Using Our Talents and Abilities

If you look through the photos on my phone you will find a number that are of lightbulbs, cartridges and other such random items. You see, when my husband asks me to pick up something from the store and I am not sure if I found the correct item, I snap a picture and text it to him. Plain and simple. My goal of that photograph is to capture the most accurate depiction that I can of what I am looking at.

The angels are described as God’s photographs. They have clear missions that they don’t divert from and are exactly as they were created to be. They are also referred to as omdim which means those who stand, who stay still, who don’t change. Humans, however, are referred to as holchim which are those who walk, who move, who imprint reality. And we are most definitely not photographs but paintings. Each and every one unique and original. There are no lithographs, no copies, just one and only one.

We live in a world where there is such pressure to be perfect. And while we may intellectual understand that no one is perfect, so often we may try to at least appear that way. Facebook is filled with pictures of our happy lives, smiles and posts about how much we love our jobs, our spouses and our children. I often fall guilty of making my children “look” happy or smile for the camera when seconds before they were upset. How often do we ignore reality for the appearance of reality?

And yet, when a photograph is compared to a painting, the photograph may be the most accurate representation, yet it is easily created, easily reproduced and virtually worthless from a financial standpoint (with the exception of high-art photography wherein there has been much debate as to where its particular craft and set of challenges lies). The artwork not only takes time, patience and work, but its uniqueness and therefore its value actually comes from its imperfections. A professional knows how to create something powerful and beautiful from how it differs from reality. It is that interpretation, that story, that message that resonates with the viewer.

Our soul is compared to a painting both in the fact that it cannot be reproduced and each one is an individual, and because the way we know a painting is authentic is that it has the signature of the artist. In the case of the soul, the Artist’s name is the connection and Divine quality that enlivens each and every one of us.

I often ask my audience when I teach about the Ten Commandments what the meaning might be behind the third commandment about not using God’s name in vain. Often the response is that we cannot simply say the name in full out of context as it is disrespectful. And while there is something very true about being careful how His name is used it must be more than that. There is the need to respect His name and yet when it comes to 10 foundational commandments to humanity, one of them could not possibly be to promote the use of “Oh my gosh.”

So it is one thing to ensure that we only use His name when we are actually referring to Him, be it in prayer or conversation. After all, one’s name is intertwined with one’s essence which is why it is said that the only time in life that one is blessed with Divine inspiration is when naming a child. The name we choose taps into the innermost power of that child and every time the name is called helps tap into that potential.

But there is more than just when we speak or refer to our Creator that we must be respectful and aware of the power of saying His name. More so, we need to remember that we have His name within us. It is inscribed on our soul. The very first word of the Ten Commandments, Anochi, is an acronym for Ana Nafshi Ketavit Yehavit meaning, “I place My soul in writing.” This is often a reference to the Torah itself but based on the teaching of the Sages that our soul is a painting that the Artist has signed, so too His soul is inscribed in our souls.

Therefore, the commandment not to use His name in vain means that we have an obligation to tap into the unique talents and abilities that have been bestowed upon us and to utilize them to better the world around us. We were all created with something that only we can accomplish and our purpose in life is to learn to recognize and reveal what we are here to do. When we don’t use those abilities, that is when we are using His name in vain. For it is sitting on the inside waiting to be expressed on the outside and when not shared it is a waste of potential.

If we could only stop trying to be perfect and focus on being human, warts and all, that is when we would start seeing how our imperfections makes us who we are. And who we are needs to be shown to the world for His name and His essence cannot be taken for granted and cannot be used in vain.

In Part Four we will explore the opposite approach of knowing when not to create.

http://www.interinclusion.org/inspirations/the-ten-commandments-in-our-lives-part-4/

http://www.interinclusion.org/inspirations/the-ten-commandments-in-our-lives-part-2/

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