VALUE!!!

Do you have days when you say to yourself, “I didn’t do anything today.” You might say this, but we both know that it’s not true. It’s just that our definition of “doing” or “accomplishing” is a bit off.

In fact, you most likely did a lot.

Maybe you took care of someone today. You smiled at someone. You most likely prepared some sort of meal, did a laundry, cleaned or tided up. Yes, I am sure that you did and you did a lot.

The problem is not in a lack of doing, it’s in a lack of valuing what you are doing.

If we were paid a thousand dollars for every sandwich made, every spill soaked up or every dish washed, we wouldn’t feel that sense of lack of accomplishment. Or how about if we earned a hefty sum for every time we held our tongue when we wanted to say something hurtful and we didn’t? Even if we were paid a penny for every hug we gave, every tear wiped away or every booboo kissed, we would be multimillionaires and we would then feel like we did a lot.

But these things we simplify in our minds. No, we don’t dress them up. Instead, we dwell on what wasn’t done or what so many others appear to do and no doubt in our minds do better.

The daily tasks of daily life- like putting on a coat with thought, to put the right foot before the left, to say a blessing- these things are taken as everyday activities that to the majority don’t seem to mean so much. And really, it’s sad, because if we valued more what we did we would actually take more pleasure and find more joy in doing it.

In this week’s parshah, Tetzaveh, Hashem tells Moshe to, “make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for honor and glory. And you shall speak to all the wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, and they shall make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, [so] that he serve Me [as a kohen] (Shemot 28:2-3).

Why did Aaron need such beautiful clothing? Clothes with gorgeous colors and accessories. Clothes that were embellished and made by Israel’s top designers?

Isn’t the goal in life to keep things simple?

Well yes, and no.

Aaron needed the fancy clothes, not for Israel to see and be awed by his individual honor. No, it wasn’t for an external show. The way of Torah is to keep things in the realm of simplicity and humility. But this was for something different. This was for Hashem’s glory and Hashem’s honor. Aaron needed these stunning garments for himself because he needed to feel the importance of what he was doing. He needed the reminder, the constant reminder, as to the value of what he was doing so that he would want to do what he needed to do, no matter how difficult or challenging or boring. He needed to feel great about himself, we need to feel great about ourselves because that in itself is a way to bring glory and honor Hashem.

This is a key to happiness and it can bring us to serve Hashem b’simcha. Value what you are doing. At the end of a long day when you don’t feel like you accomplished anything- make a list, if not on paper, at least in your head. Name each act that you did. Embellish it. Make it big. Make it beautiful. Make it grand. Make it something valuable and priceless because it is.

And if you can’t, take a step backwards and ask Hashem to help you to enable this feeling of value to penetrate into your heart. Pray that you can come to a place of really believing it.

When you see it and believe it, it will change your entire day and bring joy to your life.

This week we also read parshat Zachor. The Torah tells us:

You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God. [Therefore,] it will be, when the Lord your God grants you respite from all your enemies around [you] in the land which the Lord, your God, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You shall not forget! (Devarim 25:17-19)

Wow, remind me again, what exactly are we remembering and what exactly are we trying to “wipe out”?

The gematria, the numerical value, of amelek is safek-doubt. When the Nation of Israel received the Torah we had so much clarity. We knew what our purpose was and why we were doing what we were doing. We understood our value and that we were royalty.

Then came Amelek and they opened the door to doubt. Doubt in what you are doing and what’s your worth. Doubt in why you are here or the capabilities that you were given. Doubt in your inherent, pure beauty and the importance of every single thing that you do.

We have to remember who we are and what the value is in what we are doing. We have to wipe out any doubt that stops us from understanding our worth or our potential.

It’s a constant building up of a sense of self and of purpose. It’s a constant act of putting value and beauty into our lives as avadei Hashem.

From now until Purim I am going to ask you to work on this. I want you to close your eyes and see how you are the Cohen HaGadol of your home. Feel good and you will do good. Do good and you’ll feel good.

Hashem wants us to feel beautiful. He wants us to serve Him with pride and joy. There shouldn’t be any doubts about this, may He grant clarity.

Shabbat Shalom,

Elana