Dear all,
(The photo here is my current self looking at my younger self)
The very first question in the Torah comes from God, just after Adam and Eve eat from the forbidden fruit:
“Where are you?”
God isn’t asking for their location. God knows where they are.
The question is deeper:
Do they know where they are—spiritually, emotionally?
In that moment, they are hiding.
Not just behind trees—
but behind fear, shame, and confusion.
And the truth is—we’re still answering that question.
Because Adam and Eve are us.
We move through our days so quickly that we rarely take a moment in time to ask:
“Where am I?”
So maybe we begin simply—with presence. With the ability to say:
I am here.
I am here to listen.
I am here to be present.
I am here—because there is only one me.
And once we can say that, we can go further:
I am here to make a difference.
I am here to stand with you.
I am here to help make this world better.
God’s question still echoes:
“Where are you?”
Are you ready to answer?
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro
