A disciple asked the Baal Shem Tov: Why is it that one who clings to G-d and knows he is close to Him, sometimes experiences a sense of distance, and loneliness? The Baal Shem Tov explained: When a father sets out to teach his son to walk, he stands in front of him stretching his two hands to either side of the child, so that ha cannot fall. The boy then proceeds toward his fathers outstretched arms. The moment he is close to him, however, the father moves slightly away, and holds his hands farther apart. He does this over and over again so that the child may learn to walk.

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