Punishments from G-d - Rabbi Akiva Fox

have you ever been punished have you ever been chastised or giving it over the head I never was I was born a genius I've been a child prodigy everything I did I was angelic my parents could ask for nothing more I was just a pathological liar anybody who has ever been punished before by their parents or by teachers if it was done justly chances are it has helped them improve it has helped them become better because hopefully most parents and again god forbid we're not referring to abusive whether emotionally or physically we're not just referring to that but parents love their children and when they need to punish and when they need to offer harsh words it's because they want to guide and they want to help and they want to better their children punishments are here for our good they are here for us to grow the things that we do when we grow the things that we do when we become better in retrospect all came through punishments there's something fascinating that I once heard from my Russia Shima the month in the Jewish calendar where the hormone the destruction of the base of mcdouche the holy sanctuary that was destroyed two times in our history and that we wait for it to be rebuilt every day the month that many of the tragedies of the Jewish people for example World War One World War two the Spanish Inquisition they all happened in the month of of tisch above which is coming up now above is the day of wailing of mourning of crying that is the day where we bemoan all the tragedies that have happened to the Jewish people and my Russia shiva's shared with me a fascinating message the reason that this all happens in the month of AB is because the word of means father because only a father can punish his son only a father will punish his son if you're walking down the street and you see some random guy littering making a mess doing something wrong it's none of my business let him go unless of course you're in Israel that's different but when you punish somebody or you try to guide somebody with let's say words of chastising or you you remind them of something that they're supposed to be doing that happens in the month of of because a father wants his children to be better and therefore sometimes they have to taste his wrath they taste his wrath not because he doesn't want them not because he doesn't like him but specifically on the contrary he loves them and therefore he wants them to be better a father wants the best from his children and that's why he punishes them if a person sees that there are punishments it's a time of tragedy and terrible things are happening in the world that is an awakening that gives him the awareness that he could and should be better that God wants something from him that God wants something from the Jewish people this itself the Hester the hiddenness of God's hand when people say well where was God when this tragedy happened where was God when this terrible thing happened the truth is that God was right there I want to tell you a fascinating muscle a parable that I once heard there was a king the King had a son who used to go out of the palace gates and go frolic in the forest and the Black Forest that surrounded the palace and the King realized that it was dangerous he didn't want his son to do that there was wolves in the forest there's enemies there's coyotes there's snakes he kept telling the Sun don't go into the forest you want to play I'll buy you all the toys you want but don't go to the forest and the Sun would not listen so one day the King decides he needs to teach his son a lesson so the King goes to the fanciest costume store in Hollywood and he buys himself the costume of a wolf the big bad wolf costume and it looks really scary and really real and he goes into the forest and he hides behind the tree and soon he sees his little son coming out to play and he pounces on his son and he starts roaring and he rips his clothes and the little boy is screaming daddy daddy helped me and the child was frightened terrified and he lets go of his son and the son runs back to the palace meanwhile the King takes off his wolf costume puts on his crown his cape and he goes and he sits in his throne room and his little kid the little child comes in sobbing and the son says tells his father what happened about being attacked by a wolf and the son says and you know what the hardest thing was daddy that I kept calling you and you didn't come I kept screaming your name begging for you to come and you didn't save me the child made a mistake because he doesn't know what's going on behind the scenes when he was screaming daddy daddy he had no idea that daddy daddy was right there with him that that wolf that was that daddy daddy was protecting you by scaring you daddy was saving you by hurting you the punishments the scary things the frightening things that happen in life are all from God they're all for Michelle there to protect us in the future to remind us of where we're supposed to be to guide us to help us not forget our destiny our future and God's hope for our future so when a person sometimes we complain sometimes we suffer and we all do everyone in their own way has things that happen in their lives that is hard there's no way that anyone can tell you adds nothing yeah cancer happens to everybody I know a friend he's a survivor you could do it two things that happen tragedies punishments eucerin are so difficult so painful let no one tell you that it's not what it's not hard but also let no one tell you that it's not worth it God is sending us messages if you want to see God's hand in the world when it seems hidden then remember that the hiddenness is God that the darkness is light God is hiding in the darkness God is hiding in the Hester by filoby astara shibata ha stara there's a Jewish popular song even the hiddenness that is hidden within hiddenness but vaya die for sure gamma shum even their names Asha me smoosh em is with you Hashem is hidden in the dark we need to realize this because once we realize it and it's no longer darkness it's light sometimes one of the ways to connect them to relate the shin when things just don't go our way is say a Shannon I know this is from you I don't understand it it's hard for me it's painful for me but I know you're here I know this is you doing it and I cannot get out of it I can't get away from it but one thing I can do I Shen i can tell you i know you're here with me I know you want something from me I know you want me to be better this is another way of discovering of internalizing God's close presents to us in the world look in the darkness and you'll see light you