Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees has joined the elite 3,000-hit club, and in doing so has secured his spot in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, is a game of statistics – batting average, on-base percentage, number of home runs, walks, strikeouts... and yes, number of hits. To reach the coveted milestone of 3,000 career hits, one must perform exceptionally, at the highest of levels, not just once or twice, but consistently, year after year. Many players have had incredible breakthrough years where they have amassed record-breaking numbers of hits, but they still haven’t made it to the 3,000 club. Even an all-star with several great productive seasons may not qualify. This club is special and unique. Its members have displayed not only greatness, but longevity and consistency. There's simply no other way. And so it’s no surprise that to date, out of thousands of baseball all-stars, only 28 players have achieved this feat.

So what in the world does this have to do with Parshas Pinchos?  I believe the answer is very simple. The concept that true greatness is achieved over the long haul, that we need to work at being our best day by day, week by week, month by month, and then, of course, year by year, is a very basic and fundamental principle of the Torah.

This lesson appears in many places throughout Torah, including  this week’s Parsha, where we find that the mitzva of the "korban tamid" is given to the Jewish people: A daily offering was to be brought, once in the morning and once in the evening. Every day. Seven days a week. Every week of the year. No exceptions, ever. The name of the korban (offering) explains its essence, for the word “tamid” means “continuously.”

The Torah is teaching us the ultimate secret of greatness. Sure, some people achieve greatness by rising to the occasion at a particularly difficult and trying moment. An example of this is actually found in the beginning of this week’s Parsha, where we see the heroic act of the Parsha’s namesake, Pinchos. However, not everyone is a Pinchos and not everyone finds those types of opportunities. However, everyone does have the ability to do their very best, day in and day out, week by week, until they can look back over the years and see the fruit of their hard and consistent labor.

As Jews, we have a very special gift:.our holy Torah. We have a mitzva to learn Torah on a regular basis. Over the years, it has become somewhat popular for people to engage in daily study sessions, covering a specific amount of study every day. At first, this bit of daily learning may not seem so significant, but it doesn't take too long to attain a genuine sense of accomplishment! After just 30 days, one may already have finished 30 pages or lessons...after a year the achievement grows greater – 365 pages or lessons! And studying daily at the pace of one page per day for 7.5 years means that a person can finish all of Talmud! 

And so yes, we find the secret to true greatness in our Parsha: long-term, steady consistency is the secret for all of us to have Hall of Fame careers!