In this week’s Torah portion, Aharon, the High Priest and Moses’s brother, was going to perform the dedication in the Mishkan, the Holy Tabernacle, that contained God’s Presence. However, as he was about to perform the sacrifice, he hesitated. Our Torah commentaries say that Aharon got scared because part of the altar where the sacrifice took place reminded Aharon of the sin of the golden calf.

Aharon still felt responsible since he was the leader who unsuccessfully tried to discourage the Jews from sinning and making the golden calf. However, Moses reassures him, telling him to continue in his mission.

Why didn’t Moses suggest that someone else perform the sacrifice since it was hard for Aharon? Since he was fearful, someone else would have been more suitable for the job?

Lesson:

While counterintuitive, often those things that are difficult for us, be it a certain relationship, character trait, situation, are most closely related to our mission in life. Someone who is naturally more impatient by nature often encounters situations that put that impatience to the test: are they going to snap at the slow cashier when they are already running late, because that comes more naturally than taking a deep breath and realize that this is an opportunity to work on their patience?

Those things that are often fraught with difficulty are usually those things that God places in front of us so that we can truly grow and stretch beyond ourselves. If someone wants to build muscle, they do not lift something that is easy for them. Rather, they lift that which challenges them, that which is difficult, which is the only way to truly get stronger.

Moses was conveying this message. In that moment when Aharon hesitated to bring the sacrifice, he could have felt inadequate, insecure, guilty, and fearful about moving forward. How could I act as High Priest and perform such an important, holy, and lofty sacrifice to G-d when I had such a large part in one of the most grievous transgressions? However, Moses encouraged Aaron, reminding him that God loves him and already forgave him for the golden calf incident.

If you cling to feelings of guilt and inadequacy, you’ll miss out on becoming the amazing person you’re meant to become. Moses was telling Aharon the important message that he is bigger than his mistake and was created for this mission! Though it seemed difficult to overcome, he can and will succeed!

This idea provides strength for us when we encounter challenges in our daily lives. Instead of getting caught up in the whirlwind of emotion, we can take a step back and recognize that this is an opportunity presented by God for our personal growth. God wants us to be the best we can be and thus gives us situations to stretch ourselves and become better. Just like the person at the gym, we build our character muscles through challenging our current status quo. So when things get tough, instead of being discouraged, we can strengthen our resolve and tell ourselves, “You can do it! You were created for this mission!”

Exercise: When encountering something challenging tell yourself, “I can do it! I was created for this!”