You Are Your Heart



Which part of you really counts? 
Which part of you matters most?
Which part of you expresses your core?
Which part of you, is YOU?

You are not your wisdom or your knowledge. 
You are not your creativity or your big ideas. 
You are not your talents or your capabilities.
You are not your job or your accomplishments.
You are not your bank account or your house.
You are not your interests or your hobbies.
You are not your body or your clothing.
You are not your family or your status. 
You are not your personality or your preferences.

That's not YOU.
That's not what counts. 
That's not what matters most.
That's not what defines your essence.
That's not what remains forever.

Who are YOU.

You are your middos. Your character. Your goodness.
You are your kindness. Your love. Your generosity.
You are your compassion. Your empathy. Your caring.
You are your humility. Your modesty. Your selflessness.
You are your fear of Heaven. Your self control. Your integrity.

This is what comes first. This is what comes last. This is what comes in the middle.

Your greatest quality is that you are a Mentch -
That you have good character.

That's the only thing that matters.

The rest is commentary.

So never put being right, before being kind.
Never put your learning, before answering someone's cry.
Never put your passions, before fulfilling your purpose,
Never put your self realization before helping another realize theirs.

Always invest in your kids’ character, before investing in their careers.
Always invest in your kids’ morals, before investing in their scores.
Always invest in your kids’ values, before investing in their talents. 
Always invest in your kids’ hearts, before investing in their minds.

Show that you look up to people's goodness, more than you look up to their genius.
Show that you appreciate people's honesty, more than you appreciate their beauty.
Show that you respect another's kindness more than you respect their charisma.
Show that you value their self control, more than you value their power over others.

If intelligence is compared to animals
Which can move from place to place
Emotional attributes are compared to trees
Which are really hard to sway
“Ki Ha-Adam Eitz Hasadeh”
A person IS a tree of the field.
What defines you is not what you know
But how you live by it, day to day 

(Based on part of Sicha on Shoftim, Chelek daled 
As given over by Fruma Shapiro)

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