Rabbi's Corner

When Rabbi Akiva Eiger of Posen and Rabbi Yaakov Lorberbaum of Lisa, two of the greatest scholars of their generation, arrived in Warsaw, the Jewish community came out to greet them in great numbers.  The crowd surged forward to show further respect by unhitching the horses and pulling the wagon into town.  Inside the coach, the two Torah giants sat in opposite corners, each man engrossed in his own thoughts.  Rabbi Akiva Eiger pondered how the great Rabbi Yaakov of Lisa was in the coach with him and how this magnificent welcome must be for him.  Because Rabbi Eiger wished to take part in the mitzvah of honoring this Torah giant, he quietly alighted from the coach and joined with those who were pulling the wagon.  In the opposite corner of the coach, Rabbi Yaakov Lorberbaum was having similar thoughts.  Because he believed that the reverential welcome was meant for Rabbi Akiva Eiger, he also wanted to join in the demonstration of respect.  So, he also slipped out of the coach and joined the throngs of people drawing the coach.  And so here it was that the a multitude of people continued their joyous reception of the two Rabbis totally unaware that they were pulling a coach that was completely empty of its two passengers but totally filled with humility.

We are in the midst of another Presidential election campaign as well as the impeachment of the current sitting President.  We must ask important questions as to what and why this is happening.  Do people who aspire to become President do so because they are actually qualified to fill the position, or are they so filled with their egos that they forget about you and me?  Does one who becomes President get so carried away with the power they are given that they forget what they are there for?  Maybe we should ponder these questions as we read about the main character in this week's parashah: Parashat Mikeitz.  We read the following: "You shall be in charge of my palace, and by your command shall all my people be sustained; only the throne shall outrank you."  (Bereshit 41:40)  What did Pharaoh, the king of the wealthiest and strongest nation in the word at that time, see in this young Hebrew slave who had just spent the last 12 years of his life in prison?  Why did Pharaoh believe that Yoseif was qualified to be second-in-command over Mitzrayim (Egypt)?

The answer is really quite simple: Pharaoh recognized that he was dealing with a man who was imbued with the Spirit of Hashem.  Even more importantly, Pharaoh saw Yoseif as someone who believed himself to be a conduit for others.  Despite his ability to correctly interpret dreams, Yoseif had declared to Pharaoh that he was "biladai."  He was not the one who interpreted Pharaoh's dreams; it was HaShem.  So we see that when people choose to forgo their own honor and use their talents to act as an agent of Hashem, they enable H-s blessings to flow through them to their intended recipients.  Is it any wonder that Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses, our teacher) the greatest leader in Jewish history, was also the most humble?