In most instances when Moses and his older brother, Aaron are listed together, Moses is mentioned first. In this week’s Torah portion, Aaron is listed before Moses (6:26). A famous Torah commentary, Rashi, explains that Aaron is mentioned before Moses to tell us that Aaron is equally great. But this raises more questions. How can it be that Aharon was just as great as Moses? The Torah itself tells us that Moses was the greatest prophet that will ever live; only Moses spoke to God “face to face.” Aaron didn’t lead the Jews out of Egypt, climb Mount Sinai and receive the Torah – it was Moses! How can it be that Moses and Aaron were equally great?

Lesson:

Our sages teach us that in God’s eyes greatness is not measured by how much you accomplish. One who expounds noble, lofty ideas to halls full of people is not necessarily ‘greater’ than the stay-at-home-mom who cares for her children all day, or the garbage man who wakes up early every morning to ensure neighborhoods are clean. Greatness is determined by how much one fulfills their own unique potential. Since God created everyone with our own tailored set of talents, capabilities, circumstances, we all have unique potentials and customized missions in this world.

It is easy to get caught up with looking at someone else’s accomplishments and feel discouraged. This person has a much better business sense and knows how to get ahead. This person’s house is always so clean and organized. This person looks more put-together on a Monday afternoon than I look at a family wedding. This type of mentality is counterproductive to fulfilling our mission and focusing on our own virtues.

What someone else accomplishes is completely independent of us and what we can achieve. Our mission is completely tailor-made for us and when we stop looking at what other people do and focus on our own talents, we can truly shine. This is what the Torah is telling us: just as Moses fulfilled his highest potential, so did Aaron. Since fulfilling one’s own, unique potential is the measure of greatness, they were equally great…and in that sense, we can all be as great as Moses.

Exercise: Stop yourself when having a thought comparing yourself to someone. In that moment, think of at least one recent thing you have accomplished; this could be something as small as making a delicious and healthy meal for dinner despite having a busy week, or not losing your temper when something or someone upset you. Feel proud of yourself and know that all your accomplishments, no matter how big or small, are part of your unique mission - and fulfilling them makes you great.