Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
PINCHAS 5775
“ON THE SAME PAGE
“In the depths
of my memory, there abides an image vouchsafed to me alone. I see him now as he
was then—more than half a century past—a man of stature in the full bloom of
life. Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, my rebbi, scrubbing the floor on his hands and
knees.
“His rebbi, Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, had asked
him to prepare the building on President
Street Crown
Heights , Brooklyn, for the inaugural
of Kollel Gur Aryeh of Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin
“Not long ago, I mentioned this episode to a
rosh yeshivah—and watched his eyes light up. “I always sensed in that kollel an
overwhelming feeling of kedushah; now I know where it came from,” he said.
“But that was Reb Shlomo. He could weigh issues
that stand berumo shel olam (at the apex of the universe), and he could also
scrub the floor of a makom Torah.”[1][2]
Moshe Rabbeinu, aware that he would not
lead his beloved nation into the Promised Land, voiced his concerns about the
welfare of the nation after his passing[3].
“Moshe spoke to G-d saying: ‘May
Hashem, G-d of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly, 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 G-d not be like sheep that have no
shepherd’. G-d said to Moshe, ‘Take to yourself Yehoshua the son of Nun,איש
אשר רוח בו - a man in whom there is
spirit, and lean your hand upon him’.”
Rashi explains, “Moshe said before
G-d, ‘Master of the World! It is revealed before you the personality of each
individual; they do not resemble each other. Appoint a leader who can deal with
each individual, according to his personality’.”
What is the significance of Moshe’s
analogy to sheep without a shepherd? The nation required a leader simply
because they needed someone to guide and lead them. What is added by the analogy?
Kesav Sofer explains that Moshe was
not concerned that the Jews would be left without a leader. G-d would surely
not forsake His Nation and would not allow them to fall prey to the perils of
anarchy. Moshe was confident that the leader would be a scholar of note, as
well as a righteous and courageous individual who would lead with conviction
and faith. But Moshe was concerned lest the leader be too consumed by his own
agenda and mission and not be sufficiently in tune with the needs of each
individual.
Moshe wanted to ensure that the leader
would be a person who loved his people and cared deeply for their needs. Rashi
elucidates this point when he writes that Moshe sought a leader “who can deal
with each individual, according to his personality”.
This is the meaning of the analogy. If
a flock of sheep are left to fend for themselves they are surely doomed to
become dispersed and easy prey for surrounding predators. The sheep-owner does
not merely seek a shepherd who will keep the sheep together and out of harm’s
way. Such a shepherd may be consumed by his selfish desires to shear the sheep
and eventually slaughter them. Rather, he seeks a compassionate shepherd who
will love and care for the needs of each of the sheep left under his care. That
is the type of leader that Moshe desired to be his successor.
Harav Asher Anshel Katz[4]
develops this idea further. He questions why when asking about his successor
did Moshe request that G-d “appoint a man over the assembly”. Why didn’t
Moshe ask that G-d appoint “a leader” or “a caretaker”; why does he simply
refer to him as ‘a man’? G-d responded that Moshe should appoint Yehoshua
because he is, “איש אשר רוח בו - a man in whom there is spirit.” There again
seems to be an emphasis on the fact that the successor should be ‘a man’. What
does that mean?
The Yitav Lev[5]
was the Rabbi and spiritual leader of the village
of Sighet , Hungary
The Yitev Lev would quip that people often come
to the city of Sighet
When R’ Yosef Leib died, the Yitev Lev delivered the following eulogy:
The Torah records that after Pharaoh had
two eccentric dreams no one was able to offer him a plausible explanation about
their significance. Finally Yosef was taken out of prison and brought before
Pharaoh. When Yosef offered Pharaoh an explanation that assuaged him, Pharaoh
was spellbound and declared, “Could we find another like him – a man in whom is
the Spirit of G-d?”[6]
The Medrash explains that Pharaoh commented
to his ministers, “If we were to search from one end of the world to the other
we would be unable to find (a person) like this one (i.e. Yosef).”
The Medrash is difficult to understand. Why
was Pharaoh so convinced that it was impossible for there to be anyone of
greater stature and more G-d-fearing than Yosef? What about Yaakov and the
other tribes?
The answer is that Pharaoh understood that
there may indeed be other individuals in the world who had more of a ‘Spirit of
G-d’ than Yosef. But Pharaoh was under the impression that to become a G-dly
person who possessed the ‘Spirit of G-d’ one had to live in seclusion. He had
to be isolated from society and temptations which detract a person from a life
of sanctity and holiness.
