Isser Danielovich, world famous actor, known for his roles during the 50’s and 60’s. Surely, you don’t know him by this name. The “pseudonym” is a concept we have become familiar with.
What is the purpose of a pseudonym? Reasons can be many. Simple and complex.
An author, unsure if his first release will succeed, may prefer a penname rather than tarnishing his own. Should it succeed, he runs with the adopted calling.
An actor/actress in mid-20th-century America may wish to audition and their name could be reason for refusal. Jewish names for example. Isser Danielovich - star actor, and four-time Academy Award nominee, Kirk Douglas.
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Then we have Moshe - Moses, on the verge of becoming the most popular author to not have his true name listed on the book’s spine. Moshe “wrote” (transcribed) the Torah. Probably why we call them the "Five Books of Moses."
Torah was Moshe’s passion and love, his life and legacy. He is undoubtedly the face we attach to Torah. The most mentioned character. The one who recorded the words. The one who received it from G-d himself atop Sinai.
Moshe was willing however, to give it all up for something else. The Jewish people. Yes, the same people that argued with him, and in ways even blamed him for hardships along the way after the Exodus. Moshe still cared for them. These were his people and he was their shepherd.
Moshe created a fair balance between the three things that permeated his holy life - G-d, Torah and the Jewish People. Moshe in fact viewed them all as one and together. All needed the other to be as important as they were. Moshe loved and defended the trio.
However, Moshe, who is so entrenched in the Torah, once asked G-d to remove his name entirely. I take you to the happenings after the Golden Calf. G-d had made a decision to destroy the nation. Moshe begged G-d to forgive them. And were G-d not to forgive, Moshe requested “please erase my name from the book that You wrote!"
In reference to this display of devotion and humility, Moshe’s name is in fact not mentioned in the entire reading of this weeks Torah portion, Parshat Tetzaveh.
This teaches a powerful lesson. How to lead. How to stand up for a greater cause. To show humility and focus on whats right. Moshe was an expert cum laude in all of the above. But none of it was for him. Ironically, it was his quest for anonymity and his will to put himself forward for others that gave him his unsurpassed top spot in the line of Jewish history.
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On the topic of leadership, it seems much of the major news outlet’s headlines have been consumed by the under-fire presidency of Hosni Mubabarak, who just this morning stepped down as leader of Egypt.
I would like to bring your attention to a very powerful video produced by the talented staff of Jewish Educational Media (JEM) in Brooklyn, NY.
The video, from the popular video series, Faithful and Fortified, chronicles journalist, Yirsoel Katzover’s, relationship with the Rebbe and an interview he had with Mubarak. Katzover states his shock at hearing the Egyptian President ask “What does the Lubavitcher Rebbe want from me?”
Please take a moment to see the seven minute clip by clicking here.
With turmoil in the Middle East, and our Holy Land constantly standing at risk, lets offer a prayer as our Shabbat comes in that G-d watch over our land,and our brothers and sister within.
May the region experience only good and peaceful happenings and may merit to see the prophecies of Yechezkel - Ezekiel - as stated in this weeks Haftara come true.
”וכתוב לעיניהם וישמרו את כל צורתו ... ועשו אותם”
“Write all this for them to see, so that they may remember it (the Bait Hamikdash - the Holy Temple) in it’s whole form … and merit - in the future - to fulfill its service once again.”
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