When Weakness Becomes Strength (Shemini 5778)

[Disir]

Have you ever felt inadequate to a task you have been assigned or a job you have been given? Do you sometimes feel that other people have too high an estimate of your abilities? Has there been a moment when you felt like a faker, a fraud, and that at some time you would be found out and discovered to be the weak, fallible, imperfect human being you know in your heart you are?

....How did Moses know this? Because he had experienced something similar himself. When God told him to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites to freedom, he repeatedly insisted that he could not do so. Reread his response to God’s call to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Ex. chapters 3-4), and they sound like someone radically convinced of his inadequacies. “Who am I?” “They won’t believe in me.” Above all, he kept repeating that he could not speak before a crowd, something absolutely necessary in a leader. He was not an orator. He did not have the voice of command:

Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, my Lord, I am not a man of words, not yesterday, not the day before and not since You have spoken to Your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Ex. 4:10) Moses said to the Lord, “Look, the Israelites do not listen to me. How then will Pharaoh listen to me? Besides, I have uncircumcised lips.” (Ex. 6:12).

Moses had a speech defect. To him that was a supreme disqualification from being a mouthpiece for the Divine word. What he did not yet understand is that this was one of the reasons God chose him. When Moses spoke the words of God, people knew he was not speaking his own words in his own voice. Someone else was speaking through him.
When Weakness Becomes Strength (Shemini 5778) - Rabbi Sacks

It never occurred to me that Moses had a speech defect. The whole piece is fantastic but that stuck out.

 

[ding]

Or a boy is picked to fight a giant.

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

 

[usmbguest5318]

Have you ever felt inadequate to a task you have been assigned or a job you have been given? Do you sometimes feel that other people have too high an estimate of your abilities? Has there been a moment when you felt like a faker, a fraud, and that at some time you would be found out and discovered to be the weak, fallible, imperfect human being you know in your heart you are?

....How did Moses know this? Because he had experienced something similar himself. When God told him to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites to freedom, he repeatedly insisted that he could not do so. Reread his response to God’s call to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Ex. chapters 3-4), and they sound like someone radically convinced of his inadequacies. “Who am I?” “They won’t believe in me.” Above all, he kept repeating that he could not speak before a crowd, something absolutely necessary in a leader. He was not an orator. He did not have the voice of command:

Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, my Lord, I am not a man of words, not yesterday, not the day before and not since You have spoken to Your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Ex. 4:10) Moses said to the Lord, “Look, the Israelites do not listen to me. How then will Pharaoh listen to me? Besides, I have uncircumcised lips.” (Ex. 6:12).

Moses had a speech defect. To him that was a supreme disqualification from being a mouthpiece for the Divine word. What he did not yet understand is that this was one of the reasons God chose him. When Moses spoke the words of God, people knew he was not speaking his own words in his own voice. Someone else was speaking through him.
When Weakness Becomes Strength (Shemini 5778) - Rabbi Sacks

It never occurred to me that Moses had a speech defect. The whole piece is fantastic but that stuck out.

Have you ever felt inadequate to a task you have been assigned or a job you have been given?

Not since I was a child.

Do you sometimes feel that other people have too high an estimate of your abilities?

No.

Has there been a moment when you felt like a faker, a fraud, and that at some time you would be found out and discovered to be the weak, fallible, imperfect human being you know in your heart you are?

No. I'm well aware of my imperfections. I "own" them, and with regard to those that offend me, I work to attenuate them.

How did Moses know this? Because he had experienced something similar himself. When God told him to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites to freedom, he repeatedly insisted that he could not do so.

Well, I guess, then, that is a difference between Moses and me. I'm sort who embraces challenges rather than focusing on what them be challenging. I think "what must I do to make X happen," not "X is so hard to do because....thus I cannot make it happen." I may not be able happen immediately, but if X is important enough to me, I will find a way to make it happen or die trying.

When Weakness Becomes Strength

I absolutely agree that a key skill that each of us must develop is that of turning one's weakness(es) into a strength(s). Indeed, it is my observation that far too few folks develop that skill.

Of course, to do that, one must first identify the weakness and subsequently "own" it. Once one owns a thing, only then one can do whatever one wants with it. Ideally one will do something productive -- tangible and/or intangible -- with it. Taking that first step is roughly what I alluded to in this post: CDZ - Whom do you think bears the onus for marital fidelity?..

 

[Disir]

Well, I guess, then, that is a difference between Moses and me. I'm sort who embraces challenges rather than focusing on what them be challenging. I think "what must I do to make X happen," not "X is so hard to do because....thus I cannot make it happen." I may not be able happen immediately, but if X is important enough to me, I will find a way to make it happen or die trying.

