My Words Fill The Sky With Flame; And Might and Glory Gonna Be My Name (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Estimated Prophet")

          The province of Ontario finally declared a state of Emergency as it began the process of breaking up the occupation at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor to Detroit and connecting Canada and the U.S. with approximately $50 million dollars a day in trade. Yet despite the ongoing removal of the trucks, many people remained protesting. The protesting has continued in Coutts, Alberta where protesters closed that bridge between the two countries. The protests have spread to France, Australia and there is concern that a convoy has left California heading towards Washington. Organizing and funding these protests have come from the same right-wing organizations that fueled the pro-populist, anti-democratic message of politicians that supported the January 6th Washington D.C. uprising. Each of these protests and demonstrations represent a minority of each country’s respective population. Despite representing a minority opinion, each reflects the dangers of the mob or populist movements.

          This week’s Torah portion is entitled Ki Tissah. Parsha Ki Tissa is divided into several parts. The first part is the command to take a census of the population and collect a half-shekel for each person counted. The second part is the final blueprints for the Mishkan, the spices that are to be used, as well as the oil that is to be processed prior to burning. God then designates two men, Betzalel ben Uri from the tribe of Judah and Ahaliav ben Achisamach from the tribe of Dan to be the Master Builder and Designer of this national project. God reiterates the commandment of the Shabbat and reminds Moshe that anyone who violates it will be put to death and his/her soul will be cut off from the people.  In the next part, B’nai Yisroel commits the sin of the Eigel Zahav (Golden Calf): they built and then worshipped an idol. God wants to wipe out the people but Moshe urges God to reconsider. Moshe then descends the mountain and becomes just as upset as God, and he throws down the Shnei Luchot HaBrit – the Two Tablets of the Covenant. After a day or two when calm has been restored, Moshe re-ascends the mountain in order to pray for national forgiveness. Moshe then has an opportunity to experience another personal revelation even more powerful than the Burning Bush; Moshe has the opportunity to witness God’s passing before him. Dictated by God, Moshe chisels the Aseret Diberot into two new Tablets. He then goes back down the mountain. This time he descends with the light and glory of God emanating from him.

          During the moment when Moshe re- ascends the mountain seeking forgiveness for the people and Moshe experiences a personal revelation and watched God pass by; God re-iterates the covenant.  VaYomer Hinei Anochi Koreit Brit Neged Kol Amcha E’eseh Niflaot Asher Lo Nivre’u V’Chol Ha’Aretz U’VeChol HaGoyim - God said, ‘Behold, I seal a covenant: Before your entire people I shall make distinctions such as have never been created in the entire world and among all the nations.; and the entire people among whom you are will see the work of Hashem – which is awesome - that I am about to do with you. HiShameir Lecha Pen Tichrot Brit L’Yosheiv Ha’Aretz Asher Atah Ba Aleha Pen Yiheyeh L’Mokeish B’Kirbecha- Be vigilant lest you seal a covenant with the inhabitant of the land to which you come, lest it be a snare among you. (Ex. 34:11-12)The lesson of the Eigel Zahav, (the Golden Calf) was that B’nai Yisroel mimicked the indigenous idolatrous people that were living in B’nai Yisroel’s covenanted land.  God reminded Moshe and by association reminded the people that they must not weaken the nature of the covenant. They must not deal with these nations for fear that B’nai Yisroel becomes ensnared (L’Mokeish), trapped, and weakened. How could these idol-worshipping nations ensnare B’nai Yisroel? The fact is these nations cannot trap or ensnare B’nai Yisroel unless B’nai Yisroel ceases its vigilance, if they start dealing with these nations, or if they think that peace with these nations will lead to the perpetuation of B’nai Yisroel. From God’s perspective is to remind Moshe that the desire to make peace with those who want to destroy B’nai Yisroel, is not peace but rather will lead to B’nai Yisroel’s destruction.  According to Talmudic Sages, each Yom Kippur allows each generation to atone for that tragic mistake.

