ותאמר ציון עזבני ה' ... (ישעי' מט-יד)
In this week’s Haftorah, Yeshaya HaNavi described the hopelessness felt by the Jews in exile even though he had delivered Hashem’s consolation already. Yeshaya tried to explain that it was their rebellious behavior that brought about their suffering and not unwarranted abandonment, yet the people still felt abandoned by Hashem. How could the Jewish people “turn it around” and be upset at Hashem when they were guilty of abandoning Him in the first place?
The Chasam Sofer zt”l explains that due to their many sins, Hashem felt He had no choice but to harshly punish Bnei Yisroel. Still, just as children always feel a sense of safety and security by their parents no matter what they do in life, Klal Yisroel believed that their Father in Heaven would always be there for them, come what may. Although it’s true that parents always want to give their children whatever they ask for, however, a good parent knows when it’s time to give in and when its proper to put a foot down. The Jewish people erroneously mistook Hashem’s silence as forgiveness until they went too far and the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash and subsequent exile suddenly hit them. Confused, they childishly began to doubt Hashem’s love and commitment to them, although he never abandoned His children. Rather, when He could no longer answer away their sins, Hashem punished them so they can reset themselves and return to Him.