It is interesting to observe a musician playing an instrument, especially when they are part of a large orchestra. You can hear many musicians playing the same instruments, the same chords, and seemingly producing the same sounds. Yet, if each one played on their own, they would produce their own unique sound. If you don’t have an ear sensitive enough to tell differences, you can surely see differences when it comes to sports. In almost all sports, individual players know the rules regarding, for example, how to hit a ball, still they don’t all hit it the same way; each puts on their own unique spin.
This is true about everything in life.
Recently an article detailed an advancement in technology. Your credit card can be charged simply by the unique way you swipe your phone over the credit card reader, since we each have a unique way of moving our hands. It’s not only pitchers and musicians who create unique methods of hand movement; each person has their unique way of moving their hands.
In this week’s Torah portion, Naso, we read about the offerings of the tribe leaders at the inauguration of the altar in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). What is interesting to note is that all twelve leaders brought the exact same gifts as an offering, but the similarities don’t stop there. The Torah repeats verbatim each and every one of the gifts repeatedly, twelve times, as if it is news to us!
Why can’t the Torah just tell us the order in which the tribe leaders brought the offerings and on which day? Why the need for repetition?
Rashi, the famous biblical commentator, gives a detailed explanation of each offering based on the Midrash. Yet as he does this, he teaches us a subtle message. Rashi doesn’t share this insight on day one; he does so only on day two.
Interesting.
Rashi calls out both the uniqueness and the sameness of each leader. True, they brought the same gifts, but within the reasons themselves, each one found what matters to them, what resonated to them specifically. Their fingerprints were on their offerings.
This is a lesson for us in our lives as well. We do many things as others do them, but it is important to do so in our own unique way.
Shabbat Shalom