Rabbi Simon A. Dolgin


The Making of a Leader


"And it came to pass in those days, and Moses was grown up..." (Shmot 2.11)

"And Moses was grown up": And does not everyone grow up? It comes to tell you that he grew up differently. "And he saw their suffering" - What did he see? He would see their suffering and he would cry, saying "I hurt for them. I would give my life for them," for there is no labor harder than mortar work. And he would lend them his shoulder and help each one of them. (Shmot Raba 1.27)

This is the way in which Moses, the young leader in the making distinguishes himself from early on. He does not preach or give classes. He goes out and sees the physical burden they bear. Before he can be worthy of facing God in order to receive the tablets, he must go out and face the true predicament of those who surround him. He is deeply pained by what he sees, and he matures quickly and unusually as a result. But seeing alone, and even sympathy and vicarious pain, are not enough. Moses goes further, and involves himself directly with the people, rolling up his sleeves, both figuratively and literally. As the Midrash tells us, "And he would lend them his shoulder and help each one of them."
leader
To be a leader, one must be prepared to share the load with one's followers. Empathy and good advice are not enough. By reaching out, feeling their burden, and joining his people's suffering, Moses qualifies himself for his later roles in receiving the Torah and in leading the Jewish nation.

Having achieved his status as leader in this way, Moses is in a far more influential position to demand the people's adherence to God's commandments. A leader must not appear privileged or detached. He must be someone who is prepared to roll up his sleeves and participate in the labor itself.

Only when he has accomplished this, matured as an individual, and earned himself the credibility that goes with "hands on" involvement, can he approach his followers with the loftier ideals, values and codes of behavior inherent in the Torah way of life.