Paths of Faith: Believe in Yourself – Tap into Inner Strength

It is so important to believe in ourselves, as only then can we have the strength to face any challenge. Believing in ourselves instills strength in us. As Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz says:

"... Just as believing in others gives them strength through our faith in them, so too, believing in ourselves injects us with unlimited strength to perform deeds that are beyond human power.

This is demonstrated by the commentary of the Ramban on the verse: 'And every man whose heart lifted him up came, and every one whose spirit made him willing brought Hashem's offering.' Referring to the wise-hearted who erected the Mishkan and did all that Hashem commanded, the Ramban writes that there was no one among them who had learned these crafts from a teacher or instructor, but they found within themselves the knowledge to do so and their hearts were lifted up in the ways of Hashem to come before Moshe and say, 'I will do all that my lord speaks.'

When Hashem commanded the construction of the Mishkan according to His instructions, great craftsmen and specialists were needed. And those wise-hearted – Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, who volunteered to do this – were not professional craftsmen and had not studied this craft in their lives, but felt that naturally, they were capable of it and trusted that Hashem gives everyone the strength and talents needed, as it is written 'his heart was lifted up in the ways of Hashem,' as the verse in our matter states 'every man whose heart lifted him.'

Believing in themselves endowed them with special strength to do the nearly impossible. Likewise, each of us, by truly believing in ourselves and the talents and gifts endowed by the Creator, can inject unlimited powers within ourselves.

Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz continues by saying that the reverse is also true: "... The one who despairs of their abilities and talents becomes weakened in their studies, but the one who trusts in their strength and believes they are capable of growing greatly in Torah becomes strengthened and emboldened, as it states 'his heart was lifted up in the ways of Hashem,' and they will overpower, strengthen, ascend, and succeed."

Indeed, reality shows that throughout history, most successful people were not necessarily the most talented or the most intelligent, but those who believed in their capabilities.

Hashem granted us special powers not for them to remain in potential, but for us to bring them from potential to action for the benefit of all, and this can only be achieved when we believe in ourselves.

Only when we appreciate ourselves and recognize our strengths can we progress.

If we do not recognize our strengths, we cannot exploit them. A person with the most advanced camera, if they have not read the instructions and are not aware of all its features, will use it in the simplest manner. If we are unaware of the powers within us, we will waste them, and they will remain dormant. Therefore, it is crucial to appreciate ourselves and recognize our special strengths, and with them, we can perform great and wondrous deeds.

When we are aware of our virtues, we can utilize them and progress – as Rabbi Dessler says: "A person's work tools are their virtues."

If we are unaware of our virtues, they will be lost, and we cannot advance. A pleasant parable I heard from Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson illustrates this:

A young camel asked his mother, "Mom, I have three questions:

First, why are camels different from other animals, with such tall, strange legs?"

The mother camel answered, "We are not like simple animals that just run a bit; we run thousands of kilometers, thus we need strong and large legs!"

Then the small camel asked, "Why do we have such strange, enormous eyelashes? Can't we be good-looking with normal-sized eyelashes?"

The mother answered, "We run thousands of kilometers in the Sahara desert, where there are sandstorms, and the sand can get into our eyes, so we have eyelashes to protect us from the sand."

The camel asked again, "And what about this weird, ugly hump? Why can't we have a nice, straight back like other animals?"

The mother answered, "Listen, we go thousands of kilometers in the Sahara desert, where there is no water; we are the only animals that can survive weeks and months without water. How is it possible? Because we have a hump that stores fat providing us with water for weeks and months."

Then the young camel jumped and asked his mother a fourth question, "We have big legs to walk thousands of kilometers, strange long eyelashes to protect against the sand while walking thousands of kilometers, an ugly hump to walk thousands of kilometers without needing water, so, Mom, one more question: why are we in a zoo cage?"...

A person who does not recognize their worth prevents themselves from advancing in life.

In one of the factories in the US, a notice was posted stating: "The person who was holding you back from progressing in your work has passed away." Among non-Jews, the deceased is placed in a coffin – and all those close to them come to pay respects. Everyone came to pay respects to the deceased worker. They all passed by the coffin, looking curiously at who this mysterious worker was, and to their surprise, they found a mirror inside the coffin. Each person who passed by saw themselves in the mirror because the only person holding you back from progressing and succeeding in life is yourself.

People who have decided they are failures or that they cannot succeed are unable to progress, and their prophecy is likely to fulfill itself.

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