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The gemara here says that Yirmiyah and Daniel were not able to call G-d by the full list of descriptions used by Moshe Rabbeinu in Parshas Ekev: האל הגדול הגבור והנורא. Yirmiyah's reason was, "Non-Jews are crashing about in his Temple - where is his Fearfulness?" But Ezra and the Anshei Knesses Hagadol brought that description back: "This is his Fearfulness! Without fear of him, how could one little nation survive in exile among all those nations?"
This reminds me of something I heard from R' Feivel Cohen shlit"a in the name of his son R' Binyamin. We say in the Musaf of Yom Tov, "Your great and holy name with which you called us." And, "The great and holy house on which your name is called." His name is on the Beis Hamikdash, and on us. Therefore, please Hashem... "return and have mercy on us, and on your Mikdash"...
It says in Parshas Ki Savo, "All the nations of the world shall see that the name of Hashem is called on you [Israel], and they shall fear you." The name of Hashem ought to bring about fear. So Yirmiyah couldn't understand it: how could the nations be crashing about in the Beis Hamikdash - his name was on it, where is his fear?
But the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah understood that in the bechinah of golus, Hashem's name only remains on his nation - that's where you can see his fear today.
[I'm wondering, by the way, if this applies even if the nations feel none of the fear. The fact remains that they cannot harm Israel or destroy it; that is in itself a manifestation of Hashem's fearfulness, whatever the reason.]
This reminds me of something I heard from R' Feivel Cohen shlit"a in the name of his son R' Binyamin. We say in the Musaf of Yom Tov, "Your great and holy name with which you called us." And, "The great and holy house on which your name is called." His name is on the Beis Hamikdash, and on us. Therefore, please Hashem... "return and have mercy on us, and on your Mikdash"...
It says in Parshas Ki Savo, "All the nations of the world shall see that the name of Hashem is called on you [Israel], and they shall fear you." The name of Hashem ought to bring about fear. So Yirmiyah couldn't understand it: how could the nations be crashing about in the Beis Hamikdash - his name was on it, where is his fear?
But the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah understood that in the bechinah of golus, Hashem's name only remains on his nation - that's where you can see his fear today.
[I'm wondering, by the way, if this applies even if the nations feel none of the fear. The fact remains that they cannot harm Israel or destroy it; that is in itself a manifestation of Hashem's fearfulness, whatever the reason.]
