Sefer Devorim begins with Moshe’s review of Jewish history from the time of yetziyas Mitzrayim until the present. Much of Parshas Devorim revolves around Moshe rebuking the nation for sins they committed during this period, in an attempt to ensure that they would not continue in their erroneous ways. Rashi writes that Moshe waited to censure the people until the end of his life, just as Yaakov delayed reproaching his children until just before his death because he was afraid that his criticism may cause them to abandon him and follow in the path of his wicked brother Eisav.
This approach seems difficult to reconcile with the ruling of the Rema (Yoreh Deah 334:1) that when a person is deserving of admonishment and punishment, it must be carried out even if doing so may cause him to adopt sinful practices. If so, how could Yaakov and Moshe push off their reprimands for so many years instead of delivering them immediately without worrying about the potential ramifications?
Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman explains that the Shulchan Aruch is discussing punishments that are meted out by beis din, which must be given promptly and without concern for the consequences. On the other hand, when an individual wishes to convey words of reproof, he can – and should – wait to express them at a time when they are most likely to be effective. Applying this distinction between punishment and reproach to the current period on the calendar, Rav Yisroel Reisman points out that Tisha B’Av is a day of rebuke, when Hashem tries to get our attention and wake us up spiritually. Contrary to conventional wisdom that views Av as a month when Hashem is hidden, Rav Tzaddok maintains that Av is a time when Hashem reveals Himself and it is even easier to connect to Him.
Rav Tzaddok explains that if a person borrows money, he does not need to repay the loan until he encounters the lender, but once they meet, he must return the amount that he borrowed. During the month of Av, Hashem reveals Himself and “encounters” us to facilitate repayment for our transgressions. Although the suffering that we have endured as part of that process has been painful and bitter, the silver lining is that these meetings are a time when Hashem’s presence can be felt.
After the Holocaust, the Klausenberger Rebbe was renowned for imparting strength to those who had lost everything through messages of emunah and encouragement that enabled them to rebuild. He was once asked how he was able to maintain his belief and trust in Hashem after everything he had seen and lived through. The sagacious Rebbe reversed the question and explained that when one sees extraordinary circumstances transpiring around him, in which an entire nation is brutally persecuted in a manner that defies logic, the only possible conclusion is that it must be the result of a guiding hand acting for reasons that escape us, but which
