In our reading we find the following passage:
And it will be, when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you shall return them to your hearts among all the nations where Hashem your G-d has pushed you, and will return to Hashem your G-d and listen to His voice, per all that I have commanded you this day, you and your children, in all of your heart and with all of your soul, then Hashem your G-d will return your captivity, and have mercy upon you, and return you and gather you in from all of the Nations to which Hashem your God has dispersed you. [Deut. 30:1-3]
In this brief passage, the Torah brings us to the culmination of what many have called the “Seven Wonders of Jewish History,” a series of seemingly-impossible promises. I disagree — I would claim there are eight:
- The Jewish people will not simply be conquered, which was routine, but exiled.
- They would not just be exiled to one place, driven from one location to another, but scattered.
- Despite being scattered, they will always look towards and remain attached to their homeland.
- They would be few in number, despite the blessing given to Abraham.
- Despite being a tiny fraction of humanity, they would attract extraordinary hate.
- Despite being hated and dispersed, they would continue to be Jews rather than assimilating into their host cultures.
- Despite being hated, the Jewish People would make extraordinary contributions to their host nations and the world.
- Despite all of the foregoing, they will return to their homeland.
If someone were to prophesy all of these things about any group today, he or she would be regarded as a nutcase and laughed from the room. Each of these things is individually at odds with world history; together, they seemingly defy all probabilities.
Yet here we are.
Hashem makes it clear that all we need to do to complete the circle, and return in safety and peace to our home, is to return to Him. This is one reason why Nitzavim, the first of the two parshiyos read this week, is the one always read prior to Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Return. Hashem made tremendous promises to us, literally calling for miracles, and they all came true. It is up to us to finish the process!
