Chapter I

הוי כי גדול היום ההוא מאין כמוהו
ועת צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע

"Oh, how great is that day. There is none like it. It is a time of trouble for Yaakov [the Jews], but he shall be delivered through it."1

This "great day" refers to the last stage of exile, when the war of Gog and Magog is waged. It is a time of trouble for Jews, but this period is the cause of our true salvation, which will manifest itself in the complete Geulah. Talmud Yerushalmi,2 discussing the Redemption, cites the views of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua concerning the means by which G-d will bring it about.

Rabbi Eliezer is of the opinion that what will end the exile and bring about the Redemption is teshuvah, and that as long as the Jews do not repent, they will remain in exile, as it is written:3 בשובה ונחת תושעון "through repentance... you will be saved."

Rabbi Yehoshua's opinion is that the Redemption will come when the Divinely decreed limit of exile is reached.

Rabbi Yehoshua asked Rabbi Eliezer: "What will happen if, G-d forbid, the Jews never repent? Will they then never be redeemed?"

Rabbi Eliezer answered: "In that case, G-d will subject them to the authority of a wicked ruler such as Haman, and they will perforce repent. Then G-d will redeem them, as it is written: ועת
צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע "It will be a time of trouble for Yaakov, but he shall be delivered through it." For the Redemption, maintained Rabbi Eliezer, can only come about through repentance, so G-d will bring about the circumstances which will lead Jews to repentance. The Redemption through our righteous Moshiach will then come about.

The Rambam states:4 "All the prophets spoke of the necessity of repentance, and Jews will be redeemed only through repentance."

Indeed, G-d promises in the Torah that the Jews will repent in the final period of the exile, and that He will then redeem them. This, then, is the meaning of ועת צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע , that the trouble, G-d forbid, during the end of exile is not only a punishment for the past, but also a cause of ultimate good, the complete Redemption.

This is the meaning of וממנה יושע , that the true salvation and Redemption will come about through(i.e. by means of)the "time of trouble."

In summary: According to R. Eliezer, the complete Redemption with Moshiach will come as a result of repentance; according to R. Yehoshua, it will come about simply because the time of redemption has arrived. The Rambam notes that G-d assured us in the Torah that during the final period of exile, the Jews will be compelled to repent, and will then be redeemed.