The Mekhilta makes a declaration that connects the Exodus to the future redemption of Israel. The exiles will be gathered in only as a reward for faith. Not for Torah study alone, not for the performance of specific commandments, but for emunah — the raw, unwavering trust in God's promises even when they seem impossible.
The proof text comes from an unexpected source — the Song of Songs, the great love poem between God and Israel. "With me, from Lebanon, my bride; with me from Lebanon shall you come. You shall look from the peak of amanah" (Song of Songs 4:8). The Mekhilta reads "amanah" not as a geographical location but as a play on the word emunah — belief. The exiles will return from their dispersion "from the peak of faith." Their redemption will come because they maintained belief in God throughout the long darkness of exile.
A second verse reinforces the point: "And I will betroth you to Me forever... and I will betroth you to Me with emunah" (Hosea 2:22). The ultimate reunion between God and Israel — the final ingathering of the exiles — is described as a betrothal sealed with faithfulness. The Mekhilta teaches that exile is not merely a political condition. It is a test of faith. The question is not whether Israel will suffer in dispersion, but whether they will continue believing in the promised return despite centuries of evidence to the contrary. Those who hold on to that belief, the Mekhilta insists, are the ones for whom the exile will finally end.