We Are Not Worthy
A Message for Parashat Hukat 2016
Click here to view as PDF
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן...קַח
אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ וְהַעַל אֹתָם הֹר הָהָר. וְהַפְשֵׁט אֶת
אַהֲרֹן אֶת בְּגָדָיו וְהִלְבַּשְׁתָּם אֶת אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ וְאַהֲרֹן יֵאָסֵף
וּמֵת שָׁם. וַיַּעַשׂ
מֹשֶׁה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶל הֹר הָהָר לְעֵינֵי כָּל הָעֵדָה. וַיַּפְשֵׁט
מֹשֶׁה אֶת אַהֲרֹן אֶת בְּגָדָיו וַיַּלְבֵּשׁ אֹתָם אֶת אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ
וַיָּמָת אַהֲרֹן שָׁם בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר. וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה וְאֶלְעָזָר מִן הָהָר.
And God
said to Moshe and Aharon…“Take Aharon and Eleazar his son and bring them up Hor
the mountain. And strip Aharon of his garments and clothe with them Eleazar his
son, and Aharon will be gathered up and will die there.” And Moshe did as God
had charged and they went up Hor the mountain before the eyes of all the
community. And Moshe stripped Aharon of his garments and clothed with them
Eleazar his son, and Aharon died there on the mountain top. And Moshe came
down, and Eleazar with him, from the mountain.
(Bemidbar
20:23-29)
As we read that the great leader Aharon was
informed of his imminent death, it is most appropriate to expect an ensuing
description of his actions during his last moments alive. It is natural to anticipate
a parting scene dominated by the “leading role Aharon.” The Torah ironically
teaches instead what Moshe did at this time. Acting “as God had
charged,” Moshe led Aharon and Eleazar up the mountain, Moshe stripped
Aharon of his garments and Moshe then clothed Eleazar. In a markedly unexpected
passage, the scene of Aharon’s death is painted not by his own actions, but by
those of Moshe.
Viewed as part of the broader portrait of
Aharon’s life as a leader, however, this depiction of his death is not so
surprising. Consider his emergent identity in the Torah, upon Moshe’s return to
Egypt after many years away. Whereas Moshe was first raised a prince and then
escaped to Midyan for some time, Aharon was born and bred a loyal member of a
nation of tormented slaves. Understanding these circumstances, who could blame
Aharon if he felt jealous upon learning that his younger brother was appointed
leader of that nation? But it was not so. God informed Moshe, “…Look, he
(Aharon) is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, his heart will
rejoice” (Shemot 4:15). And so it was.
Thus began Aharon’s career as the comfortable “secondary
leader” of Am Yisrael. He lived the rest of his life with the poise of a
man whole-heartedly content with his appointed role in the shadows of his
brother.
Howard Shultz, CEO of Starbucks, once related an
experience that he shared with my rosh yeshivah, Rav Nosson Zvi Finkel, z”l.
Rabbi Finkel, who stood at the head of the largest yeshivah in history, once
approached the Kotel with Shultz. Rabbi Finkel unexpectedly stopped and stood in
his place some thirty feet from the wall. Shultz beckoned him further, but
Rabbi Finkel explained, “I’ve never been closer than this.” Asked why, he
quietly answered, “You go. I’m not worthy.” Shultz thus designated Rabbi Finkel
the paradigmatic “servant leader,” a man who consistently put others first and
led from the heart.[1]
True leaders don’t seek the limelight of self-exposure,
nor the satisfaction of public recognition. They are satisfied with working from
“behind the scenes,” and are in constant thought of how to better the lives of
those around them. Learning from the life of Aharon we must recall Rabbi
Finkel’s poignant remark and lesson – “We are not worthy.”
[1] America Deserves a Servant Leader, Op-Ed for The New
York Times on Aug. 6th, 2015, available at: nytimes.com/2015/08/06/opinion/america-deserves-a
servant-leader.html?_r=0.