As I left my apartment one day this week, I bumped into my next-door neighbor with his brand new puppy, Winter. We chatted a while, and I asked if I could introduce Winter to my kids. He agreed and I brought Winter inside.
Now, I love dogs, and at one point in my childhood we had three living in our house— a English Mastiff and two German Shepherds. My favorite was Ringo, our German shepherd, who I grew to love.
Because I grew up with dogs, I know how loyal they are and how much love they can give, and I was excited for my children to meet this adorable labrador. So Winter came racing into our apartment, jumping with joy, ready to play. She started playing with the pillows and wanted to play with my children, but they were, unfortunately, not being very good hosts. They tried to jump out of the way and hide from Winter, and my younger children started to cry and beg me to take the dog out of the house immediately.
All this got me thinking. These kids have a father who absolutely loves dogs, but they themselves have no appreciation for them, and are even terrified! Why do they not love Winter as I do?
Simply put, they do not know her. If they would agree to spend time with Winter, they would learn not only to feel comfortable around her, but even to love her. In order to appreciate dogs, you need to spend time with them. Only then will you understand that they are fiercely loyal, unconditionally loving and always non-judgmental. I am certain that if my kids were willing to do that, they would realize how cute she is and spend hours playing with her.
The same is true of our relationship with G-d. Many of us do not appreciate Him, because we refuse to spend time with Him. If we would make time to spend with Him, surely we would come to love Him.
If we would start learning His Torah, we would realize its sheer brilliance. If we would start coming to shul on Shabbat, we would realize how fulfilling prayer can be. If we would take time to light the Shabbat candles on Friday afternoon, we would realize our own potential, and how much spirituality and light we can share with others.
So do yourself a favor and come to shul this Shabbat, and together we will read about the first seven of the ten plagues that destroyed Egypt. By focusing on the meaning of the plagues, we will discover the timeless and eternal lessons they teach, making the Bible just as pertinent to our 2016 lives, as it was millennia ago.