PARSHAS Tazria-Metzora 5785
A Two Word Message
Rabbi Dovid Yachnes
Men's Programming
Have you ever walked away from a conversation and said to yourself “Wow! That was just amazing!” Maybe you felt empowered. Maybe energized. Maybe your heart felt a sense of calm. You know what I mean? Think back to one of those conversations. What about that interaction gave you those feelings? What made you feel so validated and alive all at the same time? What was it?
I believe the answer lies in two words. With these two words not only was that conversation almost magical but it is likely that solutions were created or problems were solved and clarity was obtained. When these two words are conveyed, everything feels better. These two words…”You Matter!”
When someone sends us that powerful message that we matter, we are jolted back to true reality. We are aligned with our authentic self. You know why? Because we do indeed matter! Sometimes in the distractions and challenges of our lives we forget that. When there is confusion, disappointment, and fear, we need to be reminded of that.
We need to know that no matter what is going on around us or what the circumstances of our lives are, we matter. We are valuable, we are special, we are unique. We have within us the ability to overcome and to thrive.
When someone listens to us, hears and feels our pain, and loves us through it, they remind us that we matter. And when they do, we are filled with strength, we are filled with energy, we can come up with solutions.
There is a beautiful prayer said every day that begins with the following words – “אֱלֹקי, נְשָׁמָה שֶׁנָּתַתָּ בִּי טְהוֹרָה הִיא – My God, the soul that you gave me is pure”. Embedded within each and every one of us is a divine and pure soul gifted to us by the Almighty. It is actually a piece of Himself. This is what we are made of and this is why we matter.
Imagine what we could do for someone else who might have forgotten this. In our conversations with them, let us be the one to remind them that they too matter! Let us give them the opportunity to walk away from that interaction feeling “amazing”, by conveying to them this very powerful two word message of…”you matter”!
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