As human beings, we like to give help, but asking for help is hard. There are times in our lives when we push ourselves and go beyond our limits because we don’t want to ask others for their help. Asking others for help can seem like defeat— as if we aren’t capable enough; but no one is perfect! Asking for help is something every human being needs to do at some point in their life.
In this week’s Parsha, Moshe seemed to be pushing his limits. From morning to evening, a line of people would be waiting to ask him questions to get judgment and advice, leaving him no time for anything else and wearing him out. Why was he doing this?? The same reason some of us don’t ask for help! We are supposed to be leading, so how can we ask for help? Isn’t asking for help a sign of weakness?!?! Hashem will help me push through! While Hashem allows you to push through to do things yourself, that shouldn’t be a constant. Sometimes, Hashem wants you to ask for help. It doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human.
On an airplane, they tell parents to put on their own oxygen masks first and then on their children because what good would they be to them if they don’t care for themselves? That is similar to asking for help. It is not a sign of weakness but a sign of leadership. You must take care of yourself and your body. Our body is a gift from Hashem that helps hold our neshama. We need to make sure that we don’t wear it out because, if we do, then we will not be able to lead.
In Parshat Yitro, Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, teaches Moshe this message. As a leader himself, he was able to tell Moshe that what he was doing was not right and that he would wear himself out and would not be able to lead. If you want Hashem to help you push through, it may not be in the way you think, but in the way in which you ask Him to send help. Moshe asked Hashem if he could have elders help him, and Hashem said yes! May we learn from the advice Yitro gave Moshe and know when to ask for help from Hashem and others. May we live a life where we are alive, healthy, and have not worn ourselves out.
