Rabbi’s Corner: Beha’alotecha, 5785 - The Heavy Burden of Authority
Leadership is tough. It may seem exciting and make a person feel important, but once you take on that mantle, it very often ain't so easy at all! Public scrutiny, scant praise yet *ample* blame, and a good number of people who are certain they could do your job better than you can. I’m speaking, of course, from the perspective of our ancient Torah. Well, primarily anyway… This week's parashah shows us some of Moses' greatest leadership challenges throughout the Exodus. As usual, the people are complaining. This time the manna isn't enough for them - they want meat! In addition to all the “normal” kvetching, Moses loses one of his favorite and most-trusted advisers: his father-in-law, Jethro. He also has to endure some harsh scolding from God, and perhaps worst of all, he faces a coup from his own siblings! The job is getting the best of Moses, and he feels compelled to ask God for help.
God acquiesces to Moses' request for some relief, and instructs him to pick 70 elders who will be imbued with the Divine spirit, and who will share the weary load of leadership. What follows is a fascinating scene where the elders are chosen and proceed to the Tent of Meeting, where God will somehow “slice” off part of Moses’ (seemingly quite tangible) link to God and divvy it out to the other newly-minted leaders. However, just as that’s about to take place, two elders - Eldad and Meidad - remain behind in the Israelite camp, yet appear to still be receiving this Calling from God. They start speaking in tongues, and Moses' advisers fear their unsanctioned acts, separated from the other elders, will somehow undermine Moses' authority. They beg him to stop these "rogue" elders, but Moses surprises them by declaring, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all God's people were prophets and that Adonai would put God’s Spirit on them all!" Moses isn't looking for more control; he's looking for less, and he would happily give it all away in a heartbeat!
Now, I feel kind of bad criticizing Moses - after all, the guy has had a rough couple of years. However, to me the notion of every Israelite being a prophet, being a leader, is pretty frightening. It would yield a cacophony of people offering instructions, with none to listen or learn. Whether you like it or not, leadership is necessary. Without it, you're going to end up with anarchy and chaos. Someone needs to make decisions and be held accountable… and yes, also hear (and endure) the people's kvetching. Moses selfishly hopes to relinquish control, even though God clearly considers him the best person for the job. In our lives, we too must strive to figure out what our greatest potential is, and do everything we can to live up to it. Not everyone is meant to be a leader or a prophet, but we all have limitless potential.
The Talmud teaches us, "In a place where there is no leader, strive to be a leader." We should seek out opportunities to be at our best, chances to make the world a better place for the people around us. But what happens in a place where there already is a leader? There is still a role for us to play, and many ways we can help out and contribute. We can all be part of the larger collective, and make the whole system function better for everyone by adding our own, unique skills. One of the reasons the Israelites struggled so much throughout their time in the desert was because Moses never became fully comfortable in his role. He always wished someone *else* could have stepped up and relieved him of his heavy burden. Sometimes we don't get to choose where life will take us, but we can always affect our own lives, and make the most of every situation. Don't wait for the "Spirit of God" to come down and anoint you a leader. Follow instead those most wonderful words of Mahatma Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
