BEAUTY COMES FROM THE INSIDE OUT:
WHO ACTUALLY BELIEVES THAT?

- Rabbi Sherre Hirsch

For this month's theme of "Health & Wellness," we felt strongly that we should somehow address "Spiritual Wellness," along with physical health, nutrition, etc.  But since this a new area of exploration for Tastybaby.com, we reached out to Rabbi Sherre Hirsch, a respected Los Angeles-based spiritual leader. And you know what?! Turns out that the "professional" approach to spirituality isn't the slightest bit out of reach for all the rest of us, as you'll read below in her inaugural blog ...

At twelve, in the sixth grade, with braces, glasses and kinky black curls on no day did I ever feel beautiful. One night in a fit of pre-teen angst when I swore no boy would ever love me, my mother (just like all mothers) tried to comfort me. She said “that phrase”. You know the one. “Beauty comes from the inside out.” Every magazine, model and advertisement around me told me otherwise. I did not believe her.

Fast forward, ten years later, I am beginning to search for what I am not sure, a sense of purpose, meaning, peace. I backpack in Asia. I meditate in silence at a retreat for 12 days, I even began Rabbinical school to become a member of the cloth. Each is giving me wisdom but not answers.

Then one day I stepped into my first yoga class as part of my quest. I was taken with the people around me. They were holding painful poses but they looked beautiful. Not necessarily by Hollywood standards. They were not all size “0’s with high cheekbones and flawless skin but something in their eyes sparkled. Their faces radiated a glow.

Being a student of Jewish tradition I immediately thought of the story in the Bible when Moses descended from Mt. Sinai after communing with God for forty days and nights. The rabbis tell us that his face beamed rays of light. He glowed.

My mother’s words echoed in my head. “Beauty comes from the inside out.” My mother was right all along. We are most beautiful when our souls are connected to something greater then ourselves. Call it God, Higher Power, wisdom. You name it.

We are most beautiful when we recognize both our greatness and smallness in the world. When we feel on the one hand that we are the most important person to God. We matter and we are meant to be here. And on the other hand, we are but dust and ashes, one spark in the universe.  We feel at peace. We feel equilibrium and serenity.

In those moments we are spiritually well. The difficulties on other days that seemed insurmountable i.e. our child having a seemingly endless tantrum in the market does not enrage us. Rather we deal with them (our child, the tantrum and the scowling woman) with ease and compassion. Our spiritual wellness gives us emotional balance which manifests as physical beauty. Then our inner beauty radiates from within for everyone to see.  You have seen it in others. Now see it in yourself.

This month, may you be well, spiritually well. May you see the beauty not only in the beautiful souls of your children but within your own as well.

Sherre Hirsch was the Associate Rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. She was a regular on Noami Judd’s New Morning and has appeared on Today, The Tyra Banks Show, PBS’s Thirty Good Minutes. She is a contributor to MomLogic.com. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children. She has been practicing yoga for years.

Her first book We Plan, God Laughs: 10 Steps to Finding Your Divine Path When Life is not Turning out Like You Wanted is coming April 1 by Doubleday.

Pre-order today at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles or your local bookstore.