Pensée juive sur Le Lévitique 26:44

The question posed by the Jews in the twentieth chapter of Ezekiel, was asked by believing Jews, since the parable they use begins with describing G'd as their Master, i.e. "they came to enquire from the merciful G'd." They wanted to know whether in view of their Master having sold them, the basic relationship between G'd and the Jewish people had undergone a change. It was this possibility that Ezekiel denied so vehemently. He explained that G'ds intent was merely to exercise His rule over them through making them suffer privations. Re-establishment of the former "loving care" relationship could begin only after repentance of their abominable deeds. The references in that chapter to what had occurred in the desert after the Exodus, are only to stress that just as at that time the eternal character of the Israel/G'd relationship had not been severed, so there would once again come a time when Israel would learn the error of its ways and then an in-gathering of the exiles could take place.

Since one does this for a weak creation like ourselves, how much more so are we obligated many times more to our Creator, who told us through His prophet that He loves us, as written "Not because you are more numerous than any people did the L-ord desire in you and choose you, etc." (Devarim 7:7). And in addition to telling us of His love we saw signs of His love for us, and His help to us, both in the present and in the past, and His drawing us to Him and promising to us for every generation, as written: "And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the L-ord their G-d" (Vayikra 26:44), and "For we are slaves, and in our servitude our G-d has not forsaken us" (Ezra 9:9).

If any one seeks evidence at the present day similar to those just mentioned, let him look with candid eyes at our position among the nations since the Exile began and our orderly condition in their midst, notwithstanding that we do not agree with them in belief or practice - of which disagreement they are aware. Observe that even so, our financial situation is close to theirs, and perhaps even better than theirs. You will see that an average person among them must toil more for his livelihood than an average or even a below-average among us. This is like our Creator promised us: "And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them neither will I abhor them, utterly to destroy them and to break my covenant with them for I am the L-ord their G-d" (Vayikra 26:44), and "For we are bondmen; yet our G-d has not forsaken us in our bondage" (Ezra 9:9). "If it had not been the L-ord who was for us, let Israel now say, if it had not been the L-ord who was for us, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us" (Tehilim 124:1), and the rest of the Psalm. In the Gate of the "Service of G-d", I will expand on the exceeding favor G-d has bestowed upon us in His Torah which he gave to us.