Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Shabbat Vayelech (Shabbat Shuvah)
D’varim 31:1 – 31:30
6 Tishrei 5773 / September 21-22
Passing
on the Mantle of Leadership
by Shifra Elman, Moishe House Palo Alto
by Shifra Elman, Moishe House Palo Alto
This
week’s parsha see’s Moses, leader of the Jewish people from the time we were
slaves in Egypt through the forty years in the desert, pass leadership to
Joshua. Joshua was Moses’s student, not his son or any other relation of his,
he wasn’t even part of his tribe; Moses was a Levite and Joshua was from the
tribe of Ephraim (one of the sons of Joseph.) So at the ripe old age of 120
Moses hands over leadership right before they are to enter Israel. Moses, who
brought the Jews out of Egypt, gave them the torah on Mount
Sinai, built the mishkan(tabernacle,) weathered countless trials
with them throughout the forty years in the desert, would not see or enter the
promised-land with the Jewish people. He gathers the nation and in front of
everyone tells Joshua “Be courageous and bold, for you will come with this
people to the land which the Lord promised to their forefathers to give them.
And you shall apportion it to them as an inheritance.”
With
just this small piece of the parsha there are many lessons. The overarching
theme is of the importance of passing leadership to the next generation. It is
essential to choose the right person for the job and not get caught up in
choosing those we don’t want to offend by not choosing, such as our friends or
relatives. Had Moses chosen a relation or someone from his tribe he would have
opened that person up to questions of competency which may have had the effect
of dividing the Jewish people. Since Joshua was neither a relation nor one of
his tribe he was starting fresh.
The
lesson I take from this is when passing on the mantle of leadership at Moishe
House or in any other part of my life is: it important to choose those that
will be good for the community and good at the job. It’s the difference between
having a really knowledgeable professor who doesn’t know how to give over that
information versus one who can do both. Another lesson is that it is also
important to publically introduce that person to the community; by publically
endorsing this person you are telling the community that has trusted you that
you have the utmost faith in the new leadership. While change is inevitable and
good; we are giving up the direct control we had in how our community is
shaped, by choosing our leaders wisely we have a continuing, if long distance,
hand in creating its future.
Shabbat
Shalom All!
Shifra
Elman, MoHo Palo Alto
0 Comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)