Lara McCorquodale – Year 9

God spoke to Moses, saying: “The priest shall dress in fine linen clothes and…he shall take the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. He shall then take off his fancy priestly clothes and put on more simple, basic clothes and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.”

Why does God require that the priest change clothes and take out the trash (ashes)?

If the priest has such a high position, God also gives him a more menial jobs to show him that you have to be humble as well so that he won’t be so arrogant and feel so superior. Imagine a CEO of a company having to change clothes just to take out the rubbish from the office. This would also lift the spirits of people who have full time menial jobs, that their service is as important as the priestly service.

Humility is a difficult trait to teach and to acquire. We must understand the difference between humility and insecurity. Insecurity is the lack of confidence in our abilities.

Humility is achieved when we have the confidence in ourselves along with awareness that our abilities are in fact gifts with responsibilities.

Tsav, this week’s parashah, contains a reminder to the Priests that they are there to serve with humility. Priests perform their Temple rituals in magnificent dress, but they must regularly perform very menial tasks such as cleaning the Altar in ordinary worker’s clothes. The priests, the most noble and sacred group in the nation, are thus constantly aware that they are to serve with humility.

There’s a constant tension between fostering a strong sense of self and ensuring that we don’t become self-centred and egotistical. We must remember that we are all part of a larger picture. The larger picture is our family, our community, our country, our nation, and our universe. As we grow, so should our appreciation of the vast contributions others have made to our well-being and develop our sense of respect and humility.

It is both difficult but important to develop a healthy humility.

I’d like to leave you with some questions to think about:

• What is humility?
• Can you be very good at something and humble at the same time?
• Can a healthy sense of humility contribute to self-confidence?

*The main ideas for this Dvar Torah come from Rabbi Moshe Becker’s thoughts on the parashah (myjewishlearning.com).