G‑d’s Question to Adam 5773 Years Ago
Rabbi's Question to Adam (Lanza) Today
In 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, (founder of the Chabad Chassidism) was imprisoned on charges that his teachings undermined the imperial authority of the czar. For fifty-two days he was held in the Peter-Paul Fortress in Petersburg.
Among the Rebbe’s interrogators was a government minister who possessed broad knowledge of the Bible and Jewish studies. On one occasion, he asked the Rebbe to explain the verse (Genesis 3:9), “And G‑d called out to the man and said to him: ‘Where are you?’” Did G‑d not know where Adam was?
“Do you believe that the Torah is eternal?” asked the Rebbe. “Do you believe that its every word applies to every individual, under all conditions, at all times?”
“Yes,” replied the minister.
“‘Where are you?’” explained the Rebbe, “is G‑d’s perpetual call to every man. Where are you in the world? What have you accomplished? You have been allotted a certain number of days, hours, and minutes in which to fulfill your mission in life.
“Where are you Adam (Lanza)? What have you achieved?”