Grow To Be Bigger

I am again sharing this story* below in the hope that it will cause some personal reflection for each and everyone of us.  That this story will then help bring some healing and begin to bring us all together.  Together to create the country and world we wish to have.

There were two young brothers ages eight and ten. The younger brother was the taller one. We all know, and men certainly remember that for boys, height is really important. So naturally the older, shorter brother was very jealous of his younger, taller brother.

One day, while playing in the backyard, the older, shorter brother pushed the younger, taller brother into a little ditch. This wasn’t done in order to hurt or knock him down, but rather to make him appear shorter. At which point the older, now looking taller brother gave a “Nah, nah, nehnahna, I’m taller than you!” Their father witnessed this and called over the older brother.  The Father told him to bring over a chair and he did.  The Father then told him to stand on it.  The boy didn’t understand but he complied and then asked why he was standing on a chair, and his father said,

“Whenever you want to be bigger, you raise yourself up, instead of pushing someone else down.”

Bigger here means to be a better person than you currently are.  The person who lives by

“Love your fellow as yourself” —Leviticus

This is a true story that we can all store as a reminder for and to ourselves.  It’s a reminder to ask yourself, if you are guilty of pushing others down in order to make yourself bigger.  It doesn’t.

Be honest with yourself, as hard as that is for all of us, and ask yourself whether you are acting as the older/shorter brother and if so how to change that.  Change that to grow.  Grow and hope that we all do.  When we all grow, we will have the world we all wish for.

We climb our mountain by always elevating ourselves.  We do it by elevating ourselves in all that we do and in any circumstance. We do not do it at the expense of anyone else, but for our and everyone else’s benefit.  By doing that, we may also inspire others to do the same.  Then we will get closer and closer to the world we wish for.

If you are aware of someone pushing someone down, thinking it will make them bigger, you might share this story with them as a subtle hint.

True growth towards the world we wish for begins with you and it begins now

 Be Good Do Good Think Good Be Healthy

*The story is attributed to the 5th Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Schneerson. He recounted this story of his youth that happened with him and his older brother, Zalman Aron.