Our lives are full of treasures that we do not appreciate.

We are all like peddlers; if everybody would believe in what they're selling, they'd sell all their merchandise at a premium price. A salesperson can't possibly sell his or her own wares if he or she doesn't believe in the quality of their own merchandise.

The same goes for our own prayer and Torah. If we'd believe that Hashem derives limitless gratification from every word of Torah that we learn, we'd be plowing away in Torah all day long. If we'd believe that Hashem stops everything He's doing to listen to the voice of a person that prays to Him, we'd be praying with super enthusiasm; people would flock to the synagogues, and nobody would have to tell the people to stop the idle chatter. If you had an audience before a great king, no one would have to tell you not to talk to the butler at the same time. A person would be crazy to do so.

As such, we put little effort into Torah and prayer because we don't believe in their power, and we don't believe in our own power...

With self esteem, when you realize that every minute of your life is important because of what you're capable of accomplishing every single second, is it logical to squander time. When all the money in the world can't pay for the smallest mitzvah, is it wise to chase money?

One of the things we look forward to in the full Redemption of our people is the restoration of our national self-esteem, when people will be proud to don the crown of Torah, speedily in our days, amen.

By: Rabbi Shalom Arush  from Breslev.co.il