Etz Yosef Re'eh V'Anyeinu

סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת מנחה, עמידה, גאולה

(א כִּי גּוֹאֵל חָזָק אָֽתָּה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה גּוֹאֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל:

(ב)(בתענית ציבור אומר כאן הש"ץ עֲנֵֽנוּ)

Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Minchah, Amida, Redemption

(1) Look upon our affliction, and defend our cause: and redeem us speedily for the sake of Your Name; because You are a Mighty Redeemer. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Redeemer of Israel.

(2)(On Fast Days, the Chazzan says “Answer us” and concludes, “Blessed are ... Who responds at times of trouble.”)

רְאֵה בְעָנְיֵֽנוּ

Introduction:
In this blessing, we entreat Hashem to redeem us from the suffering of exile and to bring justice upon those who afflict us.

Exile, in Jewish understanding, is decreed as a means for us to atone for our transgressions. Its duration and severity are not random, but are measured by Hashem to correspond precisely to the weight of our sins.

The passuk tells us in Yeshaya:

ישעיהו נ׳:א׳

(א) כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יהוה אֵ֣י זֶ֠ה סֵ֣פֶר כְּרִית֤וּת אִמְּכֶם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ א֚וֹ מִ֣י מִנּוֹשַׁ֔י אֲשֶׁר־מָכַ֥רְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֖ם ל֑וֹ הֵ֤ן בַּעֲוֺנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם וּבְפִשְׁעֵיכֶ֖ם שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה אִמְּכֶֽם׃

Isaiah 50:1

(1)Thus said G-D: Where is the bill of divorce of your mother whom I dismissed?And which of My creditors was it towhom I sold you off? You were only sold off for your sins, and your mother dismissed for your crimes.

With this background, we find the intention of the first clause of this beracha:

Since the severity and duration of exile correspond precisely to the measure of our sins, we implore Hashem to consider the current circumstances of our exile and recognize that the cruelty inflicted by the nations exceeds what our sins alone would require.

We boldly cry out, “See that more than enough has been done—bid farewell to our anguish!”

וְרִיבָה רִיבֵֽנוּ

From the first clause of the beracha we see that there can be a gap between the nations fulfilling their divinely sanctioned role and their personal cruelty, driven by hatred and arrogance, inflicting suffering beyond what justice requires.

This tension sets the stage for the following clause in the beracha, where, after beseeching Hashem for our own respite from the cruelty, we turn our attention to the nations responsible for these injustices: “Fight our fight gainst these people who have misused their mission."

The idea of the nations corrupting their Divine mission of punishing Klal Yisrael is conveyed in the passuk in Zecharia that proclaims:

זכריה א׳:ט״ו

(טו) וְקֶ֤צֶף גָּדוֹל֙ אֲנִ֣י קֹצֵ֔ף עַל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם הַשַּֽׁאֲנַנִּ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ קָצַ֣פְתִּי מְּעָ֔ט וְהֵ֖מָּה עָזְר֥וּ לְרָעָֽה׃

Zechariah 1:15

(15) and I am very angry with those nations that are at ease; for I was only angry a little, but they overdid the punishment.

After the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdash, the Jewish people entered an exile prophesied to last seventy years, as foretold by Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah 25:11–12; 29:10). These seventy years are understood—following Zechariah’s words (Zechariah 1:12)—as spanning from the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE to its eventual rebuilding in 516 BCE.

Zechariah’s prophecy unfolds in the era following this devastation, in the early Persian period, around 520–518 BCE, when the exiles had returned, and the altar had been rebuilt. Yet, despite royal permission from Cyrus for the restoration, local adversaries and shifting Persian policies led to the suspension of Temple construction for nearly two decades, until the reign of Darius. During this interlude, the Persians and Medians were secure in the land, but rather than enabling restoration, they hindered the process through interference and bureaucratic delay.

Hashem’s message to Zechariah at this time was poignant: Though wrath had indeed been poured out upon Israel and the Temple destroyed, the era of punishment was over. However, foreign powers continued to obstruct Israel’s redemption, extending their interference far beyond what Divine justice required. Their actions represented an overreach—not just enforcing the decree, but intensifying and prolonging Israel’s suffering unnecessarily.

It is within this historical framework that Zechariah’s passuk emerges as a proof: the nations were culpable not merely for carrying out Divine will, but for abusing it through needless excess and cruelty.

(See Malbim to this passuk too who provides the historical context as well)

מלבי"ם על זכריה א׳:ט״ו:א׳

וקצף, ועתה אני קוצף קצף גדול על הגוים השאננים שהם מדי ופרס, שהגם שאין לי עליהם קנאה כי לא החריבו המקדש, יש לי עליהם קצף על מה שבטלו בנין הבית, אשר אני קצפתי מעט שהקצף שאני קוצף עתה על ישראל הוא מעט, כי הגיע זמן פקודתם, והמה עזרו לרעה, היינו מה שעזרו לצרי יהודה ובנימין שהשתדלו לבטל את הבנין והם קבלו דבריהם ונתנו פקידה להשבית בנינו וישראל עדיין בשעבוד ובבזה:

Malbim on Zechariah 1:15:1

...

וּגְאָלֵֽנוּ מְהֵרָה
The next clause of the beracha returns to the theme of the opening clause, bringing the focus back to our own plight of exile rather than vengeance from the nations. The plea here puts an emphasis on the urgency and our heartfelt longing for an immediate end to our suffering and the restoration of our people.

“Redeem us quickly!”, expresses this deep and urgent yearning.

לְמַֽעַן שְׁמֶֽךָ
Another tragic consequence of exile is the חילול השם — the desecration of Hashem’s Name in the world. Though less visible than physical suffering, it is equally real and severe, as we see emphasized in numerous pesukim.

In Yeshaya it is written

ישעיהו נ״ט:ט״ז

(טז) וַיַּרְא֙ כִּֽי־אֵ֣ין אִ֔ישׁ וַיִּשְׁתּוֹמֵ֖ם כִּ֣י אֵ֣ין מַפְגִּ֑יעַ וַתּ֤וֹשַֽׁע־לוֹ֙ זְרֹע֔וֹ וְצִדְקָת֖וֹ הִ֥יא סְמָכָֽתְהוּ׃

Isaiah 59:16

(16)[God] saw that there was nobody else,Gazing long, but no one intervened.Then God’s own arm did win triumph,The victorious right hand gave support.