The holy Berditchover Rebbe shared a parable that can give us encouragement during these weeks. There was once a wealthy man who had a very close relationship with a certain pauper to whom he would give generous donations. One day these friends got into a tremendous argument, and the wealthy man threw the pauper out of his house. Whenever he saw the pauper on the street, he would walk right past him like he wasn’t even there. Then, after a few weeks of broken contact, the wealthy man sent a letter to this pauper. In the letter, he wrote: “To my dearest friend, I would like you to know that my heart is still drawn toward you. My love and friendship for you still burns strongly.” When the pauper received that letter, he knew that one day, however long it might take, his relationship with the wealthy man would be rebuilt.
Rav Levi Yitzchak explains that it is the same way with our Father in Heaven. We have been exiled, thrown out of Hashem’s House, and kicked out of His precious Land. But though it has been so long, and there are external signs that seem to indicate that we’ve been cut off from Hashem’s love, we know we are still connected. Do you know how we know? Because we have never stopped receiving His love letters.
Deep within the darkness of this long exile, the Jewish soul still cries out, spurred on by the daily call from Heaven that never ceased whispering, “Return, My wayward children.” In this generation, we are witnessing a tremendous surge of devotion, both from ba’alei teshuvah, returnees to Jewish tradition, and from within our own camps. In contrast to the unparalleled decadence and immorality of our times, an incredible fire of youth is rapidly spreading across the entire spectrum of Torah Jewry. Sick of the sweet, but unmistakably false taste of society’s treats, Jews all over the world are yearning for real purpose, true meaning, and serious direction in their daily lives.
Though it requires tremendous sacrifice and personal fortitude, so many of our fellow Jews (particularly today’s youth who are dealing with an unsurpassed onslaught of temptation) are following the voice of the soul, which is begging for depth, for connection to its Source. They are gathering their strength and heroically passing tests – especially withstanding the seductive draw of despair and getting back up after a fall – with superhuman strength that is flowing down upon them from the Master of the world. “Uv’chol zos Shimcha lo shachachnu,” we have still never forgotten. These are the love letters showing up in the mailbox of the Jewish people. Though Hashem may still pass us on the street and not wave, seeming to have abandoned and cast us away, these holy messages tell us what He really feels. Because, against all odds, deep under the darkness and gloom which surrounds us, the Jewish soul is still shining.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 45.
