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Rabbi Yehuda {Leonard} Blank MS, BCC
Vice President of Professional Development and External Affairs
Chair of the Chaplaincy Commission
Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim
917-446-2126 rablenblank@gmail.com
**January 22, 2026, 4, Shevat 5786**
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PLEASE NOTE: LAST WEEK’S MOMENT OF INSPIRATION
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H judges each person according to his or her abilities.
A man wanting to aspire to become a Rabbi Akiva or Vilna Gaon
or a woman wanting to be like Rashi’s daughter. Or a person wanting to be
more superior than he or she is at the present.
It is not uncommon for a man who aspires to be like a Rabbi Akiva type of a person or a woman to be like Rashi’s daughter in their Torah knowledge but feel like a failure in not reaching their greatness. This is especially with those who might have a low self-esteem wanting to compare themselves to those who they feel are more “superior” than they are. I once heard Rav Moshe Feinstien zt’l in one of his discourses mention that not everyone can be a Rabbi Akiva or other great Torah luminaries in their Torah knowledge but can surely reach their level of greatness in their midos, their love of the Torah and their kesher with the Ribono shel Olam. This can also be applied to a person wanting to reach a higher level in their work positions, comparing themselves to their friends or their everyday lives and are just not happy with themselves feeling others are better off than they are.
From the English Darash Moshe, Artscroll Judaica, Mesorah Publications, By Rav Moshe Feinstein. Pages 101,102. Parshas Vaeira (6:26) “This was the Aaron and Moses” “Rashi comments that in some places Aaron is mentioned before Moses while in others is mentioned first to teach us that they were equal. This is indeed surprising; Moses was the greatest prophet and sage of all times, to such an extent that he was master of the whole world and H chose to give His holy Torah to the world through him. If so, how can it be said that Aron, for all his merits, was equal?
This question can be answered in two ways: Firstly, although Moses power was greater than Aaron’s, they were still considered equal because they were both needed for the redemption of the Jews. To give an analogy, even though one partner in a business has a greater role than the other, if the business could not function without both of them, they are equals in that sense.
Secondly, Aaron was considered Moses’ equal since, like Moses, throughout his life he performed H’s will to the utmost of his ability and with complete faith. Even though Moses’s abilities were greater, and he was therefore given more significant tasks to perform, both of them dedicated themselves totally to the things they were given to do.
With this principle, we can explain a well-known story told by the Sages (Bava Basra 10b): Joseph, the son of R’ Joshua, became weak and fell into a coma, appearing to be dead. When he revived, his father asked him, “What did you see?”
The son replied, “I saw an upside-down world; the superior ones were on bottom, and the inferior ones were on the top.”
Said the father, “You saw a world in which everything is clear.”
On the surface, this story is difficult to understand. Why did the son think the world he had seen was upside-down? It would seem obvious that in this world we can perceive only what meets our eyes, while in the world of truth a person’s real worth would be apparent.
Therefore, we must say that those whom we consider superior in our world are also thought to be superior there, but are nevertheless given a lower status; while people whom we consider inferior in this world are thought inferior there also, but still they occupy a more prominent position. This is what the son meant in reporting that it was an upside-down world. His wiser father, however, understood that H judges each person according to his abilities and does not demand from someone more than he is capable of. Therefore, those whose talents are inferior, but who manage to achieve their full potential are given a higher status in the next world than those with superior talents who fail to utilize them fully. Thus, a “superior” person might have a lower position than an “inferior” one, even though the former may have achieved much more than the latter.
Similarly, Moses and Aaron, even though they differed in their abilities, could be considered equal since both achieved their full potential.”
Rabbis, Rebbetzins and Chaplains, with our empathy, our sincerity, our understanding, our chizuk and our TLC can always find opportunities of uplifting the spirits of others to higher levels of self-pride and appreciation of one’s accomplishments in his and her lives. H gives us the ability to be successful in our own right not having to compete with anyone else in this world of ours and to recognize all that H gives to us.
From: The Gentle Weapon. Prayers for Everyday and Not-So- Everyday Moments Timeless Wisdom from the Teachings of the Hasidic Master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.
Jewish Lights Publishing.
“In Praise”
G, You’ve given me
the physical, emotional
and spiritual will
to overcome so many obstacles
that have risen before me.
How many times have I faced
what I perceived to be
impossible, hopeless situations
and withstood them-
and discovered creative solutions
through which to surmount
and master them.
You’ve strengthened me
again and again.
I know that You
will never fail me.”
Sincerely, Rabbi Yehuda Blank