Moses was the humblest of men. This might sound strange but if you asked him, he would have said that he did what had to be done. That he just happened to be in place at the time.
A Quick Devar Torah on Parshat Vayikra
This week we begin the book of Vayikra, the book of Leviticus. The very name of the parshah already teaches us an important lesson. One of the first words in the parshah is “Vayikra” — “And He called.” But in the Torah scroll, the final letter, the aleph, is written small.
Why the small aleph?
One classic understanding is that this reflects Moshe Rabbeinu’s humility. At this point, Moshe is at the height of leadership. He took the Jewish people out of Egypt, led them through the splitting of the sea, brought them to Mount Sinai, received the Torah, and now stands at the inauguration of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, where God speaks to him. If anyone could feel important, it would be Moshe.
And yet, Moshe remains the humblest of men.
That is the message of the small aleph: true greatness does not come with arrogance. A great leader does not see himself as the center of everything. He understands that he is there to do a job, to serve a mission, and to help his people.
That is why humility is such an essential trait in leadership. A leader must know that he is not permanent. He must prepare the next generation. Moshe trains Yehoshua to succeed him, because he understands that leadership is not about holding on to power forever; it is about making sure the mission continues after you are gone.
We see this again later with King David, who prepares Shlomo to take the throne. A true leader builds continuity. He knows that legacy is not what he says about himself, but what he leaves behind in those who come after him.
There is a famous story about a king who wanted something to remind him, both in times of joy and in times of sorrow, that life is always changing. He was given a ring engraved with the words: “This too shall pass.” That idea captures an important Torah truth. Good times do not last forever, and difficult times do not last forever either. Humility comes from remembering that we are here to serve God and do what must be done in the moment.
So how could Moshe be both strong and humble? After all, he confronted Pharaoh, spoke to God, and defended the Jewish people after the sin of the Golden Calf. The answer is that humility does not mean weakness. It does not mean thinking less of yourself. It means not thinking that your accomplishments make you inherently special. Moshe acted because the situation demanded it. He did what had to be done.
That is often what truly great people say. Veterans, heroes, and people of real courage often insist they did nothing extraordinary. They simply did what was necessary. That is real humility.
And that is the lesson of the small aleph in Vayikra:
A leader must be strong enough to act, wise enough to prepare the next generation, and humble enough to know that he is not the story — he is only serving a higher purpose.
Something to think about.
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