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"I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses, and you will choose life so you and your children may live to love God and hearken to His voice..." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Rashi (1040-1105) comments on the wording, "and you will choose life". It seems as though it is not a choice. Rather, it's something that we will do, because we have to, and there is no alternative.

Like a father who tells his son to choose a portion for himself but shows his son which is the best portion, Rashi explains that God is showing us the best choice -- to choose life. "To love God and hearken to His voice."

Just as the son would choose the best portion, so would any person who recognizes the value of Torah choose a life to "to love God and hearken to His voice."

Yet, therein lies the challenge. How will a person recognize that Torah is the best choice unless he has already committed himself "to love God and hearken to His voice"?

Rashi answers that very question through his parable. A son may question whether his father knows all the answers but he never doubts his father's love and dedication. Nor should we ever doubt Hashem's love for us.

This past year has been difficult. We do not understand God's ways. However, so long as we remember God's love for us, we "may live to love God and hearken to His voice." We will "choose life".

As Yom Kippur is approaching, how can we recognize God's love in our lives?

My prayer, as a spiritual leader, is that our fellow Jews strive toward the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Here I (God) am! If you remove from your midst perversion, finger pointing, and evil speech... then God will guide you always, sate your soul in times of drought" (58:9-11).

The Radak (1160-1235) explains that God's "guidance" means God will be intimately involved in all of an individual's endeavors. This in turn will satiate a soul in times when the world is void of all spirituality.

As we approach Yom Kippur, now is the time for introspection. Now is the time to ask, "What do I want and how do I get it?" It is always a positive virtue to reflect upon one's past. Reflecting upon mistakes should not be done to create a sense of guilt. Rather, it should be done to correct those mistakes and become a better individual.

Our materialistic world is filled with temptations for self-gratification, leaving some feeling empty and void of true fulfillment.

True fulfillment comes with the understanding that God could be, and is, intimately involved in our lives. When we appreciate all that God does for us, we instinctively desire to be closer to him. As we turn to God, God turns to us. If we invite God into our lives, "God will guide [us] always, sate [our] soul in times of drought."

We can all look back at our past and in retrospect realize that God was truly part of our lives. One must understand that he is only truly satiated when he knows that God is intimately involved in his life. Only then does prayer, with the will to be a better person, removing perversions from our midst, and life aspiration and visions have any meaning and fulfillment.

Happy and healthy New Year -- Gmar chatima tova.

Rabbi Chaim Lobel is spiritual leader of Young Israel of Aberdeen.
www.yiaberdeen.com