Comentário sobre Levítico 26:41

והבאתי אתם AND I SHALL BRING THEM [INTO THE LAND OF THEIR ENEMIES] — I Myself shall bring them; this is a kindly measure for Israel in order that they should not say, “Since we are banished among the nations let us do like their doings”. “For”, says God “I will not suffer them to do this, but I will raise up My prophets and so bring them back under My wings, as it is said, (Ezekiel 20:30) “And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, — [that ye say, We will be as the heathens, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone]. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out, will “I” be king over you etc.” (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 8 5).

O’ (OR) THEN PERCHANCE THEIR UNCIRCUMCISED HEART BE HUMBLED. “[The word o here has the same meaning] as in ‘o’ (or) it is known that the ox was wont to gore.¹⁶⁶Exodus 21:36. Another interpretation is [that the word o means] ‘perhaps’ — perhaps then their uncircumcised heart will be humbled; and they then be paid the punishment of their iniquity, meaning that they will achieve atonement for their iniquities through their sufferings.” This is Rashi’s language. The correct interpretation appears to me to be that He is stating: “And I will bring them into the land of their enemies, o (either) until such time when their uncircumcised heart will be humbled, o (or) until the time when they will have been paid the punishment of their iniquity by the length of the exile.”
Now it is after [the verse], and they shall confess their iniquity¹⁶⁷Verse 40. that He should have said, Then will I remember My covenant with Jacob etc.,¹⁶⁸Verse 42. for what reason is there [to state here, between these two verses] and I will bring them into the lands of their enemies, since this is not a time when He would exile them and bring them into the lands of their enemies [since they have just confessed their sins]! Therefore Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra interpreted [the verse to mean]: “This also I did with them, that I punished them by bringing them into the land of their enemies in order to humble their uncircumcised heart.” And He mentioned this here [in order to indicate] that they confessed their sin “because it was I Who brought this about, for even at the time that they became corrupted, My intent was that they should repent and confess.”
In my opinion He hints here [by placing the verses in this order] that [even] after the confession [of their sins], He will walk contrary to them and will still bring them into the land of their enemies until their uncircumcised heart is humbled, this being an allusion that He will bring them back into the Land but it will not be subdued before them; rather, they will have adversaries and enemies there, as it is said, And our adversaries said;¹⁶⁹Nehemiah 4:5. And it came to pass when our enemies heard.¹⁷⁰Ibid., Verse 9. The Land [at that time, when they returned from Babylon], was in the hands of foreign peoples, just as Ezra said in his prayer: Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the Land that Thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold we are servants in it. And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom Thou hast set over us because of our sins; also they have power over us, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.¹⁷¹Ibid., 9:36-37.

והבאתי אותם בארץ אויביהם, when they return from exile to the land of Israel at the command of King Cyrus, the land of Israel remained under the political power of the gentiles. We know this from Nechemyah 9, 36-37 “Today we are slaves, and the land You gave our fathers to enjoy is fruit and bounty-here we are slaves on it! On account of our sins it yields its abundant crops to kings whom You have set over us.” They rule over our bodies and our beasts as they please, and we are in great distress.”

אף אני אלך עמם בקרי, "Also I will walk with them as if accidental." Part of what the people have to acknowledge as part of their confession is that all G'd's retributions were justified. Even G'd's having withdrawn His personal supervision over the fate of the Jews must be acknowledged.

או אז יכנע לבבם הערל, “perhaps then their unfeeling heart will be humbled.” Rashi understands the word או in our verse as similar to Exodus 21,36 או נודע כי שור נגח הוא, “but if it becomes known that the ox is wont to gore.” [Rashi often views the word או as meaning: “if.” Ed.] Nachmanides considers that the meaning of the word here is that the Torah offers two different scenarios for the duration of the exile. It will either last until the people’s uncircumcised heart will become humbled, or until their sins have been expiated (in full) due to the length of the exile. The word או refers to what follows, i.e. “or the exile will last until the people experience a change of heart, and confess their guilt, etc., or it will last for such a long time that time itself will expiate for their sins as their suffering has been so prolonged.” After the Torah had already mentioned that the people did confess their guilt (verse 40) we would have expected that at that point G’d would remember them kindly, i.e. that He would remember His covenant with the patriarchs, but we would certainly not have expected to be told at this point that G’d would exile people who had just confessed their guilt. In tackling this apparently incomprehensible development described here, Ibn Ezra says that in verse 41 G’d takes credit for having brought about this confession, saying that the reason He had treated them so harshly, exiling them to a foreign and inhospitable country, was designed to bring about their confession and repentance. [In other words, whenever G’d chastises, exacts retribution, the purpose is not revenge, but punishment is G’d’s instrument in eventually refining His people by means of their experiences. Ed.] In my own view, (still Nachmanides writing) the meaning of these verses is that after the people have confessed their guilt G’d would relate to them בקרי, with casualness, bringing them to the land, [the land of Israel] but that they would not conquer it as did Joshua, but it would still be populated by their enemies who would cause them much grief as we know from Nechemyah 4,5 and Ezra chapter 9 (Ezra’s prayer) [The second commonwealth was firmly established as Jewish both physically and spiritually only many years after Zerubavel’s return there with about 43000 of his fellow Jews. In his prayer, Ezra had described himself and his fellow Jews as slaves in their own land. Ed.]

