Moish, I once heard a brilliant piece about the Chanukah candles from R’ Lipa Rabinovitz (of Yeshivas Ohalei Shem in Yerushalayim)
On Chanukah, the gemarra tells us there are 3 ways one can do the mitzva of kindling the lights.
1. 1 light each night
2. every night light for the number of people in the home (e.g. If parents and 3 kids, every night 5 lights will be lit)
3. Beis Hillel 1 on the 1st night, 2 on the second.
The 2nd case was referred to as Mehadrin. The 3rd case is Mehadrin Min Hamihadrin.
Lets look at this. On the 1st night Mehadrin does 5 and Mihadrin min HaMihadrin is doing 1. Yet the one who is 1 is doing the mitzva better than the 5! The camera shows that the person lighting is doing more than the mihadrin min hamihadrin lighting 1, however, the camera lies.
He compares this to a beis midrash. Seder might be for 2 hours. Some guys might get pshat during the 1st half hour, then go for a smoke or a snack, whilst others are toiling to make sense out of that which their friends find so simple.
Those that get it quickly, in this example, are the mihadrin, those that toil are the Mihadrin Min HaMihadrin. The Mehadrin often fall into the trap of complacency. They are stuck at 5, yet those that toil, the MeHadrin Min HaMihadrin, granted they are overshadowed by the Mihadrin in the beginning (5-1), but the next night it’s (5-2), and eventually they take the lead.
In Pirkei Avos it says, ???? ???? ????, literally, no pain, no gain. Kol Haschalos Kashos. Things are always difficult in the beginning. We need to work on ourselves in order to grow. For some the nissayon is starting and staying with it. For some, it is not resting on our laurels.
Rashi says that there are times when Moshe is written before Ahron, and times Ahron is mentioned before moshe. This is because they are equal.
R’ Moshe Feinstein asks how can you say the were equal, we know nobody can reach the spiritual level of Moshe Rabbeinu?
He answers that they are equal in that they both fulfilled their purpose in life and were equally “Shalem”, complete.