          It takes great courage to stand up for one’s beliefs. It takes even greater courage to confront leaders when standing up for one’s beliefs. B’nai Yisroel’s leaders succumbed to the mob. Their desire to mimic Egyptian idolatrous practices is a manifestation of succumbing to those who were most anxious and fearful of Moshe’s absence and led B’nai Yisroel down a dangerous path for which the Jewish People people continue to atone on Yom Kippur.  In watching the leadership of the Conservative Party, and the Provincial leadership’s attempt to cater to and side with the mob instead of the law, order, and democracy; they make the same mistake other leaders do when trying to placate the mob, and they are led down a dangerous path that could ensnare and damage democratic institutions form many generations to come.

Peace,
Rav Yitz  

We're Standing On The Beach, The Sea Will Part Before Me (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Estimated Prophet")

           The Seminary where our daughter attends during her gap year in Israel has been closed for Pesach since the second week of March. In fact, most of the Seminaries and Yeshivot in Israel give 3-4 weeks of “vacation” to their students. Rather than leaving the students completely on their own, our daughter’s seminary offered them a variety of “outside” class experiences including backpacking through a region in Israel or taking the Magen David Adom (Israel’s Red Cross) first responder certification program.  Our daughter chose to study for her certification with Magen David Adom (the Red Cross).  When I asked her why she wanted to spend her Pesach vacation taking this incredibly intensive class, she explained that it is important to have life-saving skills because one never knows. She also reminded me of a section of Talmud from the Tractate Kiddushin 29a. The Talmud discusses the four obligations that a father has in terms of raising a son.  One of those obligations is teaching his son to swim (since it might save his life). My daughter reminded me that such an obligation should probably be applied to raising a daughter as well. So my daughter explained that acquiring such skills not only helps her but could potentially help another.  

          This Shabbat is also the Seventh Day of Pesach. As we continue our celebration of Pesach, the Torah reading continues the narrative of the Exodus. We read of the miracle of Kriat Yam Suf (the Crossing of the Reed Sea). Already out of Egypt and now pursued by the Pharaoh's army; B’nai Yisroel finds itself stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. Before them lies the Reed Sea, and behind them, the Egyptian Army continues its pursuit. Panicked, these former slaves believe that they have two choices: death by drowning or death at the hands of the Pharaoh's army. Moshe, too, appears at wit’s end. Unsure of how to proceed,  he begins to pray on both his and the people’s behalf. VaYomer HaShem El Moshe -  God says to Moshe  Mah Titzahk Eilai Dabeir El B’nai Yisroel V’Yisau – speak to the Children of Israel and let them journey forth (Ex. 14:15). Eventually, B’nai Yisroel mustered enough courage and they crossed the sea. Upon their successful arrival onto the other side, Moshe and B’nai Yisroel break out into song praising God’s strength, love, and protection.

          The Talmudic Sages in the Tractate Sotah 36a credits the great- great- grandson of Judah, Nachshon Ben Aminadav, as the first person into the Sea. However, the Sea did not open when Nachshon put his foot into the water. Nor did the sea part when he was knee-deep, thigh-deep, or waist-deep into the water. Undeterred, and apparently full of a profound and simple faith in God, Nachshon continued to wade into the water. The water covered his chest, his shoulders, his neck, chin, face, and soon he was completely submerged. At the moment he was to sink or float, the waters opened up. B’nai Yisroel followed and they made their way across. While the Midrash doesn’t suggest that Nachshon actually swam at all, certainly he was the ultimate first responder, risking his life to save B’nai Yisroel from their own spiritual paralysis.

