Jonah, you wrote a very detailed explanation of this week’s parasha, Shemot. Not only did you summarize the entire parasha for us, but you talked about Moses’ leadership qualities. While we were talking about your Torah portion, I mentioned to you that many of our finest leaders, including Moses, Abraham, and David, had been shepherds prior to becoming leaders of the Jewish nation. Why does the Tanach stress that they were all shepherds? It is because the qualities of a shepherd include patience, compassion, and perseverance. If you’ve ever tried to move a herd of sheep or goats along a path, you would know that it isn’t any easy job. I had a chance to do that in the Judean desert last summer. First, you have to be able to convince the “stronger” ones to follow you and not allow the “weaker” ones to falter or fall prey to another animal. You have to use a shepherd’s staff to guide the herd, not to beat those that leave the path. And your duties as a shepherd require long hours of attentiveness and attention to details. You have to be aware whether or not the herd has enough to eat and drink and where all members of the herd are at all times.
A midrash states that Moses was deemed to have been the right individual to lead the Israelites out of Egypt because when he was serving as a shepherd to Yitro’s flocks, he saw a young sheep that was too weak to walk on its own with the group. What did Moses do? He picked the little sheep up and carried it on his shoulders as he cared for the entire flock.
Jonah, I doubt that any of us sitting here today will be considered at the end of our lives to be as great a leader as Moshe was. Yet, I have no doubt that we too can develop the qualities of patience, compassion, and perseverance. I know that in the process of studying for this special day, you have already had to develop those characteristics. Learning to chant a Haftorah and a Torah reading took a lot of perseverance. We started out by learning patterns and then putting the pieces together like a puzzle. One day you showed up and it was obvious that you had worked hard on your own to figure out parts that we had not studied together. In addition, you displayed the quality of compassion through your mitzvah project of creating blankets for the animals at the Humane Society. I must say that I was also impressed by your patience as you methodically categorized and organized the learning you needed to accomplish in order to be able to lead the congregation, your family, and friends today.
I have often noticed that after a young boy becomes a Bar Mitzvah, he can either continue to nurture the character traits he has developed in the process of his studies or leave them behind. He can either see that he has an opportunity to take the qualities he has developed and apply them to other areas of his life, including future Jewish learning, or he can see those qualities as applying only to “one day in his life.” I hope your outlook will be the former not the latter one. No matter where your passions lie, if you are compassionate, patient, and persevering….you will succeed. Others will respect you. You will not be thinking only of yourself, nor will you be willing to leave problems unsolved. You will know the joys of learning, serving, and leading.
Jonah, among my wishes for you, I hope that we will see you continue to apply your quick mind to Jewish learning. Continue to take time to ask questions and seek the answers. Don’t be afraid to know as much about our Jewish texts as you know about your history or math textbook. Continue doing acts of tzedkah and gemilut chasadim, acts of loving kindness. They will not only provide for those who are in need, but will bring meaning to your own life. And don’t let anyone tell you that a mitzvah is too difficult or too time consuming to perform. It will be time well spent. May today set the standard for the rest of your days as an adult Jewish male in our community and in the larger Jewish world. Mazel Tov.
No comments:
Post a Comment