Leadership as service is such a simple idea: the role of a leader is to serve the people. But few leaders live up to this ideal. Maybe it just takes too much ego to aspire to leadership. After all, you have to think a lot of yourself to believe you can be an effective leader.
Perhaps that is why so many leaders today seem tone-deaf and more in tune with their own needs than the needs of those they are supposed to serve. Bibi Netanyahu in Israel and Donald Trump immediately come to mind, as supposed populists, men-of-the people, who seem to be out for themselves.
There is one exception–Moses. Who never wanted to lead the Israelites in the first place and was forced by God to accept the job. Our Torah calls him the humblest of all people.
This week he is confronted by Korach, a type we are all familiar with, who claims that Moses is a fraud and only interested in leadership for his own sake. (Numbers 6:3) We are familiar by now with this type of projection. Often what a demagogue accuses someone of is in fact a projection of their own failings. So Moses, in his humble way, says to Korach, “Let God decide who is fit to lead.” (Numbers 6:8). So the next morning, Moses and Aaron met Korach, Dathan, Aviram and all their followers. The outcome is swift and decisive: the earth opens up and swallows them whole, while fire incinerates their 250 followers. Only Moses’ intervention saves the Israelites.
We do not have God to demonstrate to us who is a good leader and who is not and to destroy those who seek to mislead the people, so we must test them. Perhaps the best and simplest one is to support leaders who are humble, like Moses. This week’s Torah portion teaches us that charisma is overrated and humility is to be prized. Humility leads to service.
Parashat Korach, Numbers 16:1-18:32 – Parashat ha Shavuah for Saturday, June 12, 2021
June 11, 2021 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
Leadership as service is such a simple idea: the role of a leader is to serve the people. But few leaders live up to this ideal. Maybe it just takes too much ego to aspire to leadership. After all, you have to think a lot of yourself to believe you can be an effective leader.
Perhaps that is why so many leaders today seem tone-deaf and more in tune with their own needs than the needs of those they are supposed to serve. Bibi Netanyahu in Israel and Donald Trump immediately come to mind, as supposed populists, men-of-the people, who seem to be out for themselves.
There is one exception–Moses. Who never wanted to lead the Israelites in the first place and was forced by God to accept the job. Our Torah calls him the humblest of all people.
This week he is confronted by Korach, a type we are all familiar with, who claims that Moses is a fraud and only interested in leadership for his own sake. (Numbers 6:3) We are familiar by now with this type of projection. Often what a demagogue accuses someone of is in fact a projection of their own failings. So Moses, in his humble way, says to Korach, “Let God decide who is fit to lead.” (Numbers 6:8). So the next morning, Moses and Aaron met Korach, Dathan, Aviram and all their followers. The outcome is swift and decisive: the earth opens up and swallows them whole, while fire incinerates their 250 followers. Only Moses’ intervention saves the Israelites.
We do not have God to demonstrate to us who is a good leader and who is not and to destroy those who seek to mislead the people, so we must test them. Perhaps the best and simplest one is to support leaders who are humble, like Moses. This week’s Torah portion teaches us that charisma is overrated and humility is to be prized. Humility leads to service.