The midrash starts with a powerful question ripped straight from Psalm 10: "Why do you stand far off, O Lord?" It's a cry of pain, a plea for intervention. But the midrash doesn’t just leave us hanging there in our despair. It digs deep, searching for answers in other corners of the Hebrew Bible.

It finds a clue in the Book of Daniel (7:25): "And words against the Most High shall he speak." Rabbi Yosei, a sage of the Talmudic era, offers a profound insight: "The wicked do not associate with a person unless they defame him." In other words, the attack on us is often preceded by, or even intrinsically linked to, an attack on God. It's a two-pronged assault.

But why? Why this strategy?

The midrash uses a powerful analogy: a vineyard protected by a fence. Robbers can't get in, so they tear down the fence first. Similarly, the nations of the world target Israel, who is likened to God's vineyard. Isaiah 5:7 tells us, "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel." The midrash argues that the nations defame God, break down that spiritual "fence," and then attack Israel. It’s a strategy of spiritual warfare.

So, what's the solution? How do we rebuild the fence?

The midrash points us back to Daniel: "And the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom." Who are these "saints"? According to the midrash, they are those who observe the three pilgrimage festivals – Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks), and Sukkot (Tabernacles). And what is the "kingdom" they receive? It's the Torah! As Deuteronomy 33:2 states, "From His right hand came a fiery law for them."

The midrash goes on to say, "And they shall possess the kingdom forever." We can always study the Torah. In Daniel 7:25, it says, "And they shall possess it forever, even forever and ever." That connection to Torah, that immersion in God's word, is our enduring inheritance. : even in the darkest of times, when it feels like God is distant, we have access to His teachings, to His wisdom. That's a powerful lifeline. That's a way to rebuild the fence, to strengthen our connection to the Divine.

So, why do we subject ourselves to this, that God distances Himself from us? The midrash doesn't offer a simple answer, but it does offer a path forward: through faith, through observance, and through unwavering commitment to Torah.

Ultimately, the question "Why do you stand far off, O Lord?" isn't just a lament. It's an invitation. An invitation to draw closer, to seek understanding, and to reaffirm our covenant with the Divine. It reminds us that even in times of perceived distance, the tools for connection are always within our reach.