BS’D
“Conceal shall I conceal My face on that day” (Sefer Devarim, 31:18). Galut (the Exile) is a twofold concealment, wherein the concealment itself is concealed. The Ba’al Shem Tov HaKadosh teaches that so great is this concealment, that one is not even aware of the concealment; one may even come to think of the darkness as light. How does it feel to be in exile? Alienation – a feeling of division between Ahm Yisrael and Hashem. So great is the separation that we don’t even sense that He is with us.
Therefore the exile is an exile of the mind in addition to the body. There is a great sense of abandonment and isolation as though the nation of Israel is left on their own. However, the very name of Yisrael implies Yashar Kel, straight with Hashem; we are always bonded with our Creator.
The exile will continue to grow until we reach the point where our heartfelt crying is so powerful and broadcasts the message, “We can’t live without You Hashem. We need Your revealed presence back in our midst.” Such is the spiritual level we should strive to attain, particularly when tragedies occurץ
Although Hashem is ‘hiding’, hiding implies that He is here, but that we can’t see Him. Hashem is here…always with us.
