Thought of the week:
Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself, less.
“He called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Ohel Moed, saying.” (Vayikra 1:1)
When the cloud descended upon the Mishkan, Moshe stood outside, afraid to enter. Hashem said, “Moshe is waiting outside. That’s not right.” So He called to him.
Rashi tells us about the unusual way Moshe was called. Hashem’s booming voice projected forth from between the cherubs on top of the Ark. However, the sound ended at the walls of the Tent. Then, the sound made its way to Moshe’s ears, and no one else could hear it. That’s how Moshe was called.
The act of calling him was an expression of endearment, and Moshe sought to downplay this. When Hashem told him to write, “Vayikra,” and He called, Moshe countered that perhaps he should write, “Vayikar,” and He appeared, or He chanced upon, Moshe. They compromised by making the aleph small, so it wasn’t so noticeable that Moshe was called.
This was Moshe’s humility, in not wanting to say that Hashem called to him, so he not seem better than other prophets, even though he was the greatest prophet who ever lived. The word at the end of the posuk, “saying,” teaches us that Moshe was to go to the Jews and tell them that Hashem spoke to him. Wherein is the humility?
This message was intended to win the people over. Moshe told them, Hashem spoke to me because of you! Indeed, a leader is endowed with Hashem’s presence for the benefit of his flock. The wisdom and insight he has are special gifts from Hashem, intended to be used to help other people. Therefore, it was actually an exhibit of Moshe’s humility, saying that he, by himself, would not have been worthy of being called, were it not for the fact that he was the leader of the Jews.
Perhaps we can explain that since Moshe was the most humble man on the face of the earth, that made him the worthiest of being the leader. Since whenever Hashem spoke to him, Moshe understood that he was merely a vessel for Hashem to connect to His people, there was no loss of fidelity in the messages. This made him the perfect leader.
If this was true for Moshe, who was very great on his own, it is certainly true for us who are nowhere near his level. The more we think about others, and recognize that what Hashem gives us is not for our own pleasure, but to share, the more we become worthy of His gifts and bounty.
On Purim, we find ways to share our bounty with others, by giving gifts to the poor, sending items to friends, and by sharing our joyous meals with others. When we think of others more, Hashem thinks more of us, and there’s nothing miraculous about it.
A din Torah once took place in Volozhin, with R’ Chaim Volozhiner, z”l, presiding over the proceedings. The dispute concerned a parcel of land, with each of the men claiming that the land belonged to him. These men were obstinate, refusing to compromise.
R’ Chaim asked to see the land in question. He bent down to the ground, placing his ear directly on it, as if he was listening for something. A few moments went by, and R’ Chaim arose, and addressed them: "Gentlemen,” he began, “I wanted to hear what the actual ground had to say concerning your disagreement. Do you know what the ground said concerning your dispute?
It said, 'Why are they fighting over me? What does it really matter who I belong to? At the end of the day, they will both belong to me.'"
©2024 – J. Gewirtz
