והיו למשיסה שאותיך ורחקו כל מבעלעיך
V’hayu limshissah shosayich, v’rochaku kol mevalayich
Those who swallowed you will become prey; and those who sought to harm you will be driven far away.
The stirring words of Lecha Dodi lead us stanza by stanza toward the time in which we can enjoy the ultimate Redemption. Up until this verse (v’hayu limshissah shosayich), every step has been positive; rebuilding Yerushalayim; the return of the Shechinah; Melech haMoshiach; and Klal Yisrael uniting with Hashem. Shabbos as mei’ein Olam Habbah, having a taste of the World-to-Come, occurs when we experience this feeling weekly. To be complete, Redemption must rid itself of the evil that continues to exist, to fester, that will do anything to impugn the integrity and the hopes intrinsic to the Redemption. Thus, this stanza turns to the necessary clearing, expungement of the evil, the cleansing of the world of those who persecute and subjugate, in order for the brightness of light to shine fully. The darkness created by these elements must be eradicated. This act of vengeance is not one of hatred, but of necessity. Goodness can flourish only when evil is extirpated.
We can derive from here a lesson concerning personal redemption. You cannot have it both ways. In order to grow spiritually, to achieve a positive level of avodas ha’kodesh, we must first allocate true energy toward “clean up,” expunging the negative within us. All the negative habits, influences, practices, take a toll on our positive, upward growth. Redemption, salvation is not only about going forward. If one does not remove what hinders him from behind, he can hardly go forward. It is all part of the process.