            Nachshon’s courage in the Midrash teaches a valuable lesson about faith and freedom. No matter the difficulty, no matter the pain, sadness, and grief, there is a path across the Yam Suf. That is not to say that we may not be bruised, scarred, or damaged in some way. It only means that crossing our own sea gives us an opportunity for a future. Staying back, remaining paralyzed, succumbing to our fears, guarantees no future, and remaining enslaved. Indeed, freedom is all about a sense of tomorrow, the future, and possibilities. Yes, our daughter had to get her apartment cleaned for Pesach. However, her Pesach preparations also included first aid, CPR, artificial respiration, treating wounds, broken bones, spinal injuries, and other medical emergencies that might very well save someone’s life. There was classroom instruction, there was experiential learning (practicum),  and there numerous hours of studying every day. After two weeks,  several days before Pesach began, she was supposed to take an exam. A few days before her exam, nervous and anxious she called her mother. She reminded our daughter that she has done all the work, put in an enormous amount of effort, and now needs only to have faith and jump into her exam. Right before Pesach, having passed the exam,  she sent us a picture with her Magen Adom jacket posed in front of a Magen David Adom ambulance. 

Peace,

Rav Yitz

My Words Fill The Sky With Flame; And Might And Glory Gonna Be My Name (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Estimated Prophet")

            As we listened to the Prime Minister share the additional restrictions on entry into Canada, my wife and I called our daughters in the Washington D.C. metro area. As parents, we needed to inform them of the new restrictions if they planned on returning home for Pesach. They would need to plan ahead accounting for testing, quarantining and the most efficient mode of travel.  My wife was upset because bringing them home for Passover became more expensive and more inconvenient. However, both our daughters agreed with the Prime Minister that further restrictions in order to prevent unnecessary travel were actually a smart and responsible decision. Each daughter explained that both Australia and New Zealand have initiated similar restrictive travel policies back in the late spring and early summer.  Compared to Europe and the United States, both Australian and New Zealand society appear far healthier, having returned to a more normal life. Testing and monitoring for outbreaks in those places remain constant and ongoing. The populace fully accepts what so many in North America consider “heavy-handed” because the vast majority in those respective nations believe that each person plays a vital role in making Australian and New Zealand society safe and open. Each individual feels connected to the greater good.

In this week’s Parsha Yitro, there are two distinct narratives. The first narrative focuses upon Moshe and his father-in-law Yitro.  Moshe leads B’nai Yisroel to Midian. While there, Moshe spends a little time with his wife, his two sons, and his father-in-law, Yitro. Yitro acknowledges that G-d has been protective of B’nai Yisroel and that the Lord is greater than all other gods. The next day, Yitro witnesses Moshe sit from morning to night mediating and adjudicating conflicts among B’nai Yisroel. Yitro understands that his son-in-law is overextended and the current method of governing is neither good for him or Amchah (the nation). Being both a Priest of Midian as well as his father-in-law, Yitro offers advice as both a father and a community leader. The second distinct narrative occurs, from chapters 19 through 20,  and focuses upon B'nai Yisroel’s revelation at Sinai.  The Parshah concludes with God’s declaration of the Aseret Dibrot, the Ten Commandments. The second part of the Parshah is very well known, incredibly unclear, and lends itself to numerous interpretations, commentaries, and Midrashim.  However, the two stories seem so disparate and could easily stand alone.  Why do these two separate narratives appear together in the same Parsha and how are they connected? 

           Yitro suggests to Moshe “You be a representative of God, and you convey the matters to God…you shall make known to them the path in which they should go and the deeds they should do. You shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, men of truth, men who despise money. You shall appoint them as leaders of thousands…they shall judge the people at all times, and they shall bring every major matter to you, and every minor matter they shall judge, and it will be eased for you, and they shall bear with you. If you do this thing and God shall command you, then you will be able to endure, and this entire people, as well, should arrive at its destination in peace.” (Ex. 18:19-23)  Yitro explains that a community must have a shared vision. To some degree, people need to know how to seek G-d on their own, and how to behave within a community. Others need to know God's ways in order to adjudicate and mediate conflicts or transmit information. Everyone must have access to G-d and G-d’s teaching. Only then will Moshe’s leadership responsibilities be light enough to bear. Only then will Amchah have a stake in the relationship with G-d. Only then will Moshe and B’nai Yisroel become willing participants in their covenant with G-d. Only then can this community uphold its role as a “priest to the nations”. Then and only then will Moshe and B’nai Yisroel arrive at its destination in peace.  However, Yitro’s suggestion is a top-down approach. Moshe sits atop. Those with enough knowledge and integrity to serve as judges sit beneath Moshe. Eventually, this knowledge will “trickle-down” to Amchah, the general population.  

