R. Hiya discoursed on the verses: Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen; thus saith the Lord that made thee and formed thee from the womb, who will help thee: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, and thou Jeshurun, whom I have chosen (Is. 44, 1-2). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘how God has promised Israel in many places to make them worthy of the world to come, as He has not chosen for his portion any other people or language, but only Israel. It was for this purpose that He gave them the Torah of truth, by whose means they may live virtuously and learn the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, so that they may inherit the Holy Land; for whoever is thought worthy of the Holy Land has a portion in the world to come. So Scripture says: “Thy people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land for ever” (Ibid. 60, 21).
Jacob is called “my servant” because sometimes he is like a servant who has orders from his master and is eager to execute his will. We read elsewhere: “the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel” (Ibid. 43, 1), and in the above verse we read: “Thus saith the Lord that made thee.” We have thus herein the terms “crested”, “formed”, and “made”, which represent different grades, one above the other, but which all are essentially one.
Happy the portion of Israel in whom the Holy One, blessed be He, finds delight above all the nations who worship idols, of which it is written: “They are vanity, a work of delusion; in the time of their visitation they shall perish” (Jer. 10, 15). That will come to pass on the day when God will destroy them from the world, so that He alone will remain, as it says: “And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day” (Is. 2, 11).’
רִבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (ישעיהו מ״ה:א׳) וְעַתָּה שְׁמַע יַעֲקֹב עַבְדִּי וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בָּחַרְתִּי בוֹ. כֹּה אָמַר יְיָ עֹשֶׂךָ וְיֹצֶרְךָ מִבֶּטֶן יַעַזְרֶךָּ אַל תִּירָא עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב וִישֻׁרוּן בָּחַרְתִּי בוֹ. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה אַבְטַח לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכַמָּה אֲתַר (ד"א ל"ג בגין) לְמִזְכֵּי לְהוּ לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי, דְּהָא לָא אִתְרָעֵי לְחוּלָקֵיהּ לְכָל עַם וְלִישָׁן בַּר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בִּלְחוֹדוֹי. וּבְגִין כָּךְ יָהַב לוֹן אוֹרַיְיתָא דִקְשׁוֹט. לְמִזְכֵּי בָּהּ וּלְמִנְדַע אָרְחוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגִין דְּיִרְתוּן אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא. דְּכָל מַאן דְּזָכֵי בְּהַאי אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, אִית לֵיהּ חוּלָקָא לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיהו ס׳:כ״א) וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים לְעוֹלָם יִרְשׁוּ אָרֶץ. וְהָא אִתְּמָר.
R. Hiya discoursed on the verses: Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen; thus saith the Lord that made thee and formed thee from the womb, who will help thee: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, and thou Jeshurun, whom I have chosen (Is. 44, 1-2). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘how God has promised Israel in many places to make them worthy of the world to come, as He has not chosen for his portion any other people or language, but only Israel. It was for this purpose that He gave them the Torah of truth, by whose means they may live virtuously and learn the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, so that they may inherit the Holy Land; for whoever is thought worthy of the Holy Land has a portion in the world to come. So Scripture says: “Thy people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land for ever” (Ibid. 60, 21).
תְּלַת דַּרְגִּין הָכָא, בְּקַדְמִיתָא יַעֲקֹב, וּלְבָתַר יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּלְבָתַר יְשׁוּרוּן. תָּא חֲזֵי, יַעֲקֹב הָא אוּקְמוּהָ. יִשְׂרָאֵל אוּף הָכִי נָמֵי. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּדַרְגִּין אִינוּן חַד.
Now, in the verses above quoted three grades are mentioned: first Jacob, then Israel, and finally Jeshurun. Jacob and Israel have been explained.
יְשׁוּרוּן, אַמַּאי אִקְרוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּשְׁמָא דָא. אֶלָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל וִישׁוּרוּן כֹּלָּא חַד. יְשׁוּרוּן, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (איוב ל״ג:כ״ז) יָשֹׁר עַל אֲנָשִׁים, בְּגִין דְּנָטִיל שׁוּרָה לְהַאי סִטְרָא וּלְהַאי סִטְרָא, וּבְגִין אִינוּן תְּרֵין שׁוּרִין אִקְרֵי יְשׁוּרוּן, וְדָא הוּא יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Jeshurun suggests the word shur (row, side) and indicates that he has his rank on this side and on the other.
יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל דְּנָטִיל רְבוּ וְתוּקְפָא מִכֹּלָּא. יִשְׂרָאֵל (ס"א ישורון) עַל אִינוּן חוּלָקֵי תְּרֵין סִטְרִין תְּרִין שׁוּרִין כְּדְקָא אֲמָרָן, וְכֹלָּא חַד.
The three names, though representing different grades, are really the same.
וְאִינוּן שְׁמָהָן כֻּלְּהוּ סָלְקֵי לְחַד. יַעֲקֹב עַבְדִּי, זִמְנִין דְּאִיהוּ עֶבֶד כְּעַבְדָא דְּאִית לֵיהּ פִּקּוּדָא דְמָארֵיהּ וּלְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתֵיהּ. וְכֵן יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּחַרְתִּי בוֹ, לְאַשְׁרָאָה עֲלֵיהּ, וְכֹלָּא בְּרָזָא עִלָּאָה אִיהוּ. כְּתִיב, (ישעיהו מ״ג:א׳) בֹּרַאֲךָ יַעֲקֹב וְיֹצֶרְךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּכְתִיב כֹּה אָמַר יְיָ עֹשֶׂךָ, כָּל אִלֵּין דַּרְגִּין סָלְקִין לְחַד וְהָא אִתְּמָר, בּוֹרֵ"א, יוֹצֵ"ר. עוֹשֶׂ"ה. וְכֻלְּהוּ דַרְגִּין אִלֵּין עַל אִלֵּין וְכֻלְּהוּ חַד.
Jacob is called “my servant” because sometimes he is like a servant who has orders from his master and is eager to execute his will. We read elsewhere: “the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel” (Ibid. 43, 1), and in the above verse we read: “Thus saith the Lord that made thee.” We have thus herein the terms “crested”, “formed”, and “made”, which represent different grades, one above the other, but which all are essentially one.
זַכָּאָה חוּלַקְהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בְּהוּ מִכָּל עַמִין עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת, בְּגִין דְּבְכֻלְּהוּ כְּתִיב, (ירמיהו י׳:ט״ו) הֶבֶל הֵמָּה מַעֲשֵׂה תַּעְתֻּעִים בְּעֵת פְּקֻדָּתָם יֹאבֵדוּ, בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא זַמִּין לְבַעֲרָא לוֹן מִן עַלְמָא, וְיִשְׁתָּאַר הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיהו ב׳:י״א) וְנִשְׂגָּב יְיָ לְבַדּוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא.
Happy the portion of Israel in whom the Holy One, blessed be He, finds delight above all the nations who worship idols, of which it is written: “They are vanity, a work of delusion; in the time of their visitation they shall perish” (Jer. 10, 15). That will come to pass on the day when God will destroy them from the world, so that He alone will remain, as it says: “And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day” (Is. 2, 11).’