Follow the leader | Rabbi Stewart Weiss | Beit Midrash

Torah Portion and Tanach
Pinchas

קטגוריה משנית

One of the clearest signs of greatness is
Humility. The great ones are always humble; &
this humility is most severely tested when one
experiences pain, rejection & disappointment &
yet still maintains complete faith in G-d.

Moshe Rabbeinu pleads to Hashem - whom he refers
to here as "Elokay HaRuchot, the G-d of spirits"
- to choose a leader to replace him. This strange
name for Hashem implies that a leader should be
tolerant, & inclusive of all types &
temperaments. This was clearly a hint to Hashem
that Pinchas, despite his brave act of zealotry
when he killed Zimri, was not the right person to lead the nation.

Moshe is told to place his hand upon Yehoshua &
declare him as successor. But when Moshe performs
this act, he slightly deviates from G-d’s command
& places both his hands on Yehoshua! A subtle,
but significant change from the original command. What happened here?

Moshe, like any good father - he was human, after
all! - would have preferred that his own son
succeed him. But G-d chose Yehoshua, who was a
great scholar in his own right. So Moshe thought,
"OK, fine, let Yehoshua be the Torah leader; but
let my son be the military leader, the king, or
the community benefactor." Moshe thought that
perhaps, by being ordered to place just one hand
on Yehoshua, G-d was hinting this could actually happen.

But G-d rejected this idea; He wanted a person
who had it all, who embodied all the diverse
qualities needed to lead a people as challenging
as Israel. And so Moshe placed both his hands on
Yehoshua’s head, indicating that Yehoshua would be Tzadik, King & General.

This valiant yet bittersweet act speaks volumes
about Moshe’s devotion to G-d, & to the nation,
which he placed before any personal ambition or
desire he might have harbored. It also sends
another crucial message: The future, ultimate
hero of Am Yisrael will be someone who excels not
only in Tosfot, but in tanks; not only Medrash,
but also military strategy; an expert in commerce
no less than Kedusha. Like David HaMelech. Like
Moshiach, the future, heralded scholar-teacher-warrior.

This elusive goal can only take place in Israel,
where all the disparate elements of society - the
military, political, economic & educational – can
merge into one entity. Only here can a leader
emerge who will contain within a single body, a
single perfected soul, all the holy components of
redemption, who will carry a Tanach into battle
while defeating our enemies & energize our Neshamot.

That’s what & who we are waiting for: Please come soon!