This week, Canada celebrated its national birthday and early next week, the United States will celebrate its national birthday. Both countries are the embodiment of the “New World'', a world based upon laws, democracy, and a dream that the future is genuinely brighter and more hopeful than the past. Both countries offer possibility, opportunity and aspire to create a society where one ought to be judged by the “content of character”, not by skin color, country of origin, wealth, or family connections. Both countries have always made it clear that no person is above the law: Not the poorest, not the wealthiest, not the meekest, not the most powerful. So as my children celebrate both Canada Day and Independence Day; I feel compelled to remind them that what they should keep in mind when they celebrate is that more than any form of government more than any form of a society’s basic principle of social organization; Democracy is the holiest form of government and, besides Torah, Democracy is one of the holiest organizing principles of a society. Like Torah, in Democracy the Law is sacred, the law is Holy, and no king, no leader is above the law. Like Torah, Democracy and Law work best when it avoids fundamentalism/extremism of the left and right; but rather sticks to the middle (Deut. 28:14).
This Shabbat we read from Parsha Pinchas. The first few Psukim of the Parsha is a direct continuation of the previous Shabbat Parsha Balak. There is no elapse of time in the narrative. Balak concludes with a plague upon B’nai Yisroel for its worship of the Moabite /Midianite god, Baal Peor. Aaron’s son Pinchas zealously acts by killing Zimri from the tribe of Shimon and Cozbi the Midianite woman. God tells Moshe to reward Pinchas for his behavior by giving him the Brit Shalom, the Covenant of Peace. This covenant is only for Pinchas and his descendants. Keeping in mind that B’nai Yisroel has now concluded its 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and is poised upon the eastern bank of the Jordan River; a new census is taken. Just like we needed to know how many left Egypt, we now need to know how many will enter Eretz Canaan. After the census is taken Moshe must judge a legal case concerning the laws of inheritance when a man has only daughters. Following this narrative, God commands Moshe to teach the new generation the laws for time-bound offerings including the Shabbat offering, the Rosh Chodesh offering, the offerings for the Shalosh Regalim (Three Pilgrimage Festivals, etc).
In between the narrative of the Daughters of Tzlophchad and educating the new generation about all time-bound offerings that correspond to Shabbat, Festivals and Rosh Chodesh, Moshe makes a request of God. Acknowledging that he cannot go on forever, Moshe asks God for a successor. Yifkod Hashem Elohei HaRuchot L’Chol Basar Eish Al Ha’Eidah, Asher Yeitzeh Lifneihem Va’Asher Yavo Lifneihem Va’Asher Yotzieim Va’Asher Y’Vieim V’Lo Tiheyeh Adat HaShem KaTzon Asher Ein LaHem Roeh - May Hashem, God of the spirits of all flesh appoint a man over the assembly, who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall take them out and bring them in; and let the assembly of Hashem not be like sheep that have no shepherd (Num. 27:16-17). In these two verses, we learn about Moshe’s attitudes concerning the necessary qualities for leadership. A leader “ goes out before the people”, and not lead from behind. Like the shepherd, he looks after all the people including the most vulnerable members of the flock. Moshe does not foist his sons upon the people nor upon God as possible successors to Moshe. Even the way Moshe addresses God in this brief narrative suggests something less particularistic, less elitist, more “democratic” and more focused upon the content of character. Moshe refers to God as “the God of the spirits and all flesh”. Rashi explains that “God of spirits and all flesh” refers to God’s knowledge of the intricacies of the human mind, the complexities of human personality and that each individual’s character permits that person to succeed or fail in certain situations. God’s response to Moshe is simple and straightforward. God points to Joshua Asher Ruach Bo- because in him there is spirit (Num 27:18). Joshua has the necessary and appropriate character needed to lead B’nai Yisroel on the next phase of its national journey. Joshua is not from Moshe’s tribe, he is not Moshe’s son nor nephew. Joshua was evaluated solely upon the content of his character. He has Ruach Bo- the spirit within him. He possesses the right character for the job.
No, there was no election to name Moshe’s successor, nor did the people choose. Despite that, God and Moshe taught this new generation, and every generation after, an important lesson about society. Certainly there social and religious institutions that were based upon the tribe, and upon birth. The Mishkan would be operated and maintained by the Leviim. Only descendants of Aaron, Elazar, and then Pinchas, could serve as the Kohen Gadol. Apart from the Temple and the institution of animal sacrifices, leadership was based upon the content of character. Today, we understand that knowledge and the content of character are perhaps the most important qualities in our elected officials, and our community leaders, especially in communities that aspire to the highest of democratic ideals. As parents, we teach our children to evaluate leaders based upon their knowledge and the content of their character, We hope that as our children make their way in the world, that they will also be judged for their knowledge and the content of their character. After all, judging one by the content of one’s character is as old as Joshua being named Moshe’s successors and as new as the noble experiments of democracy here in the “New World”.
Rav Yitz
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