I got back late last night from a Farbrengen, a spiritually-focused gathering, with some of my local Chabad Rabbi colleagues. Yesterday was a big day on the Chabad calendar, celebrated by Jews worldwide who have been inspired by the Chasidic contribution to the Jewish experience. The day is fondly called: "The Rosh Hashanah of Chasiddut" ( more here). Here is a thought we shared:
The early Chasidic leaders were innovators and trailblazers, and were initially met with strong resistance. Rabbi Shenur Zalman, founder of Chabad about 200 years ago, stood out as one of the most influential leaders of the Chasidic renaissance. When some of its opponents realized the Chasidic movement was unstoppable, they took the extreme step of bringing libelous claims against this Chasidic leader to the Czar's Prosecutor General, landing him in a Petersburg prison.
It was in prison where an important Russian minister came to meet the legendary Jewish leader in person. This minister, being quite a learned fellow, asked for an interpretation of the question G-d posed to Adam, right after he sinned, in the Garden of Eden: "Ayekah? - Where are you?", The minister wasn't satisfied with the classic commentaries and asked for the Rabbi's take on it.
"Ayekah?!, is the question God asks man (Adam)," Rabbi Shenur Zalman explained, "every individual that is, every single day. Where are you? Where are you in your world? Are you in a place where you should be?!"
The piercing question of Ayekah, is one we need to all ask ourselves, both in regard to our accomplishments in this world in general and our spiritual status in particular.
But more important than the answer is the very question "Ayekah?!"
One who knows how to stop the race of life from time to time, and ask him or herself: Ayekah?! is guaranteed a life of meaning.
And living a life of meaning is one way of enjoying heaven (Garden of Eden) right here on earth!