Where are you?

That’s what Hashem (G-d) asked Adam Ha-rishon after he ate from the Eitz Hadaas (Tree of Knowledge) and went into hiding.

Do you know why He asked him? Hashem knew exactly where he was.

It’s because before He was going to punish him, He wanted to have a conversation. 

Hashem asked him what happened and when he blamed his wife, Hashem did the research and spoke to his wife, and when she blamed the snake, Hashem went and spoke to the snake.

I learned two powerful lessons from this story. 

Number one is that before disciplining a child, I need to have a conversation. I need to get to know this child a little more. There needs to be a dialog. There needs to be a relationship. 

Number two is that I need to take my time and do the research; never punish on assumptions and never punish unless I have all the facts.

Hey, if Hashem took the time to do His research, I think I can do that as well.

I can spend some time getting to know the child and what’s going on in his or her life before jumping to conclusions.

Hope this helps.