The verse that kicks it all off is from Psalm 71:1: "In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge. Let me never be put to shame." But the midrash, the interpretive story, doesn't just take it at face value. It digs deeper, asking: What kind of refuge are we talking about? What kind of shame?
The text opens with a quote from Isaiah (45:17): "Israel shall be saved by the Lord." And then it puts words in the mouths of the children of Israel, a powerful technique used often in midrash. They say to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the Holy One, Blessed be He, "Every day that we are enslaved, we are ashamed." It’s a raw admission, isn’t it? The shame of not being truly free, of relying on someone else for your fate. But then comes the crucial point: "But our redemption will not cause us shame, for your redemption is the redemption of the world. You are the salvation of the world." Notice the emphasis: the redemption of the world, not just worlds. There's a universality to this hope.
God responds, and it's a powerful affirmation. "I am the one who redeemed you, and I am the one who will redeem you," God says, referencing Isaiah 43:1, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you." The midrash calls attention to the Hebrew phrasing, noting it's not just "I have redeemed you," but "I will redeem you." It's a promise that echoes through time. "I have spoken and done it," God declares.
But the people have a question. They've seen redemptions before! "We have already been redeemed by Moses, and likewise by Joshua, and also by the judges and kings, and yet we are still subject to servitude, and we are ashamed as if we were never redeemed." It's a stinging rebuke, a reminder that temporary reprieves aren't enough. Hasn't this happened before? What makes this time different?
God's answer is the heart of the matter: "In the past, your redemption was by human agents, but now it is by Me alone, for I am alive and will exist forever. Therefore, your redemption is the redemption of the world." This redemption, the one coming directly from God, is different. It's not limited by human flaws or mortality. It's eternal. That's why, as Isaiah 45:17 says, "Israel shall be saved by the Lord, the salvation of the world." And that’s why, this time, "you shall not be ashamed or disgraced forever."
There's a poignant little coda at the end. God says, "When you were young, you had the strength to be ashamed, but now that you are old and do not have the strength, you shall not be ashamed or disgraced." It's a recognition of the toll that repeated disappointment takes. Perhaps it's saying that after so much struggle, the capacity for shame itself is exhausted.
And then we come full circle, back to David, our Master, who, as Midrash Tehillim tells us, understood that when the true redemption comes, we will not be ashamed. He understood the plea, "In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge. Let me never be put to shame" (Psalm 71:1).
This midrash, in its own way, is a powerful meditation on hope, on the nature of redemption, and on the enduring promise that true freedom – a freedom that banishes shame – is ultimately possible. It begs the question: What does true redemption really look like, and how do we keep faith alive while waiting for it?