As we inch closer to the end of Moses’ journey leading the Jewish people, there are moments where it feels like we glean deep insights into Moses’ ability to introspect. Moses gains an awareness of his successes and his shortcomings with a certain self-awareness that we don’t always see from him. From these moments, I think we can learn much about leadership, and we get one of those this week in the Torah portion, Pinchas.
After Moses’ revolutionary encounter with the daughters of Tzloph’had, Moses get an inkling that his decree to not go in the land has expired. Maybe, he thinks, if they can get in through this groundbreaking move, I can too?! It’s almost painful to hear the last gasp ask. Alas, it is not to be as God quickly makes it clear that it won’t happen.
In response, we hear Moses’ desire to pass the torch. It is here where see this reflection. He tells God (Numbers 27:17):
“Let the Lord, Source of the Breath of all Flesh, appoint someone over the community who shall go out before them and come in before them, and who shall take them out and bring them in, so that the God’s community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.”
The bolded phrases here jumped out at me. What was Moses really praying for? It’s not the typical language of someone who is praying for his successor. What might it teach us about leadership any setting? To understand them, we turn to a couple of our commentators:
Rashi- “One who may go before them” — not as is the way of the kings of the nations who sit at home and send their armies to battle, but as “I” have done — I who fought against Sihon and against Og.
This is a fighter and someone who leads by example. Moses is someone who did this against Og and Sichon. To be a good leader, one has to be willing to put oneself at the front, being ready to take the hits to protect your team. We all know the people who go to bat for us and those who throw us under the bus. Strive to to be the former.
Ibn Ezra-"Take them out”— This refers to political management of the affairs of the people
By this, I think he means that you have to understand what people have going on where they are. It’s not about what your thoughts and opinions are solely, although those do matter. To be the best person and leader you can be for the people around you is to understand them on as deep a level as possible; No matter what status you’ve achieved when you lead, it’s not solely for you but for those on your team.
Finally, “to bring them in” is to understand that to be God’s servants in the world, to imitate God, we need to go out to the fringes and bring those people closest. As a leader, it’s easy to lead the lowest hanging fruit, the ones in your inner circle or the ones who agree with you most. But it’s the people that can lead the ones that feel the most unreachable that separate the good from the exceptional.
The first request is certainly something in which Moses found success. After his initial hesitation, he was unafraid to take the lead. The second one was a mixed bag. At certain moments, Moses really knew what the people wanted while at other times, they were deeply confounding to him. The last one was the hardest for Moses. I think Moses was reminded of this by his encounter with the daughters just before this. He was struck by this moment and realized he should’ve gone to bat long before this for those on the periphery.
Taken as a trio, we can piece together one of the pieces of the leadership puzzle. Lead by example. Don’t sit back and let others bear the brunt. Be at the vanguard. Understand your team. Know what is keeping them up at night and driving them during the day. Lastly, look away from the center and bring those marginalized in toward it.
It’s a powerful and authentic prayer. If we can follow a bit of that blueprint, then we’re on our way. Start with recognizing where you have succeeded. Then, allow yourself to be honest and understand where you’ve fallen short. That way, when we make plans for our own successors, our ask can be built on what was in actuality and what we hope can be better.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Weekend