This is the time of year when we mourn the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem. Their destruction and the exile that followed had long been foretold. G-d sent prophet after prophet to urge our ancestors to change their ways, but they refused. Eventually, the warnings gave way to punishment.

Yet a question remains.

We understand why the Jewish people were punished, but why destroy the Temple?

The Temple was the heart of Jewish life. Without it, hundreds of the Torah’s commandments could no longer be fulfilled. The offerings ceased. The central place where Jews connected with G-d was gone. If the goal of punishment was to inspire repentance, why remove the very institution that made repentance more accessible?

It seems almost like debtor’s prison. If someone owes money, imprisoning him only makes it harder to earn enough to repay the debt. Likewise, if Jews had strayed from G-d, why take away the place that most inspired them to return?

The answer begins with a story.

The Scholarship
Miriam was an exceptional student. Her parents dreamed of seeing her attend university, but they could not afford the tuition. They often reminded her that unless she earned a scholarship, college would remain out of reach.

As teenagers sometimes do, Miriam grew tired of the lectures. She became determined to prove her parents wrong. She applied for a scholarship, convinced that her application was strong enough to earn it. Weeks later, she received wonderful news. She had been awarded a full scholarship.

Eager to celebrate, she hurried home, but found an empty house. Her parents had sold their beautiful home and moved into a cramped apartment. Their savings were gone, and both had returned to work.

Miriam was furious. She concluded that her parents had given up on her. Certain she would never earn a scholarship, they had sold the house and spent the money without even waiting to see whether she could succeed. Heartbroken, she left and barely spoke to them again.

Years later, after graduating from university, Miriam happened upon the financial records for her scholarship. Her application had initially been rejected. She read through the correspondence and slowly realized the truth. Her parents had quietly paid for the scholarship themselves. They had sold their home and sacrificed their savings, not because they had given up on their daughter, but because they refused to give up on her future.

In an instant, everything changed. For years, Miriam believed her parents had abandoned her. Now she understood that they had sacrificed everything for her. She discovered that they loved their daughter more than their home.

The story is fictional, but it illustrates a truth that took the Jewish people centuries to appreciate. Like Miriam, our ancestors saw what G-d had done but misunderstood why He had done it. Miriam believed her parents sold their home because they had given up on her. Only later did she discover they had sacrificed their home for her. The destruction of the Temple can be understood in much the same way.

G-d and His Children
For generations, our ancestors viewed the destruction of the Temple as the ultimate sign of Divine rejection. The place where heaven and earth met had been reduced to rubble. Surely this meant they had become unworthy.

But what if they misunderstood G-d’s motives?

Just as Miriam eventually discovered that what looked like abandonment was actually a sacrifice, perhaps the destruction of the Temple can also be seen differently.

Our sins certainly brought about the destruction. That much is true. But that is not the whole story.

Had the Temple remained standing while the Jewish people continued drifting away from G-d, they would have accumulated ever more sins by neglecting its service and the many commandments tied to it. The very institution designed to bring them closer to G-d would have caused further spiritual decline.

A loving parent sometimes gives up something precious, not because it has lost its value, but because something else matters even more. The Temple was precious to G-d. It was the place where His presence was revealed and where His people could come close to Him.

And yet, G-d was willing to give it up.

He chose to send His children into exile rather than allow them to continue damaging their relationship with Him. He removed hundreds of commandments that could no longer be properly fulfilled and left His people with the mitzvos they could sustain even in exile.

The home was sacrificed for the sake of the family. The Temple was not destroyed because it no longer mattered. It was destroyed because His children mattered more. The ninth of Av is therefore more than the day G-d destroyed His Temple. It is the day He revealed that He loves His children more than His home.

A Day of Love
This does not lessen our grief.

We continue to mourn the Temple’s destruction because mourning keeps our longing alive. If we stopped feeling its absence, we would stop yearning for its return. Our tears remind us of what was lost and inspire us to rebuild the relationship with G-d that will ultimately bring about the rebuilding of His home.

But mourning is not the only emotion this day evokes. Hidden beneath the ashes is an extraordinary expression of love.[1] His mitzvos matter to G-d, but His children matter to Him even more. G-d was willing to surrender His earthly home and temporarily set aside the possibility of fulfilling hundreds of His commandments to spare His children from sinking even further.

The ninth of Av is therefore a day of profound sorrow, but also a day of profound love.

That is why, even as we mourn, we anticipate the coming of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Temple. Then, at last, G-d will once again dwell openly in His home, and His children will finally be able to show Him just how much they love Him in return.[2]

[1] This idea is reflected in the Talmud’s description of the cherubs at the moment of the Temple’s destruction. Even as the marauders entered the Holy of Holies, they found the cherubs embracing one another (Yoma 54b), a symbol that the bond between G-d and His people remained intact in the darkest moment of peril.

[2] This essay is based on Toras Menachem 5749:4, pp. 241–242.