5783/2023

This week’s first Parashah, BeHar, is named after the location

in which it was given-- Har Sinai. The Midrash (BeMidbar

Rabbah 13:3) explains that Har Sinai was the smallest of all the

mountains in the desert. The mountain was unappealing, and it

lacked flowers and natural beauty. Yet HaKadosh Baruch Hu

chose Har Sinai as the place to give the Torah over of all the

other mountains. Why did Hashem choose Har Sinai, of all

places? The Midrash answers that Har Sinai displayed the trait

of humility, in ‘saying’ to G-d that it was lowly.

Benny Friedman explains that true humility needs a backbone.

One who is humble is also strong, disciplined, determined and

accomplished. Yet, what makes a person humble is their

acknowledgement of Hashem’s existence and all that Hashem

has granted them. True humility is what made Moshe so great.

Many people have accomplished wonders equal to those

performed by Moshe: Yehoshua also split the sea, Shaul

HaMelech defeated also Amalek, and even Pharaoh's sorcerers

were able to turn water to blood. What placed Moshe upon an

unparalleled level was his exceptional humility. Moshe

humbled himself to such an extreme level purely out of his fear

of Hashem. This quality is the reason we refer to Moshe as

“Moshe Rabbeinu”— he is not just our teacher, but also our role

model. Each and every Jew should strive to achieve the level of

humility that Moshe Rabbeinu reached, because only through

humility can one achieve ultimate greatness.

The Rambam explains in Hilchot Dei’ot (2:4) that humility is

one of the few character traits for which one must not find the

‘golden mean’, but rather practice it in the ultimate extreme.

Interestingly, the Rambam lists anger as a trait to be avoided in

the extreme; anger was character trait that led to Moshe

Rabbeinu’s fatal mistake at Mei Merivah, and his punishment.

In this way, we can learn from both Moshe’s successes and

failures.

The Midrash further explains that when Bnei Yisrael received

the Torah, Har Sinai became a lustrous mountain, full of natural

beauty and transcendent. Har Sinai— just like Moshe—

transformed from a “humble” mountain into a monumental

landmark.

This is essentially what the Omer is all about. Sefirat Ha’Omer

is a serious time where we take a step back and reflect on our

flaws. Moshe Rabbeinu was prohibited from entering Eretz

Yisrael because he let his anger get the better of him. It was

neither a foreign nation nor another Jew that led to Moshe’s

punishment; it was himself. So too, it has been the Jewish

people’s own flaws that have led to the destruction of the Beit

HaMikdash and to its continued state of distress. It was Sinat

Chinam and other character flaws that corrupted the humility

of the Jewish people, leading to the Galut. During the Omer we

refrain from certain pleasures in order to prepare for the

acceptance of the Torah. In doing so, we humble ourselves just

like Har Sinai, and prevent our bad character traits from

overcoming us, so that we can rededicate ourselves to the

Torah on Shavuot.

For this reason, we also have a tradition to learn Pirkei Avot

during Sefirah. Rav Ovadiah MiBartenura explains the first

words of Pirkei Avot (1:1), “Moshe Kibel Torah Mi’Sinai”,

“Moshe accepted the Torah from Sinai,” as a statement that

Jewish morals were not invented by later generations; the

ethical teachings and maxims in Pirkei Avot were passed down

from Moshe Rabbeinu himself. This teaches us that one of the

fundamental aspects of Judaism, mandated by Hashem, is to

achieve the ideal personality.

It is even more fitting that Parashat Bechukotai begins with “Im

BeChukotai Teilechu, V’Et Mitzvotai Tishmoru, Ve’Asitem Otam”,

“If you walk in my laws, and keep my commandments, and

perform them.” The seemingly redundant phrasing of the Pasuk

teaches us that we are not only commanded to perform the Mitzvot, but must also “walk” in their path and “guard” them.

One must truly live in the ways of the Torah, and always watch

themselves so as not to slip up. One must maintain the ultimate

level of humility to truly achieve the words “Teilechu” and

“Tishmoru.”

If we achieve this goal, not only will Hashem give us rain in its

proper time and fruit-bearing trees, but Hashem will also grant

us the third and final Beit HaMikdash, may it come speedily in

our days.