שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת בְּשׁוּב ה' אֶת שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן הָיִינוּ כְּחֹלְמִים

A song of ascents. When the Lord brings about the return to Zion, we will realize that all along we were like dreamers. The commentaries, from the time of the Talmud onward, interpret the phrase “we were like dreamers” as describing not the time of redemption, which will seem to be the fulfillment of a dream, but rather the time of exile, which is “dreamlike” in the sense that it is abnormal, even nightmarish. When we dream, we perceive the dream to be actual reality that is coherent and meaningful, despite its many distortions. Similarly, the time of exile incorporates distortions that seem normal, such as those regarding the relationship in exile between ruler and ruled, or between truth and lies. It is only with redemption, when we are restored to a true, non-distorted state of being, that we come to an awareness of how dreamlike our entire exilic existence actually was.

אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה אָז יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם הִגְדִּיל ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם אֵלֶּה

Then our mouths will be filled with laughter, and our tongues with song. The emphasis here is on “filled.” While we certainly do laugh even when in exile, our laughter is always tempered by the knowledge that there are many problems in the world, and we are in a situation that constrains joy. Only with redemption will we be able to laugh wholeheartedly, without a trace of sadness. In addition, then the nations will say: The Lord has done great things for them. Even people from distant lands will speak about our redemption as a remarkable and unprecedented event.

הִגְדִּיל ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים

And at that time, we too will be able to say that the Lord has done great things for us. He has done more for us than we deserve; His deliverance has exceeded our wildest expectations. Then we will be able to exclaim that we are joyful in the fullest sense.

שׁוּבָה ה' אֶת שְׁבִיתֵנוּ כַּאֲפִיקִים בַּנֶּגֶב

Lord, bring about our return, like riverbeds in the Negev. This situation is likened to that of a farmer sowing his seeds:

הַזֹּרְעִים בְּדִמְעָה בְּרִנָּה יִקְצֹרוּ

Those who sow, toil in tears. Sowing seeds is hard work that requires tremendous effort, and it is invariably accompanied by anxiety: Will the seeds bear fruit? But when harvest time comes, with joyous song they reap.

הָלוֹךְ יֵלֵךְ וּבָכֹה נֹשֵׂא מֶשֶׁךְ הַזָּרַע בֹּא יָבֹא בְרִנָּה נֹשֵׂא אֲלֻמֹּתָיו

He who weeps as he walks to and fro, bearing his sack of seed, which the farmer scatters with a certain amount of trepidation, as the seeds could have been, and perhaps should have been, used for food rather than having them decompose in the ground. In the end, however, he indeed returns in joyous song, this time too, bearing a burden, but now he carries his sheaves of bounteous harvest in his arms.