Weaknesses Can Lead to Our Greatest Strengths

I had a conversation the other day with an individual who had just been accepted into the Chaplaincy Corps for the City of Lincoln.  He had been admitted based on his background check, letters of recommendation, past experience working as a spiritual leader, and his interview by a board of chaplains and members of the police department and fire department.  Yet he expressed his fear of assuming his first duty day. It frightened him that he might not be up to the challenge of what he might face at any given crisis situation. He was holding back from putting his name on this month’s calendar due to this discomfort.

This conversation reminded me a bit of a section in this week’s parasha, Shemini.

In Leviticus 9:7 we read, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”

This statement was made by Moshe to Aharon.  Why did Moses have to ask Aharon who was the kohen gadol, the chief priest, to come near to the altar?  Why was Aharon not moving forward on his own to fulfill his role for the community?

In his commentary on this verse, Rashi offers the following explanation: Aaron was ashamed and fearful of approaching the altar so Moses said to him: “Why are you ashamed? It was for this that you were chosen.”

Rashi states that Aharon felt ashamed.  But why?  Perhaps he felt ashamed for assuming the role of the kohen gadol after his involvement with the molten calf.  When Moshe had gone up the mountain to receive the Law and Aharon was left in the encampment, he was an active participant in the grave sin that took place. In one recounting of the incident found in Exodus 32:2-3, Aharon told the people who were restless waiting for Moshe to return, to bring him their golden earrings and then he formed the molten calf from them. He also built an altar for the calf. 

Perhaps his recognition of his own faults led him to stay back from the altar when he needed to make atonement for the sins of the people.  Perhaps that sense of inadequacy was what led him to need to be reminded to “come near to the altar.”

Yet, Moshe’s response in Rashi’s explanation is also very telling.  “Why are you ashamed?  It was for this that you were chosen.”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, wrote about Moses’ response. He saw Moses’ statement as one that acknowledged that Aharon understood what it was like to sin, what it was like to feel guilt. In other words, it was Aharon understood the need for repentance and atonement because of his own past actions.  Rabbi Sacks points out that Aharon’s greatest weakness would become his greatest strength.

From a Torah perspective, Aharon wasn’t lacking self-esteem when he hesitated to draw close to the altar. He was being humble and his humility is seen as a positive quality for any leader to possess. It is why Moshe who stuttered and felt he was inadequate to go before Pharoah was seen as a great prophet and why David who was merely a shepherd boy could fulfill the role of being a king.   In essence, Judaism recognizes that we all struggle, that we all have weaknesses with which we can work to turn them into our greatest strengths

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I think many of my non-Jewish friends would say it this way:  Just have faith in G-d and it will work out for you…you can be strong.  I think Judaism would rephrase it in the following way:  G-d has faith in your ability to change, to work hard to follow paths of justice and righteousness even when you lack faith in yourself.  As Rabbi Sacks wrote, “The  mystery at the heart of Judaism is not our faith in God. It is God’s faith in us.”

If we listen to this message contained in a simple verse in Shemini, we can learn that understanding our imperfections and working to improve them is far better than thinking we are perfect. If we recognize that G-d has faith in us to meet difficult situations, then we can pursue the struggles and challenges we face with the feeling that we need not be frightened by them.  We can move closer…step out of our comfort zone….and we need not be ashamed that perhaps we are not perfect.  Perhaps our past experiences and the insight learned from them will actually lead to our greater successes.