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    VAYIKRA: MOSHE WAITED FOR THE CALL

    Moshe Waited for the
    Call
    A verse in this week’s
    parsha says, “And G-d
    called to Moshe and He
    spoke to him…”
    [Vayikra 1:1]. The
    Medrash comments that we learn from here
    that “any Torah scholar who does not have
    intelligence (da’as), an animal’s carcass
    (neveilah) is superior to him.”
    The Medrash elaborates: “Look at Moshe,
    the greatest of all Sages, the father of all the
    prophets and yet he did not enter the innermost
    Tent of Meeting until he was called, as it is
    written ‘And He called out to him.’”
    Rav Bergman, in his sefer Shaarei Orah
    explains this Medrash. Rav Bergman proves
    that the word intelligence (de’ah) as used by
    the Medrash refers to Derech Eretz (manners,
    courtesy). The Sages are saying that a Torah
    scholar who does not display courtesy is
    inferior to a dead animal.
    The Medrash describes Moses as the greatest
    of all Sages. IQ and brainpower do not make
    a person the greatest of all Sages, but rather
    the desire to learn. A person excels in any

    endeavor as a result of an unquenchable thirst
    for knowledge. Consequently, Moshe must
    have had an overpowering desire to acquire
    wisdom.
    And yet, when G-d was there in the Tent of
    Meeting and Moshe had the opportunity to
    learn Torah from Him, and he was yearning to
    begin learning, he nevertheless waited for
    The Call. He dared not enter until summoned,
    because it would not have been proper Derech
    Eretz, proper conduct, to do so.
    The laws of Derech Eretz require us to wait
    until we are called. As great a Sage as Moshe
    was, he was a greater master of Derech Eretz.
    This is what the Medrash means — a scholar
    that does not have Derech Eretz is inferior to
    a carcass.
    The Gerer Rebbe explained this very
    sharply. A dead carcass stinks, and everyone
    knows to stay away. But people do not
    necessarily stay away from a Talmid
    Chochom who does not possess manners –
    they even come and learn from him – because
    he doesn’t stink on the outside!

    We Must Be Doing Something Wrong
    Someone recently showed me a report called

    “The Current State Regarding Derech Eretz
    in our Schools.” This was a report written
    about a specific Jewish community, but it is
    no Mitzvah to say which community it was.
    But it is a fine community — a prominent city
    with a distinguished Jewish community, and
    many good Jewish schools. And the truth of
    the matter is that it applies to all communities.
    We are in a sad state…
    “Teachers are quitting in large numbers;
    parents seem unconcerned that teachers are
    victims of abominable disrespect by our
    children. There is a pervasive atmosphere of
    Moshav Leitzim (see glossary) in many of
    our schools. This is manifest in the classroom
    in the concerted effort to waste time, often
    combined with tremendous chutzpah and a
    derogatory attitude…
    “Many teachers have told their classes that
    they have never seen such disrespectful
    behavior in twenty years teaching experience,
    and that our children are disgracing the
    community. The current favorite pastime of
    students is constant and vicious mimicking of
    teachers and principals…
    “Teachers will confirm that there is a serious
    lack of respect among the children themselves.

    A student who lives by Torah law and refuses
    to participate in class pranks is called the
    worst of all terms — a ‘Neb’ [short for
    ‘Nebach’, an unfortunate] — and is often
    ostracized…”
    Now we would be remiss if we did not
    remind ourselves that this is hardly unique to
    the Jewish community. We can count our
    blessings for all that has happened in the
    larger community, which is rare or unknown
    within the halls of a Jewish day school. But
    neither have we demonstrated ourselves
    immune to the general decline of the last
    several decades. Come and see — Moshe was
    the greatest of all Sages, but he didn’t breach
    the laws of etiquette, no matter how much he
    wanted to learn.