One Shabbos, Shmerel was called to the platform of the synagogue to perform hagba, the lifting of the Torah scroll. It was a heavy Torah scroll; yet Shmerel thought he would be able to do it, as he was a husky fellow. But Shmerel overestimated his strength, and, to his embarrassment, almost dropped the Torah scroll! He even required assistance returning the Torah scroll to its place.

Shmerel resolved not to return to the synagogue without doing a full workout, which would surely prevent such an embarrassment from recurring!

Three months later, a well-built muscle-man entered the synagogue. He looked quite different, but yes – it was Shmerel. When Shmerel heard his name called, he strode to the platform, confident that this time he would not fail. Shmerel raised the Torah scroll aloft, and didn’t even have to bend his knees. The “oohs and ahhs” from the congregants brought a satisfied smile to Shmerel’s face, and he sat down with the Torah scroll, waiting for someone to wrap it in its mantle.

Suddenly, the gabbai approached him and said, “Shmerel, you did a remarkable job! But we called you up for an aliya, not for hagba!”

—Heard from Rabbi Dovid Hazdan

Comment:

A job can be done remarkably, but was it the job that was demanded?