Many of you may have heard this line being broadcast over the radio as part of an aggressive marketing campaign recently unleashed by Honda. It's the end of the year, the '09s are rolling into showrooms and the '08s have got to go.

Being an ambitious kind of guy, I seized on the opportunity presented by Mr. O, and have just recently become the owner of a lovely minivan. Like any good new car owner, I am in the process of reading through the mountain of literature that came along with it, and while doing so I've learned an important lesson that impacts all of us.

Allow me to explain: Almost anyone can get into almost any car and within 20 seconds be cruising down the road. It's a simple formula and 75% of the adult population has got it down pat (except in NYC and Israeli highways…). You get in, start the car, shift into drive and off you go. Stop at red, go at green, and don't hurt anyone in the process.

But in order to fully appreciate and maximize the qualities of your vehicle, it is imperative to read through the owner's manual, where you will discover unique features not noticeable to the untrained eye. For example, in my car, when the car is in park with the parking brake on, by holding down the lock button I activate a special setting for my locks, which ends up being pretty useful.

But I would never have guessed that my car has such a feature just by looking at it, or even by driving it for years. That feature is so unexpected, so absurd that were it not clearly stated that it exists, I would be a card-carrying non believer. It sounds more like a Rube Goldberg invention than a feature on a modern car.

But exist it does.

And I only know about it because I took the time to dig deeper into what my car is all about, and was not satisfied with a shallow driving experience.

Who knows what lies beneath the surface of your car?

Sometimes it seems as if nothing less than the resources of the Make a Wish Foundation are required for our wishes to translate to reality. We are stuck in the quagmire of routine, and our responsibilities don't always allow for "me time" to further develop our spirituality. As the Talmud says, "a prisoner cannot release himself" – we are imprisoned by our own lives, and how can we shake off the bonds of habit?

The answer lies in the owner's manual of your car.

Yes, it looks just like any other car on the surface – but do you have any idea of what it's truly capable of achieving? There are incredible powers lurking beneath the hood.

The same is true about us. There is more to us than what meets the eye. Our "owner's manual," the Torah, teaches us that we are children of mighty men and women, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. And together, these individuals have bequeathed us a spiritual vault of faith and selflessness, located deep within our own hearts. With these powers we can overcome any challenge inhibiting our spiritual growth, for they are not our own "little" powers – with which we may indeed feel stuck and despondent – but the one true power in this world, the power of G‑d Himself.

Like the car, we can easily remain oblivious to this for many years. The flip side of that is that, like the car, once you realize what you've got, make use of it, and then life can be lived on a far grander scale than ever before.