Ki Tavo: Cradled in Trust

שְׂאִֽי־סָבִ֤יב עֵינַ֙יִךְ֙ וּרְאִ֔י כֻּלָּ֖ם נִקְבְּצ֣וּ בָֽאוּ־לָ֑ךְ בָּנַ֙יִךְ֙ מֵרָח֣וֹק יָבֹ֔אוּ וּבְנֹתַ֖יִךְ עַל־צַ֥ד תֵּאָמַֽנָה׃

Raise your eyes and look about, they have all gathered and are going home to you. Your sons will come home from afar and your daughters will be nurtured at your side. 

This expressive posuk describes the arrival home of the myriads of people, the sons and daughters of our nation. Gathered from afar, the estranged children will be embraced as they gather into the apron folds of their mother nation, Yisrael.  

Rav Shimon Schwab, in his commentary on Yeshayahu, explores the root of the word Emunah, faith. He shares an insight proffered by Rav Shamshon Rafael Hirsch, who suggests that Emunah comes from the word אֹמֵ֜ן, a nurse or nurturer, as seen in the Purim megillah when Mordechai is described as, וַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה, and he nurtured Hadassah.  

This image evokes the trust of a young child, cradled in his mother’s arms. A child held close never doubts the parent’s ability to protect. Rav Hirsch explains that this trust is the essence of Emunah. Just as a child relies on a caregiver, we seek to develop that same unwavering reliance on Hashem throughout our lives. This profound bond of dependency is the foundation of our faith.

In our Haftorah, this posuk describes the return of the Jewish people, that we will be nurtured at the side of Hashem when we return from exile. As we approach Elul, we aim to tap into this kind of faith—a faith that is grounded in Emunah—as we embark on our Yamim Noraim journey. Just as children are cradled close, secure in their protector’s arms, we yearn to return to Hashem with the same unwavering trust.