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During the exile, the Jewish people were compared to a widow whose home had been destroyed. Just as the widow’s husband could not be brought to life, it seemed the Jewish people could not possibly return to their homeland. Nevertheless, God promised the Jews He would redeem them: “For you shall spread out to the right and the left; Your offspring shall dispossess nations and shall people the desolate towns. Fear not, you shall not be shamed; do not cringe, you shall not be disgraced. For you shall forget the reproach of your youth, and remember no more the shame of your widowhood” (Isaiah 54:3-4). The Sages formulated a blessing for the fulfillment of this prophecy, to be recited on homes built in Israel after the return from exile: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who establishes the border of the widow.”
In the early days of Jewish resettlement of the Land, this blessing was recited on every new town. But now, God has been so good to us that massive numbers of Jews fill the Shfela (the foothills of south-central Israel). The days of exile and desolation have been forgotten, so the blessing is no longer recited in such areas of Israel.
However, this is not the case in areas still not fully settled by Jews. In Judea and Samaria, for example, concerted efforts to fulfill the mitzva of settling the Land are still necessary. In such areas, when one sees a Jewish settlement not seen for thirty days, one should recite the blessing even if one has been there before. A diaspora Jew visiting Israel for the first time who becomes emotional upon seeing how it has been built up, can say “Who establishes the border of the widow” even upon seeing Israel’s major cities.
