He (G-d) called to Moshe… (1:1)
“Thank you Melvin. That was a great audition! I’ve never heard the gravedigger’s speech in Hamlet done in Ebonics! But I just have one question. You’re about six foot-four, right?” “Six foot-five.” “Okay, six foot-five. What makes you think you could play one of the dwarfs in Snow White? We would have difficulty casting you as two of the dwarfs. You’re just much too big for the part.” “Don’t worry. I could be small!” It’s not without good reason that open auditions in Hollywood are called “cattle calls.” Few are the experiences that are as demeaning as strutting whatever stuff you have in front of tired and jaded casting directors. Especially when you realize that your stuff is not the stuff that their dreams are made on. In life, however, being ‘small’ – i.e. being humble – is something that everyone can achieve, whatever one’s height may be. In this week’s Torah portion, the first word, Vayikra ( “And He called…”), is written with a small letter aleph at the end. The word aleph means “to teach.” Learning to be small and humble is one of life’s most important lessons. And who was more qualified to teach it than Moshe, the humblest of men.
