Jewish tradition actually has a powerful image for that feeling, and it connects it directly to hope for the future.
It comes from Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy. The verse says "when He sees the hand going..." which sounds a bit cryptic, right? But the Rabbis unpack it in layers of meaning.
One interpretation is that "the hand going" refers to our strength waning during galut, exile. That long, hard period when the Jewish people are scattered and, let's be honest, often struggling. It's like Daniel says in Daniel 12:7, "at the climax of the breaking of the hand...of the holy people." That moment when we feel like we can't hold on any longer? That, according to this understanding, is precisely when the exile will end.
Isn't that incredible? It's almost counterintuitive. You'd think things would have to get better before they get better, but the tradition suggests that the very bottom – that feeling of utter exhaustion – is the turning point.
But there's more.
Another variant reading suggests that "the hand going" means when we despair of salvation. When we lose hope. And it illustrates this with a vivid image: when even a perutah, the smallest of coins, "ends" from the pocket. A perutah was a tiny, almost worthless coin, but it still represented something. The very last bit of resources, the tiniest glimmer of financial security. When even that's gone, when you’re metaphorically broke – that's when God sees "the hand going."
Think about that feeling of utter helplessness. When you've tried everything, and nothing seems to work. When you're staring into the abyss of despair. It's a terrifying place to be. But even there, the tradition offers a sliver of light.
And finally, there's a third interpretation. This one says "the hand going" refers to when there's no one left to intercede on our behalf. The text references Moses, who, as Psalm 106:23 reminds us, stood in the breach before God, pleading for the Israelites. "He would have destroyed them had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him..." So, when God sees that there's no one left to implore mercy for us, when we are truly alone in our struggle...that's when the hand is "going."
What does it all mean?
Perhaps it's telling us that God is most present, most ready to act, when we are at our weakest, most vulnerable, most alone. When our own strength fails, when hope seems lost, when there's no one left to turn to – that's when divine intervention becomes possible. It's a radical idea, suggesting that our brokenness, our despair, isn't a sign of abandonment, but a prelude to redemption. It's a reminder that even in the darkest of times, we are not forgotten. And that sometimes, the end is just the beginning.