The Missing Names

by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

One of the noteworthy facts about this week’s Parsha is that it does not contain the name of our teacher, Moshe. From the beginning of Shemos when Moshe was born until the book of Devorim (where Moshe reviews the Torah,) there is no other Parsha with this unusual phenomenon. Similarly noteworthy is that the Book of Esther which we read this coming week on Purim, makes no mention of the most important player in the entire story, Hashem Himself. Hashem’s name does not appear in the entire book. What is the meaning of the missing names?

I once heard of a remarkable statement from one of the greatest Jewish educators of recent times. The Alter of Slabodka, a man who mentored many of the leaders of the recent generation is said to have commented: “My hope is to influence great leaders in a way that when I am gone, no one should realize what I have done.”

The comment was made well before his students took their roles of leadership in the Jewish world. Included in the students he would influence were Rabbi Aaron Kotler, Rabbi Yakov Kamenetsky, Rav Ruderman, and Rabbi Reuven Grozovsky. Apparently, he hoped to influence greatness in such a profound but subtle way that his name would not be flashed around in association with the greatness that he did produce.

Jewish tradition maintains that the reason Moshe’s name is not in this week’s Parsha is because of his selflessness. At the time of the golden calf, when Hashem offered to make Moshe into a great nation instead of the Jews who had sinned, Moshe declined the offer. Moshe said, “If you destroy the people, then remove my name from your Torah.” Hashem did not destroy the people, but Moshe’s name is missing from one Parsha- the one that corresponds with the week of his Yartzeit on 7 Adar- as a tribute to him. Although all of Torah was mentored to us through Moshe, his agenda was not a personal one looking to be famous and recognized as influential. Moshe’s influence and mentorship would be felt forever, but he would have been perfectly comfortable doing so incognito.

Interestingly the reason that Hashem’s name is missing from the Book of Esther may follow the same reasoning. Even though Hashem’s influence is everywhere in the Purim story, Hashem has no need for his name to be flashed around. The Purim story was orchestrated by Hashem with perfect timing: Vashti was executed by Achashveirosh, Esther was positioned as Queen, a plot against the king is discovered by Mordechai and is recorded, and the king is reminded of Mordechai’s kind deed just as Haman comes to ask permission to hang Mordechai. The story has G-d’s influence everywhere, but it is not a story about G-d. The Purim story is influenced by G-d, but it is the story of mankind. It is the story of Esther’s bravery, and the story of the Jewish people who returned to Hashem with great devotion when they realized that they were in danger. It is as if Hashem says, “I am perfectly comfortable influencing all, but hiding My name. This story is not about Me,” Hashem says, “It is about you and the decisions that you make in life.”

Sometimes as parents and teachers we mistakenly think that education and mentorship is all about us. The good or bad decisions that people make seem to reflect on us to define our success. The reality is that the mentorship relationship is not about us, it is about people we have influenced. Like the Alter of Slabodka, and Hashem and Moshe before him, there is no need to flash around our names. We know what we have done, and we know what we can do. We can mentor and influence people. We can set the stage for success. But part of good mentorship is leaving go. Ultimately, to make good decisions is up to the “student”. And when they do make good decisions we are perfectly comfortable going incognito and allowing the “student” to take the credit.

© 2015 by TEACH613™