Rabbi Bachy Ibn Pakuda (an 11th century Spanish Rabbi) in his book, “duties of the heart,” teaches an important lesson about humility and appreciating the value of other people. He tells a story about a great Jewish sage who was once asked about how he became the greatest sage of his generation. The wise man answered by saying that it is because every person that he ever encountered was greater than him at something.
The sage was saying that his greatness was not a result of his own superior qualities, but rather an appreciation of the fact that every person possesses some quality greater than his. It’s often hard to see that in people. I’m sure we can all make a list of people whom we think don’t have much value, or whom we think dont have much to offer. But this is counter to the lessons of our Jewish tradition. There is a quote in Pirkei Avoth which says, who is a wise person, someone who can learn from all people.
This Jewish value is such an important lesson to the entire world about how to develop a worldview in which we see every single human being as posessing an inherent value. None of us are so great that we can’t learn from another. This is lesson is reflected in the very beginning of this week’s Parsha.
The Parsha, Shemot, means names. And the Parsha begins by listing the names of Jacobs’s sons who came to Egypt with him. Most of us would think that when making a list of someone’s children, the obvious way to list them would be in age order. Not only is it logical, it’s somewhat subconscious as well. Having an order helps us remember things, sometimes to a fault. I can remember numerous times when my mother, wanting to call me, had to go through all my older sibling’s names first- , Adam, Joshua, Deena, Daniel. Her brain recalls all of her children in order until she finally gets to me, I’m sure many of us have done the same. It’s just the way the brain works.
So it’s strange that when listing the names of the Jacob’s children, the names are not listed in age order. Furthermore, over the course of the Chumash, the tribes of Israel are listed about 15 times, and they are almost never given in the same order twice. What is the reason for this? Other than to test our memory, why wouldn’t the Torah just list them in age order? There has to be some reason for this arbitrary method.
The Midrash in Shemot Rabbah takes note of this disparity and teaches that the torah is not particular about maintaining a fixed order to teach that no one tribe is greater than the other. Everyone has some inherent value for everyone else.
This message has two important lessons regarding our own self-worth. We should never ever think that someone is of no value. It’s often easier to believe that about others, because then we don’t have to force ourselves to see the good in others . But achieving true wisdom requires us to see the value in everyone. Sometimes, the only way to do this might be engaging someone whom we would usually avoid. Going out of our way to connect to someone whom we’ve never spoken to before, or to someone whom we may dislike, with the attitude that this person has something to offer, is a positive model about how to interact within a community. Respecting another does not necessarily even mean that you have to like them, but it means that you have to treat them civilly enough to interact with them and get to know them so that we can find their intrinsic value.
But it also has an important impact on the way we view ourselves. It is also lesson to a person who thinks that they have no value, or that they are not worth much. If one has that perspective of themselves, they may never offer insight for fear of appearing ignorant, or may never work for a cause because of a belief that their opinion doesn’t matter. But if we realize that we are all of equal value and all have something to teach, we should be motivated to feel confident in displaying our true selves to the world.
This is an important lesson to remember on Martin Luther King Day. Amongst the many important legacies that he has left this world, Dr. Martin Luther King is a testament to the power that one person has to simply motivate and unite other people around a cause, and to the impact of many disparate voices uniting on important issues can have on the world. Good Shabbos!
The sage was saying that his greatness was not a result of his own superior qualities, but rather an appreciation of the fact that every person possesses some quality greater than his. It’s often hard to see that in people. I’m sure we can all make a list of people whom we think don’t have much value, or whom we think dont have much to offer. But this is counter to the lessons of our Jewish tradition. There is a quote in Pirkei Avoth which says, who is a wise person, someone who can learn from all people.
This Jewish value is such an important lesson to the entire world about how to develop a worldview in which we see every single human being as posessing an inherent value. None of us are so great that we can’t learn from another. This is lesson is reflected in the very beginning of this week’s Parsha.
The Parsha, Shemot, means names. And the Parsha begins by listing the names of Jacobs’s sons who came to Egypt with him. Most of us would think that when making a list of someone’s children, the obvious way to list them would be in age order. Not only is it logical, it’s somewhat subconscious as well. Having an order helps us remember things, sometimes to a fault. I can remember numerous times when my mother, wanting to call me, had to go through all my older sibling’s names first- , Adam, Joshua, Deena, Daniel. Her brain recalls all of her children in order until she finally gets to me, I’m sure many of us have done the same. It’s just the way the brain works.
So it’s strange that when listing the names of the Jacob’s children, the names are not listed in age order. Furthermore, over the course of the Chumash, the tribes of Israel are listed about 15 times, and they are almost never given in the same order twice. What is the reason for this? Other than to test our memory, why wouldn’t the Torah just list them in age order? There has to be some reason for this arbitrary method.
The Midrash in Shemot Rabbah takes note of this disparity and teaches that the torah is not particular about maintaining a fixed order to teach that no one tribe is greater than the other. Everyone has some inherent value for everyone else.
This message has two important lessons regarding our own self-worth. We should never ever think that someone is of no value. It’s often easier to believe that about others, because then we don’t have to force ourselves to see the good in others . But achieving true wisdom requires us to see the value in everyone. Sometimes, the only way to do this might be engaging someone whom we would usually avoid. Going out of our way to connect to someone whom we’ve never spoken to before, or to someone whom we may dislike, with the attitude that this person has something to offer, is a positive model about how to interact within a community. Respecting another does not necessarily even mean that you have to like them, but it means that you have to treat them civilly enough to interact with them and get to know them so that we can find their intrinsic value.
But it also has an important impact on the way we view ourselves. It is also lesson to a person who thinks that they have no value, or that they are not worth much. If one has that perspective of themselves, they may never offer insight for fear of appearing ignorant, or may never work for a cause because of a belief that their opinion doesn’t matter. But if we realize that we are all of equal value and all have something to teach, we should be motivated to feel confident in displaying our true selves to the world.
This is an important lesson to remember on Martin Luther King Day. Amongst the many important legacies that he has left this world, Dr. Martin Luther King is a testament to the power that one person has to simply motivate and unite other people around a cause, and to the impact of many disparate voices uniting on important issues can have on the world. Good Shabbos!
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