There Will Never Be Another "Moshe"

 

“Let HaShem, G-d of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community"   (Numbers 27:16)   Tammuz 18, 5786/July 3, 2026   Moshe rabbenu (Moses our teacher) has reached the grand old age of 120. He has come across all types of people throughout his lifetime. We recall that his first months in the world were spent being hidden away from outsiders. He then spent his youth living inside the protective bubble of Pharaoh's palace. The first time in his life that he ventured out to meet the real world he was aghast by its cruelty. His immediate, visceral response was to slay the Egyptian taskmaster.  Was this the right way to deal with a wrongdoer? Perhaps he could have intervened less violently. Perhaps it was a teachable moment that Moshe missed. In any case he would never do it again. In fact, his next significant act after fleeing Egypt was to come to the aid of Yitro's seven daughters, without resorting to violence. Moshe was learning how to deal with others, be they sympathetic characters or be they antagonistic.   Being able to justly and compassionately tend to those who are dependent upon him and to be unyielding to those who sought to undermine him was the trait that enabled Moshe to successfully, (although not perfectly) lead an entire people from slavery to liberty, from a ragtag band of unorganized and sorely dependent people to a unified nation of judges and warriors, and from a nation in exile to a nation about to enter into its G-d given inheritance.    Moshe was at times exasperated by the demands of his people and he was not shy to share his feelings of anger and despondency with G-d. But when the people's complaints were justified,   Moshe (with G-d's help), delivered. There were people with demands and propositions that he welcomed, such as the men who, despite being impure, wanted to take part in the Passover offering, and the five daughters of Tzelophchad, who desired their father's land inheritance in Israel. There were those whose gift of prophecy seemed to encroach upon Moshe's domain, (Eldad and Medad), whom Moshe welcomed to share the burden.  And there were those, (Korach and his mob), whose direct challenge to Moshe's leadership, (and G-d's sovereignty), Moshe aggressively rejected. These were not easy challenges for Moshe to meet. Other times he was guided by G-d whose instruction contradicted    Moshe's initial response.  Moshe was not like his brother Aharon who was known for his peacemaking and gracious ways with others. As a leader Moshe could not afford the luxury of trying to please everyone. He had to learn when to be stern and when to be forthcoming. Moshe also had to learn the hardest lesson of all, that he was not indispensable. His time would pass.    So when G-d told Moshe in this week's parasha, Pinchas, “Go up to Mount Avarim and look at the land that I have given to the children of Israel. And when you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, just as Aharon your brother was gathered," (Numbers 27:12-13) Moshe did not hesitate.  He did not stall or procrastinate. He didn't ask for a single "one more day." He immediately asked of “HaShem, G-d of the spirits of all flesh, [to] appoint a man over the community." Why did Moshe   invoke this unique description of G-d's sovereignty over man?  Note that "spirits,"  (ruchot, in Hebrew), is plural. Moshe, through forty years of experience, has learned first hand that a nation,  a  community made up of all types of people, and a good leader  needs to address each and every one of those types.  Certainly not everyone can be accommodated and some people need to be condemned. But they all need to be recognized and they all need to be addressed. Good leadership means doing what is right for the people, even if the people don't always see eye to eye with their leader. Good leaders are not crowd pleasers and certainly not demagogues telling the people what they want to hear. There were times when Israel was extremely upset with Moshe. And there were times when Moshe was extremely upset with Israel. And there were even times when G-d was extremely upset with Moshe.  Being a good leader doesn't mean being perfect. Being a good leader means getting your G-d assigned task done without leaving anyone behind. When HaShem saw Moshe, all those many years ago, run after a single lost sheep while attending Yitro's flock, He knew that Moshe was the man He was looking for. So it comes as little surprise that HaShem's immediate response to Moshe's request was “Single out Yehoshua son of Nun, a man of spirit, and lay your hand upon him." (ibid 27:18)  Yehoshua was, of course, Moshe's own student, who had stood by  Moshe's side through thick and thin, who led the war against Amalek,  who stood against his fellow spies when they spoke ill of the land of Israel, and who was promised by G-d entry into the land.    There will never be another Moshe. He was unique among all the prophets of Israel and the deliverer of G-d's commandments to his people. But would-be leaders, if they desire to be truly good leaders, have much to learn from Moshe, not the least of which was Moshe's understanding  that a good leader must lead all the people, and not just a portion of the people. Free nations are not easy nations to lead. They are boisterous, not shy to complain and not easy to please.  The ability to not only hear the people, but to make them feel heard, while all the while hearing G-d's voice as He leads you, is rare, indeed, and not something that wanna-be leaders necessarily want to ascribe to. But it is something that we the people  - all of the people -  must demand.