After we acknowledge that YHVH is our God, personal and caring, we go on to affirm that God is also “the God of our forefathers.” In other words, although we need to experience our own personal, unique and contemporary relationship with God, our individual connection must also be set within the context of our historic relationship with God. Our personal connection is also part of a traditional, ancestral relationship. God is not just our own God; this relationship did not start with us. Our personal relationship with God goes way back and is longstanding. Some people have a personal relationship with God, but it is not linked to history. Conversely, some people have a historic, ancestral relationship with God, but not a personal, unique connection. Recently, I received a letter from a fellow who read my book The Secret Life of God. He said that when he was fifteen, he had a religious crisis. He realized that he believed in God only because his parents believed in God. As that was not a good enough reason for him, he became an atheist. This man had a traditional connection but was lacking a personal relationship. The phrase, “You are the God of our forefathers,” is especially helpful during times when we do not feel so close to God nor worthy of His loving attention. It helps us remember that God is indeed close to us simply because we are the offspring of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. Even when we feel inadequate to stand in God’s presence and ask for His help, nonetheless we know that He is always here for us because He is the God of our great, great grandparents. Even if we feel we have no personal merits, we know that we can approach God because we are descendants of those spiritual giants. We can actually count on the merit of our ancestors. We are their offspring, and the apple does not fall far from the tree. The Amidah then names each one of the forefathers: “You are the God of Avraham, the God of Yitzchak, and the God of Yaakov.” This suggests that each of these spiritual giants had a very different perspective of, and encounter with, God—that God related to each of them differently because God gives everyone individual attention. God personally identifies with each of us as individuals. Yet as it continues, the blessing also reminds us, “The Divine Power who is great, mighty and awesome.” Although God is manifest as close and personal, we need to remember that God is truly beyond personification. The God whom we call “You” is also the great, mighty, awesome Divine power and force. As soon as the tefillah reminds us of God’s greatness, it repeats that God personally cares for us and this Supernal Power “nurtures us with good kindness.” This repetition highlights the mysterious contrast between the manifestation of God as the great power and yet as kind and nurturing. As awesome as God is, He is still our loving, caring God. Compare this Jewish concept of God to that of the ancient Greeks. They believed that because the gods were so great and mighty, they had no interest in human beings. In essence, they could care less about us. We, too, may wonder why the Timeless Ultimate Reality would take interest in us mortals. Why would the Infinite care about the infinitesimal? The Torah teaches that God’s greatness lies precisely in the fact that He wants to be present in our lives, and that He cares for us and nurtures us. Let’s focus on the part of the blessing that says “good kindness.” You may be wondering whether there is such a thing as bad kindness. Well, the Torah teaches that there is indeed. The ideal form of kindness does not diminish the stature and self-esteem of the one who is its object. Therefore, good kindness is a kindness that truly nurtures a person without causing him or her to lose self-worth. For example, regarding the laws of giving to the poor (tzedakah), we are taught that it is better to donate in anonymity so that the recipient does not know the name of the donor and will not be embarrassed in the donor’s presence. It is even better if we can help the poor person get a job. This is because when we give a jobless man money, we take away some of his dignity and self-worth. But when we give him a job, we are protecting and nurturing his self-respect. God, as the ultimate nurturer, always gives while protecting and building our stature.