Guest Blogger- Chana Rachel Schusterman: Helping our kids Discover and Enhance their talents

All of our kids are special in their own way. A very close and dear woman in my life, Chana Rachel Schusterman, who has raised and married off her 11 incredible, smart and successful children was once speaking to me about how important it is for a parent to recognize and help their children recognize their own individual strengths and talents.

When our kids have this awareness, it will truly help them grow as well as us as parents relate to them and understand them so much more.

Chana Rachel has agreed to be a monthly guest blogger in helping us all identify our own kids talents. Enjoy~

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The Kabalah Of Discovering Our Talents

Chana Rachel Schusterman

Before our daughter got married, she told me that among the most helpful guidance I had ever given her was identifying and helping her understand “her talent”. I had already discovered this amazing realization with an older daughter. Identifying her talent and helping her use it changed her life. When we know our main core talent we know “how” to utilize our gift. When we know how to access our inner self we can connect and accomplish our purpose in the world.

This information comes from Sefer Yetzira, the most ancient book of Kabalah (the mystical tradition of Judaism.*) I had learned about this from my teacher in Israel and found it fascinating.

When I discovered how practical this can be, it became even more meaningful. Knowing my own talent has helped me to accomplish what I do in a clearer, smoother way. Utilizing my own talent, I have been able to recognize the talents of my children and of people who come to me to analyze their own personal palette of talents.

During the next twelve months on the Jewish calendar we’re going to look at the talent associated with that month. This calendar counts the months beginning with Nissan, the month of the holiday of Passover. We will begin with the talent of Speech. Everyone can develop the talent of each month as we see what it is and how we can strengthen it.

Although we each use many of the talents, some quite strongly, everyone has one that predominates. Knowing this for ourselves is amazingly revealing and helpful. When we recognize our own talents we accomplish in the way that is harmonious to who we are. When we understand our children’s talents, we can help them to identify what they’re good at and strengthen them to know their own way.

For those who would like more of the Jewish and Kabalistic content, this will be added each month’s talent information.

* Sefer Yetzira names the twelve sons of Jacob (progenitors of the 12 tribes of Israel.) Parallel to that are the twelve months of the Jewish calendar, a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and an organ of the body. In addition to this, and most fascinating to me, is the “chush”, a talent which is intrinsic to each tribe or month.

Each talent represents direction. Each tribe was given a physical camping place relative to the others, a position surrounding the most holy place, the Tabernacle, which contained the Ark holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments. The position of each tribe was a direction, a way to face this holy place. On the microcosmic level, we each have an inner soul center. We also have our own personal way to accomplish our purpose in the world. We connect to our soul and travel the path to do our work in the world by utilizing our unique talent.