ד' למבול ישב וישב ד' מלך לעולם – Hashem la’mabul yashav va’Yeishev Hashem Melech l’Olam. Hashem sat [enthroned] at the Flood. Hashem sits [enthroned] as King Forever.
Chazal (Vayikra Rabbah 23) compare Klal Yisrael to a rose among thorns, in whose merit the king spared the entire orchard that had fallen into ruin. Likewise, Hashem spared the world during the Flood in the merit of Klal Yisrael – the rose among thorns. The obvious question is: Why did he keep the whole orchard when all the king wanted was the rose? Sifsei Tzaddik explains that, evidently, the orchard in some way contributed to the special rose. It did not grow in a vacuum. Without the orchard, the rose would not have thrived the way it did. Likewise concerning Klal Yisrael, as opposed to the idolatrous nations which surround us. While Klal Yisrael devotes itself to its spiritual ascendency, it cannot neglect its material needs. The gentile nations provide us with the infrastructure, such as food and clothing, for living in this world. Thus, their secondary significance, which represents the supportive role that grants them worthiness to continue in that position.
