Moshe’s Learning Curve to Leadership | Rabbi Shmuel Goldin

trajectory of Moses leadership path towards leadership and these are disparate events they're not events that occur one right after the other there are different points in the story and yet they have one critical feature That Remains the Same and we'll see that in just a moment we're going to begin with one of the most difficult and to be honest one of the most upsetting sections of the Torah or passages of the Torah and this occurs at as Moshe rabenu leaves y's home and begins his journey towards Egypt God has commanded him now is the time for you to go you're safe the people running after you are no longer alive everybody's you you can now return if you take a look at the first section on your page go go back now to sentence took his wife he took his children he placed them on the donkey you're going to see unbelievable Miracles you're going to do unbelievable things this is this is you're starting your your journey until we get to in which is 4 and he was on the way at a Malone that's Motel all right place place to stay and in correct and God encountered him and sought to kill him that's what the Torah says no warning no discussion no explanation God just simply appears to Moshe out of out of nowhere doesn't say anything to him and threatens his life now why would God do that doesn't doesn't make much sense if God forbid Moshe would not have would have died on the way you and I wouldn't be here today it's not just Mosa's life that's its sake it's the whole story of the birth of the Jewish people that's its sake what's going on why is a jeopardizing not only moshe's life but his whole his whole job his old Journey what happens and here is another case in the Torah where the women are the ones who save the day all right immediately takes a a sharp instrument probably a sharp Rock it's oras she cuts off the foreskin of her son elezar elzar has just been born he's pass the eight days and she circumcises her son immediately when she sees this danger that's coming what then happens the danger disappeared and she called her son kasan lot a bridegroom of blood whatever that may whatever that means but that's the the three sentences of the narrative somebody's got to help me here why why would God why would God do this so thank God we have a variety of different positions in the in the rabbi world as to what is going on here if you turn the next page you'll find that in the townwood in the gar there are three distinct positions all of them are based on the supposition which is a reasonable supposition because of what seora does to to solve the problem is that somehow somewhere bris Milo is involved in this right in other words Moshe didn't do what he was supposed to do on some level and bris Milo is involved and seora corrects the problem that's it so you see in the first first position and I've summarized them in English below [Music] says great great powerful is the Mitzvah of bris because all the goodness all the greatness all the things that Moshe does and did and could do disappear when he did to the bris okay comes along the second position rebi says God forbid that we should think that that Mosher Renu was was negligent thank you negligent in performing this MIT it can't be can't be so what happened he made a himself which was a reasonable and actually a Hally appropriate K which is what which is we're traveling it's dangerous for this child to have the bris Mew now so I'll wait a little while and I'll when I when we reach a place of comfort then we'll be able to do it so why is why does God threaten him because he according to this position was a question priorities as soon as he got to the end what should he have done he should have done the Brisa but he was involved in other things he was fluffing up the pillows he was making the bed he was right whatever it might be and therefore the moment came that moment that Split Second where Moshe should have done something and didn't do it now all of this by the way is is fascinating because bris Mila emerges before the Jews Emer right isn't that true in other words Abraham emerges from the patriarchal era so AB Moshe being obligated in briso it's not yet a Mitzvah it's an obligation it's an obligation that has been handed down from generation to generation but it's not yet a Mitzvah mitzvot only begin at Hari we haven't gotten there yet and in fact that maybe why we have two brot when you do the Brit one which is and for the Brit and one which is because there are two that we have caused him to enter the Covenant of Abraham there are two Dimensions to the Vero in our world one is that it's a Mitzvah and one is that it's a continuation of what abam did in the beginning of time all right so those two positions basically differ on on one one thing one is that Moshe really was negligent and didn't perform the BR the second one is no he made a and what happened was when he got to the place where he should have done the bris law he didn't do it right away finally there is a third position omu not it wasn't Moshe rabenu that was at risk it was the child it was that was at R because it the text says be that God tried or wanted to desired to kill him who's him so until now we basically said it was Moshe which really is probably the P side of the text shim says no not not it wasn't Moshe that was jeopardized it was the child but he doesn't give any reason for it really all right why why would God jeopardize the life of the child not clear