In Parashat Shmot, Rabbi Idit Lev examines Moses, one of our people’s greatest leaders, and asks what we should remember from his story as we prepare to enter the voting booth.
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Moses strikes water from the stone, Francesco Bacchiacca. CC-Wikipedia
How do you choose leadership?
Parashat Shmot ranges from the people to the leaders surrounding them. Reading this parasha seems more relevant than ever to me, especially these days when parties are choosing their lists for the Knesset, and we are facing general elections. During these days where we need to choose our leaders, does the parasha provide us with clues as to how to choose?
The parasha begins by hearing the names of the Sons of Israel who moved to Egypt. From there we move to the king of Egypt, the king that, in children’s language, “decides on the people”, even if he is not the people’s choice. The midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, don’t obey Pharaoh’s order to kill the boys and thereby become leaders who lead the uprising. And then the story of Moses unfolds before us up to his encounter with God. Just as people check a leadership candidate’s resume, each person submitting a curriculum vitae for any job chooses to highlight certain things. So, what did the bible choose to highlight about Moses?
The first story speaks at length about Moses coming out of the palace to the Sons of Israel, he sees their burdens, and he also kills the Egyptian who’s hitting the Hebrew man.
The second story is about Moses helping Jethro’s daughters by the well while watering their flock. Moses both prevented the shepherds from driving the girls away, and also assisted them in watering their flock.
What do those two stories teach us about Moses?
Our sages explain the meaning of “seeing their burdens”:
Moses sees that the Sons of Israel get no rest, so he turns to Pharaoh and says: “Even the person who owns a slave, must rest for one day a week or he will die, and so if you don’t let your slaves rest one day a week they will die.” Pharaoh answered: “Go and do as you claim.” Moses went and made Sabbath the day of rest. (Vayikrah Rabbah, 37:2)
The story about Jethro’s daughters also shows us Moses’ tendency to help those in need, and to stand by even if involves confrontation.
Our sages add following story:
“Moses was a shepherd” (Exodus 3:1) – God tested Moses as a leader of sheep. Our Rabbis said: When Moses was Jethro’s sheep shepherd in the desert a young goat fled from him and he ran after him. The young goat came to a pond and stopped to drink. When Moses got to him he said “I didn’t know that you fled because you were thirsty, now you are tired.” Then he picked him up on his shoulder and started going back. God then said: “You have the compassion to be a shepherd of sheep, and so you can be the shepherd of my flock, Israel.”
This story also shows that Moses’ key feature is empathy and attention to the distress of others.
God chooses Moses as a leader for the people. Moses is not the perfect leader, and he tries very hard to escape this role that God assigns him. He points out all of his flaws to God: He has no public experience, he doesn’t believe the people will treat him as their leader, he’s tongue-tied and a stutter. The bible will show more flaws of Moses later in the story, as well as the mistakes he is going to make.
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What is the hidden message in this story about leadership today?
The bible and our sages emphasize Moses’ ability to see those in need, to identify what help they need, and to provide it. In Israel today there are too many groups that are excluded and suffer from daily injustice. 20% of the population is beneath poverty level. Asylum seekers are not receiving the proper treatment they deserve, Palestinians don’t get their rights, and there are many other groups, too many in fact, in similar positions. Israel ignores the injustices she creates, and her leaders are not busy correcting these injustices.
In this parasha, I am guided to seek out the ways in which different leaders attend to the weak, and judge them according to the plans they suggest in handling these infringements.
May the next government consist of people that have the human rights of every human in their mind. If this comes to pass, then we will live in a better country.
Shabbat shalom!
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Rabbi Idit Lev is the Director of RHR’s Socio-Economic Rights in Israel department.
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