Leadership during a crisis

Parsha and its Implementation – Beha'alotcha - Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - 5779

In our Parasha, the period of crises of the desert begins. The severe crises of the "complainers" and the קברות" התאווה, “graves where the victims of inordinate desire were buried” challenge Moshe's individual leadership. During the crisis and the difficulty, Moshe addresses Hashem:

" לָמָ֤ה הֲרֵעֹ֙תָ֙ לְעַבְדֶּ֔ךָ וְלָ֛מָּה לֹא־מָצָ֥תִי חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ לָשׂ֗וּם אֶת־מַשָּׂ֛א כָּל־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה עָלָֽי׃

And Moses said to Hashem, “Why have You dealt ill with Your servant, and why have I not enjoyed Your favor, that You have laid the burden of all this people upon me? (Bamidbar 11:11)

"למה הרעות לעבדך לשלחני בעל כרחי להוציא העם הזה ממצרים:

למה הרעות לעבדך? “

Why did you appoint me against my will to lead this people out of Egypt?

ולמה לא מצאתי חן בעיניך כשאמדתי שלח נא ביד תשלח:

ולמה לא מצאתי חן בעיניך?

When I asked You to send whomever You are in the habit of sending, (Shmot 4:13) why did You not accept my request?

לשום את משא כל העם הזה עלי וזה עשית כדי לשים את משא כולם עלי כאילו לא היה לך מנהיג זולתי לפחות לשתפו עמי שיהיה טוב להם:

לשום את משא כל העם הזה עלי

You could only have done this in order to burden me with the load of this whole nation, as if You could not have found another more suitable leader, or at least You could have provided me with someone else who would be suitable to share this burden and who would be good for them". (Sforno ibid.)

The leadership model of the Jewish people during a crisis, the burden and the weight of responsibility must be divided and cannot fall on the leader's shoulders, no matter how great he might be, even as Moshe Rabbeinu said:

לֹֽא־אוּכַ֤ל אָנֹכִי֙ לְבַדִּ֔י לָשֵׂ֖את אֶת־כָּל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֥י כָבֵ֖ד מִמֶּֽנִּי׃

"I cannot carry all this people by myself, for it is too much for me" )Bamidbar 11:14)

This crisis led to the appointment of a council of national leadership of seventy elders alongside Moshe, who shares with them his authority and his spirit:

"וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶסְפָה־לִּ֞י שִׁבְעִ֣ים אִישׁ֮ מִזִּקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָדַ֔עְתָּ כִּי־הֵ֛ם זִקְנֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם וְשֹׁטְרָ֑יו וְלָקַחְתָּ֤ אֹתָם֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וְהִֽתְיַצְּב֥וּ שָׁ֖ם עִמָּֽךְ׃

וְיָרַדְתִּ֗י וְדִבַּרְתִּ֣י עִמְּךָ֮ שָׁם֒ וְאָצַלְתִּ֗י מִן־הָר֛וּחַ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָלֶ֖יךָ וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וְנָשְׂא֤וּ אִתְּךָ֙ בְּמַשָּׂ֣א הָעָ֔ם וְלֹא־תִשָּׂ֥א אַתָּ֖ה לְבַדֶּֽךָ׃

Then Hashem said to Moshe, “Gather for Me seventy of Israel’s elders of whom you have experience as elders and officers of the people, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them take their place there with you.

I will come down and speak with you there, and I will draw upon the spirit that is on you and put it upon them; they shall share the burden of the people with you, and you shall not bear it alone" (ibid 11:16-17).

The commentators throughout the generations sought to examine the verses in order to understand the pattern of this model of leadership and how it is supposed to provide a solution during routine and in times of crisis.

The solution of choosing the seventy elders was intended to divide the burden, improve accessibility to the leadership that can be more attentive to the distress, and become an intermediate level that allows the supreme leadership of Moshe Rabbeinu "depth" and softening the criticism: "But Moshe thought that with many leaders they would be less angry and talk to their hearts. And it is possible that when the elders who had also Ruach HaKodesh prophesied, the people would be faithful to the prophets, and they would not gather themselves together against Moses"(Ramban, ibid pasuk 14).

