Hashem is placing before us beracha and curses. We have the bechirah to choose our destiny. The Medrash on this passuk writes that Shlomo Hamelech says in Mishlei 3,11 מוסר ה' בני אל תמאס ואל תקוץ בתוכחתו do not despise my son the mussar, affliction, sent to you by Hashem and don't despise your life because of them (Malbim). Chazal comment אל תעשה החוכחות קוצין קוצין. Don't make the admonishments of Hashem despicable, despicable. What is the Medrash adding to the simple content of the passuk? Secondly, what is the purpose of the double lashon?

We suggest that Shlomo Hamelech is conveying to us how a Yid should perceive himself as the recipient of Hashem's admonishment. The purpose of tochacha from Hashem is to communicate to an individual that he requires spiritual correction. The end goal is not punishment but rather to emit from the person a rehabilitation in his behavior and conduct. Even if he sinned so much and triggered Hashem's wrath to the point that He destroyed the Bais Hamikdash, nevertheless the purpose of being afflicted is not a proclamation that his relationship with Hashem is now severed and non existent. Rather Hashem's display of anger to the point of sending us into galus is only a hester panim, but our bond with Hashem is still intact and never broken completely.

This concept is explained by Rav Tzadok from Lublin who says our Chachamim fixed the story of the Bais Hamikdashos's destruction in Meseches Gittin which means divorce. The reason being that at that time in history Am Yisrael felt divorced from Hashem. However, if one looks closer at the name of the Perek where the Churban is described he will see that it is in Nizakin which means damages. This is to convey to us that the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the following galus appeared to be a case of divorce yet the inner reality discloses that the relationship between us and Hashem was only damaged not severed and therefore repairable.

In Aicha1,8 the passuk says חטא חטאה ירושלים על כן לנדה היתה Yerushalayim sinned therefore she went into נידוי banishment. The Bnei Yissaschar asks that the term חטא describes a sin that was accidental, in comparison to the word עון which means intended. How could the Navi describe Yisrael's banishment and Churban Habayis as an unintentional sin when they were warned over and over again by the prophets of impending destruction? He answers that the essential Yid which is his neshamah proclaims that he wants only to serve Hashem and fulfill His wishes. The fact that man will conduct himself unaligned to this ideal is an aberration from his essence and not his true identity. Therefore with an inner microscope examining a person's wayward actions, one will see it was only a mistake from his inner reality.

The passuk continues to say .על כן לנדה היתה Here the word נדה does not mean exile but rather a menstruating woman. In the prohibition of forbidden relations is the Niddah. The difference is that all the other prohibitions are everlasting except for Niddah which is only time limited for a short period. The Navi is telling us that since the sin of Am Yisrael is deemed in heaven like a שוגג unintentional, therefore the punishment is galus like a Niddah which is only a time limited separation from her spouse but not a complete "Get".

We can say that his concept is alluded to in the passuk (Devarim 23.8) לא תתעב אדומי כי אחיך הוא do not distance an Edomite who comes to covert because he is your brother, a descendant of Avraham. The name אדומי can also refer to a spiritual record of a constant sinner. For the passuk says אם יהיו חטאיכם כשני כשלג ילבינו if your sins will be scarlet red they will nevertheless turn white like snow if one does teshuvah (Shabbos 89b). This is what the passuk is relating to us כי אחיך הוא. The word אחי means a bond, a connection. No matter how much a person sinned it is considered as an aberration from one's true norm and identity which is neshamah not the body. As the Sfas Emes writes Am Yisrael's true identity is likened to the פך שמן עם חתימת כהן גדול the one flask of oil of Chanukah that can never be defiled for it possesses the seal of the Kohen Gadol which refers to the Pinteleh Yid – neshamah. So even if a Yid sinned over a million aveiros one must realize that nevertheless he is still miraculously connected with Hashem and therefore he can do teshuvah and all his reds will transform into white snow. This is alluded to in the above words כי אחיך because you are still connected. The acronym of these two words are אם יהיו חטאיכם כשני (כי) כשלג ילבינו (אחיך)

The above mamar tells us how to perceive and understand at Hashem's chastisement to us being a recipient of discomfort pain and suffering. That no matter how severe the punishment whether of the personal or national level, we still are echad one and bonded with Hashem Echad. This is hinted in the Shmah Yisrael that ה' אלקינו that even when we receive the wrath of Hashem and the Middos Hadin that almost makes us extinct, we must clearly realize that it isה' אחד that Hashem is still connected and Echad with ישראל. Now let us return to the Medrash of our parsha. There are two letters in the Aleph Beis similar to each other that are enlarged in the Torah. The word אחד of שמע ישראל and the word אחר of לא תשתחוה לאל אחר. Since the dalet and raish are similar to each other the Torah did not want one who reads these words to mix up the letters and the words, for the outcome would be blasphemous. The difference in the shape of the letters is that the letter Dalet has a thorn known as a קוץ on the right top corner in contrast to the Raish where that thorn is visibly chopped off. The Bnei Yissaschor writes that even the gematriah of the letters relates the same message as their shapes. The letter ר is gematriah 200 and the letter ד is gematriah 4. The numerical difference between both of them is 196 the same gematriah of קוץ.

Am Yisrael belongs to the Hashem אחד nation and everyone else belongs to the אל אחר the other deity. When one receives heavenly mussar even if chas veshalom it seems very severe, know for sure it wasn't a severe from your relationship with Hashem. In other words Hashem was not sending you the קוץ from ה' אחד in order to tell you it's all over for you and Me. It is only a bill to pay back the damages in the relationship and to seek the pathway to spiritual rehabilitation. And even if one gets another clop which seems even more severe than before he must still realize that his bond with Hashem remains secure. It is only that you did not respond to the first alert so I must send you a bigger red flag. Do teshuvah Now!

This is what Chazal mean when they say don't make Hashem's admonishments קוצים קוצים . Don't ever say I have sinned so much I have no more a life with Hashem, and therefore can never return to Him. Our emunah states It is never a time to look for אל אחר a new G-d or mission in life. It doesn't matter how many times Hashem sends you reminders, know with deep certainty that each time your קוץ is still glued solid on the letter ד of אחד