not clear those are the three those are the three positions that are held in the Tom hold on a moment please I got to go to one more one more position and then I'll take comments briefly rashbam I've told you in the past the rashbam is my favorite classical commentary because he sticks close to the posad as he can he's rashi's grandson and he sometimes takes his grandfather to task for for going to medim and he comes up with a whole different approach to this event he says wait a minute says the rash this wasn't a pleasure Journey this wasn't a vacation this wasn't something where you bring your your wife and your children to the danger of mitzraim basically he was taking his time it was he was getting them ready shouldn't have done that he should have said stay here safely I'm going immediately and says rashbam the fact that he did not do that the fact that he took seora and his children with him and that caused delays in the actual going that was his that was his that was the problems was a whole different point of view than what's mentioned in the tel yes he go back to that's also delay well correct that's correct he did go back to you beforehand but because he wanted to get the family so that's all part of the same part of the same delay well that's that's a whole that's a whole another discussion right but we we'll get to that yes good question good the question is we have no point we have no um text that says seora was a n how did she know what the problem was so the answer seems to be from the text that she intuition basically she looked around she says what could be causing this danger and she said that's that's it and she did the bris according to the rashbam that doesn't fit because rashbam does says it's not the bris something else yes well that's okay the mad is mad is that eats him that the snake actually swallows him until the point where only his feet are are are visible but we're that's medrash we're just sticking as close as we can to the text I never heard that one all right yes no that's right that's right we're going to come to that we're going to come and and we have it we've hardly answered most of our questions because why doesn't if it's if it's one of these things why doesn't God appear to him and say mosu you know you you do a bris meal right take care of take care of this first or why doesn't Hashem say to him according to the rash bam don't bring back your your your children your family and in fact the Mish if you look down below the medish has a fascinating and this we're going to take a little side trip this whole issue of taking the family back to Egypt was it right or was it wrong so the medish says that mosu comes back to is and he says I'm going to take your CH your daughter and my children to Egypt to which yro responds and this is one of those medim that creates a dial to show the real issue that that this is an issue yro comes to him and says those who are in MIM are dying to get out and you're going to bring my daughter and their children down to to Egypt not right impossible this is a m not this conversation is not in the text this is a medish but what it's doing is it's pointing to something that the rashbam pointed to which is taking the family down to Egypt is an issue is an issue Moshe responds to ISRO by saying that once they leave Egypt they are destined to go to Hari and receive the Torah would I deny that experience to my children and the conversation ends and he takes the family turn to the next page and we find two and by the way we're also there's another mystery and that is once seora does this briso she disappears we have no discussion when is the next time that moshe's family will appear after The Exodus after everything when yro brings them to harini which is another point a narrative that we'll discuss but what's happened so so what did what happened did they go down to to to Egypt did they not go down to Egypt all right so the first thing I want you to look at is the ran on page three the Raman says it was a good idea to take the family down to Egypt why was it a good idea because Ben Israel would look at MOS and say he was sitting comfortably in his in is's house he's going to take his family and bring them to Egypt to what we're experiencing in it must be that he really believes that we're going to get out in other words the bringing of the family says the ramban would give confidence to CLA Israel that mosha rabenu is certain of of the conclusion here that's the ran others suggest no and finally what happens to the family after this event there are different opinions the Evan azra says for example he alone returned or on the on the on the uh path once this event took place seor said he doesn't say this but seor said this is too dangerous we're not going to take the kids we're not going to take the family and she turned around and she went back says the ran the Evan the the ramban again that was the Evan Ezra it's possible that they went down to Egypt it's possible that they did we don't know and K and when the process of The Exodus became longer than they might have expected that's when they left so it's not clear it's not clear what happens after this event but let's let's let's go back to the event itself for a moment and and here's the point that I that we need to make so that we can go to the other narratives something is happening here is threatening Moshe suddenly without any information without any instruction what do you think is happening what's going on what would