The chosen elders were those who did not have a "personal interest" who did not seek a "political career" and a governmental position. They should be aware that they came “to work” for the people who do not make life easy for their leaders.

ונשאו אתך. הַתְנֵה עִמָּהֶם עַל מְנָת שֶׁיְּקַבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם טֹרַח בָּנַי, שֶׁהֵם טַרְחָנִים וְסַרְבָנִים (שם):

And they shall bear [the burden of the people] with thee — stipulate with them that they shall join you on the understanding that they take upon themselves the burden of my children — because they are troublesome people and refractory (Sifrei Bamidbar 92) " (Rashi, ibid 17).

The chosen were those who only cared for the welfare of the people, who had already proved that they gave their lives and were willing to pay personal prices and even suffer for the sake of the people’s wellbeing:

אספה לי שבעים איש מזקני ישראל אשר ידעת כי הם זקני העם ושוטריו. שידעת שהם זקני העם ושוטריו שלקו על הצבור במצרים מיד הנוגשים שהיו מצריים, והשוטרים הללו היו מרחמים עליהן ומקילים מהם עול העבודה, והיו מוכין על כך ע"י הנוגשים, שנאמר (שמות ה) ויכו שוטרי בני ישראל, כי הם יודעים להנהיג את העם ולסבול אותם. " (רבנו בחיי שם פס' טז).

אספה לי שבעים איש מזקני ישראל אשר ידעת כי הם זקני העם ושוטריו “gather for Me 70 men from among the elders of Israel whom you know to be elders of the people and its officers.” G’d meant that Moses was aware that the people in question had demonstrated empathy for the people in Egypt absorbing physical punishment on their own bodies rather than inflicting it on their charges. The officers were the ones of whom we read in Exodus 5,14 that “they were beaten by their Egyptian counterparts” for having displayed sympathy for the Jews they were in charge of. They had acquired experience in the qualities needed to deal with the people, and they had established a reputation for fair play”. (Rabbeinu Bahya Bamidbar 11:16).

By being chosen, the elders were given the gift of the prophetic spirit from Moshe. In this way there is also a kind of justice and closure of those who gave their lives for the people of Israel in the enslavement of Egypt:

אשר ידעת. כי הם שהוכו בשבילם במצרים כדאמר ויכו שוטרי בני ישראל שכל מי שמוסר עצמו על ישראל זוכה לגדולה ולכבוד ולרוח הקדש: אשר ידעת כי הם זקני העם,

“whom you have known to be the elders of the people;” they allowed themselves to be beaten rather than to impose more hardships on their fellow Jews. We have a tradition that anyone who deliberately suffers in order to spare fellow Jews suffering, will eventually be rewarded by being appointed to an important position, and will be granted a measure of Holy Spirit. Daat Zkenim on Bamidbar 11:16:2)

The pattern of the leadership of the seventy elders whom Moshe delegated to them. Although it had a divine command and it derived from the constraints of reality, it also expressed the nobility of Moshe's soul, which is willing to relinquish authority and transfer it to others (a very difficult concession to those who hold power). Here, too, Moshe is likened to his canon and the Council of Seventy Elders to the Heavenly Court: "

והנה משה נתעלה באותה עצה עלוי רב בהדמותו לקונו יתברך המאציל אצילות שפע על שבעים שרים של מעלה שהם בית דינו, כן עשה למשה שיהיה הוא המאציל על שבעים זקנים למטה שהם בית דינו של משה והוא הנשיא על גביהם ועליון על כלן, (רבנו בחיי שם פס' יז).

Through this procedure Moses’ stature was greatly enhanced in that he and his quorum of seventy elders from now on could be perceived as parallel to the celestial quorum which we described earlier. Moses’ position relative to the seventy elders compared to G’d’s position relative to the seventy angels who form His Sanhedrin. Any transfer of Holy Spirit from Moses occurred only at times when G’d would speak with Moses. (Rabbeinu Bahya Bamidbar 11:17).