229. Rabbi Yitzchak said, When we sit before Rabbi Shimon, everything is said openly before him and we have no need for all this, THAT IS, THEY DO NOT NEED TO CONCEAL ANYTHING THERE UNDER NAMES AND TERMS. He said to him, Rabbi Shimon is not like other men, who are all before him like the other prophets before Moses. While they were walking Rabbi Chiya said, It is written, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" (Yeshayah 49:15). This verse has been explained. Yet here, IN AN INNER SENSE, what does it mean? He said to him, If in the gathering of the friends we were not supported IN INTERPRETING THIS VERSE, what could we say?

230. He said to him, I have heard a voice that hinted to me about the interpretation of the verse, one day, when I was walking on the way. But I knew not who said it, and I do not understand it. Come and see, for seven days I have been ill because of that and ate nothing. Now that I am going to the Holy Luminary so he will tell me, I may remember. RABBI YITZCHAK said to him, It could have been on the very day Rabbi Elazar was going to his father-in-law. I accompanied him that day, and now have remembered it.

231. Come and see, thus said Rabbi Elazar in the name of his father. Yisrael said before the Holy One, blessed be He, ever since we fell into exile, the Holy One, blessed be He, left us in exile and forgot us. This is the meaning of, "But Zion said, Hashem has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me" (Ibid. 14). The Shechinah said, "Can a woman forget her sucking child." For Yisrael are considered children, as it is written, "You are the children of Hashem your Elohim"(Devarim 14:1), AND HOW COULD THEY BE FORGOTTEN. "that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb" resembles, "And I have planted you a noble vine, an entirely right seed" (Yirmeyah 2:21). "even these may forget" (Yeshayah 49:15), as in, "These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth" (Beresheet 2:4), "yet I will not forget you" (Yeshayah 49:15). From this we derive that the Holy One, blessed be He, never leaves Yisrael.

232. He also says that, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" is a lofty secret, which the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'These things are connected with My name.' Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, does not forget His name, which is everything, so does the Holy One, blessed be He, not forget Yisrael, because they are truly attached to His name. Rabbi Chiya trembled and said, Surely these are the words I HEARD BUT FORGOT. Blessed be the Holy One, blessed be He, that I have met you and knew it, and also knew from whom I heard it.

233. Come and see, on the same day I HEARD THIS VOICE THAT INDICATED TO ME THIS EXPLANATION, I ran four miles but didn't find who SAID IT. RABBI YITZCHAK said to him, This is because we went into a cave and Rabbi Elazar rested there an hour. Rabbi Chiya recited about him these verses, NAMELY, OF THE TIME HE MERITED TO BE WITH RABBI ELAZAR IN THE CAVE, "Then shall your light break forth like the morning...Then shall you call, and Hashem shall answer" (Yeshayah 58:8-9), "then shall you delight yourself in Hashem..." (Ibid. 14).