A JEWISH LOOK AT LEADERSHIP

Whenever we encounter parashat Naso, as a Torah reader, I get excited.  It is amazingly repetitive and one can look extremely competent as a baal kriyah to those who don’t realize how repetitive it really is.  However, as one who is analyzing the text, the repetitiveness is actually a reason to question why it was written this way in the first place.

Perhaps you should think of it this way.  Could you imagine a political situation where 12 leaders of differing countries came to the same site bearing the same gifts, but the newspaper chose to only tell about one leader who did so?  That would surely cause question about why the other 11 political leaders were left out of the report.  Was the lack of mention saying something negative about those 11 other leaders?  According to Midrash although there were similarities in their offerings, each prince or chieftain brought his gifts to the Mishkan with a whole heart and complete sincerity. So as not to show more honor to one prince over the others, the Torah repeats each set of gifts in its entirety.

That being so, it is interesting to note that in the case of this parasha, only one of the individuals mentioned as bringing a dedication gift to the mishkan is not called a prince (a nasi) and he is mentioned first before all of the other princes of the tribes of Israel.  That individual is Nachshon Ben Aminadav.  Perhaps that name rings a bell for you.  Nachshon is mentioned in a Midrash about the crossing of Yam Suf.  When the Israelites left Egypt and came to the shore of Yam Suf, the Sea of Reeds, the waters were not parted.  The midrash says that the miracle of the splitting of the sea was in response to an Israelite who was willing to take a leap of faith before the entire group that stood paralyzed before the deep waters.  His name was Nachshon Ben Aminadav and he was from the tribe of Judah.  He exhibited bravery and loyalty to G-d. We are told that even though he could not swim, he walked into the undivided waters first up to his ankles, then up to his knees, then up to his waist, then up to his shoulders, and finally up to his mouth.  His action was a sign to G-d and G-d split the waters in response to Nachshon’s decision to show loyalty to Him and leadership among the people of Israel.

It was Nachshon’s ability to lead which qualified him for the lead position in offering sacrifices at the mishkan. It’s true he was a prince, but he did not aim to gather respect from others as a result of that title.  He gathered their respect because he was an individual who showed commitment to G-d and an unwillingness to succumb to despair when faced with great challenges.  He led by going first, taking risks, and by setting an example for others. 

I believe that is an important lesson for all of us to learn about true leadership.  Leadership not about titles, but about the willingness to serve. 

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote an article for the Jerusalem Post in 2012 about Jewish Leadership.  He summed up 7 principles of Jewish leadership.  See if you agree with him.

1)Leadership begins with taking responsibility.

2)No one can lead alone.  Leadership is teamship.

3)Leadership is about having a vision for the future.

4)Leaders learn.  They read and study.

5)Leadership means believing in the people that you are leading.

6)Leadership involves a sense of timing and pace.

7)Leadership is emotionally demanding but people who are true leaders lead because there is work to do and people in need.  They do not lead because they believe in themselves!

As we plan for our congregational future and even the future of this country, this parasha will be one to remember even though it appears to be repetitive.