AS WE CONTINUE reading about the Israelites’ journey in the Torah, we come to a time when God tells Moses that he will not lead the people into the Promised Land, and must choose a new leader.
In Pinchas, the portion we read this week (Numbers 25:10-30:1), Moses’ dilemma about who he should choose, is clarified.
Should it be the strong, somewhat violent zealot, Pinchas, who killed a couple violating morality laws, or Joshua, a more moderate, compassionate, and open minded leader?
Moses sought God’s advice and the Talmud teaches that “Moses called upon God to choose a successor for him who will understand and respect the differences between people, rather than a zealot like Pinchas whose instinct is to find the sinners and kill them, to separate between ‘us’ and ‘them’” (Rabbi Lisa Gruschcow).
Though God had rewarded Pinchas for his zealotry with a “covenant of peace,” Joshua was God’s choice to follow Moses because of his experience, compassion and wisdom.
Because Moses had been such a remarkable and beloved leader through difficult and dangerous times, it would not be easy to find his successor.
He was always a wise and thoughtful mediator, showing courage in making hard decisions.
In this portion, he showed strength to radically change tradition by listening to the daughters of Zelophehad, who begged him for permission to inherit their father’s property.
Since he had died with no sons and the law said only men could own property, they claimed they deserved to inherit the land.
Moses had the courage to break with custom and give them their just portion.
This portion can teach us lessons about the qualities needed for wise leadership.
Some think kindness and compassion are signs of weakness in a leader. They may believe someone who projects physical or psychological strength, who may even threaten violence against their opponents, would make the most effective leader.
With that in mind, we are not surprised that God selected Joshua to lead the Israelites, rather than the hot-headed, self-righteous Pinchas who was filled with pious anger, vengeance and willing to use force to take the law into his own hands. This would not be the kind of person to calmly and firmly lead the people on the rest of their journey.
Jewish educator Beth Ellen Young says there are important traits seen in Pinchas when a transfer of leadership is necessary.
This is true when choosing any leader, secular or religious.
• Take stock of your accomplishments and where your community is going. Through this trait Moses was able to see how far he had brought the Israelites and understood their story would continue when he was gone.
• Speak up. Moses spoke to God about his concern for the people, seeking advice for what was best for them, not him.
• Facilitate naming a successor. “It is important to consider the person’s internal morals and values in addition to their accomplishments (Young). Joshua clearly had those values.
• Publicly endorse your successor. Because people respected Moses’ leadership, they honored his choice of Joshua to succeed him.
• Acknowledge that things will change with your successor. Moses’ continued presence during the transition ensured that people saw his support, even if things changed.
We can learn from the Torah what we should seek in making leadership choices. “We don’t have the benefit of a divinely selected successor, yet we can still emulate God’s” (Young).
Rabbi Karyn Kedar suggests we should consider leaders who are sustainers. “Do they nourish people’s souls, seeing the Divine spark in everyone? Are they positive about humanity and see the good in people, bringing out the best in everyone around them? Do they seek unity and compromise in a conflict or seek to further divide, focusing on ‘them vs. us’?”
We must ensure that all our leaders reflect the best in humanity and then we must choose wisely.
Kein yehi ratzon … may it be God’s will. Shalom.
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Issues of Faith is a rotating column by religious leaders on the North Olympic Peninsula. Suzanne DeBey is a lay leader of the Port Angeles Jewish community. Her email is debeyfam@olympus.net.
