The Power of Words

It says in Bereishit 1:27,
“G-d created man in His own image; In the image of G-d He created him.”

Man was created in the image of G-d, but what does that mean? What is an image? An image is an exact likeness, but it is not the original. An image is two-dimensional rather than 3. Although the image might move (like in a video), the image is still only two-dimensional, the image is not alive.

What do we know about G-d? One of the things we call Him is the creator.

You know the old saying that first impressions are the most important? How do you get a first impression? Through and introduction. Its what happens the first time you meet someone.

What do we learn about G-d the first time we meet him? Where is the first place we meet him? Its at the beginning of the Hebrew Scriptures, Genesis or in Hebrew, Bereshit.

What is our first impression of G-d? It is that he is a creative being. So, now, if we are created in the image of G-d, a reflection of who he is, doesn’t it make sense that we also exist to create? We are by design, creative beings.

How did G-d create the world? He spoke the world and everything in it into existence. His words became the reality that you and I know today.

In the same way, we create through our words. Our words create reality. If we speak negative things, we create negative things in our lives. If we speak positive things, we create positive things in our lives.

Have you given any thought lately to what you are creating in your own life? Did you know that how you feel is a direct reflection of what you are thinking about. What is thinking? Thinking is speaking in your mind. If speaking out loud creates reality in the world, speaking in your mind creates reality in your mind. What you think about determines how you feel and what you speak influences what you think about.

Studies have shown that how you phrase things can make all the difference in your life because your mind hears the key words that you speak and dwells on those.

For example, let’s say you want to be a better piano player. You could say that your piano playing needs to get better. Your mind hears “get better”. If you say this enough, you will begin to dwell on getting better and it will become a reality. If however, you say, “I am terrible at the piano,” your mind only hears “terrible” and this reinforcement of terrible becomes your reality. Which do you want as your reality? “better” or “terrible?” I can tell you which I would prefer, and it doesn’t only apply to playing the piano.

Remember, your thoughts are the words of your mind and your words create reality because you are a reflection of G-d. What kind of reality do you want to create in your life today?

What is a Mitzvah?

What is a mitzvah? Many people mistakenly define a mitzvah as a commandment – a rule that must be followed. Although that definition may be etymologically correct, it is hashkafically flawed. For all our life we are given but one job – to weave a beautiful tapestry, a garment with which we will be clothed when we finally do get to experience the world to come.

And unlike the slaves in Egypt who were eventually forced to gather the materials of their task themselves – they had to gather their own hay and dig their own clay; we are given the raw materials to accomplish this task. A multi-colored tapestry, made of 613 different colored threads is what our life’s work is. Not all 613 colors are available to us all; we each have a unique combination of colors with which to weave our tapestry and each one, each strand is what we call a mitzvah.

B'tzelem Hashem

It says in Bereishit (Genesis) 1:27 - “G-d created man in His own image; In the image of G-d He created him.”

You were created in the image of G-d, that means you were created to create beauty in this world. Find the thing that gives you ultimate joy, do it l'shem shamayim (for the sake of heaven) and you will find success and fulfillment in life.