Parshas Vaera 5786 - What is Greatness?

After listing the descendants of the tribe of Levi, the Torah returns to Moshe and Aharon and states:

“This was the Aharon and Moshe to whom Hashem said: ‘Take the Children of Israel out of Egypt according to their legions.’ They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to take the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; this was the Moshe and Aharon.” (Shemos 6:26).

Both verses clearly refer to Moshe and Aharon. Yet the Torah does something unusual: in verse 26, Aharon is mentioned before Moshe, while in the very next verse Moshe is mentioned before Aharon. Why does the Torah reverse their order?

Many commentators explain the shift based on context (see Rabbenu Bachye, Chizkuni, Kli Yakar, and the Netziv). Rashi, however, offers a broader principle:“There are places where [the Torah] puts Aharon before Moshe, and there are places where the Torah places Moshe before Aharon, to tell us that they are equal in importance.”

Rashi’s comment is difficult to understand. The Torah explicitly tells us that Moshe was the greatest prophet who ever lived: “Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moshe, whom Hashem knew face to face” (Devarim 34:10). Moshe alone received the Torah from Hashem and transmitted it to Aharon and the Jewish people (Devarim 33:4; Eruvin 54b). He is called Moshe Rabbenu—Moshe our teacher. In what sense, then, can Moshe and Aharon be considered equal?

Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, offers an insightful explanation. Although Moshe surpassed Aharon in his role and accomplishments, Hashem nevertheless considers them equal because each fulfilled his own potential completely. Moshe reached the pinnacle of what Moshe could be, and Aharon reached the pinnacle of what Aharon could be. In Hashem’s eyes, maximizing one’s unique abilities is the true measure of greatness.

Rav Moshe illustrates this idea with a passage from the Talmud. The Gemara relates that Yosef, the son of Rabbi Yehoshua, had a near-death experience:

“He fell ill and fainted. After he recovered, his father asked him, ‘What did you see?’ He replied, ‘I saw a world turned upside down—those above were below, and those below were above.’ His father said to him, ‘You saw a clear world.’” (Bava Basra 10b).

Rav Moshe explains that Yosef saw the truth of the World to Come. Those regarded as “great” in this world often possess immense potential. If they fail to live up to it, they may be considered small in the next world. Conversely, those viewed as insignificant here may rise to great heights in the World to Come if they fully realize their abilities here.

Human beings tend to measure success comparatively: who finished first, who achieved more, who stands out publicly. Hashem, however, judges a person relative to his or her own capabilities. One individual may appear greater than another, yet be judged inferior for failing to live up to his potential, while another—less accomplished by worldly standards—may be considered greater for having maximized what Hashem gave him.

One of the greatest obstacles to personal growth is comparison. We often tell ourselves that since we were not endowed with the brilliance of a Rav Moshe Feinstein, the genius of an Albert Einstein, or the legal acumen of a Louis Brandeis, striving for greatness is futile. But this mindset misses the point entirely. Hashem does not compare us to others. He compares us only to ourselves—to who we could have been.

Just as Aharon is considered equal to Moshe because he fulfilled his Divine potential, so too each of us is called upon to reach our own unique greatness. If we do so, we fulfill Hashem’s expectation of us.

May we each strive to become the fullest version of ourselves that Hashem intended us to be.