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Parsha with Evan Green

Shalom Mishpacha,

Here’s hoping the onset of another beautiful Shabbat finds each one of you in happiness and health. For those in Ottawa, it finds you buried in snow!

This week we start the Sefer Shemot (known in English as the Book of Exodus) with Parshat Shemot, which includes the story of Moshe (Moses), whom we might consider to be the paradigm of a Jewish leader. Does not the mere name – Moshe – stir feelings within us?

It brings with it the weight of history, our history... as Moshe is forever linked with our Torah and our lives. This week we begin to read his story - our story – from his beginning.

Moshe comes to teach us so much. This week, we will focus on what he teaches us about leadership. Each us is a ‘leader’ in some way: perhaps in our families, in our schools, in our synagogues, in our communities, in our workplaces; or at least, we all certainly have the potential to be. Moshe and our Torah come to teach us much about how bring out this potential.

We all know the story and how it begins. We find the Israelites in Egypt and we watch them as they become slaves to Pharaoh. The Torah then tells us that Pharaoh wanted to kill all of the Jewish newborn boys. His astrologers told him that a redeemer of the Jewish people was being born.

However, Amram and Yocheved, Moshe's parents, hid him as long as they could. They then placed him in a waterproofed basket in the Nile where he was found by Pharaoh's daughter. Moshe was brought up in the Pharaoh's palace. 

The Torah tells us that after Moshe grew up, he went out to observe the burdens of his brethren. He came to know that he was one of them. He saw an Egyptian man beating a Hebrew, he "looked this way and that way to see if there was a man," and then struck down the Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-12).

From here, Rabbi Kalman Packouz believes that we learn some of the basic principles of being a leader:

(1) A leader must go out amongst the people to understand firsthand their situation.

(2) A leader must be able to recognize that there is a problem.

(3) A leader must look to see if there is anyone else who is dealing with the problem. If someone is already taking action, then support and assist the person - don't vie for glory of being the hero. (4) If there is no one taking action, then one must take action.

There is a common misconception that only ability leads to leadership. Moses comes to teach us that caring and taking responsibility leads to leadership. People tend to focus on their weaknesses and use them as excuses for not taking responsibility and for not leading.

Moshe, as we know, had a serious speech impediment. It didn't stop him from achieving greatness. He succeeded at being a great leader and a great person. And so can each of us... no matter what impediment may lie before us.

Charles Harary speaks of 3 prerequisites for real leadership: First, A Commitment To Truth - it should be about doing what is right, not what looks good or what everyone might be doing.

Then, second, it is about being ready to stand against the whole world - for what's right. Avraham was the first monotheist and stood firmly in opposition to all of the idol worshippers – to the world – around him (where the term Ha’ivri (Hebrew), ‘the one who stood on the other side’, comes from). Moshe too, stood against many, in opposition, standing up for what was right.

But I wanted to focus on the third one Charles Harary brings forth: Compassion. A leader must truly care and want to help others. 

We read in the Torah that G-d tested all of the Patriarchs as shepherds to test and train them for leadership. The Midrashim (part of our Oral Torah and tradition) tell of Moshe going to great lengths to find a lost lamb and carrying it back to the flock because it was weak.

Among other reasons that he was chosen to lead the Israelites: just as he cared about that one small member of his flock, Moshe cared about each and every Jew and directed his heart and mind the share the experiences of his fellow Jews. Although he enjoyed the privileges of a palace upbringing, he empathized with the plight of those Jews who were enslaved. This quality of concern for others helped make Moshe an outstanding leader.

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin argues that just as Moshe went out from the luxury of the royal palace to see his fellow Israelites' suffering; we, too, must "go out" to see and respond to others' suffering... whether we see ourselves as leaders or not... It is part of our role in the world to care for and look out for others.

Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz learns from this parsha the meaning of true empathy. He draws upon a comment from the Midrash which Rashi (Rabbi and perhaps the greatest of our Torah commentators, 11th C, France) quotes in this week's parsha: "And it was in those days that Moshe grew up and went out amongst his brethren and saw their travails."

Rashi comments that Moshe put "his eyes and heart into suffering with them." Moshe did not merely observe their distress; rather, he threw his entire being into understanding the depth of their distress, to know every tiny detail of it. But, it does not stop here.