the lesson be that Moshe is being taught by this event all right I'll tell you what I think and you'll tell me if you like it or not allow himself to do what hasem alls to do but it's steeper than that leadership does not absolve you from personal responsibility right the higher you rise in our world the more the leaders tend to feel those laws are good let's pass them but they don't apply to me right because I'm I I'm I have I'm leading I'm leading I'm you know it's a I just saw a a um one of the articles I read recently said that the knesset voted itself very high bonuses while everybody else is is is struggling right so in other words it's just one example but so many examples how many times America is going to have a president who is a convicted felon right right he's been convicted right but so so these but why do these leaders feel that way because they they're they're leaders they either they say it doesn't apply to me because I'm so important or it doesn't apply to me because I'm so great or whatever it might be Along Comes A KES and through experience teaches Moshe something the first lesson of leadership that is critical and that is Moser I don't have to tell you this I'm going to put you through this you have to know you must realize that your leadership will not absolve you from a responsibility more so what will leadership do it will increase your responsibility you you have to serve as an example not as someone who's outside the pale but as an example to the people that you're leading Ro model a role model correct and there for I would suggest that this is the first time that mosha RAB God turns to mosha rabenu does not tell him what the message is allows him to learn it through very difficult experience so that he should know this is something you should know this is something you should realize on your own I don't have to it's like like sometimes you have an argument with your spouse or with with your children I shouldn't have to tell you this right I shouldn't have I don't need to tell you this this is something you should know by yourself yes oh okay all right so that that's my suggestion to you what might say this come with well good point good point good point but nonetheless nonetheless he does it once he accepts he accepts will come to a point in this sheer where he questions that acceptance yes I'm sorry what I'm suggesting right it's daa at the beginning of his Le right but he he stavka at the beginning of his leadership I believe that Hashem wants him to learn these lessons at stavka at the beginning of the leadership that Hashem says you should realize on your own as you become a leader you cannot absolve yourself from personal responsibility you have to serve as an example well let's go to what there are two other events that are similar in some ways and very different than others and we'll see that this is a pattern I'm suggest that periodically in moshe's life teaches Moshe lessons through experience rather than outright instruction let's go this is a this is a really interesting one it's sort of a little funny at sin right before Revelation okay V El right before theer God comes down in a cloud to the mountain with me on page number four right and God and Moshe goes Moshe God comes down to the m mountain kav and Moshe ascends the mount as soon as he reaches the top what does Hashem say to Moshe ra go down and testify to the people that they have to be careful not to cross the boundary that are making around Hari right now let's leave this conversation for a moment and let's talk about that boundary why is it that at the moment of closest contact with God God insists on distance right in other words he's saying you cannot cross this boundary during Revelation once I leave by the way go ahead and climb our it's not like not like harab said has kadha in itself we mention this that rather once once the Cher blows indicating my presence is gone this is no longer Holy Ground but don't come up so there are a variety of answers one is that this really captures the the relationship that we are meant to have with Hashem which at once is distin and at once is very close we said this before I think kados kados kados which really means separate separate separate is God distant Mal his glory fills the world and it's that kind of relationship that give and take between distance and familiarity that that defines hagalo at har another approach by the way and I think I said this to you last week but I'm not sure the human relationship that most most closely mirrors this relationship with Hashem of distance and familiarity is parent child relationship in Judaism there are two sets of Commandments concerning parents in the Torah one is cabus and one is that you should hold them in awe should and the way the rabbis understand the first one the one that's in har the one in the what how do they understand they say when they need you when they grow older take care of their needs take care of them which is a very very human close event close series of events and the gamorra by the way starts off with a question that only the gamorra could ask which is okay we got to take care of our parents whose money should we use all right is it okay okay if I'm allowed to am I allowed to use my parents money for their care at the end of their life or do I have to use my own and the tud basically says you can use your parents money you're allowed to do it but that's the kind of question the T would ask because it's very basic and it's very