THE REBBE ON PARSHAS SHEMOS MOSHIACH'S DONKEY

YOU WATCHED THE NEW AGENT EMES RIDING THE DONKEY WHAT THE SOURCE THE REBBE ON LAST WEEK PARSHA. And Moses took his wife and children, set them upon the donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt Exodus 4:20 The prophet Zechariah describes Moshiach as "a pauper, riding on a donkey." The simple meaning of the verse is that Moshiach -- whom the Midrash describes as "greater than Abraham, higher than Moses, and loftier than the supernal angels" (Yalkut Shimoni after Isaiah 52:13) -- is the epitome of self-effacement. Indeed, humility is the hallmark of the righteous: they recognize that their tremendous talents and achievements, and the power vested in them as leaders, are not theirs but their Creator's. They live not to realize and fulfill themselves, but to serve the divine purpose of creation.