This Shabbat is actually the Ninth of Av, a time to contemplate lessons of Bitachon related to the Hurban.
The Midrash Rabba in Eicha comments on a mizmor from tehilim:
מִזְמ֗וֹר לְאָ֫סָ֥ף אֱֽלֹקים בָּ֤אוּ גוֹיִ֨ם ׀ בְּֽנַחֲלָתֶ֗ךָ
A song to Asaph. Hashem, goyim have entered Your inheritance
The Gemarah asks: The Leviyim are singing a song when the goyim are entering the Bet HaMikdash? Why is this a Mizmor, a song? Why not “Cry to Asaph" or "Lamentation to Asaph"
The Midrash answers with a mashal. A king once had a beautiful canopy built for his son, and had it decorated. But the son went off. The king was devastated, and destroyed the canopy, ripping it up and breaking the poles. Upon seeing this, the prince's private teacher, his pedagogue, took out a flute and started to play. Why? Because he was thrilled and relieved that rather than kill his son for what he did, the king took it out on the poles and the canopy.
We see from here that the relationship with Hashem at the time of the Hurban is a father/son relationship. This is a fundamental principle of our Emunah.
Even when things happen that we don’t understand, we should know, like it says in Devarim perek ח:
וידעתם לבבך כי כאשר ייסר איש את בנו ה׳ אלוקיך מיסרך
You should know in your heart that when G-d gives us mussar, it’s like a father gives mussar to his son.
It says in Devarim that at the time of the sin of the spies, (which is the reason the Hurban happened) the Jews, when they heard the report, said, “G-d hates us.” They thought Hashem was taking them to the desert to be killed. Hashem said, “I’m your Father, I’m carrying you like a father carries a son. I hate you? How can you talk like that? Don’t you know the love I have for you?”
That’s why this month is called Av, which means father. We always have to remember this concept: Hashem is our Father, even when things happen that we don’t understand.
A famous Rashi says that Amalek came only when the Jewish people questioned if Hashem was with them or not. In Shemot, in a beautiful Rashi in perek ח pasuk יז G-d said, “I’m always amongst you to take care of you and you ask where I am? I’ll show you where I am” A Mashal is given of a man carrying his son on his shoulders. The father gives and does everything for his son, but his son can’t see him. When they pass a man, the son asks the man where his father is. The father responds: You don’t know where I am? So too Hashem says to Bnei Yisrael, I’ve been carrying you this whole time!
Even now, when we don’t see Hashem, we have to know that he’s carrying us. We have to believe the concept that He’s watching us at all times.
He misses us more than we miss Him,
Like the Gemara in Masechet Berachot tells us: Every day Hashem says: אוי להם לבנים שגלו מעל שלחן אביהם
“Woe to those sons who have been sent away from their father’s table.”
G-d is crying that He misses us, more than we cry that we miss Him. We have to think about that on Tisha B’Av. We have a long day. We have to know that Our Father misses us. We should want to rekindle that relationship.
There’s a beautiful mashal about a king that sends his rebellious son away. The king’s messengers are always watching him, though. The son ends up on a farm, working with animals. After a year of this toil and suffering, the king sends his son a message asking if he needs anything. The son requests a pair of high boots, because it’s dirty there in the barn, working with the animals. The messenger reports back that the son wants boots. The father bursts out crying. His son could have asked to come home and he asked for a pair of boots!
Similarly, the High Holidays are coming. We have to get ready. The timing is on purpose. We can pray for all the things we want in the New Year. Hashem wants us to say, “We want come home. We miss you Dad.” These are the thoughts we are supposed to be arousing. B’Ezrat Hashem this should be the last class on Tisha B’Av. We should be zocheh to the Mashiah coming and to rebuild the Bet HaMikdash speedily in our days!