The Art of Leadership

Dvarim, (AKA Deuteronomy) is the fifth book of the five books of Moses. Dvarim means spoken words.

The book is also called “Mishneh Torah,” the Second Law. Ramban explains that it is called that because in it, Moshe explains to the generation who is about to enter the Land, the Mitzvot that are associated with Eretz Yisrael. According to Chazal, Moshe wrote the first four books of the Chumash as G-d dictated them to him. In Dvarim, Moshe writes them in his own words. Hence the reference to first person here as opposed to third person in the first four. It is the wisdom of G-d as verbally expressed by Moshe.

This week’s Torah portion which bears the same name, Dvarim, starts with a brief summary of the past 40 years of wanderings. Moshe who is 120 years old knows that he will not be able to enter the Promised Land. Moshe is not only old; he is also tired. Bnei Yisrael have fatigued him. He reproves them for their disobedience, their repeated transgressions and their many complaints. He also warns them prior to entering the Land of the need to follow G-d’s words.

As part of his reproof, Moshe recounts and dwells on only two episodes out of the many that occurred in the desert. One is the account of the spies. The other, the appointment of judges.

There is a clear message in it for Am Yisrael.

As we may recall, it was Bnei Yisrael who requested that Moshe send the spies to tour the Land. Twelve spies were selected for this mission. Only two spoke in favour of the Land, Yehoshua and Calev. For that, they are the only ones of the twelve who have become part of the annals of history and will be remembered for eternity.

Unlike Yehoshua and Calev, those who spoke against the Land that G-d promised Avraham and his descendants and refused to enter it, thus rejecting the mitzvah of settling in it, were fated to die in the desert. The rest of Am Yisrael was destined to continue their wandering for many more years. In other words, the spies’ episode turned out to be calamitous for a nation in its infancy.

The account of the judges, as opposed to the story of the spies, details the success of an endeavour to conduct rewarding and constructive guidance and control. It details the art of leadership.

In an perfect state, the leader should be governing and, at the same time, inspiring. An important ingredient to their success which leaders need to have is the support and consent of their people. When in the Book of Shmot (AKA Exodus), Moshe follows the advice of Yitro and suggests naming judges,  the support of his people for such a submission was crucial in making it a successful undertaking.

When the process  is reversed, as in the case of the spies, failure is unavoidable. Here, the suggestion to send spies is initiated and raised by Am Yisrael, Moshe accepts. He is not involved in the course of selection.

In other words, by juxtaposing the two stories, that of the selection of the spies and appointment of judges, Moshe was hoping to teach Am Yisrael a useful lesson. A leader needs to be the one who is in charge, the one who directs and leads with the unequivocal help and approval of the people. That is the recipe for guaranteed success

If, on the other hand, the leader is directed by the people and is reduced to merely approving their decisions and lets them carry them out, they are all doomed to failure.


Shabbat Shalom

Giving Credit

“Failure to accord credit to anyone for what he may have done is a great weakness in any man.”  - William Howard Taft

Without diminishing the importance of Taft’s wise words, allow me to add that failure to render credit is a weakness not only in any man but in any nation as well. It is the essence of humility, individual and national.

As a Jew, I am proud to belong to a tradition, to a heritage that has shared much with world civilization. What makes me ever more proud of it is that it never fails to give credit where and when credit is due.

This week’s Parasha (Torah portion) is a great example of it. It is entitled “Yitro,” (Jethro in Greek). Yitro is a non- Yisraelite who later becomes Moshe’s (Moses) father in law. He is a dedicated father and family man and is the governing leader of the tribes of Midian, to where Moses escapes from Egypt as a young refugee. After rescuing his daughters and their herds from hostile shepherds, grateful Yitro invites Moshe to break bread with them and offers him his daughter Tzipporah as wife (Exodus 2:21).
Following the liberation of his people from slavery in Egypt, Moshe, now a powerful and famous leader, returns to Midian where Yitro guides him on how to govern his people. Yitro advises him of the need to appoint magistrates and judges to assist him in the task of administering justice to Am Yisrael. (Exodus 18:17ff). Yitro fulfills his task as Moshe’s mentor with grace, elegance, sincerity and honesty. In return, he receives Moshe’s utmost respect and deference.

Yitro’s modesty and humility are further demonstrated in Numbers 10:29-30 where he is invited by Moshe to join Am Yisrael where he would be respected and honoured. Yitro courteously declines by entreating his responsibilities and duties to his own tribe in Midian.

Later in this week’s Parasha, we are told that the Children of Yisrael camp at the foot of mount Sinai where they are preparing to receive the Torah as G-d has chosen them to be His “kingdom of priests” and “Holy Nation.” That is where the children of Yisrael first become a Nation, Am Yisrael after they proclaim “Naaseh V’ Nishma “(we shall do all that G-d has spoken).

The giving of the Torah is, undoubtedly, the most important event in the timeline of the history of Am Yisrael and the Jewish people. It is the event that has connected our Past, Present and Future as a Nation.

When undertaking the task of dividing the Torah into fifty-two portions, our Rabbis elected to name this most important Torah portion after no other than Yirto, a Midianite, a non-Jew, an outsider.

Why, some of you may ask?

And this is where one of the greatest gifts of our Jewish nation lies, the essence of our strength. Yitro’s name was chosen precisely because our Rabbi’s followed one of the most important tenet inherent in our Jewish culture - giving credit where credit is due. Yitro, as we witnessed throughout the Parasha, was very instrumental in shaping our destiny and help us make it a reality. He provided Moshe with refuge when he escaped the hostile environment in Egypt, gave him food, shelter and coached him into becoming one of the greatest leaders Am Yisrael has ever had. His contributions to who and what we are today are immense. He is what we, Jews, call "A Righteous Gentile."

Yitro’s credit was not only given to him, it was well earned and well deserved.