GO FOR GROWTH

In my Rosh HaShana sermon I quoted the well-known story of the Chassidic Master, Zusha of Hanipol (1718-1800), who said that he was not worried that on the Day of Judgement they will ask him:

“Zusha, why weren’t you like Moses? Zusha, why weren’t you like King David?”

“I will reply: ‘I’m not a Moses. I’m not a David.’ But I am worried that they will say to me: ‘Zusha, why were you not Zusha? Why were you not the Zusha you could have been?’”

We all acknowledge that we have different talents and different limitations. Each one of us has been put in this world with a different set of skills and abilities, personalities and drives. It is up to us to be the best version of ourselves.

Yet, Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) seems to challenge this assumption.

In a famous passage in his Laws of Repentance (5:2) he states:

“Do not even contemplate the notion held by fools… that G-d decides at birth whether a person will be righteous or wicked. This is not true. Each person is fit to be righteous like Moses, our teacher, or wicked, like Jeroboam.”

How can Maimonides claim that each one of us is fit to be righteous like Moses? Moses was unique. He was the greatest prophet who ever lived. How can we begin to compare ourselves to him?

If we look more carefully at Maimonides’ words, we see that what he is saying is that each one of us has the potential to be righteous like Moses. Of course, Moses’ powers of prophecy and his attainment of holiness were second to none. But, notwithstanding his natural talents, Moses worked on himself to achieve his maximum potential. It is in this regard that Moses is an example for us all. None of us can be as holy as Moses, but all of us can try to be as righteous as Moses, to strive to achieve our maximum potential.

This week’s parasha begins with the words, Vayelech Moshe – “And Moses went.” Moses never stood still. Not even on the last day of his life. He didn’t stop actively pursuing his goals. He did not stop growing. He was never tempted to say, ‘enough is enough’. Moses remains for us the ultimate role model for Jewish aspirations.