“Song of Ascents. When God returns the captives of Zion, we will have been as dreamers… Then they will say among the nations, God has done greatness with us, we will be filled with joy.” (Tehilim, 126) In this light it is written in the Midrash (Sochar Tov, 9), “every place that mentions ‘poor’ or ‘downtrodden’ is speaking only of Israel.” Truly, in this world, all the powers of Israel are small, whether in wisdom, or wealth, or might. They have only simple life, and the desire for the increase of simple life from God free from any hue, (any externality, just the pure essence). To this the nations of the world will say in the future, “God has done greatness with these,” meaning that God bestowed all Divine influence to Israel. “God has done greatness with us, we will be filled with joy.” This is saying that (in this world) God filled us with all manner of goodness from our youth, filled us with power that is great in all aspects of our lives. So clearly when we see how the Holy One, blessed be He, had done this with us, we are filled with joy. Yet there is no comparison whatsoever between the good that Israel has now, and that which the Holy One, blessed be He, will do for Israel in the future.*So it would have been worth it for us too to have suffered in this world in order to attain the great good to come, if we would have merited it. [Hagahot Peretz] This being so, how much more so should the children of Israel rejoice!
שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת בְּשׁוּב ה' כוּ' אָז יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם הִגְדִּיל ה' כוּ' הִגְדִּיל ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים. בֵּאוּר זֶה, הִנֵּה אִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ [שוחר טוב פ' ט'] כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן אֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר אֶלָּא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בְּכָל הַכֹּחוֹת הֵם הַקְּטַנִּים, הֵן בְּחָכְמָה הֵן בְּעוֹשֶׁר הֵן בִּגְבוּרָה וְאֵין לָהֶם רַק חַיִּים פְּשׁוּטִים וּתְשׁוּקָה לְהוֹסָפַת חַיִּים פְּשׁוּטִים מֵאֵת הַש"י בְּלִי שׁוּם גָּוֶון, וְזֶה שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ הָאוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם לֶעָתִיד, "הִגְדִּיל ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם אֵלֶּה" הַיְינוּ שֶׁכָּל כֹּחַ הַשְׁפָּעָה נָתַן הַש"י לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. "הִגְדִּיל ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים", הַיְינוּ אֲפִילּוּ אֲנַחְנוּ שֶׁאָנוּ מְמוּלָּאִים מִנְּעוּרֵינוּ בְּכָל טוּב וְכֹחוֹתֵינוּ גְּדוֹלִים בְּכָל דָּבָר, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן אִם הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה עִמָּנוּ זֹאת הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים גַּם כֵּן, כִּי אֵין דִּמְיוֹן וְעֵרֶךְ לְהַטּוֹבָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם עַתָּה עִם מַה שֶּׁיַּעֲשֶׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֶעָתִיד עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל צְרִיכִין לִשְׂמוֹחַ.
“Song of Ascents. When God returns the captives of Zion, we will have been as dreamers… Then they will say among the nations, God has done greatness with us, we will be filled with joy.” (Tehilim, 126)
In this light it is written in the Midrash (Sochar Tov, 9), “every place that mentions ‘poor’ or ‘downtrodden’ is speaking only of Israel.” Truly, in this world, all the powers of Israel are small, whether in wisdom, or wealth, or might. They have only simple life, and the desire for the increase of simple life from God free from any hue, (any externality, just the pure essence). To this the nations of the world will say in the future, “God has done greatness with these,” meaning that God bestowed all Divine influence to Israel. “God has done greatness with us, we will be filled with joy.” This is saying that (in this world) God filled us with all manner of goodness from our youth, filled us with power that is great in all aspects of our lives. So clearly when we see how the Holy One, blessed be He, had done this with us, we are filled with joy. Yet there is no comparison whatsoever between the good that Israel has now, and that which the Holy One, blessed be He, will do for Israel in the future.*So it would have been worth it for us too to have suffered in this world in order to attain the great good to come, if we would have merited it. [Hagahot Peretz] This being so, how much more so should the children of Israel rejoice!