06/05/2026
Does Consistency Matters?
Imagine this scene: A company organizes a conference for their employees, and brings in some well-known speakers to inspire the crowd. As planned, the speakers are a huge hit! Everyone is talking about how wonderful the speakers were. But as the head of the company, you could become despondent, thinking to yourself, “Wait—I inspire them, but they never praise me; am I worthless?
Something like this happened in this week’s Torah portion of Behaalotecha, where we read how Aaron kindled a menorah for the first time. However, to appreciate its significance, let’s recall the end of last week’s Torah portion, where we read about the twelve tribe leaders bringing an array of gifts to the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, day after day for twelve days. This drew the admiration of the Jewish people. Now Aaron is about to light the menorah.
As he was about to do so, he had an identity crisis.
As the person who was appointed to be the High Priest, was it his job to light the menorah? The leaders of the tribes brought their donations to the public square and were publicly recognized for their contributions. Aaron, on the other hand, was assigned to kindle the menorah in the privacy of the inner chambers of the Mishkan, an area that no one saw. This led Aaron to think to himself, “What is the big deal about lighting the menorah?”
The Midrash tells us that when G-d noticed Aaron’s mood, He told him, “By your life, yours is greater than theirs!”
What did G-d mean by this statement, and why did this make Aaron feel better?
There is a very powerful message being taught here. True, the leaders of the tribes brought many gifts, and with a lot of fanfare. But who were the implementors? Not the leaders, but the Priests. Aaron was not there to give instructions to others to kindle the Menorah, but he did so himself. In addition, Aaron was also required to show up every day. Each of the tribe leaders, by contrast, only brought their offerings one time.
G-d comforted Aaron by teaching him the value and significance of the day-to-day grind. Many days can go by without any accolades. But that doesn’t take away from the truth: It is the consistent work that we do that truly matters.
The head of that company should remember that the speaker was inspirational for one hour, but the company leadership is the reason why the employees are there to begin with. Showing up every day, giving guidance and direction, is much more meaningful than just making a good impression quickly. It’s in daily consistency where true greatness lies.
This lesson applies to our own lives as well. When we light our candle every day, we should not be looking for admiration from others, because we know that it is our consistency, constantly showing up, that is the most important thing in the world.
Shabbat Shalom
