Ilustration Credit: Chaim File
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
The book of Eikhah describes how heartbreaking and terrible the חֻרְבָּן (hurban, destruction) of the בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ (Beit HaMikdash, Holy Temple) was for the Jewish people. But what was it like for God?
This midrash imagines what the destruction felt like from God’s perspective:
1.
בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהַחֲרִיב אֶת בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ אָמַר כָּל זְמַן שֶׁאֲנִי בְּתוֹכוֹ אֵין אוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם נוֹגְעִין בּוֹ, אֶלָּא אַכְבִּישׁ אֶת עֵינַי מִמֶּנּוּ, וָאֶשָּׁבַע שֶׁלֹּא אֲזַקֵּק לוֹ עַד עֵת קֵץ, וְיָבוֹאוּ הָאוֹיְבִים וְיַחֲרִיבוּ אוֹתוֹ.
When God tried to destroy the Beit HaMikdash, God said, “As long as I am in it, the nations of the world cannot touch it. So I will shut My eyes from it and promise that I will not need it until the end of time, and then the enemies can come and destroy it.”
In order to let the nations destroy the Beit HaMikdash, God needed to abandon it. The real end of the Beit HaMikdash, then, was not when it was destroyed, but when God left it.
- What does this tell us about God and God’s relationship to the Beit HaMikdash? What about our relationship to God and our relationship to the Beit HaMikdash?
- The focus here is on God leaving the Beit HaMikdash, but God never wants to leave the Jewish people. What does this say about God’s relationship to us?
2.
בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בּוֹכֶה וְאוֹמֵר אוֹי לִי מֶה עָשִׂיתִי הִשְׁרֵיתִי שְׁכִינָתִי לְמַטָּה בִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַכְשָׁו שֶׁחָטְאוּ חָזַרְתִּי לִמְקוֹמִי הָרִאשׁוֹן….
At that moment, God cried and said, “Oy! What did I do? My Shekhinah (presence) used to dwell below because of Israel, but now that they sinned I returned to My original place….”
- Why is God crying? What does this tell us about the way God feels about the hurban?
- Why is it important for God’s Shekhinah to be down below in this world? What is Benei Yisrael’s role in allowing that to happen?
- What is missing if God’s Shekhinah returns to its original place outside of this world? What can Benei Yisrael do to bring the Shekhinah back?
3.
בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה בָּא מֶטַטְרוֹן וְנָפַל עַל פָּנָיו, וְאָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם אֲנִי אֶבְכֶּה וְאַתָּה לֹא תִּבְכֶּה.
אָמַר לוֹ אִם אֵין אַתָּה מַנִּיחַ לִי לִבְכּוֹת עַכְשָׁו אֶכָּנֵס לְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין לְךָ רְשׁוּת לִכָּנֵס וְאֶבְכֶּה.
At that moment, Metatron (one of God’s chief angels) came and fell on his face. He said before God, “Master of the World! I will cry so You don’t have to cry!”
God said to Metatron, “If you don’t let Me cry now, I will enter a place that you do not have permission to enter, and I will cry there.”
- Angels often do things for God, like delivering messages or performing miracles. What’s surprising about Metatron offering to cry for God? Why do you think God tells him no?
- Have you ever needed to go to a place where nobody could see you so that you could cry? What would God be feeling if God had to do that?
4.
אָמַר לָהֶן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת בּוֹאוּ וְנֵלֵךְ אֲנִי וְאַתֶּם וְנִרְאֶה בְּבֵיתִי מָה עָשׂוּ אוֹיְבִים בּוֹ.
מִיָּד הָלַךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת וְיִרְמְיָה לְפָנָיו, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, אָמַר בְּוַדַּאי זֶהוּ בֵּיתִי וְזֶהוּ מְנוּחָתִי שֶׁבָּאוּ אוֹיְבִים וְעָשׂוּ בּוֹ כִּרְצוֹנָם.
בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בּוֹכֶה וְאוֹמֵר אוֹי לִי עַל בֵּיתִי, בָּנַי הֵיכָן אַתֶּם, כָּהֲנֵי הֵיכָן אַתֶּם, אוֹהֲבַי הֵיכָן אַתֶּם, מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה לָכֶם הִתְרֵיתִי בָּכֶם וְלֹא חֲזַרְתֶּם בִּתְשׁוּבָה.
God said to the angels, “Come, let us go—Me and you—and let us see what the enemies have done to My house.”
Immediately, God and the angels went, with Yirmiyahu in front. When God saw the Beit HaMikdash, God said, “Certainly this is My house and this is My resting place where enemies have come and done whatever they wanted!”
At that moment, God was crying, saying, “Oy for My house! My children, where are you? My kohanim (priests), where are you? My loved ones, where are you? What can I do for you?! I warned you, but you did not do teshuvah.”
- Why do you think God wants to see what happened to the Beit HaMidkash?Why do you think God brings the angels along?
- What’s your reaction to hearing God describe the Jewish people as God’s children and loved ones? What’s your reaction to hearing about God suffering this way?
- Did God have a choice about destroying the Beit HaMikdash? Did the Jewish people?
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