Self-Acceptance and Acceptance of Heaven’s Yoke – Embracing Others

Our ascent to the second level of accepting the yoke of Heaven will allow us, with Hashem's help, to continue and rise to the third level – accepting others.

Once we accept ourselves and recognize our value, understanding how important every Jew and each moment is in the eyes of Hashem—realizing how beloved we are to Him—can we be at peace with ourselves, love ourselves, and from there move on to love and accept others.

As we expanded earlier, quoting Rabbi Tauber Shlita, Hashem commanded us, "Love your neighbor as yourself". To love others, we must love ourselves, appreciate ourselves, accept ourselves, and take care of ourselves. Then we can love others as we love ourselves.

A woman who appreciates herself and understands her inherent value as a beloved daughter of Hashem, a daughter of the King of Kings, will have the strength to invest in her family, love them, and accept the unique personalities of each one. She will respect the divine image in each of them, with a deep understanding of how important they are in the eyes of Hashem and are considered a world unto themselves.

A woman who has accepted herself can also continue to advance and accept her husband and children as they are, making peace with the husband she has accepted and each child's traits and flaws. She will not rebel against any child or, heaven forbid, against the husband. This is the key to domestic peace, education, and a healthy atmosphere in the home. This is the path to success with Hashem's help.

Once we accept others, we can respect differences while appreciating the beautiful aspects of each person's personality. Everyone has something uniquely complete about them. If we don't recognize this, and others seem less to us, the problem lies within us. Every person has a different opinion. We must appreciate the world’s diversity of opinions and types, which helps us open ourselves to new directions. Hashem sends us a multitude of challenges that are meant to build us, providing an opportunity to work on our attributes, develop, and grow.

When we accept Hashem’s guidance over us and remember that everything is from Him and for our benefit, we can accept others as they are, knowing Hashem has brought them to us for our good, even those who harm or trouble us. It is our duty to seek advice on how to deal with them, but remembering they are merely messengers from Hashem, and all they cause us is by His desire for our benefit.

To truly accept the yoke of Heaven, we must add another layer to this powerful view: see how each of us is unique, with a special mission and purpose here in the world.

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