By: Rabbi Noach Peled
Time to be a Waiter
Seven separate times in our daily שמונה עשרה we ask Hashem for the גאולה, in differing variations.
One of these is כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם. אֶת צֶמַח דָּוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה תַצְמִיחַ וְקַרְנוֹ תָּרוּם בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ. We ask that Mashiach ben Dovid emerge, כִּי – because we await Hashem’s salvation.
In the Shabbos morning קדושה we say מִמְּקוֹמְךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ תּוֹפִיעַ וְתִמְלוֹךְ עָלֵינוּ כִּי מְחַכִּים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ. We ask/say that Hashem will appear and rule over us, כִּי – because we are waiting for Him.
At first glance, the wording is difficult to understand. We ask Hashem to bring the geulah because we are waiting for it. But why should our waiting be the reason for Hashem to bring the geulah? If anything, the fact that we are still waiting simply means we obviously don’t yet deserve it. So why should our waiting be reason for it to emerge? Perhaps the answer lies in understanding what it truly means to be waiting.
In last week’s parsha (23:16), Rashi explained that after failing the first time, Bilam realized it’s not going to work – not only will he not be able to curse the Jews, he will be forced to bless us! Bilam wanted to sheepishly back out and disappear. But Hashem wouldn’t allow his escape, figuratively hooking his mouth (like a fish), leading him back to Balak, and forcing him to bless us.
The word Rashi uses for a hook is חַכָּה, (same as in Yeshaya 19:8 וְאָבְלוּ כׇּל־מַשְׁלִיכֵי בַיְאֹר חַכָּה וּפֹרְשֵׂי מִכְמֹרֶת עַל־פְּנֵי־מַיִם אֻמְלָלוּ וְדוֹגֵי בַּיְאֹר). The word חַכָּה – fishing hook, shares the same root as חִכָּה – to wait!
This is not coincidental. A fisherman’s hook is called חַכָּה not merely because he waits. A fisherman waits because he wants something. His waiting is not passive. It expresses longing, anticipation, and value. And when he finally feels that tug, the hook creates a connection between him and the fish.
Waiting reveals a connection between a person and that which he longs for. We only wait for things that truly matter to us.
Think about everyday life. People will gladly stand in line for hours to experience a ride at a theme park or to purchase tickets for a special event. Why? Because it is valuable to them. The amount of time a person is willing to wait reflects how important that goal is to him.
This idea explains our tefillah. When we say כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם, and כִּי מְחַכִּים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ, we are not merely informing Hashem that we have been waiting. Rather, we are declaring that the geulah is precious to us. We feel its absence. We yearn for a world in which Hashem's presence is fully revealed. Our waiting shows that the geulah is not a distant theological concept but a genuine desire which is most important to us, and occupies our hearts. Waiting means we are connected.
This also explains the famous Chazal "כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בשמחתה"—"Whoever mourns over Yerushalayim will merit to witness its rejoicing. Mourning is not simply sadness over the past. It expresses that we feel the loss and are waiting for it to be restored. We recognize that something essential is missing from our lives. Thus Chazal teach that one who genuinely longs for the rebuilding of Yerushalayim is thereby connected to Yerushalayim and will therefore ultimately share in its joy.
The Gemara (קידושין לא.) relates that a father asked his son for water. By the time the son returned, his father had fallen asleep. Rather than placing the cup on the table and leaving, the son remained standing with the water until his father awoke. Chazal praise him for this. But why? What was so extraordinary? The mitzvah had not yet been performed! Wasn’t he waiting his time?!
The answer is that the standing and waiting itself was an act of honoring his father. It showed he was willing to delay his own plans because serving his father mattered to him. His waiting revealed the depth of his commitment.
This is our avodah during the Three Weeks. We are not merely remembering a tragedy that occurred thousands of years ago. We are cultivating a genuine longing for the Beis HaMikdash and the complete revelation of Hashem's presence in the world, thereby becoming connected to it.
Waiting is not passive. Waiting is a declaration of what we honor and value. The more we truly await the geulah, the more deeply we connect ourselves to it.
May we merit to truly await Hashem's salvation, so we can honestly declare כִּי מְחַכִּים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ, and may Hashem answer that longing by bringing the final geulah במהרה בימינו.
Taken from the Kollel Avreichim Hollywood
