Parshat Re'eh: Reaching Your Potential

In this week’s parshah, Re'eh, Moshe Rabbenu says, "Re'eh anochi nosen lifneichem hayom bracha u'klala," See, I have placed before you today two potential paths to take in life. The Midrash eexplains that re’eh anochi literally means "see me." Moshe was adjuring the people to be like him, expressing re’eh anochi – look at me. The leader of the Jewish Nation urged all, "Look what I became, and what I have accomplished; choose my path.

A question is posed: Moshe was the paradigm of humility, so how could he state, re’eh anochi, look at me? How can that statement be reconciled with modesty?

My father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlit"a, beautifully answers this query with an excerpt from the Sifsei Tzadik. By having his followers look at him, Moshe was attempting to have the Yidden take note of the struggles, challenges, and temptations that he had successfully persevered. Despite tribulations, Moshe depicted how he emerged as a superior leader. Likewise, in our generation, we too can become lofty in face of hardships. Moshe is related, “I am no better than any one of the bnei Yisrael, adding, "If I could accomplish, then so can anybody else; I made it through, so could every Jew. Moshe made it known that if was capable of attaining tremendous heights then anybody could also reach the same plateau, but first one must believe in themselves and grasp the potential within reach. The manhig taught the Jews to have faith in themselves.

Reb Hirsch Leib (Naftali Zvi Yehuda) Berlin zt"l, commonly known by the acronym Netziv, was the famed Rosh HaYeshivah of the Volozhin Yeshiva until its closure by the Russians in 1892. Reb Berlin suffered from diabetes and a stroke and was nifter just a year later as he worked to clear the yeshivah's debit. The Netziv, considered a member of the Misnagdim who opposed Chassidism, was one of the greatest and most famous rabbis of his generation.

One day, the Rebbe held a public celebration in honor of the completion of his latest published commentary. “When I was a child, I never paid lacked any desire to concentrate until, suddenly this mindset completely flipped. At age 11 while sitting in my room, I heard my parents talking. My father was explaining how he had spoken to my teacher and they concluded that I would not amount to anything in terms of scholarship. They decided that I just could not succeed in learning. Moreover, the elders opted to have me leave yeshivah and instead help the local shoemaker. Shocked by this conversation, I ran to my parents and exclaimed, ‘I am sorry I have been so negligent and careless with my studies. I am sorry that I fail to learn. Please forgive me. Please give me one more chance to prove my abilities at studying Torah. COuld you imagine, to my great delight, my parents agreed and from that day onward, I pushed myself and kept on trying my best to learn. Ultimately, I mastered the Torah with tremendous vigor, dedication, and excitement. In return, Hashem granted me tremendous success and thereafter I have not wasted a moment. It is that devotion that has allowed me to write the commentary that I am celebrating with you today.” Then, the Netziv continued, "I want you all to imagine what would have happened if I did not overhear my parents' conversation. I probably would have ended up as a shoemaker! In all practicality, I would have excelled at the position and became a very successful and prominent craftsman. However, after 120 years when I would go up to shamayim (heaven), I would have been asked, 'Naftali Zvi, where are all the seforim and commentaries that you were destined to pen?’ The Netziv told the audience, "And what would I possibly respond?!" The Netziv became one of the most astute Torah giants of his era because he had a true and sincere desire to alter his path in life; the sage had a burning yearning to prosper, and more importantly the rav had deep faith in himself to come out on top.

Let’s all have faith in ourselves and earnestly try to reach our full potential... Let’s become great!

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