THAT THOU MAYEST LIVE. Physically or in memory. Scripture explains that life is to love.

(1) ושב ה' אלהיך את שבותך THEN THE LORD THY GOD WILL TURN THY CAPTIVITY — To express this idea it ought to have written והשיב את שבותך, “then He will bring back thy captivity”. But our Rabbis learned from this that, if one can say so of God, His Divine presence dwells with Israel in all the misery of their exile, so that when they are redeemed (i.e. when He speaks of their being redeemed), He makes Scripture write “Redemption” of Himself (i.e. He makes it state that He will be redeemed) — that He will return with them (Megillah 29a). Furthermore the following may be said in explaining the strange form ושב ... את, — that the day of the gathering of the exiles is so important and is attended with such difficulty that it is as though He (God) Himself must actually seize hold of each individual’s hands dragging him from his place (so that God Himself returns with the exile), as it is said, (Isaiah 27:12) “And ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel”. We find, however, the same expression in connection with the gathering of the exiles of other nations also, as e.g. (Jeremiah 48:47): ושבתי שבות מואב "And I shall bring back the exiles of Moab".

ומל ה׳ אלוקיך את לבבך, And the Lord your G'd will circumcise your heart, etc." In view of the Torah already having described the Israelites as having done תשובה why would G'd have to circumcise their hearts? Besides, what does the Torah mean in verse 8 ואתה תשוב ושמעת בקול השם, "and you will return and hearken to the voice of G'd?" This seems to contradict the statement in verse 2? Moreover, the words ואתה תשוב after G'd has circumcised our hearts make no sense at all. What can still be lacking in the process of penitence once G'd has circumcised our hearts?

ערלת לבבכם [YE SHALL CIRCUMCISE] THE FORESKIN OF YOUR HEART — This means: ye shall remove the closure and cover that is on your hearts, [which prevent My words gaining entrance to them] (cf. Rashi on Exodus 6:12 and Leviticus 19:23).

FOR THIS COMMANDMENT. The meaning thereof is that it refers to the entire Torah. But the correct interpretation is that when he refers to the entire Torah, he says [as above] Every commandment which I command thee this day. Rather [the expression used here] this commandment refers to [the commandment of] repentance aforementioned, for the verses, and thou shalt bethink thyself;and thou shalt return unto the Eternal thy G-d constitute a commandment, wherein he commands us to do so. It is stated in a future tense [rather than in the imperative] to suggest, in the form of a pledge, that it is destined [that Israel will repent]. And the sense thereof is to state that if thy outcasts be in the uttermost parts of heaven and you are under the power of the nations, you can yet return to G-d and do according to all that I command thee this day, for the thing is not hard, nor far off from you, but rather very nigh unto thee to do it at all times and in all places. This is the sense of the expression, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it meaning that they confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers by word of their mouth, and return in their heart to G-d and accept the Torah upon themselves this day to perform it throughout the generations, as he mentioned, thou and thy children with all thy heart, as I have explained.

When they return, the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה will be with them, as it states, ‘Then HaShem-יהו״ה your God will return with your captivity and have mercy upon you, and He will gather you in from all the peoples to which HaShem-יהו״ה your God, has scattered you.’” As our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The verse does not state ‘He will bring back-v’Heishiv-והשיב’ but states, ‘He will return-v’Shav-ושב.’ This teaches us that the Holy One, blessed is He, will return with them from the exiles.” Similarly, the verse states, “From Lebanon, come with Me, My bride.”

{“Then God your Lord will return et shevutekha (your captivity) and have mercy upon you, and He will bring you back together from all the peoples to which God your Lord has scattered you” (Deuteronomy 30:3) .} This is as it is written, “Then God your Lord will return”——“et SheVuTkha”—TeShuVah (repentance)>—and so “have mercy upon you,” because [your] daat is whole. This is as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught concerning the verse “nor has he gone into exile” (Jeremiah 48:11)—anything that is in its place, its daat is whole (Megillah 12b).

This then is “tashuv hey tataah,” returning the latter hey from its state of exile. “G–d will return those of you who return,” meaning with those who return. Our Sages have commented on this verse, “He shall bring back is not said….”

He further expounded the verse: “Salvation is the Lord’s; thy blessing be upon thy people” (Ps. 3, 9). ‘We have learnt’, he said, ‘that wherever Israel go into exile the Shekinah goes with them. When, therefore, they will come forth from captivity, who will be delivered? Israel or God? The answer is given in the verse, “Salvation is the Lord’s”. And when will this be? When “thy blessing is upon thy people, selah”, to take them out of captivity and deal well with them.’

Then the Holy One, blessed be He, answers them: “I have not forgotten My guardianship, for I will yet receive Her and be with Her.” “The morning has come”, for at first He ascended aloft to that morning which is ever ready for Him. Now it is time to be joined to “the night”. The night, too, is ready, but for your sakes it has been delayed. And if you ask why, the answer is, “Return”, to wit, in repentance, and then “come to Me” and we shall all place ourselves in a row and return to our place, as it is written, “And the Lord thy God will return with thy captivity and will return and gather thee from all the peoples.” The word “return” occurs here twice-once referring to the Holy One, blessed be He, and once to the Community of Israel.”