Love Thyself!! Secrets to Your Ultimate and Everlasting Net Worth

by Rabbi David Aaron

Just as a person must believe in G-d, so too, he must afterwards believe in Himself. That is to say, that G-d is involved with him and he is not a waste—that he is here today and gone tomorrow…

Rather one must believe that his soul is from the Source of Life, may His name be blessed and that G-d gets pleasure – taanug– in him and is — mishtashaya — playfully involved with him when he does His will.

And this is the meaning of the verse “and they believed in G-d and Moses His servant” (Exodus 15). [The soul of] Moses consisted of the 600,000 souls of the Jewish people of that generation — and they believed that G-d desired them – wants and receives pleasure from the good within them.
– Rabbi Tzadok Hacohen: Tzidkat HaTzadick 154

I heard an interview with a famous singer. The interviewer asked her, “What are your feelings about yourself?”

She said, “I’ve always had low self-esteem.”

She went on to explain, “Well, most people in this industry have low self-esteem. Why else would you and me be out here on stage, in the spotlight, looking for acknowledgment?”

Torah teaches that receiving acknowledgement from a bunch of people or having your name in lights does not access your inner being and true self worth. Despite the fact that this singer is successful, accomplished, beautiful, talented, and, I am sure, a very confident performer, she still suffers low self- esteem. Accomplishments might give her fame and confidence, but they did not lead her to true belief in her self.

Self-esteem does not have to be acted out vis-à-vis the outside world. You don’t need to act upon something or someone else to help you feel worthwhile and valuable. You don’t need to tell somebody else, and you don’t need somebody else to tell you, that you are valuable. If you need somebody else to tell you this, then you are not tapping the source of true and lasting self –worth. A hermit, attuned to his soul connection to G-d, may be living a more empowered life than a king who may reign supreme but neglects nurturing his relationship to G- d. Ultimately, self-worth is something you have to come to know from inside yourself by virtue of your internal and eternal connection to G-d. Of course what we do outside can help us access and affirm this realization inside. But the truth of sacred self love lies within.

There is a big difference between looking good and feeling good about ourselves. Looking good is acted out vis-à-vis the outside world. It sounds something like this: “I am technologically savvy, I built a successful business, people acknowledge me, I am honored at dinners, etc..” True, these people have an honorable dignified existence, but they do not necessarily find true inner value. Success in the outside world is how you achieve confidence and self worth is rooted in the conquest of your inner world. Your inner worth comes from communing with G-d– the Master Self, from plugging into the Ultimate I. Self- worth is an inner power and security derived from feeling your self anchored in something, or to be more correct Someone, stable and unchanging. We experience self-worth as a catharsis, a truth that is our greatness unleashed from within. We do not get self- esteem from an outside source rather we release it from within by tapping into the inner Ultimate Source of all. Self-worth comes from digging deep inside of ourselves until we find the gold within, or more specifically God within. Therefore, self- worth is encountered in the privacy of one’s own in-depth soul experience.

Having a great net worth in assets doesn’t necessarily make us feel that we have worth. Having power and control of the world outside of us doesn’t help us feel the true divine essence and unconditional value of our soul.

Humility and Self-Control
A confident person may have mastery over his environment. A person with great self-worth, on the other hand, has mastery over himself. What does it take to have self-control? The answer is being in touch with our souls. To lead a disciplined life means that you are in the driver’s seat, you have a grip on yourself and you are working from a soulful place within. Sometimes we talk from our lips, without thinking. Sometimes we talk from our heads, with much thought but little or no emotion. Sometimes we talk from the heart, with more emotion than intellect. And sometimes we talk from our soul, from a place where our heart and mind come together to fully express who we really are; from a place where we are connected to the Master Self and serve to express G- d’s wisdom, love, compassion, beauty and truth. When we operate from that soulful place, we are living a disciplined G-d centered life.

Sometime ago I read a book called I’m O.K., You’re O.K. After I read it, I felt O.K. but not great. Maybe I misunderstood the book.

G-d does not want you to think you are just O.K. He wants you to know that you are great. His message is “I’m Great and You’re Great” — because you are a part of me. So, please do yourself a favor and act accordingly—Love Thyself!!!!