The closing stage of this long exile, ikvesa diMeshicha, is being painfully prolonged, yet Mashiach, the son of David, has still not arrived to signal the Redemption of our people.

A hint of this may be perceived in a certain phrase in the Book of Tehillim, higdil alai eikev. It refers to one of the enemies of David HaMelech, and its plain meaning is understood by Rashi to mean, "He has made a great ambush against me." However, the word eikev, here translated "ambush", also means "heel", and may thus be seen as an allusion to ikvesa deMishiacha -- "the footsteps of Mashiach." Understood in this sense, the phrase can be heard to echo the above plaint: "He [i.e., G-d] is making the ikvesa so long!"