Some marketing people are true geniuses.

Think of the one who invented the term “gluten-free.”

Before that, it was “without gluten” or “does not contain gluten.” Both are accurate, but neither have the oomph and excitement of “gluten-free.”

So I’ve decided to coin my own term: perfection-free.

Here, try it for yourself: First, say, “We are imperfect,” or “None of us are perfect.” It feels kind of sad, doesn’t it?

Now, say, “We are perfection-free.” Wow! How freeing it feels to have cast off the chains of perfection. We are perfection-free! Congratulations to us!

Pop-psychology encourages us to embrace ourselves and our state of imperfection (Oops! I meant to say our freedom from perfection). But the Torah instructs us to look deeper and not just acknowledge it, but understand why it is there in the first place.

Consider Kiddush, the classic text we say every Friday night, in which we tell the story of Creation and how G‑d rested on the seventh day:

And G‑d blessed the seventh day and He hallowed it, for thereon He abstained from all His work that G‑d created to do.

This verse seems grammatically incorrect. What does it mean that G‑d rested from all His work that He had “created to do”?

Rashi explains that the Torah is teaching us an important lesson: Everything G‑d created, He created “to do.” He intentionally left it unfinished, and left it up to us to improve and perfect.

Think of it in this way: G‑d didn't want us to be passive participants in His creation. He wanted us to be partners and contributors, so He left His world (including us) imperfect.

Every time we encounter an imperfection in ourselves or around us, instead of feeling discouraged or intimidated, we should see it as an opportunity to make a positive mark on G‑d’s creation. Which means our lack of perfection is indeed a reason to celebrate! Because it reminds us of the crucial role we play in this world.

May we all be blessed with the courage, energy, and perseverance to continually perfect ourselves and the world around us, which will ultimately unlock a new phase, where the world will indeed be wholesome and perfect, with the coming of Moshiach, may it be soon.

Until then, let’s celebrate our perfection-free state and all the opportunities it affords us.