The Importance Of Being Last

By R’ Mordechai Young

I was once at a high school basketball tryout with many talented players. At the end of the night, the coach called out a bunch of names. The boys he called all seemed like good players, and I was sure they were the ones who would make the team. One by one they walked over to the coach, and after a brief discussion, one by one they walked away with their heads down. I realized that the ones whose names were not called were the ones who’d made it.

In this week’s parashah, Vayera, (12: 26) the passuk mentions Aharon first, then Moshe after. Rashi states that there are places in the Torah where Aharon’s name is mentioned first, and others where Moshe’s name is mentioned first to teach us that they were equal. The question becomes: How can they be equal when we know that Moshe Rabbeinu was the greatest Navi to ever live? HaRav Moshe Feinstein, zt’l, goes even further, adding that in middos as well, Moshe was the greater of the two brothers since the Torah testifies that Moshe was the humblest person to ever live. His greatness was his humility. So how were they equal exactly?

In sefer Kol Ram, Rav Avraham Fishelis, z’l, quotes Rav Moshe Feinstein, who explains that even though Moshe was greater, they were equal in that each served Hashem with all his might. Though each person is born with unique intelligence and gifts, these are not something to celebrate per se, because they are gifts from Hashem. Each person has to use these gifts to do mitzvos and fulfill the Torah with all his might. That is their mission, as Rav Moshe taught so eloquently.

A Rebbe of mine from Sh’or Yoshuv once spoke about this Rashi. He quoted a sefer Eser Kedushas, which answers this point with questions and answers that are spoken in a humorous format that ends with a deep lesson. How were Moshe and Aharon equal? Aharon lit the menorah and had to climb a ladder, so he must have been around 2 amos tall (about 5 to 6 feet), and the midrash taught that Moshe was 10 amos tall. So clearly, they weren’t equal.

He answered that perhaps Moshe was tall and skinny while Aharon was short and wide (jokingly, of course). The lesson is that Moshe’s job was to bring the Torah from shamayim to the land, so he needed to be tall and skinny, while Aharon’s job was to spread the Torah to the nation; therefore, he needed to be shorter and closer to the earth, and wide to spread the holy words. As it states, Aharon loved people and brought them close to Torah. So, in serving Hashem with kedushah, they were equals!

Another beautiful lesson taught by Rav Chaim Brisker, zt’l, is that when it came to the topic of leaving Mitzrayim, Moshe was more directly involved, and when it came to speaking directly to Pharaoh, Aharon was more directly involved since he was the one who spoke. But when discussing these topics, their names are reversed. In almost every instance in Scripture, Moshe’s name appears before Aharon’s, but the order is sometimes reversed (as in this instance) to teach us that Aharon was equal to Moshe in spiritual stature, and that there is no reason not to list him before his younger, more prominent brother, who was described as the greatest prophet of all time.

However, there is importance given to those mentioned last. For example, there are places where Rashi teaches that the one mentioned last is most important, as in acharon acharon chaviv. Another example is in sefer Shemos (12:36), when taking items from the Mitzrayim, it states silver, gold, and clothing. Rashi says the last item, clothing, is the most valuable.

So, which one is most important, the one mentioned first or last?

The Siftei Chachamim asks this question and Baruch Hashem, I had the same question. We see that by the shivat minim, the seven special foods of Eretz Yisrael, the one mentioned first is the most important: wheat. But by the silver, gold, and clothing, they couldn’t mention the clothing first because if the Mitzriyim had known that the clothing was so valuable, they would have given them less since they knew it was so prized. So, it appears to depend on context. Usually, the one mentioned first is the most valuable, but at other times, the one mentioned last is the most valuable, and in the case of the clothing, Rashi explains that the one mentioned last was the most important. So, we see that sometimes the most important thing is placed first. Other times, it comes last, depending on context and situation. This teaches us not to value ourselves where others place us on the scale of what society deems important and valuable, but on how much effort we exert in order to fulfill our potential in Torah and mitzvos.

Have a great Shabbos! 

R’ Mordechai Young is available as a remedial rebbe and tutor. He can be reached for comments at [email protected].