          After Moshe heeded his father in-law’s advice, the preparation for and the Revelation at Sinai occurs. While Moshe ascends and descends the mountain, the narrative focuses upon B’nai Yisroel’s preparation, and its standing, waiting, and listening.  God instructs  Amchah to prepare for Revelation. The “entire people'' were in the camp, and they shuddered. Then Moshe brought the people from the camp toward God. (Ex 19:16-17). When presented with God’s covenant, “the entire people responded together and said, ‘everything that God has spoken we will do!’”(Ex 19:8) The narrative continually emphasizes that Revelation was not solely between God and Moshe. If it were, then Moshe’s role as teacher, prophet, and adjudicator of law would be overwhelming. Rather,  B'nai Yisroel must be involved in the process. B’nai Yisroel must experience some aspect of Revelation. B’nai Yisroel must be active participants in Revelation. They were. They willingly and unanimously responded.  B’nai Yisroel’s unanimous response indicated that they were responsible and willing participants in the covenant. Their participation and the unanimous response indicated that they shared a common vision and purpose.

          The two narratives join together in order to demonstrate that covenant is a sacred partnership between God and Amchah (the Nation), and between God and each individual. The two narratives combine to demonstrate that B’nai Yisroel connects directly and through a shared intermediary, Moshe. As a result, each individual understands the benefits of self-sacrifice for his/her own welfare as well as the welfare of the covenant and the community. Ideally, this self-sacrifice will allow B'nai Yisroel and Moshe to arrive at their destination in peace. The citizens of Australia and New Zealand care enough about themselves and their community to engage in behaviour that requires some self-sacrifice in order to prevent the spread of Covid,  re-open society thereby arriving at its destination in peace.  This attitude benefits both the individual and the community.  So our daughters will plan accordingly. Their inconvenience is a small price to pay to combat the spread of Covid and hopefully return to a more normal way of life. 

Peace,

Rav Yitz

You've All Been Asleep, You Would Not Believe Me (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Estimated Prophet")

           Perhaps it’s nature or maybe it is nurture, but I grew up with an incredibly low threshold for listening to people whine. I recall as a boy hearing my younger sister whine, it drove me crazy. My wife knows I have a low threshold for listening to and tolerating whining. My children always understood that whining about or for something was never a good strategy to illicit my empathy and understanding. As I have grown older, I have very little patience for adults who whine. Rabbi Levi, in the Midrash Tanchuma also talks about a spoiled brat: “A child is riding on his father’s shoulders. When the child sees something he wants, he asks for it. His father gets it for him. This happens again and again. They encounter a person approaching from the opposite direction, and the child asks the stranger, ‘Have you seen my father?’ The father responds incredulously, “You ride on my shoulders, and everything you want I get you, yet you ask, ‘Have you seen my father?’ The father then takes the child down from his shoulders and a dog comes and bites the child.”

          This week’s Parshah, Beshalach, is also known as Shabbat Shira (Shabbat of Song). Bnai Yisroel leaves Egypt. Pharaoh, realizing what he has done, gives chase with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. Trapped by the Sea, Bnai Yisroel looks to Moshe for an answer. Moshe prays and God tells Moshe to take Israel and start walking through the Yam Suf.  So as they begin walking into the Yam Suf; it splits and Bnai Yisroel arrives safely on the other side. Meanwhile, the Egyptian army is trapped in the water as the sea closes upon them.  B’nai Yisroel sings throughout this Parshah. Upon successfully completing their crossing of the Yam Suf, the headline song begins (Ex. 15:1): Oz Yashir Moshe u’Vnai Yisroel et Ha Shira Ha’zot L’adonai va’Yomru Leimor Then Moses and the Children of Israel chose to sing this song to God and they said the following. In this song, B’nai Yisroel praises God as protector of his people. After the song, Miriam, Moshe’s sister, tells the women Shiru L’adonai Ki Ga’oh Ga’Ah Sus v’Rochvo Ramah Va’Yam Sing to God for he is exalted above the arrogant, having hurled horse with its rider into the sea. (Ex.15:21) When tradition referred to this Shabbat as Shabbat Shirah, clearly this is what was meant.

