The Mekhilta weaves together several verses to demonstrate that God guards the faithful and remembers the faithfulness of the ancestors. The opening verse sets the theme: "The Lord guards the faithful" (Psalms 31:24). But what does "faithfulness" look like in practice? The Mekhilta points to a scene from the battle against Amalek.
When Moses raised his hands during the battle, Israel prevailed. When his hands grew heavy, Aaron and Chur stepped in — one on each side — to support his arms. The Torah describes Moses' hands as being lifted "in faithfulness until the sun set" (Exodus 17:12). The word emunah (faith) — faithfulness — appears precisely here, in the image of two men holding up the weary arms of a third. Faithfulness is not a solitary virtue. It is communal. It requires people willing to bear each other's weight.
The passage continues with another verse: "This is the gate to the Lord. The righteous — tzaddik (a righteous person)im (the righteous) — will enter through it" (Psalms 118:20). The connection between faithfulness and righteousness is deliberate. Those who are faithful, who hold each other up in moments of exhaustion, are the same righteous ones who will enter through God's gate. The Mekhilta then asks, "What is written of the believers?" — pointing forward to additional proofs that the faithful receive divine protection. The entire teaching builds a chain: God guards those who are faithful, and faithfulness is demonstrated not through words but through steadfast physical support of those who are struggling.