The Right Stuff
Rabbi Raymond Beyda
THE RIGHT STUFF
It's no wonder that some people have a hard time making a decision.
Manufacturers offer the American consumer over 600 models of automobiles
that a buyer must sift through before making their purchase-- and that does
not take into consideration the color or available option packages one must
select. Many products come in a variety of colors and sizes-- sometimes the
exact same contents are packaged in different ways to grab some extra shelf
space on the retailers' counters. Today, even kosher wines offer several
hundred gourmet choices to the observant consumer.
Decision-making is certainly a challenge. Choices may leave one in doubt
about whether one has made the right choice. Our Sages teach "There is no
joy as great as when a doubt is resolved." In the battle for self-esteem
children are more vulnerable than adults to the depression factor
of "being wrong all the time." It's a parent's responsibility to the
healthy development of their child to give them the confidence to succeed
in life. The same holds true for a manager assigned to train new employees
in their job functions. A spouse must also realize that this applies to
their partner in their life assignment of building a home and family
together.
Today, when you are the one offering the choice to your child, employee or
spouse --stop! Ask yourself, "Am I asking this person to make a choice they
CAN make? Is the task I am requiring one they CAN do?" If someone is asked
to do what he or she are unable to do they will probably not conclude that
the demand was beyond their ability--they will probably conclude that they
are inept! It only takes a minute but it will contribute greatly to
your "student's" self-esteem and happiness for the rest of their life.
DID YOU KNOW THAT the first blessing of Bircat HaMazon [Grace After Meals]
was composed by Moshe, the second by Joshua and the third by King David and
his son King Solomon. The fourth was added many years later after the
destruction of our Holy Temple when the corpses of the murdered Tzadikim of
the city of Betar were miraculously preserved for several years until the
foreign rulers allowed the Jews to bury their dead.
Text Copyright © 2004 Rabbi Raymond Beyda and Torah.org.
