to a fascinating moment from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, specifically chapter 42, where Moses himself is in conversation with the Holy One, blessed be He.
The Israelites are on the cusp of entering the Promised Land, a moment fraught with both hope and trepidation. Moses, ever the shepherd of his people, pleads with God. "Sovereign of all worlds!" he cries out, "Put Thy dread and Thy fear upon them, that their heart may be as stone, until Israel has passed through the Jordan." He's asking for divine intervention, a protective shield of awe and fear to safeguard the Israelites during this vulnerable transition. He anchors his prayer in the words of the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:16-17): "Till thy people pass over…Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance."
Notice something subtle here. Moses says, “Thou shalt bring them in.” Not “Bring us in.” Why?
God picks up on this nuance immediately. "Moses!" the Holy One responds. "Thou hast not said, 'Bring us in and plant us,' but (thou hast said), 'Thou shalt bring them in and plant them.' The One who brings in, He also brings out. By thy life! According to thy words so shall it be."
What does that even mean, "The One who brings in, He also brings out?" It's a powerful, almost cryptic statement, isn’t it? The key is in understanding the difference between a temporary dwelling and a permanent planting. God is saying, "Because of how you phrased your prayer, I will bring them in now, but a future 'bringing out' is implied. However…"
And here’s the truly beautiful part. God doesn't leave it there. He adds, "In this world I shall bring them in, and in the world to come I will plant them as a true plant which shall not be plucked up out of their land." promise. Despite the initial "bringing out," there's an ultimate promise of permanence, a deep rooting in the land. This promise echoes throughout Jewish scripture. As we find in Amos 9:15, "And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God." This is a covenant, an unbreakable bond.
And it concludes with a resounding declaration, mirroring the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:18) from which Moses drew his initial plea: "The Lord shall reign for ever and ever."
So what do we take away from this? It's a layered lesson, really. On one level, it highlights the immense power of our words, particularly in prayer. The very phrasing can have far-reaching consequences. But more profoundly, it speaks to the enduring nature of God's promise to the Jewish people. Even in times of exile and displacement, the promise of a return, a replanting, remains steadfast. A hope for a future where they will be rooted, unshakeable, and eternally connected to the land. It’s a reminder that even when things seem temporary, a deeper, more permanent reality is always within reach.