Two Minute Torah Podcast

Acharei Mot 5768 by Rabbi Jack Moline

Taking credit for oneself is an American pastime. My guess is that someone else’s name is on the clothes or shoes you are wearing.

By contrast, the midrashic tradition makes a great deal of the modesty of Moses, who isn’t even mentioned in the Haggada you will read this week tat describes his greatest achievement.. The Torah itself calls Moses the most humble of men, and the notion of his selflessness is expanded greatly in lore and legend. (It is ironic when a man becomes famous for his modesty!)

There is a difference, however, between claiming personal credit and taking personal responsibility. The Yom Kippur ritual that is described in this week’s Torah portion illustrates the contrast. Yom Kippur comes six months after Pesach – symbolically the opposite end of the year. The sacrificial ritual of atonement is described in great detail in the Torah, and though we no longer perform it since the destruction of the Temple, we recount it diligently in the Avodah service usually recited during the afternoon of Yom Kippur.

Kept in a state of ritual purity, Aaron the High Priest is charged with the responsibility of atoning for the transgressions and shortcomings of the entire house of Israel. Forgiveness of the most serious violations falls to Aaron, though he likely committed none of the sins. Yet, before he pleads for the arrogant, impure and belligerent among the people, he offers an atonement sacrifice “on his own behalf and on behalf of his household.” Before he can appeal for compassion on the sinners over whom he has no control, he takes responsibility for comparatively minor sins that he and his family – over whom he has control – have committed.

If claiming personal credit is one American pastime, avoiding responsibility for personal shortcomings is another. Public figures are quick to explain, obscure, avoid and distract (or, as we say here in Washington, “spin”) their mistakes and misbehaviors when confronted with them. Sexual misconduct in the Oval Office or misrepresentation of enemy military capability, ingestion of performance-enhancing drugs, abuse of co-workers or children and exploitation of low-paid laborers have sullied the rich and/or famous in recent memory. Almost to a person, they have sought “plausible deniability.”

Sometimes rabbis like to affirm that Judaism is inherently counter-cultural. From the days of Abraham, when monotheism challenged the pagan pantheon of the Middle East, these rabbis claim that our people has always tried to speak truth to power and test accepted standards. Perhaps they are right, or perhaps they overstate our public mission. But privately, they are right on the money. Our personal achievements are almost never ours alone; their goodness should speak its own praise, leaving ego aside. Our shortcomings, on the other hand, offer us an opportunity to take responsibility for ourselves. Knowing the difference changes self-indulgence to wisdom.