Sometimes in life we go through something difficult. We lose a job, we hit turbulence in a relationship, we face a painful or unexpected challenge. In that moment, all we see is trouble.
Is there a perspective that can help us get through those times a bit easier?
Tomorrow night, we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem. The Temple was the epicenter of Jewish life and the meeting point between heaven and earth. Jewish law states that due to its sanctity, it’s forbidden to damage even a single stone of the Temple building.
But that raises a powerful question. Nothing happens in this world without G‑d’s consent. So how could He allow the Temple to be destroyed, an act that would seemingly violate His own law?
The answer is profound. Jewish law includes an exception. If you’re demolishing a structure in order to build something greater in its place, that isn’t considered destruction. It’s considered construction.
By allowing the Temple to be destroyed, G‑d wasn’t ending something. He was beginning something. That painful chapter was the first step toward His promise that the Third Temple will be even greater than the first two, and it will stand for eternity.
And here’s where it hits home.
I’m sure you can look back at your own life and see how something that hurt in the moment, something that really stung, ended up making room for something better. Maybe it led to a stronger marriage, an even better career, or a deeper sense of self.
The challenge is, when you’re in the middle of the difficulty, can you shift your perspective and say that maybe this too is part of something bigger? Maybe this moment is tearing something down only to build something better in its place.
That mindset doesn’t make the pain go away, but it can give us the strength to cope. Sometimes, it even helps us become the person we were meant to be.
May we merit to see the ultimate redemption and the rebuilding of the Third Temple immediately. Amen.