* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
I recently gave a lecture at the Kfar Shaul Mental Health facility in Jerusalem. They requested a lecture in preparation for the upcoming new year for the hospitalized patients at the facility.
A young girl, who was hospitalized there, raised her hand and asked me:
“Am I dispensable to our society? Would you hide Kfar Shaul if you could? I often feel broken and flawed, like a defective product from a factory.”
“God forbid,” I told her and suggested that we do an experiment together that a wise teacher once did with my class.
I asked the audience, “Would you like to see a one-of-a-kind world wonder?”
“Of course,” they replied.
“Look at the tips of your fingers and find your fingerprint.”
Everyone looked at the tips of their fingers.
“Your fingerprint is a one-of-a-kind creation,” I explained, “There is not another one like it in the entire world. There never was, nor will there ever be, another person with your unique fingerprint. This is an important reminder for us: God created each one of us in His image by specific design, giving us our own unique light to share with the world.”
I invite each one of you to examine your own fingerprints. On Erev Yom Kippur, let us remember that each and every one of us is wanted, beloved, and important. No one is dispensable.
May we all fulfill our own unique missions with joy.
