Parshas Vaera
Give It Your All
By Rabbi Elly Broch
"Amram took Yocheved his aunt as a wife, and she bore him Aaron and
Moshe.This is the Aaron and Moshe to whom G-d said, 'Take the children of
Israel out of Egypt according to their legions.' They are the ones who
spoke
to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to take the Children of Israel out of the land
of
Egypt; this is Moshe and Aaron." (Shemos/Exodus 6:20, 26-27)
Rashi observes the variation of the order in which Moshe and Aaron are
mentioned; there are places where Aaron is mentioned before Moshe and
others
where it is reversed. Rashi explains that this occurs because the brothers
were considered equal in greatness. Although a fascinating sentiment, how
is
it possible to equate Aaron to Moshe, the greatest leader of the Jewish
Nation, whom G-d Himself declared as the supreme prophet and one who
surpassed all in humility? Further, Moshe alone was chosen to give over the
Torah to the people of Israel.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1) explains that certainly Moshe was objectively
greater than Aaron in his spiritual achievements and intensity of closeness
to his Creator. However, Aaron fulfilled his potential to the best of his
ability and harnessed all his talents in serving G-d. They both fulfilled
all they were capable of achieving and were, therefore, equal in the Divine
Perspective. Thus, he merited to be compared to his brother Moshe.
The Talmud (Bava Basra 10b) states that when Rabbi Yosef was soon to leave
this world, his father, Rabbi Yehoshua, asked him what he could see. "An
upside down world," he answered. "The elevated people are lowly and the
lowly are honored." This reveals to us that there are those who in this
world enjoy an elevated and respected position who in the next world are
not
accorded such great honor. In contrast, there are those who are lowly, poor
and despised in this world, but achieve great recognition in the next
world.
The Talmud teaches us that only G-d knows a person's abilities and
potential, only He can determine if he is utilizing his talents to the
fullest. Therefore, the results and achievements expected from different
people are different. There may be individuals who do not seem to generate
results or accomplish a great deal, due to some personal constraints, but
who invest themselves fully in their lives. There are others who may
possess
numerous talents and abilities who can achieve great accolades even without
fully engaging themselves. They may experience an abundance of rewards,
honors and recognition in this world but may be disappointed in the
afterlife, when G-d relates to them according to their unrealized
potential.
We live in an externally-oriented world in which only tangible results
count, causing us to define achievement in superficial terms. Those who are
talented, cunning and visibly productive are respected, whereas those who
do
not are overlooked. Appreciating another's inherent worth is not an
employment situation, where one qualifies only if he can perform the
requisite tasks at hand. G-d gives each of His children the tools he needs
for life; success in Jewish terms is defined by growth accomplished and
effort expended given the tools this individual has at his disposal.
Regardless of the quantitative output, a person who sincerely strives and
struggles is a spiritual success.
Have a Good Shabbos!
(1) 1895-1986; Rosh Yeshiva/Dean of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in New York
City; the leading Halachic/Jewish legal decisor of his time and one of the
principal leaders of Torah Jewry through much of the last century
Text Copyright © 2005 by Rabbi Elly Broch
and Torah.org.
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