Torah Portion The Mantle Of Leadership Is Deftly Tailored Israel Prize, also has pointed out a sig- nificant change in how Moses address- es God after this disappointment. No longer does Moses speak to God in the second person. "Moses — just rebuked by God, who reminded him of his sin at Meribah — feels that he is no longer the intimate of God. his Shabbat falls in the Indeed, he never speaks to Him again three-week period between directly but only through mediation. the 17th of Tammuz and Hence he adopts the third person Tisha B'Av, commemorat- address characteristic of the sinful ing the destruction of the first and petitioner who has fallen out of second Temples. It is a time for grace." reflection on the leadership exhibited After absorbing the mes- throughout the history of sage that he will not enter the Jewish people. the promised land, Moses Among the disparate ele- says, "Lord, source of the ments in this week's portion breath of all flesh, appoint we have a description of the someone over the commu- transfer of leadership from nity so that the Lord's Moses to Joshua found in community may not be chapter 27:12. like sheep with no shep- For close to 40 years, herd." At a time of tremen- Moses had led the people; dous personal discourage- he listened to their com- TOM ment, Moses has concern plaints and calumnies. One for his flock, his people. WEXELB ERG- might reasonably expect Moses does not cling to CLOUSER that Moses would be power, confusing his needs Special to rewarded for his service, The Jewish News with the needs of his peo- perhaps with entrance into ple. Instead he asks God the land of Israel like the for a successor. daughters of Zelophehad, who in Perhaps even more remarkably, prior verses turned to Moses for Moses does not say, "Okay, if I can't their legitimate inheritance. The finish it, I'll turn things over to my Chizkuni, a biblical commentary, son." In a time when kings estab- points out that Moses prayed inces- lished royal dynasties, frequently santly to be permitted to reach the passing power to ineffectual or land of Israel. However, we read that incompetent heirs, Moses- is laudable God informs Moses he will be "gath- not only for what he says, but equal- ered unto your people as was Aaron, ly for what he did not say. For a con- your brother." trasting example, we have only to From a lesser person, one could look to Israel's later history, when expect a tirade or at least a com- Solomon's son Rehoboam demon- plaint that as leader of the people he strates that he is unequal to the task is indispensable. Yet in the terse bib- of kingship. lical text, Moses refrains from any What are the qualifications need- such insubordination. Our sages did ed to lead the people into the not envision, however, that Moses promised land? The Jewish was somehow totally above human Publication Society Torah complaint. In Midrash Bamidbar Commentary points out the phrase Rabbah, the rabbis see a possible "go out before them and come in inkling of Moses' sense of grievance before them" clearly indicates mili- at being dismissed before he has fin- tary leadership. It is not by accident ished his mission. The repetition that "officers of modern Israel's found in verse 17 — "who shall go defense forces are noted for their out before them and come in before them, who shall take them out and bring them in" — gave a hint to the rabbis of Moses' disappointment. Moshe Greenberg, a biblical scholar What does leadership mean at the Jewish Theological Seminary's today in the Jewish world? How Jerusalem Center and recipient of the are our leaders chosen, especially outside modern-day Israel? What Tom Wexleberg-Clouser is the Great is the contemporary relationship Lakes regional director of the Jewish between leaders and followers? Shabbat Pinchas: Numbers 25: 10-30: 1; Jeremiah 1:1-2:3. 271 West Maple Downtown Birmingham 248.258.0212 Monday—Saturday 10-6 • Thursday 10-9 Conversations ACCENTS IN NEEDLEPOINT Contemporary Designs 626-3042 7/17 1998 64 IN THE ORCHARD MALL WEST BLOOMFIELD Theological Seminary. battle cry acharai follow me." But long before the establishment of the IDF, the biblical commentator Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno observed that Moses asked for a leader who would have prowess in war and statecraft. God's response to Moses is to sin- gle out Joshua, son of Nun, "ish asher ruah bo a man in whom there is spirit." According to Rashi, this means a man with the spirit of God. Previously, in Numbers 13, we have seen how Joshua and Caleb countered the bleak report of the spies. Joshua stands by Moses. He encourages the people to hold fast, "If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us unto that land." For his faithfulness, Joshua is later rewarded with the privilege of entering the promised land while all others of his -(± generation perish in the wilderness. We next read of God's instructing Moses to have Joshua "stand before Eleazar and before the whole com- munity and commission him in their sight." This is no palace coup. Transfer of power does not take place surreptitiously, but publicly. The people can see and understand that Moses is involved in commis- Cf\ sioning his successor. What a con- trast to the vast history of treachery and warfare exhibited throughout human history. In a few short lines, the Torah teaches us the nature of leadership, its responsibility to the people and the humility that real leaders need to possess to fulfill their tasks. Within Judaism, there is a profound appreci- –\ ation that leaders are made, not born to rule. They lead by example and by knowing their followers. The exam- ple of Moses is one that our world leaders would do well to take to heart. — — ❑ Publicity Deadlines The normal deadline for local news and publicity items is noon Thursday, eight days prior to issue date. The deadline for out-of- town obituaries is 10 a.m. Tuesday, three days prior to issue date. All material must be typewrit- ten, double-spaced, on 81/2 x 11 paper and include the name, address, and daytime telephone number of sender.