I just got back from a big trip to America, and, since my return, I've been worrying a lot about responsibilities. I've stressed about being stressed, unable to really learn or pray. I've distracted myself with getting things done, even when I was too tired to do anything right. But, thank G-d; when I first woke up this morning, I was blessed with a vision of something so sweet, so simple... There's someone in this world that I love.
Think about the people that you love. I've discovered something: you can let your responsibility be to them instead of to some undefined source of anxiety. Because when you bring a loved one into your thoughts, it suddenly becomes easier to be a better you. Should you get some rest, or try to push on? What would he or she say? Sometimes it's easier to trust the intuition of someone who cares for you when your own has abandoned you. We want to please each other, to be worthy of the people we love -- these thoughts bring life back to our day.
And the sweetest thing is that our sense of each other's caring and acceptance make G-d's caring and acceptance easier to feel. The beginning of this week's parasha seems like a real drag. Laws, laws, laws. But when you really love someone, all you can do is think about how to please him or her. And when you find out that that person needs something from you, it's not just another tiring obligation, it's the sweetest joy. I read a translation of the first verse: "And these are the ordinances..." Ugh. How about: "And these are the deepest desires of the One who loves us so much..." I bless us all to remember how much G-d loves us, protects us and cares for us; I bless us to be crazy in love with G-d, and every mitzvah we do should take us beyond joy.