5 Minutes on Parshat Va'era: Balancing Greatness with Humility - Rabbi Avi Hoolin

Hi everyone and it's so good to be back on the dab brut. Hope everybody's doing wonderful and here we get going with five minutes on the para. So let's get started. Says in this week's para that when Moshe Aaron it says about them speaking that they spoke to parro the king of Egypt to let out the children of the Jewish children from Egypt. And the Pik again points out that it was Moshe aaron. And Rashi points out that why are we saying this was Moshe? And Rashi tells us to teach us that they were the same Moshe from start to finish. Now there's another para that has a very similar rashi that we find by another sadic. that Rashi makes that comment and who is that by? That is no other than Yoseph Hatsadic. But ysephadic the Rashi tells us that when it said that Ysef was in Egypt, Rashi makes the point that he was the same Yseph from beginning until end from the time that he was sold till the time that he was viceroy over the entire Egypt. Now a rabbi by the name of Zissell poses a question. Let's let's see. We see a contrast here between Moshe Rabenu and Aon. But are they actually the same? Meaning, let's think about Yseph Hatsadic's life. Just think about the idea you're sold by your brothers. You're sold as a slave by your brothers. You overcome one of the hardest challenges of all times, being harassed by a woman countless and countless times to get thrown into a pit again. and not give up, then become king of an entire country that's totally gentile and still remain the same. Can I compare that to Mosher Rabenu that from the start the Pik tells us that he was good and we know that he spoke to Hashem when he when he struck down the the the Egyptian he used Hashem's name meaning he was always a leader and he always was in a position of power and he always was in a good place. So to make the comparison between Ysephic which fell to the lowest and then to the highest and Mosher Rabenu that was always the highest where is there a place for comparisons and points out and he says the stream of comparisons he says it's so interesting he says the point is that we all know the famous line that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That's the point. After everything, whatever you want to call a hardship, where is the place where it's hardest for a person to stay strong and not lose himself? Power, position of power tells you who you really are. And this is such a powerful lesson for us. And this is a powerful lesson for us to understand what true leadership is, right? I know in my own life, it's the most interesting thing. You know, I have two jobs. It's funny. I'm a rabbi in Osame. I have yeshiva in Columbus. Now yeshiva Columbus is a beautiful community. It's not the easiest thing to get people to go to Columbus. Everybody wants to work in Osame. So I run the tutoring program in Orsame. So I'm constantly getting phone calls. Everybody's calling me. They want to work in Arsame. They want to work in Arsame. But at the same time, when it comes to Columbus, I have to run after everybody to go to Columbus. So when it comes to people calling me about Arsame, I'm like, "Oh, I have no patience anymore. You really Okay, call me later." But when it comes to Columbus, I'm running after people. And naturally, you see yourself whenever you're in a position of power. Am I the same person? Do I give the people the same respect? When I have to go around and do recruiting, I see you can see people in position of power. Do they give you the time? Well, I went to Yeshiva and Rashiva. He gave me such warmth and care and took interest even though he's so busy. That's leadership. That's leadership. So whenever whenever in our life we get into a position of power it could be anything any job that we start to take on a management position. Do I see myself as greater and better? Do I take a head trip or I say no? >> I say that I am the same person and Hashem granted me a position but that doesn't change who I am and I can treat people with the same respect. That's Jewish leadership. The leader of all of the entire Jewish world who is the leader was what the Torah described Adam the most humble man from any person. That's Torah leadership. And when we see it in our great rabbis, that's what we see that you walk into a room and you see someone who's gentle and warm and kind. You know Moshe Feinstein when he was the leader, someone that they say a story, someone called and you know he woke up special early. He was busy the entire day giving shim and people asking questions and polit every single type of question came to his desk. They woke up especially early to learn and there's this one person who kept in calling early in the morning asking questions that weren't even so important and he want that question on a on a gimar and things that weren't about like life or death or something serious. Finally in the fourth time he told him in a gentle way he said really this is my time where I prepare to answer questions later in the day. That was the way he responded with that gentleness and only after the fourth time. Someone who's getting phone calls day after day, hour after hour. That's leadership. You know, we should be we should merit to have this opportunity to be true leaders and leaders in a way that it's not about me. It's about my mission. But who am I? I'm just like everybody else. And I want to be there for everybody else. It's not about my way to show my superiority over anybody else or to be something better. I'm not going to let power corrupt and absolute power corrupt. Absolutely. Have a wonderful shabas.