"And G-d said to him, 'what is in your hand?' And he said, 'a staff.' And
He said, 'cast it to the ground,' and he cast it to the ground and it
became a snake, and Moshe ran away from it." [4:2-3]
The Medrash tells us the following story (Shemos Rabba 3): A Roman matron
said to Rebbe Yossi, "my god is greater than your G-d." He asked her why.
So she explained, "at the moment that your G-d revealed Himself to Moshe in
the bush, Moshe covered his face [but did not move]. But when he saw the
snake, which is my god, immediately 'Moshe ran away from it!'"
Rebbe Yossi replied that she did not understand. "When our G-d was revealed
in the bush, there was no place to run. Where would he run -- to the
heavens, the sea, or to dry land? What does it say concerning our G-d?
'Behold, I fill the heavens and the earth...' With the snake, which is your
god, if a person merely runs two or three steps away he can escape and save
himself, and this is why it says 'Moshe ran away from it.'"
Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Hertzberg zt"l sees within this conversation a message
about leadership. The Roman matron's god was the snake, because that was
the type of leadership to which she was accustomed. Her leader was a snake
then. Snakes will strike without cause or benefit, and we still find
leaders of this variety today: dictators, who punish their people without
cause or personal benefit, but only in order to demonstrate how powerful
they are.
He also points out that those who spread gossip are like snakes, because
their only "benefit" is malicious -- the sense of superiority which they
get from putting down others. The dictator and gossip work together: the
power of the dictator depends upon the gossip that people tell about one
another, even that ministers tell. No one dares make a misstep, and thus
the dictator rules from fear.
Our teacher Moshe ran away from "leadership" of this nature. He wanted no
part of it, for it runs completely contrary to the kindness and generosity
of our forebears, the kindness demanded of us by the Torah. The Jewish path
towards leadership is built upon humility, mercy and righteousness, not the
methods of a snake. The Jewish path is indicated only a few verses later,
when G-d says, "in order that they will believe that the G-d of their
forebears appeared to you, the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac, the G-d of
Jacob." [4:5]
Jewish leaders should inspire people to recognize and have faith in the G-d
of our forebears, by demonstrating an entirely different -- and sanctified
-- style of leadership. The Jewish leader may use his staff, but only out
of concern for his land and his people, not for personal reasons, and
certainly not out of malice.
This lesson applies to all of us: when we behave with kindness,
consideration, and love for others, we inspire respect for ourselves, for
our people, and for our G-d.
Good Shabbos
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