{"id":16183,"date":"2026-07-03T15:49:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T15:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/?p=16183"},"modified":"2026-07-03T15:49:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T15:49:38","slug":"parashat-pinchas-persistence-the-key-to-greatness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/parashat-pinchas-persistence-the-key-to-greatness\/","title":{"rendered":"Parashat Pinchas: Persistence – The Key to Greatness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Yehoshua Was Chosen to Lead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this week’s Torah reading (Bamidbar 27:15\u201323<\/a>), Moshe (Moses) appoints Yehoshua (Joshua) as his successor to lead the nation after his death. Rashi tells us that Moshe was really hoping that one of his children would be the one to succeed him. However, that was not meant to be. In response to Moshe’s wish, Hashem (God) told him that Yehoshua had earned the position, for he had dutifully attached himself to Moshe for years, soaking in his teachings and learning from his every move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rashi ends with the verse from Mishlei (27:18<\/a>): “The one who guards the fig tree will be the one who eats its fruit.” The commentaries explain that the fruits of the fig tree ripen at various intervals. Therefore, only the one who stands guard to observe the fig tree on a constant basis will be the one who enjoys the fruits, picking each one at the time that it ripens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So too, Yehoshua, who “stood guard,” applying himself diligently to the teachings of Moshe for decades, was the one who merited to lead the Jewish nation according to the word of Hashem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greatness Is Built One Step at a Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This principle is the guide to achieving greatness in life. Greatness will not be achieved by a single action we decide to do one day. Even multiple but sporadic achievements will not bring us to fulfill our true potential. To reach greatness, we must invest our lives into building a career of greatness. We have to be on guard of this mission in our daily routines and observe the details of our lives on a constant basis, like the person watching his fig tree. Constant focus on self-improvement is the only way we can reach such a goal in building a career of greatness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rabbi Akiva’s Journey to Greatness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rabbi Akiva<\/a> was one of our greatest sages whose teachings are mentioned numerous times throughout the Talmud. One would imagine that he was born a gifted child and was a prize student. However, it was not so. In fact, for the first forty years of his life he was severely lacking Torah knowledge<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day, he noticed a well formed in a crevice in a stone. Rabbi Akiva asked the people around, “Who drilled this hole?” “No one,” they answered, “the water which steadily fell on it is what formed the hole.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, Rabbi Akiva had made sincere attempts in the past to learn Torah without meeting success, and upon witnessing this sight he was struck with new inspiration. He immediately said to himself, “If such a soft element could penetrate something so hard, certainly the words of Torah, which are compared to iron, can penetrate my heart of flesh.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, Rabbi Akiva, at the age of forty, joined a group of young children and started to learn Torah<\/a> at an elementary level. Rabbi Akiva persisted in his studies without letup. It was only due to his persistence that he eventually developed into one of the greatest minds of the Jewish nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Persistent Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rabbi Avraham Grodzinski, a notable ba’al mussar (master of ethics) from the Slabodka Yeshivah, was a pious individual who was known for his especially warm countenance when greeting his fellow man. This virtue was not merely a facet of his natural personality, nor was it attained overnight due to a strong resolve to implement a new standard. He had spent two full years working on this specific trait, developing its quality to the fullest. Greatness is not acquired through isolated major actions, but through persistent dedication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a Career of Greatness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No one wants to be mediocre; we all want to reach our potential in achieving greatness. The problem is that we get very distracted from this task by our busy lives. But there is no way around it. Greatness requires introspection on a regular basis and finding ways to improve our actions. Steadiness and persistence are the keys to becoming who we really can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must not fool ourselves by thinking that we will succeed in reaching our potential any other way. Like any other career one chooses to pursue, the only way it will be achieved is through focus and dedication. A career in pursuing greatness, by bringing out our full potential in improving our character, is most definitely the best career one can possibly attain for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Greatness comes through steady persistence. Make weekly Torah study part of your life with a TorahMate.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n