Lifeless Communication

(Picture by A. Kasesser)

There are occasions when we witness an acquaintance speaking to another person in an all together different manner than the way they speak to us. With the other person they are animated and laughing, and with us there is a rigid formality. At times, this acquaintance will only speak to us only when no one else is around and will completely ignore us the minute another person is present.

We scratch our heads trying to understand the reason for this. Judgementally, we reason that perhaps this other person is just not genuine and sincere; that his friendship is anything but a true friendship and that they are simply using us as a substitute for boredom.

Yet, many of us are guilty of behaving in this very same manner on countless occasions to someone we speak to every day. There are times we speak to Hashem in utter sincerity as we would speak to a close friend, and then there are times when we seem to rudely blow Him off. Sometimes we even visit his house and speak to Him absentmindedly without even really paying attention to what we are saying to Him.

We certainly don't like it when other people do this to us.

So, how do we think it makes Hashem feel?