Have you ever felt like Aaron?

 

[eagle1462010]

I feel like this guy at work.....

 

[Disir]

Well, I guess, then, that is a difference between Moses and me. I'm sort who embraces challenges rather than focusing on what them be challenging. I think "what must I do to make X happen," not "X is so hard to do because....thus I cannot make it happen." I may not be able happen immediately, but if X is important enough to me, I will find a way to make it happen or die trying.

Have you ever felt like Aaron?

I understand. Aaron is a bit of a challenge.

 

[ding]

I'm more of a Joshua fan myself.

 

[Disir]

Well, sure. Everybody likes the guy that immediately accepts the challenge and moves forward and has no defect of character. Joshua appears pretty near perfect. So perfect it's hard to identify with him as a human.

But, Aaron's head space is way more different. It's shame over past actions. He's very human. Moses had a disability through no fault of his own. Aaron damns himself for his own actions. Different head space.

 

[ding]

When done properly, all weaknesses become strengths.

 

[ding]

Well, sure. Everybody likes the guy that immediately accepts the challenge and moves forward and has no defect of character. Joshua appears pretty near perfect. So perfect it's hard to identify with him as a human.

But, Aaron's head space is way more different. It's shame over past actions. He's very human. Moses had a disability through no fault of his own. Aaron damns himself for his own actions. Different head space.

Very well said.

 

[irosie91]

well done cyber-buddies......... Da bible is such nice literature.
Your chit-chat reminded me of some of the most fun literature
classes of my childhood

 

[ding]

well done cyber-buddies......... Da bible is such nice literature.
Your chit-chat reminded me of some of the most fun literature
classes of my childhood

Are you so insecure in your beliefs that you need to try to tear down the beliefs of others, rosie?

 

[irosie91]

well done cyber-buddies......... Da bible is such nice literature.
Your chit-chat reminded me of some of the most fun literature
classes of my childhood

Are you so insecure in your beliefs that you need to try to tear down the beliefs of others, rosie?

where do you IMAGINE "tear down"? I have the HIGHEST regard for MOST classic religious literature-------the bible, the Baghavad Gita, ----
the classic Greek plays and the Odyssey and Iliad etc etc-------you are damned confused

 

[ding]

well done cyber-buddies......... Da bible is such nice literature.
Your chit-chat reminded me of some of the most fun literature
classes of my childhood

Are you so insecure in your beliefs that you need to try to tear down the beliefs of others, rosie?

where do you IMAGINE "tear down"? I have the HIGHEST regard for MOST classic religious literature-------the bible, the Baghavad Gita, ----
the classic Greek plays and the Odyssey and Iliad etc etc-------you are damned confused

I don't believe I am confused at all.

 

[irosie91]

well done cyber-buddies......... Da bible is such nice literature.
Your chit-chat reminded me of some of the most fun literature
classes of my childhood

Are you so insecure in your beliefs that you need to try to tear down the beliefs of others, rosie?

where do you IMAGINE "tear down"? I have the HIGHEST regard for MOST classic religious literature-------the bible, the Baghavad Gita, ----
the classic Greek plays and the Odyssey and Iliad etc etc-------you are damned confused

I don't believe I am confused at all.

oh-----ok ----you fart out LIBEL very deliberately

 

[ding]

well done cyber-buddies......... Da bible is such nice literature.
Your chit-chat reminded me of some of the most fun literature
classes of my childhood

Are you so insecure in your beliefs that you need to try to tear down the beliefs of others, rosie?

where do you IMAGINE "tear down"? I have the HIGHEST regard for MOST classic religious literature-------the bible, the Baghavad Gita, ----
the classic Greek plays and the Odyssey and Iliad etc etc-------you are damned confused

I don't believe I am confused at all.

oh-----ok ----you fart out LIBEL very deliberately

That would be your position.

 

[irosie91]

well done cyber-buddies......... Da bible is such nice literature.
Your chit-chat reminded me of some of the most fun literature
classes of my childhood

Are you so insecure in your beliefs that you need to try to tear down the beliefs of others, rosie?

where do you IMAGINE "tear down"? I have the HIGHEST regard for MOST classic religious literature-------the bible, the Baghavad Gita, ----
the classic Greek plays and the Odyssey and Iliad etc etc-------you are damned confused

I don't believe I am confused at all.

oh-----ok ----you fart out LIBEL very deliberately

That would be your position.

you have no position---if you DID have a position you would be
able to explain your libelous fart which is "..... you need to tear down
the beliefs of others"

 

[irosie91]

PS---your "position" on socialism is idiotic-----the asshole that farted
that sophist eructation equates a simple concept with Stalinism. He
probably got an "A" for that silly composition

 

[ding]

^ she mad.