This has been a tumultuous political week. Former President Donald Trump barely missed an assassin’s bullet and was chosen to be the Republican candidate for President in the upcoming election. President Joe Biden relinquished his reelection bid on Sunday and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to be the standard bearer for the Democrats. These are times of transition and change when the ground seems to be shifting beneath our feet.
This week’s Torah portion, Pinchas, explores leadership transition when Moses passes his mantle on to Joshua to lead the Israelites after his death. This section of our Torah portion begins with the words, “Moses spoke to Adonai, saying, Let Adonai, Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint someone over the community” (Numbers 27:15-16) This construction is unique in the Torah and reversal of the usual formulation, “God spoke to Moses, saying…” With this unique language the Torah is signaling that something unusual is happening. Commenting on this verse, Raashi (11th C. Germany) brings a commentary from Sifrei Bamidbar 138, “This serves to show the praise of the righteous: when they are about to depart from the world, they abandon all thought of their own affairs and occupy themselves with the affairs of the community.”
Moses had reluctantly accepted the burden of leading the Israelites out of slavery and now he knows it is time to step aside, so he asks for God’s help to find a suitable replacement. This is why Moses is our paragon of leadership. He combined strength with humility. He served his people when called and stepped aside when the time was right. There is a lesson for us, and our leaders, in his example.
Pinchas, Numbers 25:10-30:1; Parashat HaShavua for Shabbat, July 27, 2024
July 25, 2024 by tbhrich • Drashot
This has been a tumultuous political week. Former President Donald Trump barely missed an assassin’s bullet and was chosen to be the Republican candidate for President in the upcoming election. President Joe Biden relinquished his reelection bid on Sunday and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to be the standard bearer for the Democrats. These are times of transition and change when the ground seems to be shifting beneath our feet.
This week’s Torah portion, Pinchas, explores leadership transition when Moses passes his mantle on to Joshua to lead the Israelites after his death. This section of our Torah portion begins with the words, “Moses spoke to Adonai, saying, Let Adonai, Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint someone over the community” (Numbers 27:15-16) This construction is unique in the Torah and reversal of the usual formulation, “God spoke to Moses, saying…” With this unique language the Torah is signaling that something unusual is happening. Commenting on this verse, Raashi (11th C. Germany) brings a commentary from Sifrei Bamidbar 138, “This serves to show the praise of the righteous: when they are about to depart from the world, they abandon all thought of their own affairs and occupy themselves with the affairs of the community.”
Moses had reluctantly accepted the burden of leading the Israelites out of slavery and now he knows it is time to step aside, so he asks for God’s help to find a suitable replacement. This is why Moses is our paragon of leadership. He combined strength with humility. He served his people when called and stepped aside when the time was right. There is a lesson for us, and our leaders, in his example.