It’s a question that's been asked for centuries, and Jewish tradition offers a pretty compelling answer: it's not about grand pronouncements or immediate displays of power. Instead, greatness is often forged in the quiet moments, the seemingly insignificant tasks.

Shemot Rabbah, a classic midrashic text – a compilation of interpretations and expansions on the Book of Exodus – puts it this way, quoting Proverbs 30:5: “Every word of God is pure.” The Holy One, blessed be He, doesn’t just hand out greatness. No, no. First, He tests you with something small. Only then, if you prove yourself trustworthy, does He elevate you.

Think about it. This idea resonates, doesn't it? It's not about the title; it's about the character. And Shemot Rabbah gives us two powerful examples: David and Moses.

Let's start with David. We all know the story of David and Goliath, the shepherd boy who became king. But before the giant, there were sheep. Ordinary, everyday sheep. David wasn't just letting them graze anywhere. He led them to the wilderness, away from settled lands, to prevent them from grazing on someone else's property and causing damage. That's what Eliav, David's older brother, was referring to when he sarcastically asked, “With whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness?” (I Samuel 17:28).

In fact, the Midrash suggests David was already observing halakha, Jewish law, specifically the Mishnah in Bava Kamma which restricts raising small domesticated animals in the Land of Israel. That detail—David carefully tending his flock in the wilderness—shows us a young man already concerned with justice and responsibility. Because of this carefulness, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: “You have been found trustworthy with the flocks; come and herd My flock,” as it says in Psalms 78:71, “From the suckling ewes He brought him.”

And then there's Moses. Before leading the Israelites out of Egypt, before the burning bush, before receiving the Torah at Sinai, Moses was a shepherd too. The text tells us that he “led the flock deep into the wilderness.” Just like David, he was removing them from theft, from grazing in fields belonging to others. Because of this, the Holy One, blessed be He, took him to herd Israel, as it is stated in Psalms 77:21: “You led Your people like a flock in the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

It’s a powerful image, isn't it? Moses, the future lawgiver, concerned with the well-being of a flock of sheep. Ginzberg, in his "Legends of the Jews," fleshes out these stories, highlighting the meticulous care both David and Moses displayed. The Zohar, that foundational text of Kabbalah, would surely see in this an example of finding the divine in the mundane.

So what does this mean for us? Maybe it's a reminder that no task is too small, no act of kindness too insignificant. Perhaps the true tests of character aren't the dramatic moments, but the everyday choices we make when no one is watching. Maybe the path to greatness, whatever that means for each of us, starts with being faithful in the little things. It's a comforting thought, isn't it? That our potential for greatness isn't dependent on a grand stage, but on the quiet diligence of our hearts.