The Midrash goes on to say that Moshe put his shoulder under their load and shared the burden with all his brethren. This was not so much to help them, says Rabbi Levovitz, since Moshe could only provide a limited amount of help to such a multitude and for such an overwhelming task. Rather, he shared in their hard labor so that he could truly share in their pain, exhaustion and crushed spirit. Then, and only then, could he be truly empathetic. This is the trait of a true leader.

As our Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (also from Oral Torah, a beautiful and insightful set of wise words) teaches us, sharing in another's burden is essential for the acquisition of Torah. It is fundamental not only for mitzvot between man and man, but between man and G-d as well.

Since true empathy is essential for Torah, Rabbi Levovitz states one can't be truly Torah observant if one is derelict in this trait. Ritual piety without sharing in others' burdens is not Torah observance.

The natural feelings people have cause them to isolate themselves from others who are suffering., Torah observance is not designed to provide one with maximum comfort; the Torah requires us to investigate the depth of other peoples' distress and, as Moshe did, feel along with those who suffer. This is true empathy.

Moses came to teach us that an essential part of being Jewish is taking care of those around us. In this light, we can all be leaders.

To end off, it is worth noting that Moses’ empathy was surpassed only by his modesty perhaps, another trait not entirely unbecoming of a true leader. As the Torah states, Moshe said to Hashem: "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh . . . " Moshe, as humble as he was, did not even consider himself worthy of being the deliverer of the Jewish people.

Thereupon, Hashem answered him that his very question was proof of how fit he was for the task. Hashem calls only on those who do not think overly highly of themselves. Thus, as the Midrash teaches us, of all the mountains, Hashem chose lowly Mt. Sinai as the place upon which to give the Torah, for while the higher mountains boasted of their heights, Mt. Sinai remained little in its own eyes. Similarly, since Moshe remained little in his own eyes, he was worth of leading the Jewish people.

We all have this potential of leadership within us, and I believe we shall each realize this in our own ways.

May we learn from our Torah and from Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses our teacher, how to bring out this potential to lead. May Hashem strengthen us all to be committed to the truth, to stand up for what is right and to demonstrate unending love, compassion and empathy towards those around us. And all this, with a good dose of humility. With this, we will all lead where we can, in our families and in our communities… and collectively, the Jewish people can act as role models for everyone.

Shabbat Shalom

Evan Green
Partner and International Project/Programme Manager

Le Groupe-conseil Baastel ltee

(819) 595-1421 ext.228 cell: (819) 329-4490

www.baastel.com

Think Good and It Will Be Good! An Important Lesson From Moses

In this week’s Torah portion we read about the story of Moses growing up in Egypt. At one point Moses sees a man - who was having an inappropriate relationship with a married woman against her will - beating herhusband.

Moses cannot bear to watch one of his brothers being tortured by such an evil man, so Moses kills the man with his Kabalistic power.

Moses later learns that his act was being publicized and hefeared for his life. The Torah writes "and he was afraid" the commentator Rashi - who only writes on verses in the Torah if they need somebasic clarification - writes on this verse,  that it is meant to be takenliterally.

What kind of explanation was that? What lesson can we learnfrom the fact that Moses was afraid literally, to the extent that Rashi felt the need to write in more detail about it in his commentary?

The explanation is as follows: In life there are manysituations that can turn out to the negative. It may be a time we are in adangerous situation, or a job interview that can go either way. Can we effectout destinies? Or is it unless even trying?

The Torah teaches that the mind is the most powerful tool, not only can ones thoughts effect the way they feel about things, but they canactually change the way things turn out for. As the famous Hasidic quote goes"think good and it will be good".

When faced with a fear, your attitude can affect theoutcome. If you become afraid you may be bringing on your own demise. If you stay positive you will bring about a positive outcome.

This is the reason why Rashi chose to emphasis Moses’ fear in his commentary. He wanted to answer a question that many will have; howcould it be that Moses the greatest of men needed to run for his life?

Would G-d not protect him? The answer is "Moses was afraid" he failed in that small moment to have complete trust in G-d and as a result of his fear- the outcome was the need for him to run forhis life.

- Rabbi Schneur Hayes

Tranquility The Result of Hard Work