Self-esteem.

It’s a basic human need, vital for self-development. It provides us with a sense of competence and enables us to successfully deal with the challenges of our lives.

But what is self-esteem? And how can we acquire a healthy sense of self, independent of the values and judgments of those around us?

In this week’s Torah portion, G‑d commands Moses and Aaron to count all the members of the Jewish people who go out to war. From the greatest to the lowliest, each individual is counted as no more, and no less, than one.

At some point in our lives, we may need to “wage war”—to battle against prevalent norms, or to fight to preserve our values. To stand tall in the face of overwhelming opposition, we need to foster within ourselves a sense of worth not founded on the opinions of others.

True inner confidence is born of the knowledge that we "count,” that we are important, and that we have a unique and indispensable contribution to make in this world. G‑d, who is the essence of goodness, created us, and therefore we too have an inherent goodness.

This week, G‑d teaches us a fundamental lesson—you count and matter to Me!

Chana Weisberg,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team