Just Be Yourself

Rav Naftali Amsterdam

Rav Naftali Amsterdam was a Talmid of Rav Yisroel Salanter. He once came to his teacher and said, “Rebbi, if I had the head of the Shaagas Aryeh, and if I had the Neshamah of the author of the Yesod V’Shoresh HaAvodah and if I had your good Middos, then I could truly be a Servant of Hashem.”

Rav Yisroel Salanter responded to him, “Naftali, with your head, and with your heart, and with your good Middos, you can be Naftali Amsterdam! That is all you have to be. You do not need to be the Shaagas Aryeh or Rav Yisroel Salanter or anybody else. Just be YOU, and that is how you will serve Hashem!”

Reprinted from the Parshas Shelach 5785 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.