Pinchas 5771 - English

Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky

B’nei Israel Congregation, Costa Rica

The Leader sets the Example

In this week’s parashah, God reminds Moses of his great mistake in the rock episode (see Bemidvar 20:1-13) and orders him to climb the Abarim mountain, to discern from there the land of Israel.  After seeing it, Moses was going to die.

To not allow Moses to enter the land of Israel was, perhaps, the worst punishment he could get.  Moses had devoted a great part of his life to leading the people of Israel to their land; he had endured all their bitter complaints; he had defended them before God, even when he knew they were guilty.  It is easy to imagine that Moses’ deepest yearning was to enter the Promised Land along with his people.  But that was not to be: that was his painful punishment.

When people are denied that which they have struggled for all their life, it is as if they were stripped of life itself, their reason to live.  After all, if we don’t have a goal or an objective, why keep on living?  That was exactly what was happening to Moses; he was being denied the last step of the long path he had traveled since his youth, or maybe since his cradle.

God tells Moses to climb the mountain so that he can gaze upon the land of Israel before he dies, an order that can be taken as a concession or as a final irony.  How should be have reacted?  We might expect him to beg for mercy, beseeching to be allowed to at least walk a few steps on the land of Israel; asking God to grant him, at least symbolically, the great objective of his life, even after acknowledging his sin.

However, the Torah offers the following answer from Moses:  “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd” (Bemidvar 27:16-17).  When we expected Moses to beg for mercy, we see that he not only accepts his fate, but in addition, instead of being concerned over himself, he worries about his community.  He realizes that if he dies, the people will be orphaned, as a flock without its shepherd.  His dying wish is that God appoint a new guide over the congregation.

That is a true leader; that is the greatest example we have on leadership.  In times when politics has become a field aimed at seeking honor, wealth or personal prestige, Moses’ example comforts us and encourages us to not give in.  When we read about power struggles, about leaders who only seek their personal gain, Moshe Rabbeinu’s words echo in our ears and warm our souls.

The figure of Moses should inspire us to demand better leaders for our people, in our communities, in our country.  We should demand that the goal be the common good, what is best for all, and not just for the rulers.  We must pay attention to their actions, more than to their seductive words and speeches.

God orders Moses to grant part of his splendor to Joshua, his successor (Bemidvar 27:20).  The Talmud interprets this as that Joshua was to reflect Moses’ grandeur, as the moon reflects the sun's light (Baba Batra 75th).  Let us pray to God, then, that He grant is the necessary clarity to be able to clearly recognize, even in the darkest hours, who are the leaders who follow the example of our teacher Moses, by putting the welfare of those they lead before their own.

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky

B´nei Israel Congregation, Costa Rica