Source of Life

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A red flower in full bloom balances itself on a slender stem that descends to rich fertile earth.

It seems as if the fragile, transparent petals grow independently from the heavy earth, yet we perceive that the flower continually receives its nourishment from the ground and will soon wilt if this connection is cut.

Our soul is similarly connected to its source of nourishment – the Creator of all souls. It is this connection that the soul constantly longs for, a spiritual thirst that other pleasures cannot satisfy.

Man is unique among all of G-d’s creations in his personal relationship with his creator. Other living beings receive all their needs directly from “nature”, and lack the capability to recognize G-d’s hand in providing their sustenance. Only man, who is on a higher level of awareness, has the capacity to raise himself to a level of holiness by doing G-d’s will, and thereby draw toward himself G-d’s abundance.

This personal relationship with G-d is the loving-kindness of which the verse speaks, and it is precious because it is rare, unique in all creation.

G-d’s care for us is compared to that of a mother eagle who shelters her young with her wings. This metaphor describes the connection between the human soul, which is a spark of the divine, and its creator, who breathed the spark of life into the body.

In this verse we acknowledge that the fact that we alive this very moment is because G-d, who is the source of all life, sustains us constantly. We recognize him as the true source of all material and spiritual abundance and ask Him to intensify his connection with those who know him.