state of the Israelites [אבן עזרא].

When reflecting on this past, some understand the memory to be about Moses and his people together [אבן עזרא], while others suggest the thought focuses specifically on the days when Moses was first sent to his people [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, the memory might not refer to the specific name of Moses at all, but rather to the act of rescue itself—remembering the leader who physically drew his people out of the water [אבן עזרא, שד״ל].

This memory naturally leads to a desperate question about who will save the nation now. Some interpret this cry as directed toward God, asking where the God Who brought the Israelites up from the Red Sea and performed miracles is, and why He does not do the same today [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. Others read it as a cry for a human leader, asking where their devoted shepherd has gone [רש״י, שטיינזלץ]. Regarding this past leadership, there is a discussion about whether it was singular or shared. Some explain that the memory points exclusively to a single shepherd, Moses [רש״י, אבן עזרא, שד״ל]. Conversely, others argue that the memory includes multiple shepherds, referring to Moses and Aaron together, or encompassing all the prophets and leaders who guided the nation throughout its history [רד״ק, שטיינזלץ, מנחת שי בשם אברבנאל].

Finally, the longing turns to the divine inspiration of the past, asking where the holy spirit of prophecy has gone. One approach suggests that God placed this prophetic spirit directly inside Moses [מצודת דוד, שד״ל, אבן עזרא]. A second approach argues that the spirit of prophecy rested within the entire nation of Israel. This national inspiration occurred either through God giving them laws and resting His presence upon them at Mount Sinai and upon the seventy elders [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, אבן עזרא], or through Moses himself passing his own divine spirit onto the people [שטיינזלץ].