After detailing the mitzvah of shemittah in this week’s parshah, Hashem reminds us that “the land belongs to Me” and that we are only geirim [strangers] and toshavim [residents] with Me.” The Chasam Sofer notes that in several places in the Torah, Hashem Himself is referred to as a ger, which is not the ideal situation, as we want Hashem to be with us constantly.
He explains that the way to ensure that Hashem is a constant presence in our lives is to make ourselves geirim — to remember that we are strangers in the world, just passing through on our way to the Olam Ha’emes. It’s when we get too settled in this material world that Hashem becomes “a stranger” in our lives.
Nowhere is it more important to have Hashem’s presence with us constantly, than in our homes. When addressing chassanim and kallos, there’s lots of talk about making a home a place for the Shechinah, but once the sheva brachos are over, this concept doesn’t get a great deal of attention. This is more than unfortunate, as maintaining a focus on bringing Hashem into our lives is what makes all the difference in the decisions we make in how to behave, and impacts how spouses relate to one another. It’s also so relevant to how we bring up our children, as Hashem is described as partnering with the parents to bring new life into the world.
If we want to build homes where the Shechinah can dwell, constantly, we have to keep the right perspective on life — that we are passing through in order to serve Hashem and bring His presence into the world. When we imbue our actions with the right Torah hashkafah and keep Torah’dig goals in mind, we will be able, be’ezras Hashem, to live with Hashem all of our lives.
