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In Judaism, it is said that there lies a spark of divinity in every single thing on this earth, be it intangible, inanimate, or simply mundane. Although G-d isn’t manifested in any one thing, pieces of Him and His divinity can be found in everything—from the eyes of your soul mate to a leaf strewn on the ground. How do the Sefirot, which we learn so much about during this time of the year, play into this idea?

The Sefirot are made up of 10 attributes in which G-d manifests Himself. Not any one of these traits are more significant than the others, but I can definitely lay claim to the fact that the attribute of Yesod, or foundation, has shaped me more than the other nine have. There is a certain weight that lies in the name Yesod that my shoulders seem to bare more than the shoulders of other people I’ve met. Some believers’ tongues are whetted with the taste of Chessed (kindness), many hearts pulsating with the desires brought with Netzach (victory), and even more whose eyes are drawn and softened with the sense of Tifiret (beauty). But it is always the resolve-setting Yesod that succeeds the darkness, and reminds me that tomorrow brings with it the promise of new hope and light that has never been seen before. This is what foundation means to me.

What convinces your mind into waking every morning, despite your body’s pleas to continue its slumber? What knowledge sustains your contentment so well that you are able to make promises of tomorrow’s coming? How are you so confident in the strength in your legs that you ask them to carry you through thick and thin without so much as a resting break?

What I’m really asking is, what is the true source of your strength?

What is the foundation of strength that feeds your will to fight? The most difficult obstacle you will face comes in the name of existing, or finding the will to do so.

But with the right foundation, with the right Yesod, you can accomplish anything.

What is my foundation, you may ask?

The foundation on which I’ve built myself up and found my way has been through independency, happiness, and understanding and realizing my own inner beauty.

I no longer look to others to lend me their smiles or even their shoulders to cry on.

I started building myself up on a foundation of confidence in who I am and who I want to be. And in this newfound freedom of strength, this is what I learned:

Confidence and happiness are worn so much better than a fake laugh or lying smiles, and that goes for everybody.

Self love is the most important thing in this world.

Trust the stranger behind these words, because she is the girl who wasn’t able to stomach one glance at the person looking back at her from the mirror.

But when everything’s said and done, nobody can love you the way you can.

When you realize that the people you lean on come and go, you’ll understand that it’s so much more stable to just lean against the mirror.

The mirror is my strength.

That is what foundation means to me.