Why God Loves Israel for Making Themselves Small

AND IT SHALL BE, BECAUSE YOU HEED (Deuteronomy 7:12). What is written above on this matter? IT WAS NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE MORE NUMEROUS THAN ALL THE PEOPLES, and so forth (Deuteronomy 7:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: It is not because you are more numerous than all the nations, and it is not because you perform more commandments than they; for they magnify My name more than you do, as it is said, FOR FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN EVEN UNTO ITS SETTING MY NAME IS GREAT AMONG THE NATIONS, and so forth, BUT YOU PROFANE IT IN THAT YOU SAY, THE TABLE OF THE LORD IS POLLUTED, AND THE FRUIT THEREOF, EVEN ITS FOOD, IS CONTEMPTIBLE (Malachi 1:11–12). BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE THE FEWEST OF ALL THE PEOPLES; BECAUSE THE LORD LOVED YOU (Deuteronomy 7:7–8). By the merit that you make yourselves few before Me, therefore I love you. And so it says, I HAVE LOVED YOU, SAITH THE LORD (Malachi 1:2), AND ESAU I HATED, and so forth (Malachi 1:3). And it says, I WILL HEAL THEIR BACKSLIDING, [I WILL LOVE THEM FREELY] (Hosea 14:5). What is the meaning of I WILL LOVE THEM FREELY? My soul has freely offered itself to love them, even though they are not worthy. And so it says, BECAUSE THE LORD LOVED YOU, and so forth (Deuteronomy 7:8).