[Propertalk] 5 Easter b 2018 - part 2 b

[Robert P Morrison]

the second bit of part 2
Bob

	 Rabbi Sacks went on that scholars and people of wisdom “were
puzzled by the instruction, ‘Come near.’ This seems to imply that
Aaron had until then kept a distance from the altar. Why so? Rashi
gives the following explanation: 

	 “Aaron was _ashamed and fearful_ of approaching the altar. Moses
said to him: ‘Why are you ashamed? It was for this that you were
chosen.’ 

	 There is a name for this syndrome, coined in 1978 by two clinical
psychologists, Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. They called it the
_imposter syndrome_. 2 People who suffer from it feel that they do not
deserve the success they have achieved. They attribute it not to their
effort and ability but to luck, or timing, or to the fact that they
have deceived others into thinking that they are better than they
actually are. It turns out to be surprisingly widespread, and
particularly so among high achievers. Research has shown that around
40 per cent of successful people do not believe they deserve their
success, and that as many as 70 per cent have felt this way at some
time or other. 

	 “However, as one might imagine, Rashi is telling us something
deeper. Aaron was not simply someone lacking in self-confidence. There
was something specific that he must have had in mind on that day that
he was inducted into the role of High Priest. For Aaron had been left
in charge of the people while Moses was up the mountain receiving the
Torah. That was when the sin of the Golden Calf took place.” 

	 Remember, Aaron wasn’t a bystander in this incident. He’d been
the instigator of the casting and worship of the calf idol. He felt
paralysed, unable to continue. Literally, he couldn’t come forward
to the sanctuary as Moses commanded. His feeling of guilt, of
unworthiness, of letting everyone down was THAT crushing. 

	 Now, we don’t know what, if anything, there was in Philip’s past
or if he’d fallen afoul of any hearing on his suitability to meet
and instruct the Ethiopian. Jesus had taken care of that, in the sense
first, that He’d called Philip personally to be a disciple; and,
secondly, that Jesus’ loving sacrifice on the cross had redeemed and
cleansed Philip. God knew what was going on when the Ethiopian needed
help and it was Philip who was placed there. 

	 I’m not saying that you and I are afflicted with importer
syndrome. But we can be mighty reticent to approach some people, to
act in the name and with the power of Jesus. But we must accept the
hope, the security, the joy, of knowing that we abide in Jesus
precisely when we go out, when we talk, when we offer even as much as
a smile, when we say to the person working in the ditch – or
wherever that person is – bless you! Bless you for making Hill
Street safer; bless you for taking the time to check me through the
process of paying for my groceries; bless you for helping me find that
book at the library; bless you for – EVERYTHING! 

	 And as we say that, we remember that there is no one – NO ONE –
who is beyond redemption, no matter WHAT anyone else says, not even
Aaron… 

	 Because it is in blessing that we are blessed. It is in having this
attitude, having this intent that, as we come to the altar, we imagine
Jesus’ smile, and hear His words, “Bless you!” 

	NOTES: 

[1]  _“WHEN WEAKNESS BECOMES STRENGTH SHEMINI 5778”_  BY RABBI
JONATHAN SACKS  WHEN WEAKNESS BECOMES STRENGTH (SHEMINI 5778) - RABBI
SACKS [1] RABBISACKS.ORG › COVENANT & CONVERSATION

	2 _“The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and
Therapeutic Intervention.” By _Pauline Clance and Suzanne Ament Imes
in_ Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice_,  vol. 15, no. 3,
1978, pp. 241–247. The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women:
Dynamics and ... [2] psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-26502-001 

Links:
------
[1]
http://mail2.spectrum.net/HTTP://RABBISACKS.ORG/WEAKNESS-BECOMES-STRENGTH-SHEMINI-5778/
[2] http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-26502-001

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