Gradual buildup toward complete rectification

בפסוק ורדפו מכם חמשה מאה ומאה כו' רבבה.

On the verse, "And five of you shall pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you shall pursue ten thousand (revavah)…" (Vayikra 26:8).

The Sefas Emes takes up the blessing that promises a small number of Bnei Yisrael will rout a vastly larger enemy force.

פרש"י וכי כך החשבון.

Rashi asks: but is this the [proportional] reckoning?

Rashi notes the arithmetic does not match: if five chase a hundred (a ratio of one to twenty), then a hundred should chase only two thousand, not ten thousand. Why the disproportion?

ופשוט נראה ע"פ מ"ש ולאום מלאום יאמץ שע"י שרדפו חמשה מאה ניתן הכח לבנ"י ורודפין אח"כ מאה רבבה.

It appears simply, in light of the verse "and one nation shall prevail over the other" (Bereishis 25:23): that through the five pursuing a hundred, power was given to Bnei Yisrael, and afterward a hundred pursue ten thousand.

The disproportion is explained by a buildup of strength. Each victory adds power. When the few first triumph, Bnei Yisrael are strengthened, so that the larger group can then achieve a far greater, more-than-proportional rout.

וגם לפי פרש"י יתכן לפרש כן שכ' אין דומה מרובין העושין את המצוה.

And even according to Rashi it is fitting to explain so, for he writes, "Those who are many and perform the mitzvah are not comparable [to those who are few]."

Rashi's own answer — that a larger group fulfilling the mitzvah carries greater merit and power — fits this reading: strength grows as more join, producing a disproportionate result.

וקשה למה לא ירדפו מיד מאה רבבה.

But it is difficult: why should they not immediately pursue — a hundred chasing ten thousand from the start?

If the hundred ultimately have the power to rout ten thousand, why is the lesser stage of "five pursue a hundred" needed first? Why not begin at full strength?

רק שכפי מה שמאבדין את הרשעים יכולין הצדיקים להתאסף כראוי.

Rather, it is that in accordance with how much the wicked are destroyed, the tzaddikim are able to gather themselves together properly.

The process must be gradual because the destruction of the resha'im clears the way step by step. As evil is removed, the righteous can consolidate and unite as they should, building toward the greater victory.

והכל מדרגות זו אחר זו בכל אלה הברכות עד ואולך אתכם קוממיות שהוא תיקון כל הקומה של כללות בנ"י:

And all of this is a progression of levels, one after another, throughout all these blessings, until "and I shall lead you upright (komemiyus)" (Vayikra 26:13) — which is the complete rectification of the entire stature (komah) of the whole of Bnei Yisrael.

The blessings of the parsha form an ascending sequence, each stage enabling the next, culminating in being led "upright." This final komemiyus is the full tikkun of the collective "stature" of Klal Yisrael — the whole nation brought to its complete, upright form.

Summary: The disproportion in the blessing — five rout a hundred, but a hundred rout ten thousand — reflects a gradual buildup of strength: each victory empowers the next, and the larger group fulfilling the mitzvah carries more power. The stages cannot be skipped because the destruction of the wicked progressively clears the way for the tzaddikim to unite. This ascending sequence of blessings culminates in being led "upright" (komemiyus), the complete rectification of the entire stature of Klal Yisrael.