We are in Perek Shira, studying the songs of creation, and
today's song is the song of the wind, from Yeshaya 43,6:
רוח אומר אֹמַ֤ר לַצָּפוֹן֙ תֵּ֔נִי וּלְתֵימָ֖ן אַל־תִּכְלָ֑אִי הָבִ֤יאִי בָנַי֙ מֵרָח֔וֹק וּבְנוֹתַ֖י מִקְצֵ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ׃
The wind says, God tells the Tzafon/northern wind, 'Give; and to the Teiman/southern wind, 'Do not stop; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the other end of the world.'"
Rashi says, this is talking about the in-gatherings of the exiles. To the northern wind, which is a weaker wind, it says give, and to the southern wind, which is a stronger wind, it simply says don't stop. We don't have to give it any extra motivation. Similarly, in Shir HaShirim, it says Uri Tzafon U'Voi Teman. The Tzafon/northern wind, we must arouse, and to the Teiman/southern wind, we just say, come, for the same reason. That's the simple explanation- the wind is singing a song, and eventually it will be responsible for bringing the Jews from exile.
But the Hida has a deeper explanation, which he cites three times: Once in his commentary on Perek Shira, another time in his commentary Chomat Anach, on our Pasuk in Yeshaya מג,ו, and also in his commentary on Shir HaShirim ד,טזin the pasuk Uri Tzafon. So the Hida is very excited with this explanation. He quotes a Yalkut Reuveni, page 114, that tells us that when we pray every day, our requests are immediately answered by God. God sends it down. The only problem is, customs is in the way. There's a Bet Din in the Tzafon/ north (the north symbolizes justice and challenges), as it says in the pasuk, "The prophet says, from the Tzafon/north, evil will come" (referring to the Babylonians that came from the north). So in the northern side there is a Bet Din. If you don't deserve it, you're not going to get it, and all of those goods are confiscated by customs. Imagine the new car you asked for- it's there, but it got stopped by customs, and it's sitting there for a very long time.
Until when? Until the times of Mashiach. And then, we will tell the northern wind, "Give us the goods. Give us all those items that have been seized by customs. Release them now to the sadikim that will partake from them in the future.
That's what it means to say to the northern wind, "Give,"give your goods out. And in the sefer Chomat Anach, he says, that's what the Pasuk means, How much is the good that you have hidden for those that fear you? Tzafanta means hidden. But it can also be Tzafon/the north , because the northern side is where everything is tzafun/hidden.
We want those hidden requests. This is a tremendous chidush in prayer. When they say, no prayer is lost, it's very true. The prayer was answered. The goods are there. They just got stopped by customs.
Tzafun may sound familiar because on the night of the Seder, we have Tzafun, when we hide the Afikoman. One of the reasons we hide it is to hint to this concept of the hidden treasures/Tzafun, that are waiting for us in the future. That's a slightly mystical explanation.
The Midrashic explanation says that in Midrash Rabba in Esther 2,15, where it tells us that Achashverosh tried to make everybody happy. To which Hashem says, I, Kal V'yachol, have difficulty making everyone happy. And now you want to make everyone happy? For example, he says, two men want to marry the same lady but they can't. If two boats are traveling in different directions., how do I satisfy them both? If two people come to be judged, you can't make them both happy. That, he says, is in Olam Hazeh. You can't have a northern wind and a southern wind coexisting and working things out.
But in the future, by Kibbutz Galuyot, , Hashem says, I'm going to bring a wind from two different directions. And that's what it means that,
אֹמַ֤ר לַצָּפוֹן֙ תֵּ֔נִי וּלְתֵימָ֖ן אַל־תִּכְלָ֑אִי When I bring children back, I'm going to be able to do it in wondrous ways.
But it sounds like even in Olam Hazeh, the Midrash says, God does the will of those that fear Him.
That means even though there might be conflicting wills, God can make them both happy .
When praying for the government. it says Hanoten Tishua L'Melachim/ the One who gives salvation to the kings and gives control to the princes, His kingdom is forever (referring to God); Who saved David Hamelech from an evil sword? The One that creates a path in the sea, and in harsh waters, a path. He should bless our leader. The question is asked, What does creating a path in the ocean have to do with blessing the king? It doesn't seem to be analogous. The answer is based on the story where a certain king asked Rav Yitzhak of Volozhin, "You Jews pray. But there are Jews in France, and there are Jews in Germany. If France and Germany are at war, and each one's praying for the success of their country, how does your God work that
out?" He answered, "At sea, when one person wants to go north and one person wants to go south, God is able to work it out."
So too, Hashem could work it out so that both kings being happy. And that's what it means that just like God makes the two sailors get to where they have to go, He can get the two countries to work it out together.
Which brings us back to our pasukאומר אֹמַ֤ר לַצָּפוֹן֙ תֵּ֔נִי וּלְתֵימָ֖ן אַל־תִּכְלָ֑אִיGod has the ability to work out seemingly contradictory requests. Everything will work out whether it's in this world, like we just said, or it's in the time to come.
This is the song of the wind.