This little boy, Phoenix Swonger, just doesn’t think he has it in him to break this board. He is getting flustered and overwhelmed and even begins to cry. But his teacher won’t give up on him and neither will his friends. While his teacher keeps encouraging him to try again, to kick harder and to believe he can do it, his classmates begin chanting his name to encourage and support him. But Phoenix doesn’t seem convinced. He kicks a few more times and then, to his surprise and everyone’s delight, he breaks that board! The eruption of excitement is something that will hopefully last a lifetime for little Phoenix and remind him to never give up and to always believe in himself. The Talmud teaches the following: “If someone tells you he toiled and didn’t succeed, don’t believe him. If he tells you he succeeded and didn’t toil, don’t believe him. Only the one who tells you he succeeded and he toiled can you believe.” Interestingly enough, the Lubavitcher Rebbe instituted this as something that all children should recite on a daily basis. Perhaps because from a very young age we must believe in ourselves, believe that we are capable of much more than we would think, and make sure we are supporting everyone who is trying.
Video Source: Facebook page of Claudia Swonger, Phoenix’s mother.
