“Amram married Yocheved, and she bore him Moses and Aaron” (Ex. 6:20). It is interesting that even though we all know who Moses and Aaron are, before the Torah begins to recount the 10 plagues in Egypt, we need to be told about their birth. Furthermore, we are told that their father eventually dies and that Moses and Aaron both die a natural death. One of the ideas behind this is that the Torah is concerned that people may start believing that Moses and Aaron are divine and that they were the source of the miracles. The Torah wants us to remember that, ultimately, God is the creator and source of life and all that’s in it. Furthermore, the Torah points out their shortcomings and mistakes, reinforcing the notion that no man is divine and infallible. Moses and Aaron were chosen as the medium through which God brought his blessings to the world; they were not the source. We should all remember that whatever blessings we have, we are just the conduit through which God has chosen to bring those blessings to the world. Just as Moses is described as the most humble man who ever lived, we shouldn’t get carried away with our successes. We just need to remember and appreciate how lucky we really are. Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Jawary