Alas, she sits in solitude; the city that was great with people has become like a widow. (Eicha 1:1)

This Sunday is Tisha B’Av. Once again, we will be sitting on the floor and mourning the loss of our Holy Temples which stood in Yerushaliyim. A person might think, “what’s the big deal anyway?” And this person might have a good point. It’s been almost 2,000 years. In 2,000 years from now are people going to be mourning over the destruction of the Twin Towers? In 100 years from now will people mourn over their destruction? Do people even mourn over their destruction today? So why do we still mourn over the destruction of a building that stood thousands of years ago?

The answer is because we do not mourn over the destruction of a building. We mourn over something much more severe that happened on this day. We mourn over the loss of the greatest relationship we ever had.

This past Shabbos I was walking to shul with my son and I asked him to imagine he was Derek Jeter’s best friend [side note: unfortunately, my son is a Yankees fan. I still don’t understand how a boy born in Boston could be a Yankees fan.] Whatever Derek Jeter did, you did it with him. You got to ride around in his expensive car. You got to sleep-over in his mansion. You got to eat meals with him. Not only that, but whatever secrets he had, he would tell to you. You would know everything about him. As I told this to my son, I could see his face brighten into a huge smile.

Now imagine that you behaved improperly and therefore he kicked you out of his house. No more rides. No more meals. No more secrets. It’s over – Derek Jeter no longer wants to be with you. This is Tisha B’Av – only the One who kicked us out is many times greater than Derek Jeter. This is why on Tisha B’Av our Gedolim would cry enough tears to fill cups.

Although our relationship with Hashem was destroyed, all hope is not lost. Hashem might have kicked us out but he still watches over us. It is like the story of the king who threw his son out of the castle. The prince was sent far away and told not to return. What the prince did not know was that his father sent guards to constantly make sure he was protected. Even though he was not allowed in the castle, the king still protected him.

The Jews should have been completely destroyed many, many years ago. Our enemies have tried to exterminate us, but for some reason they have been unsuccessful. The reason is because although Hashem has exiled us, He is still taking care of us. He is constantly watching us waiting to see when He can welcome us back home. The lesson for us is to work on improving our behavior so the King of Kings will once again want a close relationship with us.

May this Tisha B’Av be the last one we ever mourn on.