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Behalotechah The Menorah was made of a single piece of beaten gold. Everything from its base to its blossom consisted of a single piece of beaten metal. Rashi tells us that Moshe could not understand how this should be made. Hashem therefore showed him an image of the Menorah. Nevertheless, Moshe still could not make it and Hashem himself made it. Many ask, Why was it necessary to make the Menorah from one single piece of gold? Why could it not be made of a number of pieces and welded together? The answer lies in the nature of what the Menorah symbolises. It reflects two conflicting needs. On the one hand, the Menorah is made of one piece of gold. Under the other hand, the Menorah is made with seven separate branches. The Menorah often reflects the conflict between two positive attributes. A. The desire to be united and one. B. The need to allow differing views and attitudes. This tension is what Moshe could not understand how to resolve. And it has yet to be resolved. And the man Moshe was very humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth. Only concerning things "on the earth" was Moshe humble. That is, he was unassuming in relationship with other people. However, in his relationship with the spiritual - with Hashem -"his heart was lifted in the ways of Hashem." This is unlike the way most of us function; arrogant towards others, but humble and unassuming when it comes to following the ways of Hashem. Generally when an individual wishes to attain the attribute of modesty he contemplates the Creator of the world and the awesomeness of His creation. Moshe - who saw the Godliness of each and every person - was "humble, more so from every man on the face of the earth." The Torah praises Moshe so lavishly for his modesty; yet, there is no commandment in the Torah to be modest. Why is this so? Because modesty by its very nature cannot be performed, as any other mitzvah can be performed. Every mitzvah, if I do it - it is done - irrelevant of my intentions. Modesty, if I go through the motions without any real sense of it, is not modesty, rather it is supreme arrogance. What is humility? Humility does not mean becoming the victim of an inferiority complex, writes Rav Shimon Schwab Zatz"al. To be humble does not mean to consider oneself smaller or more unworthy than all other human beings. This would merely be an inverted form of pride, as long as I am inferior to all other human beings, I am still somebody special. To be humble means to be nobody special, to be just like everybody; to be convinced that everybody given my chance could and would do the same as I do and maybe even prove himself superior to me. Any ostentation is a form of conceit, writes Rav Schwab. To wear a hat where most do not, to pull the tallit over one's head where it is not the custom or to refrain from doing so where it is the custom, these are all forms of conceit. (Selected Writings p.206) The Chacham Zvi, R' Zvi Ashkenazi, would occasionally take out letters he received from around the world and re-read the titles and praises with which he was addressed. When asked he explained, "When I read these, I realise how people see me. I then resolve not to sin out of respect for the writers." R' Akiva Eiger would do the same. He explained, "The writers describe what I could have become, as I read the words I realise how far from them I really am." |
