You are a Masterpiece

Whenever I tell a person that he or she is unique, a special individual with amazing talents and potential and that Hashem loves them more than they could ever imagine, most of the time they shrug and say, "Rabbi Lazer, you're just trying to make me feel good." No, I'm not; it's the truth – here's proof…

You, cherished friend, are a masterpiece. Three main criteria characterize a masterpiece work of art, as follows:

1. A masterpiece must be an original.

2. A masterpiece must be unique.

3. No masterpiece would be complete without the artist's signature.

The Midrash says repeatedly, "There is no artist like our G-d." Hashem is the master artist. All of his creations fulfill the above three criteria, and especially His prime creation – you.

First, you are an original. Nothing on earth – mineral, plant, animal or human – shares your chromosome map. Sure, different creations have similar genes, just like different paintings have similar color or texture, but that doesn't detract an iota from their uniqueness. Any slight alteration in your chromosome map makes a dramatic difference in your appearance and traits.

Look at the painstaking effort Hashem invests in making every snowflake unique. In a snowflake crystal, molecules line up in a pattern and form a six-sided shape called a hexagon; that's why all snowflakes are six-sided. That's not yet the amazing part – look at this:

Each snowflake has a unique path on its way from the sky to the earth. No two snowflakes may travel identical paths. The conditions each snowflake encounters on the way, such as the altitude, temperature, winds and speed of descent to earth give each snowflake its unique appearance. No one has ever found two snowflakes to be identical.

Does this sound familiar to emuna teachings? No two with identical paths? Unique conditions each one encounters? And don't forget – snowflakes are members of the mineral clan, the lowest order of creation. You are a member of the human clan, the highest order of creation. It's ridiculous to presume that a lower order in creation is more sophisticated than a higher order. That would be like saying that a toddler's tricycle is more sophisticated than a Boeing 747.

Hashem doesn't call snowflakes His "sons and daughters." But that's what He calls you. You are one of His masterpieces – original and unique, as we've just shown, and with the Artist's signature – it's on your thumbprint and it's unique. It's also in your DNA, as we'll soon see.

First the thumbprint:

Other than security camera footage, photographs and video nowadays are rarely admissible evidence in court because they can be photoshopped and doctored as they have been so much lately in fake news reports. A photo of you taking money out of the inner vault of the Chase-Manhattan safe won't get you convicted, but your fingerprints on the door of the safe will. Those fingerprints can't be forged because they're original, unique and unduplicable.

The Creator is showing you how special you are in general and how special you are to Him in particular.

By the way, His own fingerprints are all over you DNA – Hashem signs every molecule. Here's how:

Dr. Yishayahu Rubinstein, a molecular biologist in Rehovot's Weitzman Institute, researched human DNA cells and found that along the whole DNA chain there are "bridges" that keep the spirals from detaching, thereby keeping the cells alive. To paraphrase Rebbe Nachman, these are the "very narrow bridges" that contain our life force, because if the spirals separate, the cell dies.

Hold it – this gets really exciting:

Each DNA chain follows a pattern: first, there are 10 acids, then a bridge, another 5 acids, a third bridge, 6 acids, a bridge, 5 acids, and a fourth bridge. Then the pattern repeats itself. 

10 is the Hebrew numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letter yud.

5 is the Hebrew numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letter hey.

6 is the Hebrew numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letter vav.

5 is the Hebrew numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letter hey.

The order of the bridges in the DNA chain pattern is exactly identical to Hashem's ineffable Name, spelled in Hebrew, yud-hey-vav-hey. This is the Creator's signature, His holy Name all over our DNA.

This reveals another magnificent secret – the life force and the cause of death. We cited that if the bridges are whole and the spirals are connected, then the cell is alive. That means that when Hashem's Name is whole, there is life.

But, if the bridges break and the spirals separate, then the pattern of Hashem's Name in the DNA becomes broken too. When Hashem's Name is broken, life ceases.

So start believing – you are one very unique masterpiece and Hashem personally is giving you your vibrance every single moment.