When Sibling Rivalry Was No Longer

The biblical narrative is both timeless and poignant.

Simply put, it is the story of mankind in its attempt to overcome prejudice and hate, even envy.

The entire book of Genesis is a story dominated by sibling rivalry.

Each family trying to purge itself from the flaws of the previous generation.

Yet this powerful and destructive trait of envy continues to exercise its firm grip on the emotions of the main characters.

From the first set of siblings, when the rivalry ends in murder, to the story of Joseph and his brothers, when an attempt to murder their brother ends with him being sold into slavery.

One can ask, will the cycle of hatred towards a brother ever end? What can possibly change this endemic pattern?

The answer to this question lies in the secret behind the story of the greatest collaborative effort between brothers.

It is the story of Moses and Aaron.

For seven days Moses persistently refuses G-d’s desperate attempt to convince Moses to liberate the Jewish people from Egypt.

Moses is fully aware of the history of sibling rivalry that has plagued his ancestors.

He knows what happens when one brother is designated for a leadership position, especially when he is younger. He knows that it has always ended in tears.

But this time around the dynamics have changed.

Moses possessed a unique quality, one which profoundly alters the equation.

Moses is uniquely humble. He recognizes both his strengths and weaknesses.

He does not feel superior towards any human being. Righteous or wicked. Jew or gentile.

Any achievement of his comes only as a result of ability and circumstances, which he knows have been divinely gifted.

Perhaps, someone else provided with the same opportunity would have achieved even more.

It is only with this paradigm, which is enabled by genuine humility, that one can achieve true collaboration.

We are living in an age of an unprecedented sense of interconnection and interdependence.

We have no choice but to collaborate.

It is only through true collaboration that we will liberate ourselves from all the destructive forces which have plagued our people over the millennia.

Humility = Collaboration = Liberation