By: Rivkah Leah Cylich – Velkovitch

How can every girl become a shining light?

When I was little I dreamed of making a big difference one day “when I grow up”. Back then, for me, making a difference meant doing things on a large scale like leading a political party, running an organisation to feed hungry people in third world countries or writing best-seller books that changed peoples lives.

If I was going to do any of these great things, well of course it meant first waiting to grow up, right?
So I waited.
Well kind of.
Until I learned something incredibly true and incredibly relevant.
One of my favourite writers, Rabbi Tzvi Freeman sums it up perfectly in his book called ‘Bringing Heaven Down to Earth’ (which is what it’s really all about right!?):
“For hundreds of years, perhaps since the beginning of Creation, a piece of the world has been waiting for your soul to purify and repair it.

And your soul, from the time it was first emanated and conceived, waited above to descend to this world and carry out that mission.

And your footsteps were guided to reach that place.

And you are there now.”
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This taught me that I don’t need to wait to grow up in order to make a difference. Whatever has been waiting for me to accomplish since the beginning of creation is ready for me – right here! right now!
So all I need to do in order to ‘Shine My Inner Light’ – to fulfill the purpose I have right now, and shine my soul’s power in to the world – is to look around me and ask the simple question – What is needed of me?
Does my brother in the army need a phone call to feel loved, thought about and cared for?
Does my neighbor need some help with her kids?
Does the creator of my soul need to hear from me? Should I go get my Siddur (prayer book) out?
Does the 97 year old lady upstairs need some cheering up – should I bring my keyboard over and play her some music?
Does Hashem need my Tzedakah today?
Any of these things are shining no less light than giving a Presidential speech. In fact. For all we know, they could be shining all the more!
So join me in looking around ourselves – to all the blessings we have and the people close by and ask those questions?
What can I do for someone else?
What can I do for the creator of my soul?
How can I shine some light today…
And that light we ignite today- is making more of a difference than we can ever imagine – it fact it will keep on shining forever.