The road to success is always crowded. In my opinion it reveals a lot about the society we live in.

To most individuals' success is some kind of pinnacle. It's the top of the tree, the top of the mountain, and only a few can make it there. For the rest of us, well, we can dream.

Our success-society has its own myths and literature, its own canon of what can be seen as gods and demigods, whether they sing, dance, manipulate leather balls with balletic dexterity or swing from high bars. We for some reason or another want to know what our favorite celebs have for breakfast, who clothes them, which car they drive, because of their success their views matter.

What about the rest of us? A large majority follow and support those who are successful because perhaps they reason that not everyone can be a winner or can they?

Judaism says, yes! Everyone can be a winner, and everyone is a winner! Through the eyes of Judaism success is not a rat-race between me and the next person; it's between me and myself. The only rat-race in life is between me and what is inside me: There's the rat-race of selfishness; the rat-race of gluttony; the rat-race of laziness; the rat-race of depression. Inside each and every one of us we all have our own little rat-pack gnawing away at the best of us. Success in life is beating out the rats before they beat us out.

This week's Tora portion starts off with the following sentence "Take a census of the sons of Gershon, as well" The Hebrew word for census can be literally translated as "to raise/lift up."

What has census-taking got to do with raising/lifting?

In last week's portion, the Tora describes in detail the duties of the Bnei Kehat. During the travels of the Mishkan through desert, the Bnei Kehat carried its most sacred parts.

The Bnei Gershon carried parts of “lesser” sanctity. In order that they should not consider themselves less important in any way than the Bnei Kehat, Hashem instructs Moshe to "raise/lift up their heads, as well". Why? To elevate the Bnei Gershon. By using the phrase "as well", the Tora is teaching us that both tasks were necessary for the Mishkan and both should be done with equal joy.

Hashem gives each of us a separate job in this world. I can't do your job and you can't do mine. Sometimes it may seem to us that someone else's job is more important than our own, or it carries greater prestige, or it's more glamorous. Judaism teaches us that, no one their job, task or duty is more important than anyone else’s.

That’s right from the outset of our Tora Hashem teaches us that every individual is created in the divine image; and that makes each of us the most important and successful person in the world.

Shabbat Shalom