Dear Rabbi, I highly appreciate all your teachings, I am a happy warrior from El Salvador in Central America.
I have a question for you. I would love to listen to your thoughts about it and what the bible says as well.
I work for a company in which the culture is based on a positive mentality. The owner tells us to practice mental training every day, which he defines it like, every morning stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself: “I can do it” “I am a champion.” They believe in the law of attraction, in things like your thoughts create your future. Because the company and the owner are very successful everybody follows him, but I feel confused.
What do you think about that? How can I identify what is good and what is not? I wanna be successful as well but I don’t want to lose my soul, as the bible teaches.
Please dear Rabbi, I wanna know what the truth is.
Obed Q.
Dear Obed,
We love hearing from Happy Warriors around the world and it’s good to know that you are representing El Salvador. We love your name—it is of course the name of the grandfather of King David.
Your question is interesting, and in various forms, it is asked frequently. Our answer begins with a question: Have you ever met someone who can turn the simplest thing into a complicated tangle? Academics are experts at this. We had quite a laugh when our daughter’s third-grade teacher pontificated about ‘SSR – sustained silent reading’ as if it was a new technology rather than a centuries old idea known as reading to yourself.
Our audio download, Perils of Profanity, explains the idea that what comes out of our mouth shapes us as much as does what goes into our mouths. Saying affirmations at the start of one’s day does affect how the day goes. When our own ears hear our mouths say something, it influences us more than if we just think an ephemeral thought.
This truth about how the world REALLY works is also helpful in understanding prayer. It is true that we pray to God, but prayer also echoes back into our own souls. Furthermore, when our ears hear our mouths articulating gratitude, we respond with warmth and optimism. The world feels like a better place, and we all perform better in a better world.
Calling this the ‘law of attraction’ is an attempt to turn this truth into something mystical and mysterious. If you believe that saying affirmations or as your boss puts it, mental training, is voodoo or magic, then it is wrong and should not be done. However, if you think of it positively as focusing your mind and expressing your deep commitment to conducting your day in a way that will produce the desired results, it is beneficial.
Wishing you much success,
Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin
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