Emor- Resilience
For this year of Parsha Lesson, I will be focusing on one area of character growth, to think about in the week ahead and the benefits that a person would have from becoming better in that area.
Background
In the Midrash on this week’s Parsha it explains why it is that the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) is referred to as the “Big Kohen”. The Midrash says that he is referred to as “Big” because he must be ‘bigger’ with regards to a number of different things. One of the things that he must be ‘bigger’ in is strength- the Kohen Gadol must be stronger than the other Kohanim.
To illustrate this, the Midrash gives the example of Aharon, the first Kohen Gadol. When they needed to make the switch from the firstborn sons being the attendants in the Mishkan to the Leviim, Aharon needed to physically lift up each of the Leviim. There were 22,000 Leviim in total that needed to be lifted up. Aharon lifted them all, one after the other, in one day! This illustrates, the Midrash explains, that the Kohen Gadol must be very strong, physically strong.
Question
Why would it be that the Kohen Gadol needs to be physically stronger than the other Kohanim? Piety, righteousness, holiness- those are all understandable attributes for the spiritual leader of the Jewish people to have. But why must the Kohen Gadol be physically stronger than the other Kohanim?
Answer
R’ Chaim Shmulevitz (Rosh Hayeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva. Born 1902 in Lithuania, Died 1979 in Yerushayim) explains that physical strength is the result of someone having an aspect of refined character that is a very important part of a successful person: resilience or grit. Resilience is the the result of a person having passion and devotion/dedication to the task at hand. Someone who is physically strong became that way because they pushed through obstacles, even their physical limitations, in order to accomplish something. This person will ‘get the job done’ and not be stopped by blockages that others see as being insurmountable.
This character trait will serve the person well when applied to serving Hashem and doing that which is right and good, and therefore an important part of the makeup of the Kohen Gadol, the spiritual leader of the Jewish people.
Lesson
In life there are many obstacles to one doing what they know they should/must do. When a person is inclined to not do something specific or if a person is lazy and disinclined to doing things in general, that person will always find obstacles in their path to being able to accomplish. This person will find that there are things getting in their way, the weather is not right, they need to rest up a bit, they need some down time before continuing, they need a snack, they need a coffee, etc.- any and all reasons to not do the task at hand will become an obstacle that cannot be navigated.
However, when a person is committed to something or when a person is passionate and driven to accomplish and do things in general, this person will not encounter any roadblocks- speed bumps yes, but not roadblocks. This person will have the time, energy, and know-how to ‘get the job done’.
What a person must do is prepare themselves as best as possible to accomplish and that means to develop within themselves the character of a זריז (one who begins tasks quickly and accomplishes them effectively and efficiently). When one has this as part of their character, they will not only find that they accomplish tasks quicker, but they will find that new possibilities open up before them that were just “not possible” before.
One of the biggest obstacles facing today’s generation is that laziness has become too pleasant. From scrolling through endless “feeds” to watching mindless videos to doing any of the other distracting things which enable a person to contentedly sit and do nothing- the necessity for a person to strengthen themselves to be active and accomplish is perhaps greater than ever.
The plan to becoming more of a זריז would then seem to be two pronged: lessen the enjoyment and pleasure of laziness and idleness and push one’s self to do things and to perform even when faced with minor obstacles. By doing both, a person will guide themselves gradually to being a more driven and accomplishing person.
Benefits of this…
When one appreciates the benefits and life-changing perspective of being an accomplishing and driven person, the person will certainly be highly motivated and excited to put in the work to push passed obstacles and build their זריזת muscles.
When a person knows how to develop themselves steadily into an accomplishing and driven person, that person is then empowered to be able to improve their life exponentially. By developing one’s self into more of a זריז the person will not only become a better person but they will be further empowered to accomplish even more things- kicking off a virtuous cycle of growth that will lead the person to be able to accomplish great things.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Shabbos!
