"Where am I?"
Hashem asks Adam “Ayeka- where are you?”Hashem knew where Adam was- but did he?
When the Alter Rebbe was in prison, he was questioned for almost 8 weeks.
But one question taught us a lesson for all time. A minister walked in and asked the Alter Rebbe why Hashem asked Adam this question. First the Alter Rebbe mentioned Rashi’s explanation, which was that Hashem was broaching the main question He was asking Adam, “Why did you sin by eating from the Eitz Hadaas?” in a non-threatening way.
But the minister wanted to know what the Alter Rebbe thought.
The Alter Rebbe looked the minister in the eye and told him, “The Torah is everlasting. The same question Hashem asked Adam, He asks every person, at every point in his life. At all times, Hashem is asking us, ‘Where are you? What are you doing to fulfill your purpose in life.’
“For example, you are so and so many years old (the Alter Rebbe mentioned the minister’s exact age, although he had no ordinary way of knowing it). Hashem is also asking you, ‘Where are you in your mission in life? Are you doing what Hashem expects you to accomplish during your lifetime?’ ”
So, where are you?Hashem created you with a specific set of talents, capabilities, and challenges. He placed you in a country and surrounded you with people just so you can accomplish the unique mission you were brought to this world for. The question “Ayeka” is a reminder and a wake up call to keep accomplishing in the right direction- and to do that, each person has to take the time to stop and ask himself- “Where am I?”
By Bryine Stiefel
‘Where are you in your mission in life? ”
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