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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Pinchas
But Moshe’s request is quite puzzling. He says: "May Hashem appoint someone who will go out & come in before them; who will take them out & bring them in."
What exactly does this enigmatic statement mean? Is a leader meant to pull his followers after him, or push them?
Rav Zweig offers the following explanation:
"The Torah is teaching us here the fundamentals of leadership. Every leader actually has two roles; one is to lead by example, the other is to direct the people to do what needs to be done. The primary responsibility of a leader is to inspire the people to act in a certain way; a leader therefore needs to be relatable & charismatic enough that the people will follow his lead. They need to look up to him & want to emulate him & his way of living, & buy into his goals to help fulfill his vision for the community. But a leader also has an important secondary role as well; to make sure his followers are doing what they are supposed to be doing, even when they don't want to do the right thing. This is a much harder task, as it must come from an outside force rather than an inner motivation. A leader is duly empowered to force his constituents to do the right thing, even – perhaps especially - when they don't want to."
Moshe ably filled both of these roles. On the one hand, he was the paradigm of justice, loyalty, Ahavat Yisrael, chesed, mesirat nefesh & truth. He gave up his exalted position in the palace to join his people, he fought for us, stood up for us; he loved & defended us. His lasting legacy is summed up as "Moshe emet, v’Torato emet." He was a role model par excellence.
But Moshe also stood up TO us when we strayed from the path. He was strict when the situation called for it: he gave us musar & reprimanded us when we needed it; he banished Korach & his followers; he broke the Luchot when we crossed the line in the Golden Calf incident.
The Rabbis who lead us - then and now - must know how & when to pull us closer to Hashem by virtue of their personal example; & they also must know how & when to push us when we need that extra motivation & prodding. It is a delicate balance of finesse & force.
Does your Rabbi fit the bill?
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
