Daf Yomi Kesubos 12
When the Children of Israel left Egypt, they were instructed
to request gold and silver from their neighbours. The Midrash tells us that the poorest
Israelite left Egypt with ninety donkeys laden with gold, silver, and precious
jewellery! But why did they need these
adornments? They were setting off on a
forty year sojourn into the desert. Why
would they need money?
Imagine the slave mentality the Children of Israel had
developed after two centuries of bondage.
They were born slaves, their parents and grandparents were slaves. All they knew was life as a slave.
And then they leave Egypt and each morning, mommy would call
over her little ones, place a gold necklace upon them, and tell them, ‘You are
a princess. You are a prince.’ Suddenly, their whole self-image was transformed. They would not grow up thinking of themselves
as slaves; they were princes and princesses, children of the King of
kings!
The Mishnah states: A maiden receives a kesubah payment (in the
case of divorce or death of the husband) of two hundred zuz. The beth din (court) of the priests would
impose a kesubah payment of four hundred zuz.
Rabbi Judah quoted
Shmuel: They did not say this matter only with regards to priestly courts,
rather even prominent Israelite families who wanted to act as the cohanim
(priests) may do so.
Priestly families empower their children with a sense of
pride and self-respect. From a young
age, they instill within them the confidence of knowing that they are special. G-d has chosen them for His service. And so they imbue every detail of their lives
with this feeling of uniqueness. If common
folk provide their daughters with a kesubah
valued at two hundred, then their priestly children deserve four
hundred.
Shmuel teaches that while priests have a natural tendency to
boost their children’s self-confidence, you too can create that special feeling
within your Israelite family. You don’t
need to be born of a priestly family to be a priest. If you act like a priest, you become a
priest.
And you are a priest!
You are a child of the Almighty, Who declared, “And you shall be unto Me
a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” We are no longer slaves to Pharaoh; G-d calls
us His firstborn children. You are a
princess! You are a prince!
When you go through life taking pride in the knowledge that
you are royal, your entire perspective on life changes. You have incredible potential. You can accomplish amazing things in
life. Don’t ever settle for second
best. You can achieve all your
dreams. Don’t ever give up on becoming
your best!
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