Mem Moment | The Battle for Relevance
Parashat Vayikra “And God Called”
There is a story about 4 people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ends up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Described in a manner that would make Abbot and Costello proud, the story highlights the challenge of accomplishment. While Everybody, Somebody, and Anybody could do the important job, ultimately, the job is done by Nobody. Our story is not just a story of poor communication, but also one of inappropriate humility.
The first verse in the Leviticus reads וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר – “God called out to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting saying.” Noting the small א (aleph) in the word וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra “called out”), our rabbinic tradition offers a variety of explanations. The Baal HaTurim (13th Century Germany), explains that the א is written in miniature because Moses was both great and modest. The commentary explains that Moses was uncomfortable with recording that God spoke directly to him and preferred that the text use the word ויקר (vayikar), suggesting that God only spoke to him in a dream. When God insists that the א be written, Moses asks to write it in miniature.
Humility can be both positive and negative. As Rabbi Joseph Telushkin explains, “In my book Let Us Make Man, I distinguish between the feeling of humility which is commendable and constructive, and that of low self-esteem, which is regrettable and destructive. In many ways man is tiny, and to the degree that this is true, man should be aware of his infinitesimally small stature. But tiny men can also be great and sacred.” Could Everybody, Somebody, and Anybody do the job? Yes, but perhaps doubting themselves as capable and competent enough, ultimately Nobody does the job.
How often in life are we too nervous, unsure of ourselves, or scared to confidently assert agency and insist on ownership?
As we begin reading the third book of the Torah, may we come to appreciate our own self-worth, appreciating that we are not Nobody, but Everybody, Somebody, and Anybody.