somebody else would say I'm not gonna ask that question Tom would asks it because that's real life okay so back to back to the communication here so Moshe God Moshe God comes down to the mountain mosha ascends the mountain no sooner does Moshe reach the top of the mountain then Hashem says to him go down and testify to the people that they should not cross the boundary what does Moses say you've already told us this the the nation cannot come up Mount Si you told us that the pain of death we should not cross that boundary why are you sending me back down to tell them again to which God responds with two words because I told you so right because I told you so go down so let's summarize this conversation and and its flow God calls mosha to the top of the mountain as soon as he gets there he tells him to go down Moshe in his own words basically says what are you giving me busy work for what do what what what why are you giving why are you making me go down you made me come up I go down as soon as I get there I go down not necessary you've already done this to which God says as I said I told you so that's it that's a very strange conversation isn't it and and why is god making Moshe go down if the aerus and dios about to be given and that and now I'll tell you the the the Clincher look at the last sentences in your paragraph right Moshe goes down and following God's instructions tells them not to cross the boundary what's the next thing that happens pageant begins right you could almost see mosu saying wait hold it a minute right the curtain's going up too soon I'm down here I'm supposed to be up there as soon as mosha does what God says God begins the Revelation process so once again something is happening here Hashem is teaching Moshe something very very important what is that leadership leadership what about leadership that leadership has to emate from the people and it must be always connected to the people and therefore Moshe you belong at the beginning of Revelation you belong exactly where you are right you belong with the people at the base of the mountain now there will become a a time when you will Ascend because you have a particular role but nonetheless at its onset the leadership has to come from within and once again it's a lesson that God is teaching mosha it's clear God is teaching mosha I believe without telling him letting him find out for himself right go down and then he starts and mosh Ru says Ah now I understand I had to be here in the beginning I had to be here when the Ten Commandments start the aser 10 wrote 10 statements start all right de 10 declarations start that's really the inter interpretation of De brro it's not 10 commandments it's 10 pronouncements and and mosh raenu says I have to be here at the bottom I have to be with the people when this begins okay someone had a hand I took care of it I answered it okay good all right now let's go to a third event and this what I believe pup shot of the text is that he's at the bottom of the mountain when the Asser begin and that's the point God sends him back down and once he gets down and does what he was told to does begins now when Moshe then goes up that's another question in other words as he go up in the middle of the does they go after but at the moment according to the of the text and there are others who say this is out of order but according to the of the text Moshe is at the base of har when Revelation begins all right next next we're going to move now past harini to a very tragic event tragic event which takes place at Koso what are kavo Graves of Desire literally let's take a look at what's Happening Here because of is the peso Moshe is Turing away from ouri sensibly going to Israel and Moshe hears what the nations are the the the people are are crying and what are they saying they're saying they the text later says they're saying we're sick and tired of the mud we want to go back to where we were in Egypt where we were fed with cauldrons of meat where we were satis everything was great in Egypt right everything was terrific right we're sick and tired of the month so what does mosha do here this is a point and the only point in his leadership where he loses it where he basically says I give up all right he says did I give birth to this these people again figured figure right did I give birth to these people right did I did I become pregnant with them did I birth that should you are telling me to hold them to my chest as a nursing father again figuratively would suckle the child is that what you is that what you're telling me then mosha brings up another problem May from where am I going to get meat how am I going to sell this right where from where am I going to get meat and finally the third plaintiff claim I cannot give birth I cannot lead this nation alone the burden is too strong burden is too hard so what we have here is three distinct concerns that mosha raises the first is an overarching concern is this and ra Sal says this is the moment where Moser Renu learns what leadership into the Jewish World entails this is the moment mosh rabenu until now said I'll give a good cheer right I'll give a good to Russia but and I often say this and I'm teaching a a group of of RAB rical students on Sunday one of the points that I'm going to make over the course of the sessions is that don't ignore the Pastoral part of your renant recognize that it may be the most important part not only because it brings you closer to the people not only because you take