TORAH PORTION I

Don't Have a Cow, Man!

For Father's Day, I'll Take You to The

"POPS" CONCERT

At Congregation Beth Shalom
(14601 West Lincoln in Oak Park)
It's at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 17, 1990

Special to the Jewish News

THE ETHNIC CONNECTION

Kool Klezmer Band from Ann Arbor

They'll have
Pre-concert Entertainment At 6:30 P.M.

FOR CHILDREN AND POPS OF ALL AGES

• Bruce "The Balloon Man" Franco •
• Clowns Mary Ellen and Gerald Clark •
• Magician Doug Scheer •
• Caricaturist Chuck Kohl •

• Plus food and drink (POPsicles, POPpy seed cake, POP) •
• Door Prizes for Special POPs •

Hey, Pop, This Is My Treat

(It's FREE for the whole family
— but you don't need to know that)

Anyone can call Congregation Beth Shalom for all the details
on the Annual Frank Friedman Memorial Concert
presented by the Cultural Commission.

Congregation Beth Shalom
547-7970

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FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 1990

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Of Great Humility

RABBI MORTON YOLKUT

featuring

MARV
SAYS

Moses: A Noble Man

accessories for
over 36 years

544-1711
22961 Woodward, Femdale, MI

A

nd the man Moses
was very humble,
more so than any
other person on earth"
(Numbers 12:3).
Moses possessed many
great attributes and the
Torah could have singled out
any of them for tribute. He
was the greatest prophet of
all times, the fearless
defender of his people against
a mighty pharoah, the
brilliant legislator, the
respected teacher, the strong
leader, the ideal of all
mankind.
Yet the Torah praises only
humility, pointing out that
Moses excelled in this "more
than any other person on
earth." The greatest Jew of
his day was also the most
modest human being of his
time. Humility is the trait,
above all the others, for which
Moses was honored and
revered.
And yet ours is a society
that does not hold the humble
in great esteem. In this
success-oriented world,
humility would not be set up
as an ideal to emulate. In fact,
it would be seen as a for-
midable obstacle to advance-
ment and material achieve-
ment. In contemporary socie-
ty, humility is more a vice
than a virtue.
What, then, is the advan-
tage of being humble? Why is
humility so strongly em-
phasized here as well as in so
many other parts of our
sacred literature? What is
there about humility that
makes it so praiseworthy and
such a dominant feature of
the Jewish moral tradition?
From all the classical
sources that mention it,
humility is more than just
another personality trait;
rather, it is an overriding at-
titude toward life. It is not, as
some might believe, a sign of
weakness or self effacement.
It is not the lack, but the
presence of something; it is
not timidity, but a strength in
that which is higher than the
self.
The life of Moses, the ar-
chetype of Jewish humility,
gives us an understanding of
the true nature of the humble
man. Moses was not timid
and certainly not docile. He
was unyielding in his
arguments whether against
God or his people. His humili-

Morton Yolkut is rabbi of
Congregation B'nai David.

ty emanated from a position
of strength and self
assuredeness. Only when a
person has objectively much
to brag about can his true
humility be judged.
The Torah mentions Moses'
humility just after a story
also recorded in this week's
portion. An anonymous
young man comes with shock-
ing news to Moses: two men,
Eldad and Meidad "are pro-
phesying in the camp."
Joshua, the faithful ser-
vant, fearing rival prophets to
his master, asks Moses to
"shut them up."
But Moses in his reply
shows his true greatness and
the nature of his humility.
"Are you jealous for my sake?
Would that all of God's people
were prophets."
What a profound and
revealing answer! It speaks

Shabbat
Bahaalotecha:
Numbers 4:21-7:89,
Judges 13:2-25.

volumes about the incom-
parable greatness of Moses'
character. He does not inquire
about the credentials of the
two prophets or as to the
nature of their prophecy. He
was simply pleased that other
Jews were moved by the spirit
of God. He did not feel that he
had a monopoly on prophecy
nor that his kavod (honor)
was somehow diminished by
their prophetic activities.
Moses' humility stemmed
from his being a servant of
God and his people, and it was
this very service which
bestowed invincible strength
upon him.
The humble man is attach-
ed to something greater than
himself. He knows that what
he does is not for self glory,
but for the glory of that which
is beyond himself. His talents
and abilities have been given
to him for a higher purpose.
A king once wanted to learn
the secret of humility. To
achieve it, he wore sackcloth
on his body, put ashes on his
head, denied himself of food
and water, left the royal
palace to live in poverty and
afflicted himself with every
kind of torture and misery.
All to no avail. He felt more
proud than ever before.
A wise man then showed
him the way: "Dress like a
king, live like a king, act like
a king; but let your heart be
humble."

❑