{"id":33392,"date":"2013-08-20T18:19:27","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T18:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=33392"},"modified":"2013-08-20T18:19:27","modified_gmt":"2013-08-20T18:19:27","slug":"self-worth-priceless-the-jewish-perspective-on-a-healthy-self-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/parenting\/self-worth-priceless-the-jewish-perspective-on-a-healthy-self-image\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Worth? Priceless: The Jewish Perspective on a Healthy Self-Image"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"self<\/a>This article originally appeared on\u00a0Jewinthecity.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a little game I\u2019ve been playing with my\u00a0children since they were old enough to speak. It\u2019s a way to build up their self-esteem while simultaneously teaching them where we derive self-worth from in Judaism. This is how it goes:<\/p>\n

Me: Who made you so smart?<\/p>\n

My kid: Hashem (which literally means the name, but is how observant Jews refer to G-d)<\/p>\n

Me: Who made you so beautiful?<\/p>\n

My kid:\u00a0<\/strong>Hashem<\/p>\n

Me: Who made you so funny and cute?<\/p>\n

My kid: Hashem<\/p>\n

Me: Who makes you so good?<\/p>\n

My kid: me<\/p>\n

I got the idea for this game based on a parable a friend once told me that went like this: If a beautiful object is reflected into a mirror, the mirror can\u2019t say that it (the mirror) doesn\u2019t look beautiful because a)\u00a0It wouldn\u2019t be true and b)\u00a0It would be an offense to the beautiful object reflecting into it.<\/p>\n

The mirror also can\u2019t take credit for the beauty since the beauty doesn\u2019t come from the mirror itself but rather from the beautiful object. What the mirror must say is that it is beautiful because something beautiful is reflecting into it.<\/p>\n

That is the Jewish way of looking at strengths and talents. We are all mirrors reflecting tiny pieces of God\u2019s various attributes and light. Therefore, we must be careful to acknowledge when a talent exists within us.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not egotistical to know that you\u2019re funny or smart or athletic. It\u2019s necessary so that you can be grateful to the One who gave you your strengths and so that you can make sure to use them to uniquely improve the world. But it is also important to remember where the talent comes from so that you don\u2019t come to take credit for something that you are not responsible for.<\/p>\n

In truth, as the game with my\u00a0children illustrates, the only thing that we control is the choices we make, for it says in the Talmud, \u201ceverything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s choose to take an honest look at the talents we were endowed with, give thanks to the One who bestowed them upon us, and find a way to give back with the gifts we\u2019ve been given.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The mirror can\u2019t take credit for the beauty since the beauty doesn\u2019t come from the mirror itself but rather from the beautiful object. What the mirror must say is that it is beautiful because something beautiful is reflecting into it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":790,"featured_media":33395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-parenting"],"yoast_head":"\nSelf-Worth? 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