“Upward Striving!”

The Rambam writes in Hilchos Teshuva (5:2) "Every person can be a tzaddik (righteous person) like Moshe Rabbeinu. Even though it says in the Torah, "None will arise like Moshe" (Devarim 30:6), this was stated concerning prophecy, not righteousness.

HaGaon HaRav Elchonon Wasserman, zt"l,
asked: "Isn`t it impossible for any person to reach the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, in any aspect of his greatness?"

R` Elchonon gave us an explanation of the
Rambam`s statement. Moshe Rabbeinu was called "the servant of Hashem" because he used his entire being to sanctify Hashem. This should be every Jew`s goal. As it says in Pirkei Avos (2:12) "All of your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven." All that has been given to us was given for a specific reason. Therefore, it is our responsibility to use all our gifts for avodas Hashem — to serve Hashem.

That was the level of Moshe Rabbeinu. A person might use all of his talents and abilities for thousands of years and not rise to the heels of Moshe Rabbeinu, because we haven`t been give his abilities and understanding. However, this does not detract from the value of the simple man. The poor person fulfills his obligation with a Korban Oni (the poor man`s sacrifice), just as the rich man fulfills his obligation with the Korban Oshir (the rich man`s sacrifice).

This is the meaning of the Rambam. Every
person can be a tzaddik "like" Moshe Rabbeinu. Each individual according to his abilities can serve Hashem to the utmost, as did the greatest leader Am Yisrael ever had.

It has been discovered that we only utilize a fraction of the abilities with which Heaven has blessed us. The month of Elul, preceding Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, is an optimum time to tap our abilities. It is a time to begin to understand the importance of utilizing these abilities and dedicating them to the service of Hashem.

Before every deed that we perform in this world, we should ask ourselves a question: Will this sanctify Hashem`s Name or not? The way to increase the utilization of our abilities is in increments. Another five minutes of learning, an additional dollar given to tzedakah, an extra call each week for kibbud av v`eim (honoring parents), another few minutes of shemiras halashon (guarding our tongue).

A servant once saved the king`s life. The king, wishing to reward him, gave the servant four wooden stakes. The king told the servant that he could place each of the four stakes in the ground, and whatever area he cordoned off, would belong to him. The servant placed the first stake in the ground. He then went a distance and placed the second stake in the ground. He then ran an even further distance and put the third stake in the ground. Then he thought of a good idea. He took the fourth stake and he kept on running; he never stopped.

In life, our capabilities are only limited by our own perceptions. We must broaden those perceptions and continue a life of upward striving.