The Zohar Hakadosh suggests a special meaning for this phrase. Instead of the word ,ukfkw “to obliterate,” he reads it as the word vkfw “bride,” drawing the following analogy. A wealthy man was seen walking through a very poor section of a hostile land. When questioned regarding his whereabouts, he responded that he was searching for his bride-to-be. Indeed, when she appeared, the whole street took on a different appearance in his eyes. Even the air took on a sweet fragrance for him. So, too, Hashem will not reject us when, like an impatient bride, we await Him during our exile in strange lands.
