Parashat Vayikra- Torah and Humility
Anyone who reads the first verse of Parashat Vayikra from a Torah scroll is immediately struck by the unusual size of the letter "Alef" in the first word of the Parasha – "Vayikra." We have a tradition that this letter is to be written in smaller print than the other letters of the Torah. The Rabbis explain that Moshe specifically wrote this letter in this manner as an expression of humility. This verse speaks of God calling to Moshe from inside the Mishkan, and Moshe did not want to boast about this special privilege he had to be invited inside the Mishkan to speak with God. He therefore wrote a letter in this word in small print, as if to downplay the significance of this invitation.
Interestingly, the word "Alef" itself means "educate," or "teach." It is thus very significant that Moshe chose specifically the "Alef" as the letter to appear in small print. He perhaps sought to instruct that humility is indispensable to education. Torah differs in this regard from all other disciplines. A person can master other subjects regardless of his character; Torah, however, can be sustained only within a humble soul. The Sages famously comment that it was for this reason that God gave the Torah upon Mount Sinai, a low, unimposing mountain, rather than on one of the grand, majestic mountains in Israel, such as Hermon, Tabor or Carmel. God wanted to teach that Torah requires humility. It is not simply one of the values championed by the Torah, but an indispensable prerequisite to Torah. The Sages also explained in this vein the comparison often drawn between Torah and water. Just as water always flows downward, similarly, Torah is drawn to those with low, humble spirits.
This fundamental precept must affect the way we educate our children both at home and at school. It is not enough to impart information. The information cannot be absorbed if the ego is not kept in check, if the students are arrogant and self-centered. There is thus a difficult balance that we must maintain. On the one hand, it is critically important to build children’s self-esteem, make them feel good about themselves and have them acknowledge their potential for greatness. But at the same time, children must learn the importance of humility, the need to keep their egos under control. Only then will they be capable of absorbing and internalizing the sacred words of the Torah, and grow to become the Torah Jews we all want them to be.