          However immediately following these songs of praise, B’nai Yisroel begins another kind of singing. Instead of songs of joy and praise, known as singing, there are songs of discontent and complaint, which always sounded to me as whining. No sooner does B’nai Yisroel cross the Yam Suf and sing Oz Yashir Moshe, then they complain about the lack of good water. Moshe puts a tree into the water and it becomes sweet (15:25-26). They whine about the lack of food. God provides the manna from Heaven (16:6-8,16-36). They complain about the lack of meat. God provides them with quail (16:13). They complained about the lack of water upon their arrival in Rephidim. Moshe strikes a rock as God instructs, and provides water for the people. They wanted it now. So God gave it “now”. The complaining and the lack of patience seem to indicate B’nai Yisroel’s lack of patience. Although liberated from slavery, B’nai Yisroel still has the mentality of slaves. After generations of slavery, B’nai Yisroel has grown used to living passively. As slaves, they ceased struggling for freedom. They performed their tasks and returned to their slaves’ quarters and ate their slave food that the master provided. There is no sense of responsibility for the future. There is no sense that improvement is possible. The slave looked to the master to take care of everything. Upon leaving Egypt and crossing the Yam Suf, B’nai Yisroel looks to God to take care of everything. They have no sense of taking take care of themselves. So they sang or whined, “But Daddy we want the water and meat and we want it now!” God gave them another miracle.

          Like the impudent boy who asked the stranger if he had seen his father, while all the while sitting upon his father’s shoulders; B’nai Yisroel demonstrates the same impudence. Hayeish Adonai B’kirbeinu Im Ayin? “Is God among us or not?” The father put the boy on the ground. God put B’nai Yisroel upon the ground. Just like the dog bit the boy, Amalek attacks. B’nai Yisroel.  B’nai Yisroel stopped whining. They finally do for themselves.  “Moshe said to Joshua, ‘Choose people for us and go do battle with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand’. Joshua did as Moshe said to him, to do battle with Amalek” (Ex.17:9-10). B’nai Yisroel fought, God gave them strength. This is the first time in the Parshah where we read that B’nai Yisroel acted first. God helped them when they helped themselves.

         Emunah (Faith) in God depends upon faith in ourselves. Before we seek God’s help, we must help ourselves. The spoiled brat is the child who won’t do for his/herself. The spoiled brat expects others to do for him. Instead of trusting in and doing for itself first, B’nai Yisroel relied upon God to do for them. Thank God, we are no longer slaves in Egypt, yet we remain slaves. We are enslaved by our fears, enslaved by our anxieties, and enslaved by our own passivity. At first, it may always seem easier to be passive, do nothing, be uninvolved, and not improve the world around us. The first step in freedom is conquering our own passivity, and doing for ourselves. Only when we take that first step will we feel the support and strength that God offers us. Then we can conquer Amalek. Then we conquer our own fears. Then improvement is possible for both the individual and the community.  Most importantly, we eventually stop whining.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Still I Know I Lead The Way, They Tell Me Where I Go (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Estimated Prophet")

