Thursday, August 13, 2015

Related and Chosen

In this week's Parsha, Re'eh, we read "You are children to Hashem your G-D". We also read "... Hashem has chosen you to be for Him a treasured people".

Which one is it, are we Hashem's children or has He chosen us? What can we learn from this for our personal relationships?  
Does one choose their relatives? 

Hashem is telling us that there is two ways he relates to us.

First as His children. Just as a parent is one with his child and nothing can change that, so too Hashem's bond with us can never be severed, we are His children.

Second He chooses us. He wants us and chooses us every day to be His Treasure.

Not only are we intrinsically one because of our essential bond but Hashem continues to treasure each and every one of us because He chooses to.

It is possible to be in a relationship and take for granted the fact that you are essentially one, thinking that this is enough.

Your children and your spouse ache for you to choose them every day. When you don't, they feel hurt, taken for granted and used. It is because of the intrinsic bond that they yearn for your love.

Don't just be your child's father, be a father to your child. Same for mothers, same for spouses. Show them that you choose them, that you treasure them.

Don't be difficult, don't be stubborn, don't make requirements for your love. Choose to give them your love because they are your treasures.


Diagnosed with ALS, unable to move, I am blessed with plenty time to think. When considering what is most important to me, the conclusion is always the same. The most important thing is that my wife and children feel loved and cherished by me, and I try my best to show them that I do.  Life is so short, make sure your family knows how much you cherish them and that you choose them over and over again. 

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