care of their needs but because they will see you differently when you do that I was in Englewood 34 years there is no way that I could have spoken to the people when in the 34th in the first year as I did in the 34th right we had 34 years together we had 34 years where I visited visited in the hospital where I I was there God forbid during difficult times we celebrated smot together I earned their trust I could then get up and say things to them that I could never have said in the beginning so the Pastoral part of the Rabin it is defines the Rabin it in some ways all right now so he's ra ra so that's the first complaint that he's raised is this the nature of Jewish leadership do I really have to do this right and again picture me the rabbi sitting in my office and one person comes in with a very very serious problem and the next person comes in with a very very serious problem and the next person comes in with a clayy the next person comes in with something that's ridiculous that is so minor it shouldn't even bother him and you're sitting there and you you want to say at some level do you know what the people before you were bringing to me we were bringing me this idiotic thing this small thing but then you stop and you realize wait a minute what to you seems small clearly to this individual is large and therefore you have to respond to that person as you would if they brought one of the other issues and that's what Moshe is learning here he is learning that he has to have patience he's learning that he has to take care take care of the people next so that's number one that's his first complaint is this the nature Jewish leadership second complaint where will I find and third complaint I can't do this alone okay so three issues that he brings up to a let's see how God responds t z and in that same page five in the thing of I'm looking at the second underlined section now all right page five gather for me 70 wise men zakum Elders of the people and bring them to the the tent well he doesn't say that right right now he says I will take from the spirit that is upon you basically go go with them and I will take a portion of the holy spirit that I've invested in you and place it in them now the rabbis say that at this point Moshe is like a candle because fire is the only element or one of the only elements that can give to another and still retain its own strength so it's not that MOS is diminished if anything Moshe is enlarged he is sharing he is giving from his Spirit to these people but not losing any element of his own greatness so that's the answer to problem number one problem number two three really I can't do it what good question good question why does he answer the last one first all right um I don't know all right it could be it could be that that he feels there's a there is a um sequence to what he's going to say now and that's sequence has to begin with this the sharing of the leadership now this is the this is the progenitor of what San hedrin right rinic Authority and in fact there's something very fascinating here and I'll take another side trip for just a moment when it what happens is God tells them to go to the door of the ohid of the of the sanctu he descends and places some of the spirit on them and the Torah says they they prophesized and then they did not Yu all right so what does the word Yu come from right the answer is it could be two things it come could be MOS or S which are two different two very different possibilities by could mean they prophesized and they never stopped right below yfu or it could mean by that they never stopped prophesying in other words that they continued seeu they they added to what they have okay so it could be any one of those things this is fascinating and I want to suggest that the Torah uses that language because there will be a debate throughout his history as to how we view rinic leadership there will be those who are mystically inclined to say that the r has some sort of certain Ron right have some sort of spiritual uh spark and God is telling them what to do they don't realize it and then there will be those myself included who will say no that's not that's not isn't left to the Nim ran says this in his introduction to U the Mish it's not left to Nim it's given to the rabbis to use their sense their intellect to determine what should be and therefore the prophecy here was instant but limited only to that time so different possibilities yes they have the same true that's correct that's correct well done that that it it's a voice and either it doesn't end or it ends one or the other there's no no possibly it's not happening again and possibly what possibly it never stopped okay now so he answers question number three let's keep going next elar I'm looking at sentence 18 and to the nation say and this is very frightening news get ready for tomorrow and you're going to eat meat but what's gon to happen because you had the to complain against me and say who's going to give us meat we want to go back to Egypt what's gonna happen I'm going to give you meat and it's I don't have it here totally in the text it comes actually good test and Ka not underlined but it's in there it you're going to eat meat till it comes out of your nostrils you're going to eat meat until and what happens is a plague occurs of some kind while they are consuming what happens quailes are brought come and and they eat the meat and during the eating of the meat thousands of them perish so is angered by this there