ואז ירצו את עונם, “and then they shall atone for their iniquity.” This verse served the sages in Mechilta Bachodesh 10 as proof that afflictions suffered achieve atonement for the victim just as sacrifices offered achieve atonement; the word ירצו here and the same root used in connection with the sacrificial offerings, i.e. נרצה, is proof that the purpose and effect of such offerings is the same (Leviticus 1,4). Here the Torah speaks about afflictions suffered by the body, in Leviticus 1,4 the “physical affliction’s” equivalent is the financial expense involved in buying the animal which is killed.

I Myself will bring them. Explanation. Because it is written “I will bring them” instead of “I will lead them” as in the verse (Devarim 28:36), “Hashem will lead you and your king,” perforce, it is expounded that He will “bring them” under His wings while they are in the land of their enemies.

או אז יכנע לבבם הערל, “if then per chance their uncircumcised heart be humbled;” the Torah here refers to the desecration of the Sabbath by the people, (which is the seventh day of the week), or their failure to circumcise their sons on the eighth day after they had been born. [The numerical value of the letters in this words אז יכנע לבבם, in this verse would be equivalent to this interpretation.]

אף אני אלך עמכם בקרי, “also I will walk with you as if what befalls you was coincidental; even though by now the people had confessed that they had sinned, seeing that they had not taken the next step and done penitence, I cannot relent yet.”

או אז יכנע — The word או here has the same meaning as in (Exodus 21:36) או נודע כי שור נגח הוא (cf. Rashi on that verse and our Note thereon). The translation therefore is: “If then [their uncircumcised hearts] will be humbled”. Another explanation is that או means perhaps, — “perhaps then their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled”.

If then they will be humbled. Re’m writes: I do not understand Rashi’s intent here. Because according to this, the verse means that I Myself will bring them under the wings of the Divine Presence if their uncircumcised heart is humbled. But if their heart is not humbled I will not bring them under the wings of the Divine Presence. And this is the opposite of the Midrash that he cited, “Surely... with fury poured out, will I be king over you.” I will assert My kingship over you by force. But Rashi should have explained או אז (or then) according to its literal meaning: Either I will bring them under the wings of My Divine Presence by force, or then their hearts will humble of themselves and I will not need to bring them under the wings of My Divine Presence by force. So far are Re’m’s words. This [way of understanding Rashi] is difficult as Rashi in parshas Mishpatim explains, “Or it was not a תם, but rather it was known that it is a goring ox,” [and thus probably learns that expression similarly over here]. I think that this is the explanation of Rashi: [Rashi omits a few words at the beginning, and is actually learning או as meaning “or”]: “Or I will not have to rule over them by force, if then they humble their uncircumcised heart of themselves, and then confess their sins and their iniquities are atoned through suffering. If they do this, “I will [then] remember My covenant, etc.” The meaning of או אז יכנע will be as Rashi explained in או נודע כי שור נגח הוא above. This also explains the “other interpretation” of Rashi. Analyze this.

והבאתי אותם, "and I will bring them, etc." This is also part of what the people will say as part of their confession. The fact that the Torah demands that the people acknowledge that their exile was part of G'd's punishment in line with His warnings indicates that they had previously denied that their exile was connected to their wrongdoing. The people had argued that if G'd really wanted to use His retribution to result in the people's repentance, exile was a peculiar means to achieve this. They reasoned that exile was bound to result in assimilation, the very reverse of what G'd wanted to achieve by disciplining His people. Such considerations reinforced the people's thinking that what had befallen them was accidental and not part of G'd's design. This is why G'd wrote that they have to confess also their erroneous assessment of why they had experienced all the curses predicted in the Torah.

או אז יכנע לבבם הערל, “if perchance their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled;” then I will remember My covenant, etc;” I will continue to reciprocate then in their favour, as recognition of their penitence; as we know from Hoseah 14,4: ומודה ועוזב ירוחם, “[inaccurate quote, the prophet says there that when the people no longer treat their man made idols as deities, they will experience G-d’s mercy. Ed.]

ואז ירצו את עונם means, and they will atone for their iniquities by the punishments they will have suffered.

With their sufferings. Rashi is answering the question: What will appease their iniquities? He answers that appeasement refers to the suffering that will atone for their iniquities.

The words או אז mean that the exiled Israelites attribute their presence in other countries to be a result of natural migration or as an attempt by G'd to induce humility in them. G'd had known from experience that a sinner may humble himself such as Achav the king of Israel (Kings I 21, 27-29). Our sages in Berachot 7 have said that "better one severe chastisement which results in the sinner feeling humbled than 100 lashes of the whip (as these are effective only externally). Following such a humbling of oneself their guilt may become something they can acknowledge and come to terms with."