Pharaoh could not believe that an
individual like Yosef who was a slave and imprisoned for years could still
maintain a semblance of divinity. Pharaoh was floored by the fact that Yosef
was “a man”, i.e. a worldly cultured person, and yet possessed “the Spirit of
G-d”, i.e. he was a righteous person and a staunch believer. To Pharaoh that
combination was simply mind-boggling. He exclaimed that although there may
indeed be greater ‘men’ in the world than Yosef, in the sense that they may be
more sophisticated and urbane, and there may also be individuals who possessed
more of a ‘spirit of G-d’ than Yosef, Pharaoh was sure that there could be no
other person who was able to balance both of those dichotomous factions as
perfectly as Yosef.
The Yitav Lev concluded his eulogy by saying,
“Perhaps there are greater businessmen than R’ Yosef Leib and perhaps there are
greater scholars than R‘ Yosef Leib. But there is no individual who possesses
both qualities together - a ‘man’, in the sense that he was worldly, and yet
who also possesses the ‘Spirit of G-d’ as R’ Yosef Leib. That explains the
enormity of our loss.”
The Viener Rav continues that this was the
type of leader that Moshe sought for Klal Yisroel. Moshe was the quintessential
lover of all Jews and wanted to ensure that his successor would not only be a
person of valor and character, but also a person who deeply loved every Jew.
Moshe wanted his successor to be ‘a man’,
in the sense that he would be in tune with the needs and idiosyncrasies of the
nation. The leader had to know ‘what made them tick’, how to infuse them with
passion, how to excite them and draw them close, and how to elevate them as
individuals.
G-d replied that Yehoshua was the most
qualified, because he was “איש אשר רוח בו - a man in whom there is spirit”. He was not
only a holy and personally meritorious individual who possessed the Spirit of
G-d, but he was also ‘a man’ who could intimately connect with the nation.
When Moshe was informed that Yehoshua was
chosen he was assuaged, because he knew that his prized disciple was indeed a
person, “who can deal with each individual, according to his personality”.
Every Friday evening, we commence the
Shabbos prayers with the psalm, “לכו נרננה לה' – Let us go exult G-d”. In that paragraph
we read, “For He is our G-d and we are sheep of His pasture, today if we heed His
call.” It is noteworthy that the verse utilizes the same terminology as Moshe
used when referring to the leader of Klal Yisroel – sheep in a flock.
Moshe sought a leader who would be
analogous to a loving shepherd who cares for his flock with love and devotion. Despite
the fact that by definition, a leader must be able to relate to his followers
on an individual level, there is one caveat: a leader must never compromise on
mitzvos. If connecting with his followers entails a breach of halacha or
mitzvos, a leader must hold his ground even if that will cause him to become
somewhat estranged from his followers.
When all is said and done, we – followers and
leaders – are all “followers of G-d”, and therefore must subjugate ourselves
unequivocally to His Will. It is surely true that a shepherd must love his
sheep and cater to their needs, but the sheep must also behave as sheep
normally do. If a sheep begins to act erratically the shepherd will be
compelled to discipline the sheep and treat it differently than the rest of the
flock.
Even Moshe, the consummate and ultimate
leader who always tried to connect with Klal Yisroel, on occasion was forced to
draw the line and seek judgment against his beloved nation.[7]
Our leaders must be able to connect with
us, but as same time we must seek ways to connect ourselves with our leaders.
Parshas Pinchas is often read during the
first Shabbos of the Three Weeks of mourning that culminate with Tisha B’av. It
is a time when we recall all of the suffering and anguish we have suffered as a
people since time immemorial. If there is one theme that resurfaces repeatedly
during all times of national tragedy, it is our failure to heed to the call of
our leaders and prophets.
In regards to our relationship with G-d,
the rule is “If we tune ourselves to Him than He attunes himself to us”, as it
were. That is the pivotal key to being part of G-d’s flock.
“Let the assembly of G-d not be like sheep
that have no shepherd”
“And we are sheep of His pasture, today if
we heed His call”
[1] I should add
that similar praise was expressed about Rav Mordechai Rennert zt’l, the late
Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Derech Chaim in Brooklyn, who was niftar earlier this
year. At his levaya many noted his incredible humility and ability to connect
with talmidim. In the early years of the yeshiva he and Rav Yisroel Plutchok
shlita, the current Rosh Yeshiva, would mop the floors in the yeshiva
themselves.
[2] From an
article by Michael Sanders reviewing the book “Reb Shlomo” by Rav Yisroel
Besser, Jewish Action, June 2009
[3] Rashi
writes that one of the virtues of a righteous leader is that he puts aside his
own concerns in order to prioritize the needs of his followers.
[4] Viener
Rebbe, “Shemen Rosh”; the Viener Rav delivered these words during a lecture he
gave in honor of the inauguration on a new dayan (judge) in his congregation in
Boro Park
[5] Harav
Zalman Leib Teitelbaum zt’l
[6] Bereishis
41:38
[7] Most
notably Moshe demanded swift and harsh retribution against Korach and his
adherents when they rebelled against Moshe as the agent of G-d.
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