Torah's leadership lessons
"Middot -- qualities of the soul--- are taught primarily by example." ~Rabbi Yechiel Perr
We’ve been collectively hit with a one-two punch1 that had devastating consequences. For those who keep up with reading the weekly Torah portion, I’m referring to the rebellious nature of our people we witnessed2 in the past two weeks. The Torah seems to be building its case for our name as “the stiff-necked people”3, which Hashem calls us more than once. We want things when we want them, and we want them our way4.
This week, in Parshat Korach, we are introduced to Korach in just the first two words of the first verse. Amazing. We learn about his attitude, his approach from these words: “Vayikach Korach”5 which translates to “Korach took”. He takes what he wants. His needs come first.
In doing so, he separates himself from the rest of the community. For his own purposes, he foments a rebellion, with 250 leaders of the community, challenging Moshe’s spiritual leadership. Korach needed to submit to decisions made by Hashem and enacted through Moses, but refuses to so do. He is not satisfied with the role he was given as a Levite to serve. He wants more. He wants to be one of the kohanim. And he pleads his own case, pretending to to do so on behalf of others.
We recognize this unmistakable power grab. ‘In the guise of helping you, I get what I want…which is power over you’. Korach’s rebellion is well known as one of self-interest. He’s not interested in others gaining power, but is motivated by his own ego6. The test provided for him is one the reader can see is a set-up: It creates an opportunity for a show-down, for Korach to prove he is worthy of being a kohein, those who have been designated and trained for their roles in bringing rituals and traditions to the people in specific ways. Yet, he wants a short-cut. He wants to circumvent the usual rules to get his way. This for sure resonates today. In the end, he perishes along with others who fell for the scheme. But the message is clear. There are boundaries that have to be respected. Serving yourself is not in service of The Creator.
In Parshat Shelach we read about a different type of behavior, and in my opinion, similarly driven by an ego need. Ten renowned leaders of the Israelite community, each a well-respected figure from their own tribe, sabotaged an aspirational goal for their own purposes.
Twelve scouts were sent to survey the land, the final destination that Hashem was leading the community toward. After a 40 day journey, ten chose to instill fear among the people. Joshua and Caleb set themselves apart and wanted to pursue the goal of entering the land.
But in the face of the unknown, fear usually wins over optimism. It’s in our nature that we tend to fall back into the status quo. Instead of seeing opportunity, the ten tribal leaders saw defeat. Rather than trust that all would work in the way Hashem promised, they expressed doubt and insecurity.
To add to their offense, they chose to deliver their report in the most immodest way: in front of the entire community. They could have decided to do this differently, by approaching Moses and Aaron first, deliberating about what they saw and thought. But that wasn’t their interest. Instead, after spending 40 days touring the land, the Torah tells us they “gave a defaming report of the land that they had scouted out to the entire Children of Israel” They said the land “devours its inhabitants” and was filled with “giants”:
“…we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” BaMidbar / Numbers 13:33
Many commentators say that because they lacked confidence in Hashem they brought back negative reports. Others say that their most egregious offense was not believing in themselves. Rabbi Mendel Kotzk says all that might be true —-not having confidence in yourself, a unique creation, is one thing, but it’s quite another to be so bold as to say you know what others think7.
But another notion haunts me: what if they believed in themselves too much? What if their own egos clouded their judgment? What if these leaders felt that in this new, strange land, they would not be as important as they had been in the wilderness? If they successfully entered and conquered the land, would the people in their tribes and the greater community (eidah) people defer to them?
Their people depended upon them for answers, for guidance, for comfort. What if, in this new land, they would be more dispersed…and on their own to solve all their problems? Might those in their tribe be emboldened, feeling a sense of accomplishment from their own abilities?
What if they were not willing to risk success? What if their own self-interests dominated their thinking?8 For a fact, Hashem anticipates this regarding our spiritual connection and foretells that once we have the ability to be more independent, we may turn our backs on all that Hashem did for us.
The Gaon of Vilna writes in his commentary to Proverbs 4:139 that the only reason a person is on this earth is to break a bad middah that hasn’t been broken until now. The generation of tribal leaders in the midbar / wilderness were not able to get beyond their limitations10.
From these two parshiyot / portions, the messages about leadership are clear. We’ve been given a blueprint of what not to do as a leader. Don’t separate yourself from the community11. Don’t do things for your own purposes. Don’t engender dependence. Don’t let your ego cloud your judgment. Know that spiritual elevation requires work. Have enough humility to know your place, not overstepping boundaries.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks makes a clear distinction between power and influence. Power can be attained, but is not long lasting. Judaism’s emphasis on the sanctity of each human being teaches that coercive power is wrong. Influence is about creating new leaders rather than just followers. Think of all the rulers who have come and gone, with a barely a sentence or two to describe them. Yet, those with influence leave a legacy way after their years, with their dreams and visions indelible in our lives.
Receiving Torah is not possible if one is not open, if one is so filled with themselves that they are not able to be a vessel for the greater wisdom Torah has to offer. This means being open to others as well. In the midbar, we were separate tribes —-each with different histories, leaders, and cultures—-but we united around a single purpose. As a people, we have yet to internalize this.
The term "one-two punch" describes any two actions or events that happen in quick succession and create a powerful or impactful effect.
I’m using the word ‘witnessed’ purposefully. In the Torah, Am Yisrael, the nation of Israel is often referred to as an ‘eidah’, translated as congregation. The Hebrew root is eid (ayin, dalet), meaning witness. What makes a congregation is being able to be there, to be spiritually if not physically present—-to ‘witness’, both good and bad. So we too, reading the text, are witnesses as well.
Exodus 32:9 is one: “I see that this is a stiff-necked people.”
The propensity toward individualism has been capitalized upon by oh so many ad campaigns: e.g. “Have it Your Way”, “Nike by You”, and more.
Numbers 16:1
The Talmud states: "One who is appointed over a community becomes the servant of the community" (Horayot 10b). Wielding power for personal gain is not acceptable. Leaders should serve the people they lead.
A phrase that sticks with me to this day is similar. A colleague told me that her therapist would say: “Just because someone calls you a milkshake doesn’t mean you have to jump into the blender.”
Some historical accounts of the Eastern European communal leaders in the years before the Shoah relay that there may have been a similar attitude. They discouraged their followers from emigrating to the Land of Israel, believing they would lose their prominent positions if people left.
Hold fast to discipline; do not let go; Keep it; it is your life. ~Proverbs 4:13
We know also that the entire generation of the wilderness was deemed not worthy to enter the land, for reasons too many to enumerate here. But Talmud’s dictum of ‘the nations gets the leader it deserves’ is an apt description.
Our sage Hillel said this thousands of years ago: “Al tifrosh min haTzibur” ~Foundational Ethics 2:4