A proper leader

Hi,

The Jews' charge to Yehoshua in the end of the first chapter:

"With all of the Divine assistance and all of the nation's loyalty and conquest, a third support will be required, and this will be from you: to be strong and courageous like a proper leader. Should someone transgress your word, you must punish him immediately; as Kiddushin 32b says, 'If a king forgives his honour, his honour is not forgiven,' for the honour of the throne and the sake of the nation."

אבל עם כל העזר האלקי ועם כל שמיעת העם וכבישותם יצטרך עוד עזר שלישי והוא ממך, שתהיה חזק ואמיץ כמנהיג הגון, ואם אדם יעבור פיך שתענישנו מיד, כי (כמו שאמרו רז״ל, קדושין פ״א לב:) מלך שמחל על כבודו אין כבודו מחול, לכבוד המלכות וצורך העם.

(Abarbanel to Yehoshua, pg. 19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The judge in your generation

Hi,

"And Samuel said to the nation [upon coronating Saul]: Gd, who made Moshe and Aharon, (Samuel I 12:6)"
"And Gd sent Yerubaal and Bedan and Yiftach and Samuel (Samuel I 12:11)"…
"Moshe, and Aharon with his priests, and Samuel among those who call out in His Name (Psalms 99:6)".

The text equated the world's three lightweights with the world's three heavyweights, to tell you: Yerubaal in his generation is as Moshe in his generation, Bedan in his generation is as Aharon in his generation, Yiftach in his generation is as Samuel in his generation. To teach you that even the lightest of the light, if appointed as community leader, is like the mightiest of the mighty.

ויאמר שמואל אל העם ד' אשר עשה את משה ואת אהרן, ואומר וישלח ד' את ירבעל ואת בדן ואת יפתח ואת שמואל... ואומר משה ואהרן בכהניו ושמואל בקראי שמו. שקל הכתוב שלשה קלי עולם כשלשה חמורי עולם, לומר לך: ירובעל בדורו - כמשה בדורו, בדן בדורו - כאהרן בדורו, יפתח בדורו - כשמואל בדורו. ללמדך שאפילו קל שבקלין ונתמנה פרנס על הצבור - הרי הוא כאביר שבאבירים 

(Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 25a-b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The responsibility of the educated

Hi,

"Guilt cannot be assigned to the masses, who lack knowledge and learning; this is your mitzvah, kohanim, and you are responsible to guide the nation in a proper path."

(Abarbanel to Malachi 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Leadership is Divine

Hi, [Divrei haYamim I 29:11 describes Gd as] 'The One who raises every leader.' "Rav Chanan bar Rava said, citing Rav: Every leader is established only by Divine order, even the person in charge of irrigation rights." (Talmud, Bava Batra 91b) Have a great day, Mordechai

Succession

Hi,

"When Rabbi Akiva died, Rebbe was born. When Rebbe died, Rav Yehudah was born. When Rav Yehudah died, Rava was born. Whn Rava died, Rav Ashi was born.

"This teaches you that a righteous person does not pass away until an equally righteous person has been created, as the verse says, 'And the Sun shone, and [only after there was a new Sun shining] the Sun set.'"

(Talmud, Kiddushin 72b)

[The idea is that Gd watches out for us, and does not leave us without resources.]

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Day 47 of the Omer - Humble Leadership

Hi,

The Sephirah of the Omer's seventh week is Malchut. Malchut is Monarchy, the ability to guide and influence others.

In addition, the Sephirah of the fifth day of each Omer week is Hod. The kabbalists linked the word Hod (הוד), which means "glory", with Hodaah (הודאה), meaning "thanks" or "confession", to deduce that הוד is a glorious humility.

The combined Sephirah for Day 47 of the Omer is therefore Hod sheb'Malchut, "humble leadership", suggesting an influence which is applied modestly.

Mishlei 29:18 teaches, "Without vision, the nation will run wild," and the leader has the honour of providing that vision, but arrogance will limit his effectiveness. Arrogance in a leader is bad for pragmatic reasons; it can lead to insensitivity, errors, and rejection by the people he is meant to guide. Further, from an ideological standpoint, leadership should intimidate the leader as he becomes aware of his responsibility to lead well. Therefore, for reasons of both practicality and responsibility, a good leader will be humble.

Today's Sephirah instructs us to apply the leadership of Malchut with the humility of Hod.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Day 46 - Persistent Leadership

Hi,

The Sephirah of the Omer’s seventh week is Malchut. Malchut is Monarchy, the ability to influence others.

In addition, the Sephirah of the fourth day of each Omer week is Netzach. Netzach is on-going victory, triumphing over obstacles internal and external.

The combined Sephirah for Day 46 of the Omer is therefore Netzach sheb’Malchut, “persistent leadership”, suggesting an influence which is applied consistently.

The returns on leadership can be discouraging; how long can you play a tune solo, waiting for rest of the band to pick it up? Parents, teachers, rabbis, presidents and role models can tire of the task of setting a good example, or actively instructing. But the reality of education is that meaningful learning rarely occurs with a bolt of inspiration; people learn with repeated exposure, and the opportunity to think and discuss and emulate. A mentor needs to be prepared to lead patiently, over the long term.

Today’s Sephirah instructs us to apply the leadership of Malchut with the consistency of Netzach.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Follow the leader

Hi,

"If a ruler listens to falsehood, then all of his servants [who follow his lead] will be wicked."

(Mishlei 29:12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The addiction of authority

Hi,

"Rabbi Yehoshua ben Perachyah said: At first, had anyone told me, 'Ascend to authority,' I would have bound him up in front of a lion. Now [that I hold authority], if anyone would tell me to descend from authority, I would pour a pot of boiling water over him!"

(Talmud, Menachot 109b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A generation and its leader

Hi,

"R’ Yehudah Nesiah and the Sages debated whether the generation matches the leader or the leader matches the generation.

"As far as what? If you are discussing their spiritual level, meaning that one says that if the generation is good then the leader will be good, and the other says that if the leader is good then the generation will be good, then what about Tzidkiyah, who was good in a bad generation? And what about Yehoyakim, who was bad in a good generation?... Rather, it’s about harsh and gentle styles."

(Talmud, Arachin 17a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Criteria for leadership

Hi,

"The oft-mentioned tuvei ha’ir [leadership of Jewish communities from talmudic times through the Middle Ages] are not necessarily the wisest, oldest or wealthiest, but rather the ones who work hardest in community needs, such that all of the community’s needs are handled by them and the eyes of the community turn to them for all of their needs, such as arranging charity and dedication of items for holy purposes. This is why they are called ‘community heads,’ since all of the needs of the community are executed by them."

(Responsa of Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi, 53)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Judging our leaders

Hi,

Preface: 70 elders assisted Moshe in judging cases for the Jews in the desert, on their way from Egypt to Israel.

"Why are the 70 elders not identified by name in the Torah? Lest people say, 'Is our judge like Moshe and Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, or Eldad and Meidad [figures of the desert era]?'"

[Rashi's explanation: Now that the 70 are not identified, we have no way to know whether our judges are better or worse than any of them.]

(Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 25a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Administration and Leadership

Hi,

"Rav Chanan bar Rava said, citing Rav: It is written (Chronicles I 29), 'He [Gd] elevates all leaders.' This teaches that even the administrators of the irrigation ditches are appointed from Heaven."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 91b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Acknowledging one's errors

Hi,

"Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said: Fortunate is the nation whose prince brings a korban [Temple offering] to atone for his errors!"

(Talmud, Horiyyot 10b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai