What is the best way to influence someone to, say, go on a diet?

To nag? To lecture? To bribe?

Overeaters Anonymous’s public-relations policy sums it up best: “Our policy is attraction, not promotion.”

Modeling is the best way to teach.

Our sages state, “Who is a fitting woman? She who fulfills (osah) the will of her husband.”

In truth, the word osah can mean “fulfill,” but it has another, deeper meaning. Osah also means “to create, to generate.”

The phrase thus reads, “Who is a fitting woman? She who creates the will of her husband.”

In other words, the woman is the chief motivator.

Thoughtstream: Today, I will motivate by modeling, with utmost respect.


(Adapted from Torat Menachem 5743, vol. 2, p. 1086.)