Shemini: No Shame in Shame
The story goes that R’ Yitzchak Blazer, also known as Rav Itzele Peterberger, (1837-1907) was approached by the community of St. Petersburg, which was then the capital of Russia, to serve as their Rabbi. R’ Itzele was a student of mussar, a humble man who eschewed honor, and was therefore naturally hesitant to accept the offer. He did end up serving as the chief Rabbi of St. Petersburg for close to 20 years, earning the moniker Peterberger, yet he was always uncomfortable relying on communal funds. Eventually, he resigned and emigrated to Israel, then called Palestine, for the remainder of his life. At the time of the offer, his Rebbe, R’ Yisroel Slanter, urged him to take the position. R’ Itzele explained to R’ Yisroel that he simply could not take the job, telling him, “I am simply not ready.” R’ Yisroel responded, “Should I recommend someone who thinks that he is ready for the position?”
Aharon Hakohen was reluctant to take part in the inauguration of the Mishkan. The verse states that Moshe told Aharon, “Krav! come near,” which implies that Moshe needed to encourage Aharon to approach. Aharon knew his shortcomings; he had played a part in the calamitous sin of the Golden Calf, the eigel and was therefore ashamed to come forth to fulfill his duty and consecrate the Mishkan. The Midrash expounds further, Moshe said to Aharon, “Why are you ashamed? Lekach nevcharta! You were chosen for this!”
Simply understood, Moshe was telling Aharon that he cannot abstain from his duty, for Hashem chose him to serve as the High Priest, he was chosen despite his flaws. This is a resounding lesson for us; our flaws and past misdeeds can haunt us but “the show must go on.” We mustn’t allow our flaws to deter our spiritual mission. Like Aharon, we were all chosen to fulfill our unique spiritual mission. We all have a job to do and we cannot allow our flaws to interfere.
The Ariza”l and later the Ba’al Shem Tov explain the Midrash a little differently. When Moshe told Aharon, “l’kach nivcharta”, he was telling Aharon that it was not despite his shame that he was chosen but rather due to his shame. He was telling Aharon, “You were specifically chosen because you have humility, you are humbled by your misdeeds and feel ashamed. Therefore, you are the right pick for the job of Kohen Gadol.”
Shame is typically viewed as a negative emotion. Feeling bad and unworthy may not only be inaccurate, it can be psychologically impairing. However, there are feelings of shame that are important. When we err, we are awakened to our own frailty. Perhaps we are not as spiritually great as we thought we were. The humility that comes from this honest perspective is precious. Aharon was keenly aware of his own limitations and therefore felt out of place in his role as High Priest. This was the “shame” Aharon felt, leading to an admirable sort of humility which ultimately earned him the job he was certain he was unfit for.
We can be very hard on ourselves when we lapse in our religious commitments. It is important to understand the first lesson brought to light by the simple reading of the Midrash, that we should not allow ourselves to be dragged down because of our misdeeds, as we have a mission which was designed for us despite any flaws we have. We can also comfort ourselves with the mystical lesson of the Midrash. Our misdeeds can give us a spiritual reality check. We can gain insight into where we are religiously. That understanding is humbling and that understanding will undoubtedly serve as a great merit for us!
