| "And you shall be holy people to Me"
As human beings, we have a natural tendency to feel as though everything is under our control, as if we are almost deputies of the Creator. This leads to a dangerous cycle: in moments of spiritual elevation, we feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment—"Wow! I did something great! This was my doing!" But when we experience a fall, feelings of sadness and despair can intensify to the point of complete hopelessness. "Is this what I am worth? I can't even overcome my desires?" From there, it is a short path to the global epidemic of despair.
Reb Noson teaches us that when we learn to appreciate every little thing we do and to give thanks for it, we will have the tools to face every situation in life. I woke up in the morning—Modeh Ani. I washed my hands—Wow, I am special. I davened Shacharis—How incredible! How many people in the world don't start their morning this way? Thank You, Hashem, that I am a Jew, that I have so many ways to connect to You! And even in moments of failure, we must recognize that there is Someone above us who loves us despite everything and wants us to turn to Him even from that low place. Hashem is not looking for angels—He wants us, with all our struggles and shortcomings, as long as we remain connected to Him.
This is the foundation of what the Kotzker Rebbe—whose yahrtzeit is today—teaches us, as hinted in the verse, "And you shall be holy people to Me." People, not angels. When we truly recognize that we are human and internalize that we are not Hashem's deputies running the world, we have fulfilled our ultimate mission: to serve Hashem in every situation. And when we understand this, we will never fall into despair.
How fortunate we are!
Shabbat Shalom | 
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