          Like millions, our family watched Hamilton on TV. Much of what we learned was a lesson in and the complexity of leadership. With the help of excellent music and witty lyrics, we learned that leadership is sometimes a complex mixture of personal ambition, circumstances, and opportunities. Eventually, leadership is a desire to improve the lives of others and make a community or a society a better place. This was evident in much of Hamilton’s essays that comprised the majority of the Federalist Papers and ultimately provided the framework for President James Madison’s writing of the U.S. Constitution. Just how sacred is this the importance of leadership? It is evident in the Presidential Oath of Office. The U.S. Constitution in Article II Section 1 Clause 8 states: “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:- ‘I do solemnly swear  (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’”  Keeping in mind that the Constitution not only speaks for the People, the document is the people’s voice, words, and sentiments regarding American society:  “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union….” By upholding the oath of office, the leader, the President is preserving, protecting, and defending the people, their lives, and their community.  Failure to uphold the oath and the words of the constitution is a failure to lead a failure to protect and defend the lives of the people. Trying to abolish health care in the face of a Pandemic is NOT protecting the people. Forcing public schools to re-open in an unsafe environment in the face of a pandemic is NOT protecting the people. NOT confronting Vladimir Putin about placing a bounty on U.S. soldiers is tantamount to NOT protecting and defending. When, after four months since the Covid 19 Pandemic came to North America, states, counties, and hospitals are still struggling to obtain PPV and the Executive Branch (led by the President) has NOT established a national plan to increase the supply of PPV is a failure to protect and defend. Defending the symbols of the Confederacy, the public display of Confederate generals who committed treason by fighting against the Union, and attempting to stop the military from renaming military bases named after Confederate generals who committed treason by fighting against the Union FAILS to protect the constitution and its citizens.
           This Shabbat we read from Parsha Pinchas. The first few psukim (verses) of the Parsha are 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 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 it 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 into Eretz Canaan. After the census is taken Moshe must judge a legal case concerning the laws of inheritance when a man has only daughters. This brief narrative is about the “Daughters of Tzelophchad”. 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).
          Soon after adjudicating the case of Tzlofchad’s daughters, Moshe demonstrates his concern for the people’s future. Keenly aware that he is prohibited entry into Eretz Canaan, Moshe worries and wonders about his successor. VaYidaber Moshe El Hashem Leimor - Moshe spoke to God saying, Yifkod HaShem Elohei HaRuchot L’Chol Basar Ish Al Ha’Eidah - May Hashem, God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly, Asher Yeitzei Lifneihem  Va Yavo Lifneihem Va’Asher Yotzieim Va’Asher YeVieim V’Lo Tiheyeh Adat Adoshem KaTzon Asher Ein Lahem Roeh - 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. 27:15-17).   The Or HaChayim (Rabbi Chayim Ibn Attar), the 18th-century Moroccan commentator and kabbalist, explains Moshe’s selfless perspective of leadership by citing the Talmud in Nedarim 39b. When a person visits the sick, it removes 1/60th of the illness provided that the visitor is the same age as the patient. Why? Because the visitor is the same age, and at the same stage of life, he/she is able to empathize with the patient. That ability to empathize is vital in alleviating the pain, sorrow, and sadness of the patient. The Or HaChayim also points out that in the Book of Judges, each Judge only judged his/her tribe. Having grown up in the tribe, and being a product of that particular tribe’s “context”, that judge would have the appropriate degree of empathy. Moshe understood that the leader must be able to connect to each member of the community as individuals in order to blend that individual into the greater community. A shepherd is able to demonstrate concern and lead the entire flock as well as empathy and concern for the individual.
          Both the Torah and the Constitution are pretty clear about the role of leadership. Leadership is all about service, leadership is all about protecting and defending the people, the assembly, the flock. Leadership is not about self-enrichment, self-aggrandizement, or self-promotion. A leader must be selfless, not selfish. A leader cannot be concerned about his future political prospects. Rather, the leader must focus on the present, on the task at hand, protecting and defending the people, the assembly, and the flock today. Any behaviour that purposefully detracts from protecting, defending, or preserving the welfare of the flock, constitutes a failure of leadership. So when the President puts millions at risk with his lack of concern and empathy for those who have been stricken with Covid 19 or have perished from this virus, or permits a bounty to be placed upon servicemen, or tries to deny the health insurance of millions during this pandemic, or protects and defends the racists, the conspiracy theorists and any other group that either diminishes or obstructs the attempt to create more perfect union is derelict in his duties. In some cases, such behaviour should be considered treasonous. In lhe meantime, a country will behave as if there is no shepherd and the flock will remain directionless with some moving in a safe direction in an attempt to make their smaller group safe.

