A child asked his mother, “How were humans created?” So his mother said, “G-d created Adam and Eve, and they started a family, leading all the way to you and me!”
The child then went to his father, and asked him the same question. The dad responded, “We were monkeys, and we eventually evolved to become humans.”
The child ran back to his mother and said, “You lied to me!” His mother replied, “No, your dad was talking about his side of the family.”
This anecdote got me thinking: Who are we at our essence? How does our ancestral DNA impact who we are as a person?
Monkeys are cool. They climb. They communicate. But we have something inherently different.
We can change.
A human that seems like a sheep today, can be the lion of tomorrow. But a monkey can never be more than a monkey!
We have willpower. Our destiny is in our hands. A monkey’s destiny is always to be a monkey.
We truly resemble the infinite. As they say: The sky is the limit!
If we choose so!
Our rabbis explain that being created by the infinite essentially means that embedded within us we each have a G-dly DNA. This spark of G-d inside of us empowers us to perform against all odds; it enables us to honestly and freely make choices and provides the potential to master and control our thoughts and actions.
When we recognize this privilege and responsibility, we realize the immeasurable power we each possess. It is then that we can truly begin to channel our free choice in remarkable ways, bringing about great change in both ourselves and the universe.
Takeaway: Our origin story is not just the narrative of our past, it sets the way we seize the present and shape the future.
Shabbat Shalom,
R. Mendy
