And yet, after chatzot (midday) on Tisha B’Av, we get up from the floor, put on our tefillin and recite the bracha of Nachem, asking Hashem to console Jerusalem and us. Where is there room for consolation on such a dark day? The Rav explained that our comfort lies in the fact that Hashem took out his wrath on the Beit HaMikdash and not on the Jewish people (see Tosafot, Kiddushin 31a).
Paradoxically, it is precisely at the time of the mincha prayer, when the Beit HaMikdash started to burn (Ta’anit 29a), that we feel comforted because that act of destruction was really a demonstration of love. It showed that Hashem wants the Jewish people to survive; he wants them to flourish and ultimately to reunite with Him. If Hashem punishes us only out of love, like a father disciplines his child, then there is hope for the future. We can look forward to the day of reconciliation when Hashem will return to us and reveal His glory to the entire world.
- Originally appeared on OU Torah.
