Rav Tzadok: Believing in Hashem and in Yourself

Just as a person must believe in Hashem, so too he must afterward believe in himself.

Attribution printed on the image: Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin – Tzidkat HaTzaddik 154

A reflection on the teaching

Believing in yourself here belongs within avodas Hashem. It means taking seriously the possibility that your choices and your efforts matter. Someone who assumes he has nothing worthwhile to offer can give up before trying. This teaching asks him to reconsider that assumption. Confidence need not mean claiming that every instinct is right or that success is guaranteed. It can mean trusting that there is a meaningful task for him to do. When self-doubt rises, a useful question is: what responsibility can I accept today, even while I am still unsure of myself?

Source note: This teaching was checked against Tzidkat HaTzaddik 154. The English wording above is preserved from the image.