Tisha B'Av: End of Exile

[Chanan Morrison]

Tisha B'Av: End of Exile

There was once an important minister who had an insolent and rebelliousness son named Jack. When Jack’s behavior hit a new low, and he showed no signs of remorse, his father decided it was necessary to send  the young man away to a distant town.

And yet Jack was still his son. The minister made sure to quietly support the young man, secretly sending him money, so that he shouldn't starve.

As the weeks and months passed by, the minister became more and more agitated. He missed his son, and yet felt it would be the wrong thing to do to write him and invite him back. After all, Jack had behaved abominably, without any expression of regret or remorse. How could he rescind the punishment, when Jack had not indicated any desire to change? And yet he missed his son terribly, and was at a loss as to what to do.

A good friend of the minister understood what the minister was feeling, and agreed that it would be a mistake  to invite the young man back without any change on his part. 'But if you listen to my advice,' he told the minister, 'your son will come back on his own volition, without inviting him home.'

'How do you propose to accomplish that?'

'I know that your son is only getting by due to your financial support. Even though you do this quietly - perhaps even your son doesn't realize where the money is coming from - but everyone knows that you are helping him out. Otherwise, how else could he be supporting himself?

'As long as you keep sending him money, Jack will stay there, with his arrogance and insolence intact. But if you stop supporting him, he will have no choice. He will be forced to come back and ask for your forgiveness in order to be allowed back in your home.'

Time to Return Home

At the time of the Temple's destruction, God decreed that, due to our failings, we needed to be exiled far away from our land. Nonetheless, our Father in heaven still loves us; and He continues to support us, so that even in our exile among the nations, we should be able to survive.

But if we should see that this Heavenly support stops -- that God 'hides His face' from us and no longer protects us -- then this is a sign that God dearly wants us to come home. As the Sages expressed in Berachot 3a, 'Woe to the Father Who had to banish His children!'

After all the wrong things we did, it is not right that God should appease us. But if God no longer supports and  and watches over  us, if life in exile becomes unbearable -- then it is time for us to return home and ask for God's forgiveness.

This is what the Torah states: '”When you are in distress, and all of these tragedies have happened to you -- then you will return to the Eternal your God and obey Him” (Deut.4:30).

Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov pp. 396-397

http://parsha-story.blogspot.co.il/2012/07/tisha-bav-end-of-exile.html