Musar sobre Jeremías 31:22

We must remember that though the redemption from Egypt was indeed a great redemption, it was not an ultimate redemption. Such a redemption will occur only in the future when the Messiah comes, at which time the impact of the remaining two letters in G–d's Ineffable Name will also be felt. The fact that during the episode of the Exodus only the first two letters of G–d's Ineffable Name had manifested themselves is alluded to in Exodus 17,16: כי יד על כס י-ה מלחמה לה' בעמלק, which alerts us to the fact that only the first two letters in G–d's Ineffable name carry on the war against Amalek. Our sages have confirmed this when they point to the שירה חדשה, song in the feminine gender, that the Jewish people sung in appreciation of G–d's salvation at that time. This song will be replaced by a שיר חדש, song in the masculine gender, which will be composed and sung by the Jewish people in the future when the final redemption will occur. The redemption from Egypt was rooted in the עולם הנקבות, the "female" world. We read in Jeremiah 31,21 (22) where the prophet speaks about the ultimate redemption, that: ברא השם חדשה בארץ נקבה תסובב גבר, "For the Lord has created something new on earth; a woman courts a man!" This is an allusion to the type of redemption that still awaits us. I have elaborated on this theme in my commentary on the הגדה של פסח. The time of the redemption is the time when all the letters in the Ineffable Name combine and form the dual-faced, male-female Name, i.e. the concept that prevailed at the time the prototype of אדם -who was created male and female combined- was conceived. The prevalent name then was masculine, as is clear from the word אדם as opposed to אדמה.

I would like to offer an additional thought on this anomaly. Rashi in his commentary on Leviticus 26,42- where the Torah writes that even while in exile, and while being persecuted, G–d will always remember the covenant with Jacob, Isaac and Abraham (in our favour)- states that the name יעקוב is spelled with the letter ו on only five occasions in the Bible. The name אליהו, on the other hand, is spelled without the final letter ו on five occasions. Rashi views Jacob as having "borrowed" a letter from the name of Elijah on those five occasions. He considers that letter as a pledge by the prophet Elijah that he will come to announce the deliverance of Israel. The mystical dimension of these five occasions is that they refer to the last two letters ו and ה in the Ineffable Name. Jacob, because he is the מרכבה, "carrier" of G–d's Presence, "borrowed" the letter ו from the name of אליהו five times. This letter was to serve as guarantee that the eventual redemption would be a full and comprehensive one. It should be able to combine with the letter נקבה תסובב גבר, the female element. This is an allusion to the promise in Jeremiah 31,22, that at that time שירה חדשה, "woman will court man," as we have mentioned elsewhere, and that the שירה חדשה, will be transformed into a שיר חדש. When Moses speaks about האות הזה, instead of האות הזאת in Exodus 8,19, this is an allusion to the time when the word אות will be treated as masculine in all its aspects. The word אות refers to the extra letter which will be added to the spelling of the word פדת, so that it will be seen to be פדות. Moses speaks of האות הזה as in (זה לך האות), to show that at the time of the final redemption the numerical value of the word זאת (when you ignore the "zeros,") will be 12, the same as the numerical value of the word זה. It is an allusion to the 12 צירופים, different permutations, in which the Ineffable Name can be spelled when using a word for each letter. It is significant that in Michah 7,15 we read concerning such a time in the future: כימי צאתך מארץ מצרים אראנו נפלאות. The prophet describes that the miracles performed by G–d at the time of the Exodus will pale into insignificance, and he describes how the nations of the world will react to G–d's manifesting His power anew. It is at that time that the real thrust of Moses' promise in Exodus 8,19: "I will set these My signs," will truly be fulfilled.