"Bring forth wise men, and understanding, and known to your tribes, and I will place them at your heads." -Devarim 1.13

"Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Moses told them, 'If you do not heed them, the blame will be on your heads.' To what is this comparable? To the snake, whose tail said to its head', For how long will you lead? I will lead.' And [the head] replied, 'Lead.' And it went forth and found a ditch filled with water and entered it: then it came upon a fire and entered it: then it found thorns and entered into them. Who caused the head to follow the tail? This is why when the lowly follow the great, they cause God's decree to be fulfilled, and when the great follow the lowly, they fall on their faces." [Devarim Rabbah 1.10]

Moses turns to the nation and instructs them to appoint wise and understanding men, men well known to the people, to serve as their leaders. Some mistakenly think that the mere appointment of a leader is sufficient for community affairs to run smoothly. Yet all too familiar is the frequent effort by community members to influence their leaders in one direction or another, often in a effort to promote their own factions or special interests.

Our Sages interpret the opening verse of the Book of Ruth (Ruth 1.1): "And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged..." "Woe unto the generation that judges its judges, and woe unto the generation whose judges must be judged."

The message embedded in these words is amplified in the parable offered by the Midrash in our portion - a struggle for leadership between the snake's head and its tail.

Who will set the courses? And when the head concedes its leadership to the tail, the entire body proceeds in reverse, eventually engulfing itself in water, fire, and thorns.

The nation is not instructed to appoint puppet leaders, but leaders who will set the nation's course. If the nation fails to bring about strong and reliable leadership, the ultimate blame for their spiritual demise will be their own. In the words of the Midrash, "...and when the great follow the lowly, they fall on their faces." But we are assured that "when the lowly follow the great, they cause God's decree to be fulfilled."