What is it all about?

Its cliche i know..but there is something magical about snow. Maybe its because I am from the South and snow is a rarity there. Maybe its because snow meant no school. Whatever the reason, when i walk outside and inhale that fresh cold air, that smell that can only mean snow..that perfect temperature at which it is cold enough but not too cold for snow..it makes me..how do i put it without sounding too sappy...there is no way. it makes me smile inside.

yesterday as i was walking back from shul, it was not yet quite snowing, but you could smell it and last night i was walking in the snow. the white flakes slowly drifting down. the sense of renewal and cleansing that comes from the snow is intoxicating. When it snows, i just want to keep walking, never really wanting to go in. I want to take advantage of every minute.

Last night i went to a shiur by Chevi Garfinkle who i absolutely love. She asked a basic question, what is the purpose of life. Many answers have been given. She answered simply: relationships.

I won't go through the entire hour and half of her speech, but there are a few points that really reverberated with me.

Obviously, the ultimate relationship that we attempt to cultivate in this world as Jews is our relationship with our Father, our Creator, our King: G-d. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to get caught up with being frum that we forget what the purpose of all that we do is to cultivate this relationship with our loving Father. We wear the right clothes, go to the right schools, go through all motions but do we ever stop to think..why is it that I am doing this? What is the purpose?

She posed a really good question. Why do we say Az Yashir every single solitary day? Why not just reserve it for Pesach? We don't say the megilla everyday? Every holiday is dedicated to that time in history. Why is it that Az Yashir is said everyday. Honestly, who really finds much meaning in it anyways? Its just the thing that we say between ashrei and yistabach. Right?

You know why it is that we say it every single day? 365 days a year? In rain, snow, sleet, sunshine?
Because we are cultivating a relationship with G-d. In every relationship, it is crucial that you know how the other person feels about you. There is nothing worse than being more committed to a relationship than the other person. Its awful when you find out that your feelings are not reciprocated.

So everyday, we say Az Yashir. G-d wants there not to be even a twinge of doubt about how He feels about us. It is the ultimate love song. Az Yashir describes in detail our miraculous exit from exile. No one goes through that kind of effort for someone they are indifferent to.

We all have our different relationships. The first we ever have is the one that we have with our family, then as we get older-our friends, maybe a significant other. No matter how close we get, people are just that-people. People come and go and unfortunately there is no guarantee that any of our human relationships will always be there. People pass away, friends grow apart, marriages end. None of these connections are infinite as much as we would like them to be.

The one connection, the one relationship, the one love that will always be there for you..no matter what is the relationship we have with our neshama and by extension-with G-d.

So start investing. Start noticing the love. The snow last night made my heart sing..and the sun today..another gift. My Father showing me exactly how much He loves me. He is willing to literally give me the world, all I have to do is let Him in.
Talk to Him about my day. Tell Him was bothers me, ask His help with those difficult times.

I am lucky to have the most loving parents you could ever meet. My father always tells me that he is always here for me, all i have to do is ask and he will do all he can to help me succeed. All i have to do is pick up the phone, call him. He will move worlds for me if that is what i need. That is my human, flesh and blood father. He is limited. How much more so my Father above. He just wants to be let in. For me to talk to Him.

Chevi talked about a time she was talking in a kiruv school. One of her students asked so..
"so G-d is like your best friend"
her first response was to laugh and then to cry because she laughed.
she answered:
" He is not, but  I am going to spend the rest of my life trying to make Him my best friend"