Like a Mother's Love

"From my flesh I see G-d." (Job 19:26)
A fundamental tenet of Jewish mystical teachings is the idea that from every element of this physical world, we can deduce ideas of the spiritual. How come? Because this world descends directly from its spiritual counterpart above it; its spiritual "DNA", its blueprint and mirror, is the spiritual above it. This applies even more so to what we can observe in the human being, for "man is a miniature world." (Zohar)

Based on this, when trying to understand our relationship with G-d, Jewish mysticism often teaches from the bond we see in human relationships, one being the love felt from a parent to it's child. As the holy Baal Shem Tov taught: "G-d's love for his people is like that of an aging couple who has an only child born to them late in life, except infinitely more so." In truth, the only reason why a parent has a deep inherent love for his or her child, is because this stems from G-d's love of his people.

If one meditates on this idea a bit more, dissecting this analogy in greater detail, a different outlook & perspective on one's relationship with G-d emerges. If one thinks for a moment about a mother who conceives: Slowly a new, living being begins to develop within her, connected as one with its mother, a continuation of her. Every aspect of it's life is bound to its mother. After birth, the helpless child survives & is nurtured from his mother's loving beneficence. A child can and never will, fully understand the love of his mother to him. It's not a love of one person to another, but of an extension of herself treated greater than herself, with a deep and boundless tender love that can't be quantified. So too by G-d toward his children. Yet how many of us think of G-d this way? Not as a stern king, but as a loving creator and parent?

The next time we pray or just take a moment to think about G-d, let us close our eyes and imagine this aging mother in a loving embrace with her new child. From my flesh I see G-d - We can always learn from the world around us, and from the world of emotions within.

Shabbat Shalom!

A Child's Love

As we near the "high holidays", especially those of Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur, many people start to feel a bit of apprehension, looking at these "judgement" days as serious and heavy. While it's true that these days are especially holy times to connect to G-d, repent for past misdeeds, and make up to do better the coming year, perhaps it would be better to take a step back & look at this time from a different perspective.

As any father of a teenage child will tell you, coming home from work isn't the same as it used to be. "When my son was young, he used to greet me with such enthusiasm and joy when I returned home. As soon as my key had entered the keyhole of the front door, I would here his voice scream: "Daddy's home!"
Now when I come home, he barely looks up at me. Perhaps he'll mutter a "hi." One time I overheard him on the phone talking to his friend: "When my dad comes home, it's so annoying! I have to be careful of what I do, I have to hide anything bad..." My heart dropped. Here I was, working hard so that my family could have a good life. If I get involved in my son's life, it's not for MY good. I'm doing it for him!"

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to forget for a second the laws & commandments of Judaism. Even though G-d isn't only telling us to do them for His sake, but rather for our sake as well; to benefit us spiritually & even physically. Rather, as we approach the high holidays, let's try and remember the original connection our souls have with G-d, arousing that pure, uncomplicated love. Like a child's feeling of joy & love when he hears the key in the door, let us reconnect & arouse the natural love & joy we have for our father.
He only wants the best for us.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

What's so great about Children?

B"H

The love the Lubavitcher Rebbe had for children was legendary. In his
eyes the holiest members of the Jewish people were our youth. Whenever
a young boy or girl waved to the Rebbe, his face would light up
immediately and return the wave.
The Rebbe spoke and wrote countless times about the power of a child's
simple prayer or thought, emphasizing the importance of every Jewish
child's action-more important than the most venerable Rabbi could hope
to achieve.

What is it about children that we love so much? Sure they're cute, and
ask funny questions, grinning from ear to ear without their 2 front
teeth.
But if we look a little bit deeper, what essential value do young
children have compared to their elders? Why should children be valued
more than a teenager or adult in any way? Shouldn't it be the
opposite, considering the fact that the older a person gets, the more
he has worked on himself to realize what is truly meaningful &
worthwhile in life? A child has never really faced the world or
thought about what is truly important...

The Rebbe explains that a father loves a son naturally, and his young
son loves his father by his very nature too. Why? Because that's just
the way it is. The son comes from his father's essence (as explained
in the Chassidic works) and both feel an essential bond for that very
reason.
What happens though when the son grows older? Both the son and his
father begin to feel love for each other based on reason and
understanding also. I love my father because he does so much for me
and really cares, and there's even a commandment in the Torah to
respect my parents. I love my son because he's so warm and smart, with
a great smile and he treats his sister so nicely. Of course each loves
one another intrinsically still for no reason at all, but now this
love is more hidden by the love based on reason.
The source for this relationship between father and son, Kabbalah
explains, stems from G-d's Intrinsic Love for the Jewish People. "You
are children to the L-rd your G-d." (Devarim 14:1) When Yisrael was
a youth did I Love him, and from Egypt I called forth my child."
(Hoshea 11:1) "The children I have raised and exalted." (Yeshayahu
1:2) These are a few of the many places in scripture where we see this
loving relationship expressed. Sure we have to serve G-d through
prayer and Torah study, meditating upon His Blessed Greatness which is
beyond our wildest imaginations, growing continuously in our efforts
to reach closer to our King.
But the simple, intrinsic bond between father and son, rooted in that
of G-d and His People, must be forever cherished.

Shabbat Shalom
-Daniel