Lord Acton (19th C. England) said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is too tempting for leaders, whether elected or appointed, to be carried away by the power and majesty of their office and to forget that a leader is supposed to serve their people, not be served by them. Over the past three weeks we have seen the pain and suffering that is unleashed when a leader puts their grandiose dreams into action. The pain and suffering in the Ukraine will not heal quickly, if ever. Our Torah portion this week teaches an interesting lesson about leadership. “The priest shall dress in linen raiment, with linen breeches next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. He shall then take off his vestments and put on other vestments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a pure place.” (Leviticus 6:3-4) Commenting on this verse, Nachmanides (14th C. Spain) wrote, “the priests should have more expensive garments for performing the acts of offering, and ones of inferior quality for removing the ashes [to a place outside the camp.]” When the Priests carried out their sacred sacrificial duties, they had to dress in beautiful linen garments. But when their service was over at the end of the day they had to change into “work clothes” and dispose of the piles of ash created by the sacrificial pyre that burned all day long. Not a servant or an inferior, but the priest themselves. Perhaps this lowly act, after a day spent in elevated service, reminded the priests that they were not above manual labor or superior in any way to any other Israelite. Perhaps this changing of clothes and janitorial work cultivated humility in the priests and kept them grounded. Perhaps we would all be better off if our leaders could find concrete ways to cultivate their humility as the priests did so long ago.
Tzav, Leviticus 6:1-8:36, Parshat Ha Shavua for Shabbat, Saturday, March 19, 2022
March 18, 2022 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
Lord Acton (19th C. England) said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is too tempting for leaders, whether elected or appointed, to be carried away by the power and majesty of their office and to forget that a leader is supposed to serve their people, not be served by them. Over the past three weeks we have seen the pain and suffering that is unleashed when a leader puts their grandiose dreams into action. The pain and suffering in the Ukraine will not heal quickly, if ever. Our Torah portion this week teaches an interesting lesson about leadership. “The priest shall dress in linen raiment, with linen breeches next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. He shall then take off his vestments and put on other vestments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a pure place.” (Leviticus 6:3-4) Commenting on this verse, Nachmanides (14th C. Spain) wrote, “the priests should have more expensive garments for performing the acts of offering, and ones of inferior quality for removing the ashes [to a place outside the camp.]” When the Priests carried out their sacred sacrificial duties, they had to dress in beautiful linen garments. But when their service was over at the end of the day they had to change into “work clothes” and dispose of the piles of ash created by the sacrificial pyre that burned all day long. Not a servant or an inferior, but the priest themselves. Perhaps this lowly act, after a day spent in elevated service, reminded the priests that they were not above manual labor or superior in any way to any other Israelite. Perhaps this changing of clothes and janitorial work cultivated humility in the priests and kept them grounded. Perhaps we would all be better off if our leaders could find concrete ways to cultivate their humility as the priests did so long ago.
~Rabbi Dean Kertesz