are some Rebellion the rebellions in the midbar were not all equivalent there were some rebellions that were reasonable we're out of water we need water it's not a rebellion it's complain put it that way there are others like this one where KES Bar says you have nothing to complain about and you're complaining I'm going to teach you all right so that's the second so he answers the second what does he not answer problem number one the biggest problem the one that really leads to all the others which is is this the nature of Jewish leadership and basically what he says to M with in through his silence is a my words not that not that um not that proper suck it up Moshe right that's it recognize recognize that this is what Jewish leadership is and I don't have to tell you that I'm going to teach you through example and therefore I'm not going to answer I'm not going to answer your first complaint because you need to realize that that's it that's what it is yes question um I have noide that he gave them so much Quail like he said he would that they ate it for days but maybe it went part of it started to go bad and when it went bad they got sick okay so my answer to you is we don't know right in other words what we know is that something happened right that who caused something to happen during the consumption of the meat that created a terrible tragedy we do not know why we do not know how right in other words what was the mechanism by which that tragedy occurred it could be that you're right it might be know might be that it was something else but something happens that causes the tragedy so what MOS ru is being taught here is another Elemental Elemental piece of Jewish leadership which is the nature of Jewish leadership is that you have to care for your people like a parent would care for for his child and mosha Renu has to be has to learn that that's not in it by the way that's not instinctive for mosenu it would be more instinctive for who for Aaron right but nonetheless mosha rabeno has to learn that this is the nature of leadership and you have to have that patience and you have to have that love and you have to do it well that's a very interesting question right which is what happens to Mosa's children right another qu another another time another time to discuss all right so turn to the next page so what we're really saying what we're suggesting is that AES who makes use of a particular tool in order to educate noan and that tool is learn from experience in other words there are certain things that I don't have to tell you that you need to know and that you need to take it in yourself from the experiences that you have what does that teach about education so I'm going to tell you something um that another one of my pet peeves parents today are determined not to let their children fail right in other words you having trouble with that paper right I'll help you write it you're having trouble with this we don't want you to fail failure is an important teacher right failure is The Stumbling is an important event in life that teaches us about life those children that are growing up and those homes end up believing that everything's going to come to them that everything will be and in some cases it does all right in some cases the parents continue to treat them the same way later on but life issues are very important and and failure is part of those life issues so Al baru is teaching mosha through experience and taking the chance that there will be a failure here and nonetheless he's doing it and he's teaching him that way and that way is important right well he basically says that to Moshe in other words he says tell the nation that they're going to eat meat and they're going to be sorry and it seems he basically says that at the bottom of the page it says you you're you're gonna have it so it's going to come out of your nost it's going to be bad for you and if May Israel would have turned around at that point I think and said to Moshe okay God's God's telling us that we really shouldn't be doing this because it'll be dangerous that it wouldn't have happened God gives them that opportunity yes 100% that's that's correct that's that's correct that's what I that's really what I'm saying I'm saying that failure and can teach what's important and and what needs to be done so Mosin who's got a curve learning curve towards leadership we are suggesting we're suggesting that at least in three places in the Torah I'm not aware of others there may be others KES baru teaches him through experience rather than frontal teaching and that that those issues that he learns on those occasions are critically important one that leaders do not leadership does not absolve you from personal responsibility two that leadership has to emanate from the people and three that leadership consists of caring and taking care of the Pastoral dimensions of your of your leadership question about the solution having the elders the ofation is how does that well they they didn't no they didn't stop leading they stopped prophesying in other words well it was perhaps but but leadership no longer read the ram when you introduction to the mishna and he basically says that Hal is not in the hands of prophets anymore right basic he says it very clearly is in the hands of man and basically that's why that interpretation exists all right so I we're going to end there everybody unless there are comments or questions on anything we've said okay all right all the best all the best