Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the concept of remembering Zion, that is remembering and awaiting a time that it can be rebuilt and we return to our homeland and autonomous rule. Obviously, there has been some restoration with the modern state of Israel, however we must concede that due to our  national political and religious failings, the coming of a prophet who would lead to the rebuilding of the Temple and a world wide religious awakening, still eludes us.

The Gemara quotes a verse in Yirmiyahu (30:17):

כִּי֩ אַעֲלֶ֨ה אֲרֻכָ֥ה לָ֛ךְ וּמִמַּכּוֹתַ֥יִךְ אֶרְפָּאֵ֖ךְ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה כִּ֤י נִדָּחָה֙ קָ֣רְאוּ לָ֔ךְ צִיּ֣וֹן הִ֔יא דֹּרֵ֖שׁ אֵ֥ין לָֽהּ׃ 

⁦But I will bring healing to you  And cure you of your wounds  —declares the LORD.  Though they called you “Outcast,  That Zion whom no one seeks out,”

Rabbenu Bechaye (Shemos 26:15) and Ben Yehoyada in Pesachim 68a and other places notes the Hebrew play on words “וּמִמַּכּוֹתַ֥יִךְ אֶרְפָּאֵ֖ךְ” which can be read not as cure you FROM your wounds, but cure you THROUGH your wounds. This is an idea that resonates psychologically as well as spiritually.

It is difficult to face, but often, the challenges that cause us much distress and dysfunction are also the seeds for repair. The human organism is incapable of doing something that it instinctively believes is harmful, even if it actually is harmful. For example, the ultimate fatal act of suicide still comes from an unusually distorted belief that this act will relieve unbearable, irreparable pain. Emotional pain is just as bad as physical pain, and when experiencing intense upset, stress and confusion, such a decision can be made. Depression too can be seen as an instinct to psychologically and physically hibernate in the face of perceived hopelessness and powerlessness. If you were trapped in a cave with no food, water or air, you might fight to escape. But if you believed it was futile then you could rest and conserve energy and oxygen in the hopes that a rescue might come. Depression is the same idea - a total shut down in response to compelling inter-subjective data that one is helpless and powerless.

Why does this matter? Because effective recovery hinges on understanding and working with the body’s and the mind’s instincts, not fighting them. No one is ever broken. Rather, instincts and drives are misdirected due to false perception and internalization of learned experiences. A rebellious child is not necessarily an evil trouble-maker. He or she is seeking success, mastery and competence in the ways that his or her limited judgement and experience produce. Drugs and avoidance might seem like a really good way to manage pain and anxiety. Rebellion might be a stronger and more assertive choice than depression.

These are but a few examples of a universal principle. The organism is always trying to cope and protect itself. Even if the outcome is objectively harmful, subjectively there always is an internal logic. You just have to crack the code and re-write the program.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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