TRADER JOE'S

Torah Portion

Moshe And Aharon Exemplify
Different Leadership Styles

people to this day? The answer can be
found in Hillel's statement and upon
return to our first verse of the parshah.
God instructs Moshe to draw close to
him for the Kehunah a man and his
sons, "from amongst the children of
Israel." Moshe brought God down to the
people. Aharon brought the people up
I is strange, how we pick our
to God.
leaders.
The modern commentator Yehudah
This is said easily in the wake
Nachshoni thinks that Moshe pleaded
of the oddest presidential election
for the Kehunah at the burning bush. It
in history, but this week's parshah (Torah
went instead to his brother, because of
portion) comes to teach us that the
where the two men "lived": Moshe
selection process for leadership has been
dwelt on the mountain and
full of surprises, well before the
Aharon among the people.
discovery of the hanging chad.
The job of High Priest
In the opening verses, God
— Kohen Gadol — was to
says to Moshe, "Draw to you
teach and guide human
Aharon, your brother, and his
beings. This could only be
sons with him, from amongst
done from a place amongst
the children of Israel, to be for
them. It required a softness of
me a Kehunah (priestly class).
approach and the loving hand
Why Aharon (Aaron)
of someone who knew from
instead of Moshe (Moses)?
their insecurities and pain
Moshe is Moshe: visionary,
because they were his insecuri-
RABB I HAL
hero, chief flak-raker for his
ties
and pain, too.
GREEN WALD
people before God. The most
Aharon is depicted as a
Sp ecia 1 to the
prominent role in a post-
lover
of people and all things
Jewish News
Egypt nation would logically
worldly. The midrash has him
go to its most prominent
walking door to door, healing
leader. Aharon is a curious choice.
wounds and teaching Torah, one student
Rabbi Reuven Hammer, writing in the at a time. By contrast, Moshe is defined
journal Conservative Judaism (Fall, 2000),
by the company he kept, a man who
observes of Aharon, "His independence is
spoke with the Almighty — and sur-
... non-existent." In terms of leadership he vived. The people held him in awe and,-
pales in comparison to his brother, and
perhaps, in fear.
his one experience shepherding the peo-
Ultimately, Nachshoni says, Moshe is
ple alone is disastrous. One parshah later,
given a "consolation prize:" the transmis-
in the wake of the golden calf incident,
sion of the Torah. Such a second place
Moshe thunders at Aharon:
finish we should all experience! God
- "What did this people do to you that
clearly valued both types of leadership,
you have brought such a great sin upon
one which transcended human frailties
them?" (Exodus 32:21)
and the other which embraced them.
Yet Aharon, as Rabbi Hammer
Let us not expect one guide to be all
observes, is almost uniformly revered in
things to all people. And may we all
the tradition. In Malachi, Aharon is
aspire to be the disciples of Moshe —
praised as the "ideal priest": "He served
and Aharon. D
me with peace ... and men seek Torah
from his mouth." (2:6-7) In Sifre
Deuteronomy (305), God Himself eulo-
gizes Aharon: "Proper rulings were in his
mouth, and nothing perverse was on his
lips." The ultimate praise of Aharon
comes from the house of Hillel in Pirkei
What are the advantages and dis-
Avot (1:12). The great teacher urges his
advantages of a more distant lead-
students to, "Be of the disciples of
ership style (Moshe) versus an
Aharon, loving peace and pursuing
earthier style (Aharon)? Which
peace, loving human beings and drawing
style of leadership, Aharon's or
them to the Torah."
Moshe's, is yours? Can both tem-
What made Aharon a role model and
peraments exist in the same per-
the founding father of a priestly class
son? What was it in the life and
that continues its service ro the Jewish
experiences of Aharon that indi-
cates that he was closer to the peo-
Rabbi Hal Greenwald is the director
ple than his brother?
of education for the Jewish Community

Shushan Purim;
Parshat Tetzaveh:
Exodus 27:20-30:10;
Ezekiel 43:10-27

Conversations

Center of Metropolita-n Detroit.

SEMUIVEMMOMTARMIAMItt::

Trader Joe's won a spot in the Saveur

Magazine's Top 100 People, Places
and Things in the January 2000 issue...the

only grocery store to make the list! "After
about five seconds at Traders Joe's, our
hearts start thumping. We troll the aisles,
scooping up frozen berries, flaky German
apple strudels, wheels of good Brie...all at
thrillingly low prices...they buy directly
from producers and spend very little on
advertising and decor. Long may it thrive."

"If you are not acquainted with Trader
Joe's, it is one of the 'coolest' retailers to
arrive in Michigan in the longest time," says
Jan Jacobs of The Agrarian Group, Inc., the
real estate company responsible for site
selection throughout the state. Ms. Jacobs
notes that after four years of contacting
Trader Joe's, they agreed that the strong
demographic make-tip of Michigan war-
ranted a closer look."

At Trader Joe's, the product mix is a com-
bination of approximately 1,500 items
under the Trader Joe's label from Trader
Darwin's vitamins to Trader Jose's salsas in
addition to specially purchased items. New
items arrive in the store even' week, height-
ening the store's adventurous appeal.
Buyers travel to Europe, South America and
Asia several times a year searching out
unique products at a value and schlocky
mementos for their desks.

Supermarket Business, March 1999,
asserts, "It's Trader Joe's, folks and it's food
retailing as you never quite seen it before.
And it works.

Trader Joe's carries an extensive array of
domestic and imported foods and bever-
ages, including fresh bakery and deli items,
vitamins, coffees, juices, frozen foods, nuts
and dried fruits, pet foods, milk and eggs,
housewares and gifts.

To say Trader Joe's is a specialty grocery
store would be a disservice, but for the
sake of conversation, and to address the
question of, "What is a Trader Joe's", they
can be categorized as an upscale, specialty
grocery store. We are hard pressed, howev-
er, to find another grocer) , store that has a
following and trade area pull, as does
Trader Joe's. Many stores attain sales of
$1,000.00 per square foot.

All of the TJ stores are company-owned and
operated. And Trader Joe] s is unique not
only in their merchandising, marketing and
management, but also in their business phi-
losophy—this is a company \Yithout debt.

Creative real estate can be leases, build-to-
suite as well as land purchase. The ideal
building is approximately 10,000 square
feet. "We can move quickly to a lease
because we have very few layers in the
approval process," says Ms. Jacobs.

For information, call (248) 865-0800
or e-mail: agrariangroup@msn.com

"Customers shop Trader Joe's as much for
entertainment as for sustenance...
turning shopping from a chore into a culi-
nary treasure hunt..." according to
the Harvard Business Review, July-
August 1996 issue.

Shopping at Trader Joe's is great fun.
Some say, it is, "The home of cheap thrills."

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3/09
2001

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