Peace 
Rav Yitz
 

Still I Know I Lead The Way, They Tell Me Where I Go (John Barlow & Bob Weir - Estimated Prophet)

      

          Our son just returned from participating in a Model U.N. program sponsored by Yeshiva University involving approximately twenty Jewish Day schools from across North and South America. He and his team had spent the past two months preparing position papers on a variety of issues including the cannibalization of Africa’s natural resources, concerns over water shortages, drought and immigration. The two-day convention was an exercise in the hard work of becoming a community. The process of becoming a community occurs on the micro-level (each school/each country), and on a macro level (building consensus among the delegates for the numerous position papers that need to be voted upon and ratified. Whether in the micro or macro sense, individuals have to come together for a common cause and purpose-based upon their own volition and desire.

In this week’s Parsha, Yitro, we read two distinct narratives. In the first half of the Parsha, Moshe brings B’nai Yisroel to Midian. While there, Moshe spends a little time with his wife, his two sons and his father-in-law Yitro. Yitro acknowledges that G-d has been protective of B’nai Yisroel and that the Lord is greater than all other gods. The next day, Yitro sees Moshe sitting from morning to night mediating all problems that arise between individuals within the community. Yitro sees that his son-in-law is overextended and the current method of governing is neither good for him or Amchah. Being both a Priest of Midian as well as his father-in-law, Yitro offers advice as a father as well as a community leader. The second part of the Parshah, from chapters 19 through 20, tells of B’nai Yisroel’s revelation at Sinai.  The Parshah concludes with God’s declaration of the Aseret Dibrot, the Ten Commandments.

As Moshe’s father-in-law, as a leader of his community; Yitro makes an awe-inspiring suggestion. Because the revelation at Sinai occurs later, the suggestion often gets overlooked yet the message goes to the fabric of the type of community Moshe and God aspire to build.  Yitro suggests to Moshe “You be a representative of God, and you convey the matters to God…you shall make known to them the path in which they should go and deeds they should do. You shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, men of truth, men who despise money. You shall appoint them as leaders of thousands…they shall judge the people at all times, and they shall bring every major matter to you, and every minor matter they shall judge, and it will be eased for you, and they shall bear with you. If you do this thing and God shall command you, then you will be able to endure, and this entire people, as well, should arrive at its destination in peace.” (Ex. 18:19-23) Yitro explains to Moshe that a community must have a shared vision. To some degree, people need to know how to seek G-d on their own, and how to behave within a community. Others need to know G-d’s ways in order to inform those who need advice and adjudication. Everyone must have access to G-d and G-d’s teaching. Only then will Moshe’s load be lightened enough to bear. Only then will Amchah have a stake in the relationship with G-d and enter into a partnership with God. Only then, when confronted with the revelation at Sinai, amid the smoke and the fire and the thunder and lightning will the nation accept God’s covenant “the entire people responded together and said, ‘everything that God has spoken we will do!’”(Ex 19:8). Only then will Moshe and B’nai Yisroel arrive at its destination, in peace as a unified community. Only then can this community uphold their role as a “priest to the nations”.

Yitro understood and explained to his son in law, Moshe, that nature of true leadership. True leadership, based upon the sacred, the good, and for the public welfare is not the leadership of the despot and the dictator. True leadership, based upon the sacred, the good and the public welfare does not lead the people to the leader but rather towards something greater, more important and sacred. From Yitro’s perspective, Moshe's purpose, his mission,  was to create a legal system whereby he could lead his people towards adherence to God, God’s laws, and covenant.  That system was based upon transmitting and teaching the law, choosing judges with integrity and could not be corrupted, and creating an environment where the law, God’s covenant was relevant to the entire community and not to only certain members of the community. For our son and his Model U.N. peers, they learned how and why a community with so many divergent opinions and interests is able to come together. They are able to come together when they recognize common needs for themselves and their children. Those common needs have nothing to do with the leader but rather something far greater and far more sacred

Peace,

Rav Yitz