By:Rabbi Amiram Markel
שויתי ה’ לנגדי תמיד –I Have Set HaShem Before Me Always
One should always set HaShem before him, realizing and never forgetting that it is quite impossible not to be before HaShem. This is simply as the name HaShem implies – the “Always Present” who always is, was and will be. The True Being that – אין עוד מלבדו – “There is nothing in addition to Him”. Nothing is independent of His being. Where there is being HaShem is, otherwise it could not be.
When one contemplates this deeply, one comes to realize that, “Certainly, I am no different. Just like everything depends on HaShem’s being to be, certainly I too depend on His being to be. If I am here (and here I am – הנני), certainly I am in His presence, because His presence is certain while mine is only conditional. He always is, while I am only because He is and He wants me to be. So where am I? Before HaShem!
This being the case, I only really have one choice – to shut my eyes to this truth, turn my back and forget HaShem, chas v’shalom, or to open my eyes with “the realization of before Whom I stand” – דע לפני מי אתה עומד- and serve Him.
With over 35 years of experience in teaching and studying Kabbalah, Chassidus, and Jewish philosophies, Rabbi Amiram Markel is known for his expertise and erudition of Chassidic and Kabbalistic thought. Acclaimed author of many books on Jewish mysticism and philosophy, such as ”The Knowledge of G-d”, “The Gate of Unity”, “On Divine Inspiration”, and “The Beginning of Wisdom”, as well as a work on Jewish Theology called “The Principles of Religion” he is a leading expert in the field. Not only is he proficient in the esoteric secrets of the Torah but having authored a scholarly book on the laws of kashrut called, “Going Kosher” he is well versed in the exoteric and practical laws as well. He currently serves as chief administrator of KCA-Kosher (Kosher Certification of America).
