At the beginning of Parshas Bechukosai, the Torah says:

“I will place My dwelling among you, and I will not spurn you.”

Rashi focuses on the final phrase. If G-d is already dwelling among the Jewish people, what is added by saying that He will not spurn them?

His answer points to something important: even close, ongoing relationships can, over time, shift in a very different direction. Not just distance. Not just indifference. But something sharper – familiarity can slide into contempt.

We usually assume the main risk in relationships is growing apart. But Rashi is pointing to something different: staying close for a long time can sometimes produce the opposite feeling – frustration, irritation, even rejection of the very closeness itself.

It doesn’t take anything dramatic. Sometimes it’s just the effect of constant proximity. What was once meaningful can start to feel heavy, or taken for granted, or even hard to tolerate.

When there’s no space in how we perceive another person, familiarity can quietly change the emotional tone of the relationship. Small things start to feel bigger. Appreciation fades into assumption. And over time, closeness itself can start to feel burdensome. Nothing has to break externally for this to happen. It’s a shift in perception that builds quietly.

Rashi explains that the Torah rules out this outcome in G-d’s relationship with us as He chooses to dwell among us.

But on a human level, the idea is simple: closeness doesn’t automatically protect itself. If it’s left unchecked, it can drift in the wrong direction – even into contempt.

Proximity in relationships is important, but we must be careful not to overdo it and risk it backfiring.