בס "ד
TorahParashat Bereshit The first reading of the Torah has important lessons in life, not just stories. From the question G-d asked the first man after eating from the fruit he was not supposed to eat, we can extract an eternal lesson for us.
The Eternal Question: “Where Are You?”
A Timeless Lesson from Parshat Bereishit
“Where are you?” This is an eternal question that every human being must ask themselves.
La lecture de la Torah de cette semaine est Parshat Bereishit, the first portion of the year. We have begun the annual cycle of Torah reading once again, which raises an obvious question: Every single year, we read the same passages and encounter the same teachings and lessons. Does that mean we are simply repeating what we have already learned?
The answer is no.
Every year, we are meant to discover new ideas and new lessons that can deepen and enhance our relationship with G-d. After all, Judaism is fundamentally about our relationship with Him.
In this week’s Torah portion, we encounter a famous story: the first human being eats from a fruit that he was forbidden to eat.
Adam in the Garden of Eden: The Call of “Ayeka”
Our Sages discuss the identity of the fruit that Adam ate. Although there are other opinions, one opinion identifies it as a fig. This is also connected to the fact that, after eating the fruit, Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves.
Suddenly, Adam hears G-d moving about in the Garden of Eden. He hides himself, and G-d calls out to him with a single Hebrew word:
“Ayeka?” — “Where are you?”
Adam responds that he was afraid because he was naked, and that is why he hid. G-d then asks him how he knew that he was naked and whether he had eaten from the fruit he had been forbidden to eat.
The story continues from there, and we can read the full account in the Torah itself.
However, the commentators raise an important question: Why did G-d ask Adam, “Where are you?” Surely G-d already knew where Adam was. G-d knows everything, so why did He need to ask?
Why Does G-d Ask If He Already Knows Everything?
One explanation offered by the commentators is that G-d wanted to begin a conversation with the first human being.
Think about an ordinary conversation. When we meet someone, we might begin by saying, “Hello, how are you?” We do not necessarily ask because we lack information about the other person. Rather, it is a way of opening a conversation.
According to this explanation, G-d asked Adam, “Where are you?” in order to initiate a conversation with him, even though He already knew the answer.
Yet there is a deeper explanation of this question, one that emerges from a famous story about the Alter Rebbe, the founder of the Chabad Chassidic movement.
The Alter Rebbe and the Russian Minister
In the late eighteenth century, the Alter Rebbe was imprisoned for reasons that need not concern us here. While he was in prison, a Russian minister who was not Jewish came to see him with a question.
The minister, as we learn from the story, was knowledgeable in Torah. He asked the Alter Rebbe:
“If G-d knows everything, why did He ask the first man, Adam, ‘Where are you?’”
The Alter Rebbe initially referred him to Rashi, the great Torah commentator. Rashi explains that G-d asked the question in order to begin a conversation with Adam.
But the minister responded that he already knew what Rashi said. He wanted to hear the Alter Rebbe’s own explanation.
The Alter Rebbe then asked the minister whether he believed that the Torah is eternal—that its teachings apply at every moment and in every circumstance of life.
The minister answered that he did.
The Alter Rebbe then explained that when a person reaches a particular age, including a specific number of months, G-d asks that person the same question:
“Where are you?”
Remarkably, the Alter Rebbe identified the minister’s exact age, including the number of months he had lived, without asking him for this information.
The point of the story was not merely to demonstrate the Alter Rebbe’s extraordinary knowledge. It was to reveal the deeper, personal meaning of G-d’s question.
The Deeper Meaning of “Ayeka”: Where Are You in Your Life?
The Torah is not simply recording an event that happened to Adam thousands of years ago. Its message is eternal, and its question is directed to every one of us.
When G-d asks, “Where are you?”, He is asking us to examine our lives.
What are you doing to strengthen your relationship with G-d? What are you doing to help other people develop their relationship with Him? What acts of goodness are you bringing into the world? Are you fulfilling the mission for which you were created?
These are not questions that apply only to Adam. They are questions that each of us must confront personally.
The Torah records G-d’s question because it is meant to speak to every generation and every individual. We should therefore learn to ask ourselves:
Where am I?
Where do I stand in my relationship with G-d? What am I contributing to the world? Am I using my abilities and opportunities to spread goodness, or am I simply going through the motions of everyday life?
The story of the Alter Rebbe reminds us that this question is not confined to the past. It is relevant to every person, at every stage of life.
Fulfilling Our Mission Through Thought, Speech, and Action
This question is so important that we cannot simply go through life without examining what we are doing.
We cannot assume that life is merely a sequence of days: we wake up today, wake up again tomorrow, and continue without asking ourselves what our lives are meant to accomplish.
Instead, at every moment, we should reflect on our conduct.
With every thought we think, every word that comes out of our mouths, and every action we take, we should ask ourselves:
“Where am I in my service to G-d?”
Are our thoughts directed toward goodness? Are our words constructive and kind? Do our actions make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us?
Every moment presents us with an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with G-d and to fulfil our purpose in life.
The question “Ayeka?” is therefore much more than a question about physical location. It is a call to self-examination, responsibility, and spiritual growth.
G-d’s question to Adam is also a question addressed to each of us. The challenge is to hear it, take it seriously, and respond through the way we live.
Where are you? And what are you doing to fulfil your mission in this world?.
Bon Shabbat.
Discours du rabbin Tuvia Serber
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