“Command Aharon and his sons, saying, this is the law of the burnt offering: That is the burnt offering which burns on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall burn with it”
(Vayikra 6:2).
In this verse, the first letter, a mem, of the word mukda (מוקדה) “which burns,” is written small. Later in the same Torah portion, it says about this fire on the altar: “A continuous fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall not go out” (Vayikra 6:6).
Most of the commentaries regarding this small letter mem point to the importance of not showing arrogance in one’s service of God, and especially not to dramatically exhibit outward piety just to garner attention or favor in other people’s eyes. The fire on the altar most certainly symbolizes the passion and enthusiasm needed for true service of God, but the small mem in this verse teaches us to not enflame our egos or focus on the outward appearance of our worship, but rather to cultivate an inner fire and passion for God, offered humbly to Him upon the hidden altar of our heart.
Another beautiful example of combining greatness and humbleness is shown in another example from the Book of Vayikra. Whereas, the alef in the first word of the Book of Vayikra – ויקרא – appears small, alluding to Moshe’s humbleness (see the section of small letters), the alef in the first word of the Book of Divrei HaYamim, appears large in the name Adam, אדם.
This alludes to the potential greatness of Adam before the sin in the Garden of Eden, and by extension to the infinite potential of every soul. Ultimately, greatness and humbleness are not mutually exclusive, they in fact compliment and amplify each other. Moshe, for example, who the Torah describes as the humblest person on the face of the earth, was also Israel’s greatest leader and teacher. He was able to manifestt thehumbleness inherent in the small alef, as well as the potential greatness of the large alef, the birthright of every soul.
