Redemption From Galus Itself

בפסוק אם יהי' נדחך בקצה השמים כו' משם יקבצך ה"א ומשם כו'

On the pasuk, "If your dispersed ones be at the ends of the heavens... from there Hashem your God will gather you, and from there..." (Devarim 30:4).

The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk in Nitzavim describing how, even if Bnei Yisrael are scattered to the farthest reaches, Hashem will gather them back in.

לכאורה משם מיותר

On the face of it, the word "from there" appears superfluous.

He notes a textual difficulty: the phrase "from there" seems redundant once the pasuk has already said Hashem will gather them.

רק הפי' כי מאותן המקומות בעצמם ימצא לנו התיקון בעזרת הש"י אם נתחזק לקדש שמו ית'

Rather, the meaning is that from those very places themselves our rectification will be found for us, with the help of Hashem, if we strengthen ourselves to sanctify His Name, may He be blessed.

His answer is that the very places of exile become the source of the tikkun: precisely there, if we strengthen ourselves to sanctify Hashem's Name, the rectification is found.

גם בהיותינו שפלים כדורותינו עתה יעלו מעשינו לפניו ית' לחן ויקבץ נדחינו ויקחנו אליו ית'

Even while we are lowly, as in our generations now, our deeds will ascend before Him, may He be blessed, to find favor, and He will gather in our dispersed ones and take us close to Him, may He be blessed.

Even in a lowly, diminished generation, that avodah of being mekadesh Shem Shamayim lifts our deeds up before Hashem so that He gathers in the dispersed and draws us close.

כן יהי רצון בב"א:

So may it be His will, speedily in our days, amen.

He closes with a tefillah that this geulah should come speedily.

Summary: The Sfas Emes examines the pasuk in Nitzavim that promises Hashem will gather in Bnei Yisrael even from the farthest ends of the heavens, and he asks why the Torah repeats the word "from there." He explains that this teaches a profound point: the very places of galus, the lowest and most distant locations, are themselves the source of our tikkun. When Bnei Yisrael strengthen themselves there to sanctify the Name of Hashem, that avodah transforms those places of exile into the wellspring of redemption. Even in a lowly generation like ours, this kiddush Hashem causes our deeds to ascend before Hashem and find favor, so that He gathers in the dispersed and draws us close to Him. He concludes with a heartfelt tefillah that this geulah arrive speedily in our days.