Where Am I

And God called unto man and said to him “where are you (ayeka).”                                      Genesis 3:9

            Thus God began His final (reported) conversation with His supreme creation.

            Rashi, based upon a midrash, comments that God (obviously) knew where Adam was, but asked ayeka  to open a conversation with him.

            Malbim understands ayeka very differently. It is not a conversation opener. In fact, according to Malbim, ayeka is not a question at all. Rather it is a powerful rebuke. God said to Adam “look where you are now that you have sinned versus where you were the moment before the sin.” 

            The power of the single word used by God is awesome. Adam is challenged to realize what he has done to himself by having sinned. The echo of God’s rebuke, ayeka, continues to ring out from Adam’s days to ours.

            If we ask ourselves ayeh ani (where am I), especially before sinning, there is no question that it will help us immensely on the road to teshuva.