Thursday, September 6, 2018

She gets that from me!

In one of my favorite movie scenes, a girl named "Baby" dances with her boyfriend, Johnny, on stage at a summer camp. The audience, including Baby's surprised parents, is delighted with the performance. Her mother nudges her dad and proudly states, "She gets that from me."

Whether its dancing, singing, playing soccer, or being a stand-up comedian, parents naturally want some of the credit when their children do well. It is the same with our heavenly parent. He made us in His image and  He also enjoys saying, "They get that from Me"

So what attributes do we get from our Creator? What do we do that makes us act just like Him?
What makes us different from the animals He made?

When I was a little girl, I must have heard my dad say a hundred times, "There's no God, what kind of God would allow all this suffering?!" He was especially upset about all the starving children and the unfairness of how wealth and resources are distributed throughout the world. My generation was the one urged to finish the food on our plate because of all the starving kids in China. My dad was loving and kind. He hated injustices. He hated to see anyone suffer. My dad supported equality, justice and human decency. The funny thing is, now I know, the God he didn't believe in, was saying "He gets that from Me".

The seven emotional attributes we get from our Creator are;

Netzach/ Victory - desire and ability to overcome evil
Malchut/ Kingdom- desire and ability to humbly transform society
Chessed/Loving Kindness - desire and ability to re-create, start fresh
Yesod/Truth- desire and ability to actualise our potential and fulfil goals
Tiferet/Mercy - desire and ability to give and receive forgiveness and blessings
Hod/Acknowledgement - desire and ability to give sincere thanks and serve Almighty God
Gevura/strength - desire and ability to stand in awe of Almighty God and His creation


These attributes are not automatic. Obviously we are not robots. Angels are like robots; they have to do whatever they are commanded. Animals follow their natural instincts. God made angels, He made animals, but He still wanted human beings. Why? We know why.




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